Ion Exchange

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

A REPORT

ON


IN

ION EXCHANGE SERIVECE LIMITED

PANJAGUTTA, HYDERABAD

By

M.PAVAN KUMAR

Reg No. 181098064

A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of

MBA program

SALN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND

MANAGEMENT

SALN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT Page 1


DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project titled “CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR” done at

ION EXCHANGE SERVICE LIMITED, PUNJAGUTTA,HYDERABD. Submitted by me

as part of partial fulfillment for the award of the “Master of Business Administration” at.

SALN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT, CHITTOOR. Affiliated to

SRI VENKATESWARA University is a record of bonafied work done by me.

PLACE:

DATE:

(M. PAVAN KUMAR)



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I cordially thank S.V University for giving me the opportunity to undergo my project

work.

I thank the principal Dr. KRISHANAMACHARYULU, for their full fledged support

for having given me the opportunity to study in this Institution.

I thank Mr. S.A. SARAVANA KUMAR, Head of the Department of Management

Studies for his inspiration and providing me all the facilities to do my project work.

I would also like to thank our faculty guide Mrs. N. Mythili, who guided me throughout

the project. Sincere thanks are also to all the staff members of MBA department for their

valuable guidance and support.

I would also like to thank Mr. D.N. RAO, Marketing Manager, for permitting me to

pursue the project for sparing his valuable time to guide me during the project work and also to

all the employees of .



Chapter 1INTRODUCTION



INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

The 1990s have borne witness to dramatic shifts in the marketplace triggered by sharp

changes in the lifestyle patterns of the past and present and the radical revolution in the

telecommunication technology. Time tested concepts on Brand loyalty and Mass Marketing, are

being turned on their heads as they fail to gauge the Behaviour of new generation customers. The

behaviour is characterized by the uniqueness of individual expectations, the preference for

multiple options, propensity to abandon Brand loyalty and switch to competition Brands that

give higher (perceived) value. The new breed is even willing to import to satisfy specific

requirement. It is difficult to classify this generation by conventional Demographic factors and

unless their thought process and buying behaviour are fully understood, decisions on product

designs and packaging, Branding and Distribution channels are likely to be misplaced. With the

inevitability of change looming large over the horizon, Indian companies must learn from their

western counterparts; not only to identify the sources, timing and direction of the changes likely

to affect India, but also the new competencies and perspective that will enable them to respond to

these changes, comprehensively and effectively. Companies offering Product or Services will

need to understand this new face of the customers. The changing Demographic profile of the

population in terms of education, income, size of family and so on, are important by what will be

more substantive in days to come will be the Psychographics of customers that is how they feel,

think or behave. Markers will have to constantly monitor and understand the underlying

Psychographics to map their respective industries are moving and decide what needs to be done,

by way of adding value that motivates customers to buy the company’s products and influence

the future industry structure.



LITERATURE REVIEW

AWARENESS : This means to know about the existence of the product in the market. It is the

first stage of the adoption process. The consumers are exposed to the product innovation. The

consumers at this stage are not interested in more information about the product.

PERCEPTION : It is defined as the process by which an individual selects, organizes and

interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent of the world. It is how we see the world around

us’. Two persons subject to the same stimulus under the same conditions will react differently. A

stimulus is any unit of input to any of the senses. The study of perception is largely the study of

what we subconsciously add to or subtract from raw sensory to produce our own private picture

of the world.

ATTITUDE : In simple dictionary meaning ‘attitude; means a way of thinking is a learned

predisposition to behave in a consistently favorable or unfavorable way with respect to a given

object. Attitudes are learned may be because of a previous experience with the product,

information acquired from others, and exposure to mass media. Attitudes are not permanent, they

do change over a period of time.

Consumer Behavior

The study of consumers helps firms and organizations improve their marketing strategies

by understanding issues such as how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different

alternatives (e.g., brands, products);

The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment (e.g.,

culture, family, signs, media);

The behavior of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions;



Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence

decisions and marketing outcome;

How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in

their level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer; and how marketers can

adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach

the consumer.

Understanding these issues helps in adapting strategies by taking the consumer into

consideration. For example, by understanding that a number of different messages compete for

our potential customers’ attention, one learns that to be effective, advertisements must usually be

repeated extensively. It is also learnt that consumers will sometimes be persuaded more by

logical arguments, but at other times will be persuaded more by emotional or symbolic appeals.

By understanding the consumer, the company will be able to make a more informed decision as

to which strategy to employ.

The "official" definition of consumer behavior given in the text is "The study of

individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and

dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these

processes have on the consumer and society.

Behavior occurs either for the individual, or in the context of a group (e.g., friends

influence what kinds of clothes a person wears) or an organization (people on the job make

decisions as to which products the firm should use).

Consumer behavior involves the use and disposal of products as well as the study of how

they are purchased. Product use is often of great interest to the marketer, because this may

influence how a product is best positioned or how we can encourage increased consumption.

Since many environmental problems result from product disposal (e.g., motor oil being sent into



sewage systems to save the recycling fee, or garbage piling up at landfills) this is also an area of

interest.

Consumer behavior involves services and ideas as well as tangible products.

impact of consumer behavior on society is also of relevance. For example, aggressive

marketing of high fat foods, or aggressive marketing of easy credit, may have serious

repercussions for the national health and economy.

There are four main applications of consumer behavior:

The most obvious is for marketing strategy—i.e., for making better marketing

campaigns. For example, by understanding that consumers are more receptive to food advertising

when they are hungry, we learn to schedule snack advertisements late in the afternoon. By

understanding that new products are usually initially adopted by a few consumers and only

spread later, and then only gradually, to the rest of the population, we learn that (1) companies

that introduce new products must be well financed so that they can stay afloat until their products

become a commercial success and (2) it is important to please initial customers, since they will

in turn influence many subsequent customers’ brand choices.

As a final benefit, studying consumer behavior should make us better consumers.

Common sense suggests, for example, that if you buy a 64 liquid ounce bottle of laundry

detergent, you should pay less per ounce than if you bought two 32 ounce bottles. In practice,

however, you often pay a size premium by buying the larger quantity. In other words, in this

case, knowing this fact will sensitize you to the need to check the unit cost labels to determine if

you are really getting a bargain. There are several units in the market that can be analyzed.



Research Methods

There are two main categories of research methods. Secondary research uses research

that has already been done by someone else. For example, marketers often find information

compiled by the U.S. Census very useful. However, in some cases, information specific enough

to satisfy a firm’s needs is not publicly available. Original research that a firm does for itself is

known as primary research.

There is no one perfect primary research method. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and

thus the appropriate method must be selected based on research needs.

Surveys are useful for getting a great deal of specific information. Surveys can contain

open-ended questions or closed-ended, where the respondent is asked to select answers from a

brief list. Open ended questions have the advantage that the respondent is not limited to the

options listed, and that the respondent is not being influenced by seeing a list of responses.

However, open-ended questions are often skipped by respondents, and coding them can be quite

a challenge. In general, for surveys to yield meaningful responses, sample sizes of over 100 are

usually required because precision is essential.

Surveys come in several different forms. Mail surveys are relatively inexpensive, but

response rates are typically quite low—typically from 5-20%. Phone-surveys get somewhat

higher response rates, but not many questions can be asked because many answer options have to

be repeated and few people are willing to stay on the phone for more than five minutes. Mall

intercepts are a convenient way to reach consumers, but respondents may be reluctant to discuss

anything sensitive face-to-face with an interviewer.

