IV RURAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS CONSUMER …shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/7102/14/14... · 2015-12-04 · CHAPTER IV RURAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS CONSUMER DURABLES

IV RURAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS CONSUMER DURABLES................ 79-137

4.1 Introduction 79

4.2 Socio economic characteristics of selected respondents..............................................................

81

4.3 Pre purchase behaviour of rural consumers towards consumer durables. ....................................

86

4.4 Purchase behaviour of rural consumers towards consumer durables ...................................................

110

4.5 Post purchase behaviour of consumers towards consumer durables. ..................................................

125

4.6 Concluding remarks.................................................. 136

CHAPTER IV

RURAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS CONSUMER DURABLES

4.1 INTRODUCTION: In the earlier chapter we have seen that the characteristics

and behaviour of rural areas are different from urban areas and

hence consumer behaviour in rural areas deserve special attention.

Thus dynamics of rural consumer behaviour is the theme of the

present study. One of the objectives of the proposed study is to

examine the pre purchase, purchase and post purchase behaviour of

rural consumers towards consumer durable. This is attempted in this

chapter.

To examine the consumer behaviour towards consumer

durables in rural areas through a primary survey opinions were

collected from the households from the selected three zones namely

southern (Trivandrum District) Central (Thrissur District) and

Northern zone (Wayanad district). (The districts profile is given in

table 4.1.) The analysis was done under four main heads viz. Socio

economic profile of respondents, pre purchase behaviour, purchase

behaviour and post purchase behaviour.

79

Table 4.1 Profile of the Selected districts (2005)

Districts

Indicators Trivandrum Thrissur Wayanad

Human development

Index 0.773 0.795 .753

Rank 9 5 13

Population size in lakhs 32.35 29.75 7.87

Percentage share and total population

10.2 9.3 2.5

Area Sq. km. 21.92 30.32 21.