Focus groups involve getting a group of 6-12 consumers together to discuss product

usage. Focus groups are especially useful if we do not have specific questions to ask yet, since

we don’t know what consumers’ concerns might be. Drawbacks of focus groups include high



costs and the fact that generalization toward the entire population is difficult for such small

sample sizes. The fact that focus groups involve social interaction also means that participants

may say what they think will make themselves look good rather than what they really believe

(the social desirability bias).

Personal interviews involve in-depth questioning of an individual about his or her interest

in or experiences with a product. The benefit here is that one can get really into depth . but this

method of research is costly and can be extremely vulnerable to interviewer bias.

Projective techniques are used when a consumer may feel embarrassed to admit to certain

opinions, feelings, or preferences. The main problem with this method is that it is difficult to

analyze responses.

Observation of consumers is often a powerful tool. Looking at how consumers select

products may yield insights into how they make decisions and what they look for. Observation

may help in determining how much time consumers spend comparing prices, or whether

nutritional labels are being consulted.

Physiological measures are occasionally used to examine consumer response. For

example, advertisers may want to measure a consumer’s level of arousal during various parts of

an advertisement.

Segmentation

Segmentation basically involves dividing consumers into groups such that members of a

group (1) are as similar as possible to members of that same group but (2) differ as much as

possible from members other segments. This enables us then to "treat" each segment differently

—e.g., by:



Providing different products (e.g., some consumers like cola taste, while others prefer lime) .

Offering different prices (some consumers will take the cheapest product available, while others

will pay for desired features). Distributing the products where they are likely to be bought by the

targeted segment.

In order for a segment structure to be useful:

Each segment must have an identity—i.e., it must contain members that can be

described in some way (e.g., price sensitive) that behave differently from another

segment.

Each segment must engage in systematic behaviors (e.g., a price sensitive segment

should consistently prefer the low price item rather than randomly switching between

high and low priced brands).

Each segment must offer marketing mix efficiency potential—i.e., it must be profitable

to serve. For example, A smaller segment may be profitable if, for example, it is price

insensitive or can be targeted efficiently . Some segments are not cost effective.

There are three "levels" of segmentation. Levels here refer to the tradeoff between the difficulty

of implementing a segmentation scheme and the benefits that result.

The first level of segmentation involves personal characteristics—e.g., demographics.

The trouble with this method of segmentation, however, is that there is often not a good

correlation between personal characteristics of consumers and what they want to buy.

Psychographics includes a bit more information about the consumer than his or her mere

descriptive characteristics.

The second level is benefit desired—that is, segmenting on what someone wants rather

than who he or she is. Implementing segmentation on benefit desired is more difficult.



The benefit, however, is that one can now make product that matches more closely a

particular segment’s specific desires, and one can promote, price, and distribute it

according to the desires of the segment. This method, then, lends itself extremely well to

strong product positioning—one make a product that offers specific benefits, and we

aggressively promote this fact to interested consumers. A drawback, however, is some

efficiency is lost in marketing communication.

The third level is segmentation based on behavior. Behavior here refers to a person’s

response (or lack of response) to a given treatment. The rewards are often great, because

one can tailor the kind of deal we give a consumer to the minimum concession needed to

get that consumer to buy our (as opposed to a competing) product.

Direct marketing offers exceptional opportunities for segmentation because marketers can buy

lists of consumer names, addresses, and phone-numbers that indicate their specific interests.

Culture

Culture is part of the external influences that imp



OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY



Objectives of the Study

To understand the psychology and behavior of customers towards

purchase of water purifier.

To know the various forces that drives the consumer towards the water

purifier.

To know the most preferred brand of water purifiers.

To know the most effective media for promoting the product.

To know the various problems that generally encountered by the

customers of ZERO-B water purifier.

To suggest some measures to improve the efficiency and performance

of services offered by ZERO-B water purifier.



NEED AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY



Need and Scope of the Study:

Under the Title Consumer buying behavior in Hyderabad city, The Study mainly

concentrates on around awareness, opinion and level of satisfaction of the product.

The study mainly concentrates on consumer buying behavior. The study also tries to find

out the level satisfaction. The impact of customer is analyzed so as to find out the satisfaction

towards Zero-B.



LIMITATIONS



Limitations:

The number of respondents’ level is only 100, so there is no scope to understand the wide

perception Customers.

The survey done is limited only to the Hyderabad region, so there is limited scope in

understanding the preference of choice of other areas.

The Preference of people may be subjected to other conditions which are not being included

in the project.

The time limit which is taken to complete the project is very limited, that is only 7 weeks, so

there is limited scope for extensive study.

There are different factors like personal, psychological and Social factors which can not be

assessed properly in the study duration of 7 weeks



RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY



Research Methodology

Methods of data collection

1. Primary data.

2. Secondary data

Primary data:

The primary data are those, which are collected fresh and for the first time and thus

happen to be original in character. Primary data are collected through “Mail survey and direct

interviews”.

Mail survey:

The questionnaire is send to the employee through the mail and the required data are

collected for the research work.

Direct interviews:



Some of employees have not responded to the questionnaire, so for those employees,

direct interviews have been conducted to get the information required

Secondary data: Secondary data are those, which have already been collected by someone &

which have already been passed through statistical process. The secondary data have been collected from

following ways.

Books:

The information, which are required for the review of literature and research

methodology and sampling technique.

Journals:

Journals are used for finding out new ideas and information required for the research

work.

Internet:

Internet has been used to get more information for the research from various web sites, to

explore new ideas to be implemented in the statistical tools and review of literature.

Magazines:

Magazines have been used to get new method for evaluating the training needs.



Chapter 2

COMPANY PROFILE



Company Profile

Ion Exchange India pioneered water treatment in India and is today the country's premier

company in water and environment management, with a strong international presence. Formed in

1964, as a subsidiary of the Permuted Company of UK, they became a wholly Indian company in

1985 when Permuted divested their holding. They currently employ 1,000 people - multi-

disciplinary teams of highly experienced professional manager’s technologists and scientists,

supported by a widespread infrastructure in India and abroad.

If they were at the forefront of the water management industry, it's because of a sustained focus

on:

Technological advancement through R&D - innovation is our hallmark as our numerous

patents testify

Affiliations with the best specialist water treatment companies internationally.

Human resource development - melding technology with people trained to manage it

responsibly.



Above all, commitment to customer care, that goes far beyond the sale. Technical service

support is a key component of our solutions bouquet and our service network is the

largest in the Indian water treatment industry.

Total Water Management

We use our wide range of processes with an integrated approach to deliver total solutions for

every market - household, institutional, commercial, industrial and public water supplies, urban

and rural, in India and overseas. Comprehensive services such as O&M and BOO/T enable us to

meet customer needs totally, offering end benefit conveniently and economically, with single

source responsibility.

Quality and Environmental Assurance:

All operating units of the company are ISO 9001:2000 certified. Ours was the first ion

exchange resin manufacturing company in India to have an FDA.

Approved facility for the manufacture of pharmaceutical grade specialty resins.

Our resin unit is also ISO 14001 certified. And our chemical division, too, is the first in the water

treatment sector in India to be ISO 14001 certified.



THE WIDEST RANGE INTERNATIONALLY

Short cycle demineraliser

Pretreatment, process water/liquid treatment, waste water

treatment, water recycle and product recovery using

various physico-chemical processes for settling,

clarification, filtration, and disinfection, membrane and ion

exchange technology.

Ion exchange resins, membranes, polymers and

polyelectrolytes for water and specialty non-water

applications

Boiler and cooling water treatment chemicals

Fireside chemicals and fuel additives



Speciality ion exchange reisins for de

colorising

Process chemicals for sugar and paper manufacture

Specialized systems for removal of excessive fluoride,

arsenic, iron and nitrates from water. These along with

disinfection systems have been adapted to rural needs.

Domestic and institutional drinking water purifiers and

water conditioners; central drinking water treatment

systems.

Sewage treatment and recycle systems

Comprehensive services - rehabilitation and automation of

plant, BOO/T, O&M, consultancy, operator training,

design engineering and project management.

Hallmarks of Value Creation

Strategic concept-to-completion guidance and consultancy

360o turnkey water management

Assured supply and quality of water

Superior price performance ratios and production efficiencies

Single point responsibility enabling greater customer focus on core business

Lower cost and effective use of capital employed

Creative ownership options



Environmentally responsive solutions

Over 4 decades of experience

In its 40 years of experience, the company has provided

installations for diverse industries in India and abroad, from

nuclear and thermal power, fertiliser and refinery, to

automobile, electronics and textile . The company has an

indepth understanding and knowledge of the Indian market

as well as of the cultural patterns prevailing particularly in

South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Reverse Osmosis System for TV

picture tube company

Water treatment plant (softening, demineralisation,

condensate polishing and side stream filtration) for

power project

Demineralization plant for refinery

More than 35,000 plants in India and abroad -

packaged, pre-engineered and custom built.

Over 400 major installations at thermal and nuclear

power stations, fertilizer factories, refineries,

petrochemical and other industries.

Over US$30 million worth projects in India on global

tender basis and many projects abroad.

Exports of equipment, ion exchange resins,

membranes and water treatment chemicals to Japan,

South East Asia, USA, Europe, Africa, Egypt,

Middle East, Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius

and Sri Lanka



Corporate Purpose

The importance of protecting the environment has never been greater than now. The

capacity of the earth, our spaceship, to absorb more waste or more energy, is fast getting

exhausted. Environmental damage has already caused the extinction of hundreds of species of

plant and animals. Human beings themselves are now under threat. There is an urgent need to

protect the water we drink and use, the air we breathe, the soil on which our crops and plants

grow.

Ion Exchange India's core business relates to water, a precious natural resource, essential

for all human activity and for life itself. It is our privilege to manage this increasingly scarce

resource by providing total water management solutions. Purifying water to ensure safe drinking

water for homes and communities. Treating water with care to meet the quality requirements for

any process. Removing pollutants from wastewater. Recycling and recovering water and

valuable products for reuse. Reducing waste and pollution. Using technology beneficially to

conserve earth's most precious resource while improving quality of life and protecting the

environment.



We at Ion Exchange India believe ourselves fortunate - privileged in fact, that our

business is of such beneficial service to society and the environment which are directly affected

by the use and misuse of water. That our business provides us the opportunity to use technology

to improve the quality of people's lives and the environment, enabling us to fulfil our inherent

responsibility and obligation to society of which we are a part, returning what we owe to it, with

value added.

Code of Conduct

Our Company firmly believes that its vision of being a market leader in its businesses can

be achieved only if it has the trust and association of its employees, customers and investors,

whom the company values very highly. The code of conduct has been drafted to ensure that the

employees act in accordance with these principles. In respect of matters for which there is no

specific rule, employees will have to take an honest, pragmatic approach without compromising

the values and principles of the company.

Applicability

The Code is applicable to officers, employees and workers at all levels of the Company,

whether working in India or abroad.

Secrecy

The Company values honest dealing with all its customers, dealers and vendors. At all

times, whether during employment with the Company or after leaving the Company, employees

will have to observe secrecy regarding the affairs of the Company and shall keep confidential all

information or knowledge obtained about the Company's affairs, its manufacturing processes and

inventions. Any improvement in processes or products or any new inventions that is made by an



employee shall be the exclusive property of the Company and the employee shall do all things

necessary to vest the ownership rights thereof in the Company.

Protection of Company’s Property

Employees must use the Company’s property with care and should not use it for personal

purposes. They should return to the Company at the time of resigning, the items used in the

course of their employment with the Company.

Conflict of Interest

Employees should not allow personal interests and prejudices come in the way of

decisions, for e.g., profiting from confidential information, influencing a business transaction

with an entity with which the company is dealing with. They should always ensure that decisions

taken by them are not detrimental to the interests of the company. The Company’s interest

should be uppermost in their mind and dealings contrary to this should be disclosed to their

immediate superior or to the management or in-house legal counsel for appropriate action.

Fair Treatment of Employees

Employees shall treat each other with respect and there should be no discrimination with

respect to religion, race, creed, gender, disability etc.

Harassment in Workplace

The Company cannot function and meet its objectives without the support, co-operation

and trust of its employees. The Company has always worked towards the well-being and growth

of its employees and believes in transparent and cordial relations. Employees should not tolerate



harassment of any nature and must report to their immediate superior or management, any such

problem faced by them. The management will maintain confidentiality and shall extend all co-

operations to the employee.

Safety & Environment Protection

The Company is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy work

environment, by establishing safe operating procedures and practices that protect employees

from ill health and injury. The Company’s businesses are undertaken in an environmentally

responsible manner and it is committed to conservation of resources and continual improvement

of processes and activities in order to minimize impact on environment, prevent pollution and

protect the environment.

Customers

Customer satisfaction is a core value and the Company is committed to providing

customers the best value for money through quality solutions and services that meet needs of

consumers. We are focussed on understanding customer needs and obtaining customer feedback for

improving products and services and finding innovative solutions that will improve the quality of

people’s lives and the environment.

Shareholders

Our Company believes in and has consistently practised good corporate governance. It

provides timely and accurate information to the shareholders regarding the company’s activities

and financials and continuously work towards enhancing shareholder value.

Insider Trading



Inside information means any information known to an employee which is not yet made

public and which, if made public, will result in manipulation of stock prices. For e.g., financial

results, any major expansion plans or execution of new projects, plans of merger, amalgamation

or takeover etc. is inside information. Employees possessing such information should not misuse

and gain from such information.

Compliance with Competition Laws

The employees must comply with competition laws and should not indulge in activities that

are in violation of such laws. The employees shall consult the in-house legal counsel in case of

any doubt or clarification in understanding the laws.

Infrastructure in India and Worldwide

Our company's countrywide infrastructure of sales and project offices, production facilities,

service companies, dealers, agents and stockists, has been built up and expanded over more than

four decades of operations. Globally too, its overseas operations are well represented by a

network of offices, agents and stockists.

Corporate Office

Mumbai

International Division

Rabale, Navi Mumbai



Regional Sales Offices

Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Vadodara

Branch Sales Offices

Bangalore, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Indore, Lucknow, Pune, Vashi

Project Offices

Vashi & Rabale, Navi Mumbai

Production Facilities

State-of-the-art units spread across five states of India, committed to built-in quality achieved by

quality assurance systems, advanced manufacturing processes and continuous training in

manufacturing practices, safety and quality issues.

Ankleshwar, Gujarat



ISO 9001:2000 & ISO 14001 certified, fully automated,

integrated unit for manufacture of cation and anion exchange

resins. Also set up here is the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) approved and ISO 9001 certified facility for

manufacture of pharmaceutical grade speciality resins.

Hosur, Tamil Nadu

ISO 9001:2000 certified facility for assembly of packaged

plants and for manufacture of water quality monitoring

instruments. Also, a modern 11,000 sq. ft. facility for

fabrication facility of vessels, pipes and structurals.

Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh

ISO 9001:2000 & ISO 14001 certified facility for manufacture

of cooling and boiler water treatment chemicals, sugar & paper

process chemicals, RO chemicals, water quality test kits and

polyelectrolytes, fireside chemicals and fuel additives.

Rabale, Maharashtra

ISO 9001:2000 certified export oriented unit for skid-mounted

assembly and testing of custom-built plants before shipment.

Verna, Goa

ISO 9001:2000 certified facility for membrane manufacture and

for drinking water purification/water conditioning products for

the household sector.

Dealers

Ahmedabad Amritsar Bangalore



Bhubaneshwar Kolkata Cochin

Coimbatore Cuttack Durgapur

Guwahati Hyderabad Indore

Jaipur Jamshedpur Kanpur

Kota Lucknow Madras

Mumbai Nagpur New Delhi

Pune Raipur Sangli

Thane Tinsukhia Udaipur

Vadodara Vapi Vishakapatnam

Overseas Operations

Ion Exchange Singapore Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. at Singapore & Malaysia

Overseas Offices

Bangkok - Thailand

Jakarta - Indonesia

Kenya - Africa

Dhaka - Bangladesh

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

International Agents In

Bangaladesh

Indonesia



Japan

Kenya

Korea

Malaysia

Nepal

Sri Lanka

Tanzania

Uganda

Zimbabwe

Group Businesses

Ion Exchange Singapore Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (Subsidiary)

To service the Pan Asian region for total water

management we set up Ion Exchange Asia Pacific Pte.

Ltd. in Singapore www.ieiasiapacific.com


http://www.ieiasiapacific.com/


Ion Exchange Services Ltd. (Subsidiary)

Our investment in building an all-India service

infrastructure, started almost two decades ago, is today

serving us in good stead. Our service company network,

the largest in the water treatment industry in

India, and recently extended to several countries overseas, offers a comprehensive range of

technical and value-added services.

www.ion-services.com

Ion Exchange Enviro Farms Ltd. (Subsidiary)

Like our core business, our diversification into organic agri-

horticulture, through Ion Exchange Enviro Farms Ltd., is a natural

extension of our activities and shares our vision of a better world.

An agri-business subsidiary, this company harnesses Ion Exchange India's four decades of water

and environmental management experience into organic agri-horticulture. The company is

among the first corporate in India to undertake scientific bio-intensive organic farming on a

commercial scale. Its thrust areas of business are enviro farms, contract farming and produce

marketing.

www.ionenviro.com

Ion Exchange Waterleau Ltd. (Joint Venture)

Our joint venture with Waterleau, Brussels specializes in environmental solutions and services

with proprietary technologies encompassing air, water & waste water , bio solids, waste & soil

remediation

in municipal and industrial segments. www.ionexchangewaterleau.com


http://www.ionexchangewaterleau.com/

http://www.ionenviro.com/

http://www.ion-services.com/


A Spectrum of Solutions, Spanning Every Sector

For more than four decades we’ve led the water treatment industry in India, catering to

the needs of all sections of society.

We service myriad industries as diverse as power, refinery, fertilizer, food & beverage,

automotive, pulp & paper, textile, pharmaceutical and electronics. Industrial

Ion Exchange India provides industry with total water management - from pretreatment,

through process water/liquid and waste water treatment, to water recycle and recovery of

valuable byproducts for reuse in process. Total solutions address environmental concerns of

customers by incorporating water conservation, pollution control, energy saving and reduced

chemical consumption. Comprehensive services, including O&M and BOO/T contracts, deliver end

benefit conveniently and economically, with single-point responsibility.

We have more than 40,000 installations worldwide - packaged, pre-engineered and custom

built, of which over 500 are at thermal and nuclear power stations, fertilizer factories, refineries,

petrochemical and other core sector industries. Our plants, ion exchange resins and water

treatment chemicals are exported to South East Asia, Japan, Europe, Africa, Egypt, the Middle

East, USA and UK, as well as to the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius and

Sri Lanka.



Homes

well known range of drinking water purifiers and water conditioners is part of a

range of water treatment solutions that together provide total water care for homes. Personalized

understanding of the problem, analysis of the water and a complete solution is what we offer.

From drinking and cooking, to bathing, laundry and swimming pools, as well as sewage

treatment/ recycle systems that provide assurance to residential complexes against water

shortages.

http://www.zerobonline.com

Drinking Water Purifiers

Catering to every consumer segment and budget is a wide range of

drinking water purifiers that ultimate protection against waterborne

diseases. They use iodinated resin, reverse osmosis and ultra filtration

membrane technologies, activated carbon or ozonation to purify water.

They come in a wide range of convenient, compact, user friendly devices to

provide all segments with safe drinking water.

Zero B Range

Sapphire Wall-Mount RO

Intello

Solar Online wall-mounted purifier

Suraksha Plus Non-electric storage water purifier

Pristine & Ultimate

ROTable top reverse osmosis purifier

Ultimate RO Under-the-counter reverse osmosis purifier


http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zeru

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerpri

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerpri

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zero4




http://www.zerobonline.com/


Reverse Osmosis

15/25 LPHSkid RO

Pristine UF Counter top purifier uses ultra filtration to purify water

Resiline On line purifier for residential use

Suraksha On tap purifier in kitchens

Srijal Cartridge Unique purifying cartridge, upgrades ordinary candle filter into a water

purifier

Puristore Storage type purifier

Srijal "Siphon" purifier for rural and semi-rural areas without piped water

supplies

Watermate Portable purifier

Puriline On line purifier for offices & Institutions, hospitals, factories

Water Stations Water vending machines for retailing purified water at railway stations,

bus depots, shopping malls, places of pilgrimage etc.

Top

WaterConditioners

We also offer water conditioners to handle hardness and excessive iron in water. Our

specialised systems deal with the problems caused by minerals like calcium, magnesium and

iron in household water. These condition the water to remove the impurities to make it safe for

use.

Product Range

Duplex - Water softener

Softenizer - Water softener


http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zersoft

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#duplex

http://www.ionindia.com/residential.html#top

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerwa

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerpu

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerw

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zersri

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerpur

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zers

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#sur

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerr

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerp

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#ro25

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#ro25


D-Ferrous - Iron remover

Pool Sparkler - Swimming pool filtration system

Communities

Increasing pollution of surface and ground water has made quality of drinking water supplies to

communities a paramount concern. Simultaneously, communities are faced with increasingly

severe water shortages.

Using our vast experience in total water management, Ion Exchange India offers solutions that

provide safe drinking water at an affordable cost

treat waste water to comply with discharge regulations

and conserve fresh water while reducing pollution, through recycle

Our products & treatment processes for communities cover

chemical dosing systems, polyelectrolytes, flocculation, sedimentation

clarification and filtration

decarbonisation

softening

disinfection

brackish water treatment, desalination of sea water


http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#pool

http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#zerdf


iron/ fluoride/ nitrate and arsenic removal

waste water/sullage/sewage treatment and recycle

disaster management for drinking water

We have provided community level solutions directly as well as through NGOs, municipalities and

government public health engineering departments.

Rural Urban

Disaster Management

Ion Exchange India has associations with some of the best known specialist water

treatment companies in the world through which we have acquired state-of-the-art technologies.

Sullage Recycle & Sewage Treatment Systems

Water recycle systems save upto 60% of fresh water requirement, reducing dependence

on unreliable and inadequate water supply & expense on tanker of unknown quality. Sullage

(grey water from kitchens and bathrooms) and sewage is recycled for toilet flushing, gardening,

car washing etc.


http://www.ionindia.com/residentiallink.html#sull

http://www.ionindia.com/disaster.html

http://www.ionindia.com/urban.html

http://www.ionindia.com/rural.html

http://www.ionindia.com/rural.html

http://www.ionindia.com/urban.html

http://www.ionindia.com/disaster.html


To tap the growing health consciousness among all segments, we expanded our range to

offer total water care for homes, under the Zero B umbrella which enjoys countrywide brand

equity.

And we’ve further extended our solutions to townships and smaller communities in the

urban and rural infrastructure, working with municipalities, public health engineering

departments of state governments and NGOs.

We've led the Indian water treatment industry for over four decades, enjoying first mover

and pioneer advantage, and a reputation for quality and commitment. Our total water

management portfolio is practically unrivalled in the industry and our solutions preferred by

diverse industries, homes and communities across India and overseas.

Widely considered to possess the best domain knowledge, our people are our greatest and

most competitive asset, and we attach as much importance to their development as to technology.

We are perhaps the only Indian company to set up, in 1985, Employee Benefit Trusts

which now hold around 23% of our stock. This along with Employee Stock Options contribute to

a strong sense of pride and ownership

Work culture

you will find at Ion Exchange India a work culture that is at once professional, result-

oriented and challenging as well as friendly, lively and comfortable. An open-door, informal

climate provides ample occasion to interact and exchange views with corporate management and

business heads and thus benefit from their experience. Cross-functional exposure enables

tremendous broadening and value-adding to skills and experience base.

Training

Learning organizations are the organizations of the future. Human Resource Development is



therefore a focus area, and our personnel are recognized as the best trained and most experienced

in the industry. Emphasis is given to product, application and functional training - through

individual on-the-job training as well as structured group programmes. Training in technical,

managerial and soft skills is provided in-house by our HRD department and by sponsorship to

external programmes. A detailed training calendar is prepared at the beginning of the financial

year enabling departments plan ahead for training and development.

Career Path

You will find that organic career growth is characteristic of our company - a number of senior

positions are and have been held by those who have demonstrated their capabilities and have

thus risen up from within the company.

We introduced a system of career progression way back in 1977. This is intended for planning

career growth in such a way that skills and abilities develop progressively, greater use is made of

these and recognition accorded through enlarged job responsibilities and career growth.

In 1987 we introduced a system of performance appraisal against objectives or key result

areas, set and reviewed jointly, half-yearly and annually. We consider the appraisal process

important because it helps identify the strengths of a person, the potential for development and

growth, areas of improvement and training required. It also serves as a tool for long term human

resource planning and development.

India

Operating Places in India





INDUSTRY PROFILE



Industry Profile


Water purifiers are one of the most used kitchen utilities Available In India. Portable

versions of Water Purifiers are available for Camping. Water Purification Methods include the

mechanized versions as well as the age-old and time-tested Water Purification Tablets. The

Water Purification Process includes removing contaminants from the raw water source.

Some of the home remedies for Water Purification are boiling or the use of the household

charcoal filter. But these do not ensure the required standard of Water Purification thus a proper

treatment is mandatory. That's where the Water Purifiers For Home step in. treatment of water

by ozone also provides certain levels of purity.

Water Purifier Companies in India

The main Manufacturers having the major share of the water purifiers' customers are:

Eureka Forbes

Kent

Zero B

Usha Brita

Jaipan

Kenstar

Maharaja Whiteline

Orpat

Water Purifier Reviews The Reviews and Ratings of their products are available on the

Online electronic stores. A thorough study of the Review or Rating a particular model receives

can help us in determining its exact relevance to our requirement. The top Ratings and Reviews

are usually scored by Water Purifiers from Usha Brita, Philips, Eureka Forbes and Kent.


Water Purifier Price in India

The Price range of the Water Purifiers Available In India might vary from below Rs. 2,000 to

above Rs. 12,000. The water flow rate can be around 1 litre per minute. The additional features

that one can take in account are:

Candle filter

Pre-filter

UV purification

Reverse osmosis

Activated carbon

Total market for water purifiers in India is valued at INR 9 bn in 2009 and is expected to

grow significantly in near future. Market comprises of three segments Ultra Violet (UV) based

Purifiers, Reverse Osmosis (RO) purifiers and storage / resin based purifiers.

The report provides a snapshot of the market. An overview gives a quick picture of the

market with estimated market size, growth rate, segment share, and revenue split between

organized and unorganized sectors. An analysis of drivers reveals that the scarcity of clean

drinking water, low penetration of water purifiers, increasing urbanization and rising water borne

diseases is driving growth in this sector. The key challenges identified include lack of standards

and low awareness levels. Future trends identified include tie-ups for enhancing distribution,

increasing product portfolio and rural expansion. The competitive landscape identifies major

players in this sector. The report also provides details of the key developments in this space



CHAPTER 3

REVIEW OF LITERATURE



Introduction to Consumer buying

behavior



INTRODUCTION

Consumer Buying Behavior

What influences consumers to purchase products or services? The consumer buying

process is a complex matter as many internal and external factors have an impact on the buying

decisions of the consumer.

When purchasing a product there several processes, which consumers go through. These

will be discussed below.

Stages of the Consumer Buying Process

1. Problem/Need Recognition

2. Information search

3. Evaluation of different purchase options.

4. Purchase decision

5.Post Purchase Behavior

Factors influencing the behavior of buyers.

Consumer Behavior is affected by many uncontrollable factors. Just think, what

influences you before you buy a product or service? Your friends, your upbringing, your culture,

the media, a role model or influences from certain groups?



Culture is one factor that influences behavior. Simply culture is defined as our attitudes

and beliefs. But how are these attitudes and beliefs developed? As an individual growing up, a

child is influenced by their parents, brothers, sister and other family member who may teach

them what is wrong or right. They learn about their religion and culture, which helps them

develop these opinions, attitudes and beliefs (AIO) . These factors will influence their purchase

Behavior however other factors like groups of friends, or people they look up to may influence

their choices of purchasing a particular product or service. Reference groups are particular

groups of people some people may look up towards to that have an impact on consumer

behavior. So they can be simply a band like the Spice Girls or your immediate family members.

Opinion leaders are those people that you look up to because your respect their views and

judgments and these views may influence consumer decisions.. The economical environment

also has an impact on consumer behavior; do consumers have a secure job and a regular income

to spend on goods? Marketing and advertising obviously influence consumers in trying to evoke

them to purchase a particular product or service.

People’s social status will also impact their behavior. What is their role within society?

Are they Actors? Doctors? Office worker? and mothers and fathers also? Clearly being parents

affects your buying habits depending on the age of the children, the type of job may mean you

need to purchase formal clothes, the income which is earned has an impact. The lifestyle of

someone who earns 250000 would clearly be different from someone who earns 25000. Also

characters have an influence on buying decision. Whether the person is extrovert (out going and

spends on entertainment) or introvert (keeps to themselves and purchases via online or mail

order) again has an impact on the types of purchases made.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs theory sets out to explain what motivated

individuals in life to achieve. He set out his answer in a form of a hierarchy. He suggests



individuals aim to meet basic psychological needs of hunger and thirst. When this has been met

they then move up to the next stage of the hierarchy, safety needs, where the priority lay with job

security and the knowing that an income will be available to them regularly. Social needs come

in the next level of the hierarchy, the need to belong or be loved is a natural human desire and

people do strive for this belonging.

Esteem need is the need for status and recognition within society, status sometimes drives

people, the need to have a good job title and be recognized or the nedd to wear branded clothes

as a symbol of status. Self-actualization the realization that an individual has reached their

potential in life. The point of self-actualization is down to the individual, when do you know you

have reached your point of self-fulfillment?

But how does this concept help an organization trying to market a product or service?

Well as we have established earlier within this website, marketing is about meeting needs and

providing benefits, Maslow’s concept suggests that needs change as we go along our path of

striving for self-actualization. Supermarket firms develop value brands to meet the psychological

needs of hunger and thirst. Harrods develops products and services for those who want have met

their esteem needs. So Maslow’s concept is useful for marketers as it can help them understand

and develop consumer needs and wants.

If a marketer can identify consumer buyer behavior, he or she will be in a better position

to target products and services at them. Buyer Behavior is focused upon the needs of individuals,

groups and organizations.

It is important to understand the relevance of human needs to buyer Behavior (remember,

marketing is about satisfying needs).



Let's look at human motivations as introduced by Abraham Maslow by his hierarchy of

needs: The hierarchy is triangular. This is because as you move up it, fewer and fewer people

satisfy higher level needs. We begin at the bottom level.

Physiological needs such as food, air, water, heat, and the basic necessities of survival

need to be satisfied. At the level of safety, man has a place to live that protects him from the

elements and predators. At the third level we meet our social and belongingness needs i.e. we

marry, or join groups of friends, etc.

The final two levels are esteem and self-actualization. Fewer people satisfy the higher

level needs. Esteem means that you achieve something that makes you recognized and gives

personal satisfaction, for example writing a book. Self-actualization is achieved by few. Here a

person is one of a small number to actually do something. For example, Neil Armstrong self-

actualised as the first person to reach the Moon.

The model is a little simplistic but introduces the concept a differing consumer needs quite well.



To understand consumer buyer Behaviors to understand how the person interacts with the

marketing mix. As described by Cohen (1991), the marketing mix inputs (or the four P's of price,

place, promotion, and product) are adapted and focused upon the consumer.

The psychology of each individual considers the product or service on offer in relation to

their own culture, attitude, previous learning, and personal perception. The consumer then

decides whether or not to purchase, where to purchase, the brand that he or she prefers, and other

choices.

Types of buying behavior.

There are four typical types of buying Behavior based on the type of products that intends

to be purchased. Complex buying Behavior is where the individual purchases a high value brand

and seeks a lot of information before the purchase is made. Habitual buying Behavior is where

the individual buys a product out of habit e.g. a daily newspaper, sugar or salt. Variety seeking

buying Behavior is where the individual likes to shop around and experiment with different

products. So an individual may shop around for different breakfast cereals because he/she wants

variety in the mornings! Dissonance reducing buying Behavior is when buyer are highly



involved with the purchase of the product, because the purchase is expensive or infrequent.

There is little difference between existing brands an example would be buying a diamond ring,

there is perceived little difference between existing diamond brand manufacturers.

Types of Consumer Buying Behavior

Types of consumer buying behavior are determined by:

Level of Involvement in purchase decision. Importance and intensity of interest in a

product in a particular situation.

Buyer’s level of involvement determines why he/she is motivated to seek information

about a certain products and brands but virtually ignores others.

High involvement purchases--Honda Motorbike, high priced goods, products visible to others,

and the higher the risk the higher the involvement. Types of risk:

Personal risk

Social risk

Economic risk

The four type of consumer buying behavior are:

Routine Response/Programmed Behavior--buying low involvement frequently purchased

low cost items; need very little search and decision effort; purchased almost

automatically. Examples include soft drinks, snack foods, milk etc.

Limited Decision Making--buying product occasionally. When you need to obtain

information about unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category, perhaps. Requires a

moderate amount of time for information gathering. Examples include Clothes--know

product class but not the brand.



Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement, unfamiliar, expensive and/or

infrequently bought products. High degree of economic/performance/psychological risk.

Examples include cars, homes, computers, education. Spend alot of time seeking

information and deciding. Information from the companies MM; friends and relatives,

store personnel etc. Go through all six stages of the buying process.

Impulse buying, no conscious planning.

The purchase of the same product does not always elicit the same Buying Behavior. Product can

shift from one category to the next.

For example:

Going out for dinner for one person may be extensive decision making (for someone that

does not go out often at all), but limited decision making for someone else. The reason for the

dinner, whether it is an anniversary celebration, or a meal with a couple of friends will also

determine the extent of the decision making.

Categories that Effect the Consumer Buying Decision Process

A consumer, making a purchase decision will be affected by the following three factors:

1. Personal

2. Psychological

3. Social

The marketer must be aware of these factors in order to develop an appropriate MM for its target

market.


http://www.udel.edu/alex/chapt6.html#social

http://www.udel.edu/alex/chapt6.html#psychological

http://www.udel.edu/alex/chapt6.html#personal


Personal

Unique to a particular person. Demographic Factors. Sex, Race, Age etc. Who in the

family is responsible for the decision making. Young people purchase things for different

reasons than older people.

Psychological factors

Psychological factors include:

Motives

A motive is an internal energizing force that orients a person’s activities toward

satisfying a need or achieving a goal. Actions are effected by a set of motives, not just one. If

marketers can identify motives then they can better develop a marketing mix. MASLOW

hierarchy of needs!!

o Physiological

o Safety

o Love and Belonging

o Esteem

o Self Actualization

Need to determine what level of the hierarchy the consumers are at to determine what

motivates their purchases.

Perception

What do you see?? Perception is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting

information inputs to produce meaning. IE we chose what info we pay attention to, organize it



and interpret it. Information inputs are the sensations received through sight, taste, hearing, smell

and touch.

Ability and Knowledge

Need to understand individuals capacity to learn. Learning, changes in a person's

behavior caused by information and experience. Therefore to change consumers' behavior

about your product, need to give them new information re: product...free sample etc.

South Africa...open bottle of wine and pour it!! Also educate American consumers about

changes in SA. Need to sell a whole new country.

When making buying decisions, buyers must process information.

Knowledge is the familiarity with the product and expertise.

Inexperience buyers often use prices as an indicator of quality more than those who have

knowledge of a product. Non-alcoholic Beer example: consumers choose the most

expensive six-pack, because they assume that the greater price indicated greater quality.

Learning is the process through which a relatively permanent change in behavior results

from the consequences of past behavior.

Attitudes

Knowledge and positive and negative feelings about an object or activity-maybe tangible

or intangible, living or non- living.....Drive perceptions

Individual learns attitudes through experience and interaction with other people.

Consumer attitudes toward a firm and its products greatly influence the success or failure

of the firm's marketing strategy.



Attitudes and attitude change are influenced by consumers personality and lifestyle.

Consumers screen information that conflicts with their attitudes. Distort information to

make it consistent and selectively retain information that reinforces our attitudes. IE

brand loyalty.

There is a difference between attitude and intention to buy (ability to buy).

Personality

All the internal traits and behaviors that make a person unique, uniqueness arrives from a

person's heredity and personal experience. Examples include:

o Workaholism

o Compulsiveness

o Self confidence

o Friendliness

o Adaptability

o Ambitiousness

o Dogmatism

o Authoritarianism

o Introversion



o Extroversion

o Aggressiveness

o Competitiveness.

Traits effect the way people behave. Marketers try to match the store image to the

perceived image of their customers.

There is a weak association between personality and Buying Behavior, this may be due to

unreliable measures. Nike ads. Consumers buy products that are consistent with their self

concept.

Lifestyles

Recent US trends in lifestyles are a shift towards personal independence and

individualism and a preference for a healthy, natural lifestyle.

Lifestyles are the consistent patterns people follow in their lives.

Social Factors

Consumer wants, learning, motives etc. are influenced by opinion leaders, person's family,

reference groups, social class and culture.

Opinion leaders

Spokespeople etc. Marketers try to attract opinion leaders...they actually use (pay)

spokespeople to market their products. Michael Jordon (Nike, McDonalds, Gatorade etc.)

Can be risky...Michael Jackson...OJ Simpson...Chevy Chase


http://www.udel.edu/alex/chapt19.html#spokesperson


Roles and Family Influences--A

Role...things you should do based on the expectations of you from your position within a

group.

People have many roles. Husband, father, employer/ee. Individuals role are continuing to

change therefore marketers must continue to update information.

Family is the most basic group a person belongs to. Marketers must understand:

o that many family decisions are made by the family unit

o consumer behavior starts in the family unit

o family roles and preferences are the model for children's future family (can

reject/alter/etc)

o family buying decisions are a mixture of family interactions and individual

decision making

o family acts an interpreter of social and cultural values for the individual.

Reference Groups--

Individual identifies with the group to the extent that he takes on many of the

values, attitudes or behaviors of the group members.

Families, friends, sororities, civic and professional organization. Any group that

has positive or negative influence on a person’s attitude and behavior. Membership

groups (belong to ). Affinity marketing is focused on the desires of consumers that



belong to reference groups. Marketing is focused on the desires of consumers that belong

to reference group to approve the product and communicate that approval to its members.

Credit Cards etc.!!

Aspiration groups (want to belong to Disassociate groups (do not want to belong

to) Honda, tries to disassociate from the “biker” group..

The degree to which a reference group will affect a purchase decision depends on

an individual’s susceptibility to reference group influence and the strength of his/her

involvement with the group.

Social Class

An open group of individuals who have similar social rank. US is not a classless

society. US criteria; occupation, education, income, wealth, race, ethnic groups and

possessions.

Social class influences many aspects of our lives. IE upper middle class

Americans prefer luxury cars Mercedes.

Lower class people tent to stay close to home when shopping, do not engage in

much pre purchase information gathering.

Family, reference groups and social classes are all social influences on consumer

behavior. All operate within a larger culture.

Culture and Sub-culture

Culture refers to the set of values, ideas, and attitudes that are accepted by a homogenous

group of people and transmitted to the next generation.



Culture also determines what is acceptable with product advertising. Culture determines

what people wear, eat, reside and travel. Cultural values in the US are good health,

education, individualism and freedom. In American culture time scarcity is a growing

problem. IE change in meals. Big impact on international marketing.

Chapter 4



Data Analysis and interpretation



1. Why do you think water purifiers are necessary?

Attributes No of Respondents

Bacteria & virus free water 20

Disease free health 32

Heavy metal free water 29

Unnecessary excess mineral remover 19



Interpretation:

Most of the water purifier users are using to get the disease free health

2. Do you think the bubble tubs water is equivalent to the water purified by purifiers?

a. Yes b. no

Yes 53

No 47



Interpretation :

53 percent of the individuals think that bubble tubs water is equivalent to the water purified by

purifiers

3. Do you think some important bacteria and minerals are lost by using purifiers?

Yes 44

No 56



Interpretation:

Most of the individuals think that important bacteria & minerals are lost by using purifiers

4. What is your perception about “RO”(Reverse Osmosis) water purifiers?

a. Remove bacteria & virus

b. Remove organic chemicals

c. Remove heavy metals

d. Provide water of WHO standards



No of Respondents

Remove bacteria & Virus 27

Remove organic chemicals 17

Remove heavy metals 24

Provide water of WHO standards 32

Interpretation:

Majority of the individual’s perception is that “RO” water purifiers could Provide water of WHO

standard

5. What is the cost desired by you in case of “RO” water purifiers?

a. <7000

b. 7000-10000

c. 10000-15000

d. >20000


Cost respondents

<7000 25

7000-10000 51

10000-15000 24

>20000 0


Interpretation:

Majority of the population desire the cost in the range 7000-10000

6.Which brand purifier do you prefer of using?

a. Zero.B

b. Kent

c. Pure it

d. Aqua guard

Zero.B 23



Kent 20

Pure it 35

Aqua guard 22

Interpretation:

Majority of the population use “Pure it” water purifier

7. Do you think that boiled water is better than Zero.B “RO” water?

a. Yes

b. No



Interpretation:

Majority of the individuals suggest that boiled water is better than Zero.B “R.O” water

8. Why do you think of using Zero.B softener?

a. Reduce hair fall


Yes 43

No 57


b. Increase life time of utensils

c. Rust free water

d. Reduce skin rashes

Interpretation:

Most of the individuals use the softener to increase the life time of utensils

9. What is the desired cost preferred by you in case of Zero.B softener?


Reasons Respondents

Reduce hair fall 6

Increase life time of utensils 56

Rust free water 32

Reduce skin rashes 6


a. <15000

b. 15000-20000

c. 20000-30000

d. >30000

Cost Respondents

<15000 28

15000-20000 72

20000-30000 0

>30000 0

Interpretation:

Most of the consumers desire the cost in the range of 15000-2000



10. What is the guarantee/warranty period you are expecting about, regarding water

purifiers and softeners?

a. One year

b. Two years

c. More than three years

Warranty

duration

No Of

Respondents

One year 32

Two years 42

More than three

years

26

Interpretation:

Most of the customers prefer the warranty/guarantee period as two years



11. Are the servicing facilities provided by Zero.B is satisfying?

a. Yes

b. No

Interpretation:

Most of the customers are not satisfied with the servicing facilities of Zero.B


Response No.of

respondents

Yes 32

No 68


12. Do you think Zero.B purifiers save electricity ?

a. yes b. no

Interpretation

The above table shows that consumers are supporting to saving electricity


Yes 59

No 41


With the zero.B purifiers.

13. Can the Zero.B purifiers remove metals like lead and aluminum

a. Metals can be removed b. cannot be removed.

Interpretation

Many consumers believe that zero.B purifiers can remove harmful metals like


A 68

B 32


Lead and aluminum.

14. What do you think of DECHLORINATION with Zero.B ?

a. chlorine can be removed b. chlorine cannot be removed.

Interpretation


A 39

B 61


Most of the consumers of zero.B purifiers state that it does not remove chlorine completely

15. What factors motivated you to purchase Zero.B ?

a. personnel touch b. promotional activities

c. quality d. price.

Interpretation

Above graph shows that zero.B purifiers are purchased due to the

Personnel touch by service men and there is a need to improve its promotional activities.


A 38

B 3

C 34

D 25


16. Do you think Zero.B purifiers can be used at schools, Offices, hospitals,

restaurants and factories ?

a. Yes b. No

Interpretation


Yes 63

No 37


Majority of the consumers support that zero.B purifiers can be used at

Schools, offices, restaurants etc,

17. What is your perception about different models of Zero.B purifiers ?

a. Used any where b.cannot be used any where

Interpretation

77% of the consumers feel that all the models of purifiers cannot be


A 23

B 77


used everywhere.

18. Do you think Zero.B purifiers can be used for industrial purpose

a. yes b. no

Interpretation

Consumers of zero.B state that certain models of zero.B purifiers cannot

Be used at industries.


NO.OF

RESPONDENTS

A 40

B 60


19. Do you think income levels influence buying behavior ?

a. yes b. no

Interpretation

Above table shows that income levels of different people influence


A 59

B 41


buying behavior.

20. What do you think about the design of the Zero.B purifiers ?

a. satisfactory b. un satisfactory.

Interpretation


A 44

B 56


Above table shows that all the designs of the zero.B are not satisfactory.

21. Do you think services provided by distribution channels are satisfying customers ?

a. yes b.no


A 29

B 71


Interpretation

By observing above table we can notice that consumers are not satisfied with the services of

distribution channels

22. What made you satisfactory with the Zero.B products ?

a. Quality b. Price c.Purification


respondents

Quality 49

Price 38

Purification 13


Interpretation

By the above table it can be known that quality of purifiers is satisfactory

and water purification to be improved.

23. Which media would you suggest to create better awareness among consumers ?

a. Print media b. Electric media

Interpretation

Above graph shows that majority of consumers state advertising as the best means of

Media.


respondents

Print media 36

Advertising 64


24. which problem do you face mostly with the company services ?

a. time of delivery b.customer care

Interpretation

Majority of the consumers are facing problem with the services and customer care

Is not upto the mark.


A 33

B 67


Findings

Most of the customers prefer the warranty/guarantee period as two years.

Most of the consumers desire the cost of softener in the range of 15000-20000.

Most of the individuals use the softener to increase the life time of utensils.

Majority of the individuals suggest that boiled water is better than Zero.B “R.O” water.

Majority of the population use “Pure it” water purifier.

Majority of the population desire the cost of purifier in the range 7000-10000.

Majority of the individuals perception is that “RO” water purifiers could Provide water

of WHO standards.

56 percent of the individuals think that bubble tubs water is equivalent to the water

purified by purifiers.

Most of the water purifier users are using to get the disease free health.

Most of the customers are not satisfied with the servicing facilities of Zero.B.



Suggestions:

Improve advertising by using a celebrity as a Brand ambassador.

Create brand awareness among the people by maintaining Stalls, Hoardings etc.

Expand the market into Rural & Urban areas.

Produce cost effective equipments to sustain competitors in the market.

Offer free services for more than an year.

Explain your achievements & quality about your product by maintaining Stalls,

Advertising, Hoardings.

Maintain more service men who are efficient to serve people in the out skirts.

This even helps in improving the sales by a good margin, as the out skirts people are

suffering from the in supply of water.

Maintain good relations with the public societies, educational institutions & offices &

offer them free demo’s about the product which will create a strong impression on the

effectiveness of the product.

Expand your market in the water effected areas.



Conclusions:

1. Demographic factors, Psychological factors, personal factors are the factors that influence

the individuals to buy the product

2. Pure it is the best voted water purifier

3. Forces that drives the consumer towards buying the water purifier: Impurities in water

a) Increase of population and decrease in supply of water

b) No supply of water for the areas located in out skirts

c) Failure of government to provide 100% disease free water in a consistent way

d) Psychological factors

e) Increase in cautiousness about the health

4. Most effective media for promoting the product is advertising. It would be better if it is

been advertised by a celebrity, which increases the trust of the consumers on the product.



5. Lack of services for the individuals situated in out skirts.

6. Provide cost effective equipments, maintain stalls, increase advertising, create brand

awareness

QUESTIONNAIRES

ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR OF ZERO.B

Name _______________________________________ Age __________ Gender Male / Female

Qualification ___________________________ Designation ____________________________

Employer _____________________________ Income ______________________________ ( pa)

Contact No ___________________________ email id __________________________________

1.Why do you think water purifiers are necessary?

a.Bacteria & virus free water



b.Disease free health

c.Heavy metal free water

d.Unnecessary excess mineral remover

2.Do you think the bubble tubs water is equivalent to the water purified by purifiers?

a.Yes b. No

3. Do you think some important bacteria and minerals are lost by using purifiers?

a.Yes b.No

4.What is your perception about “RO”(Reverse Osmosis) water purifiers?

a. Remove bacteria & virus

b. Remove organic chemicals

c. Remove heavy metals

d. Provide water of WHO standards

5.What is the cost desired by you in case of “RO” water purifiers?

a.<7000

b.7000-10000

c.10000-15000

d.>20000

1. Which brand purifier do you prefer of using?

a.Zero.B

b.Kent

c.Pure it

d.Aqua guard

e.Alfaa

2. Do you think that boiled water is better than Zero.B “RO” water?

a.Yes



b.No

3. Why do you think of using Zero.B softener?

a.Reduce hair fall

b.Increase life time of utensils

c.Rust free water

d.Reduce skin rashes

4. What is the desired cost preferred by you in case of Zero.B softener?

a.<15000

b.15000-20000

c.20000-30000

d.>30000

5. What is the guarantee/warranty period you are expecting about, regarding water purifiers

and softeners?

a.One year

b.Two years

c.More than three years

11. Are the servicing facilities provided by Zero.B is satisfying?

a.Yes

b.No

12. Do you think Zero.B purifiers save electricity ?

a. Yes

b. No

13. Can the Zero.B purifiers remove metals like lead and aluminium



a. Metals can be removed

b. Cannot be removed.

14. What do you think of DECHLORINATION with Zero.B ?

a. Chlorine can be removed

b. Chlorine cannot be removed.

15. What factors motivated you to purchase Zero.B ?

a. Personnel touch

b. Promotional activities

c. Quality

d. Price.

16. Do you think Zero.B purifiers can be used at schools, Offices, hospitals,

restaurants and factories ?

a. Yes

b. No

17. What is your perception about different models of Zero.B purifiers ?

a. Used any where

b.Cannot be used any where

18. Do you think Zero.B purifiers can be used for industrial purpose

a. yes

b. No



19. Do you think income levels influence buying behaviour ?

a. Yes

b. No

20. What do you think about the design of the Zero.B purifiers ?

a. Satifactory

b. Un satisfactory.

21. Do you think services provided by distribution channels are satisfying customers ?

a. Yes

b.No

22. What made you satisfactory with the Zero.B products ?

a.Quality

b. Price

c.Purification

23 . Which media would you suggest to create better awareness among consumers ?

a. Print media

b. Electric media

24. which problem do you face mostly with the company services ?

a. Time of delivery

b.Customer care

c.No problem





BIBILIOGRAPHY

BIBILIOGRAPHY

WEB REFERENCES

http://www.ionindia.com

http://www.zerobonline.com

http://www.learnmarketing.net/consumer.htm




Ion Exchange

Documents

management page

consumer behavior

project work

product designs

study of consumers

product innovation

psychographics of customers

study of perception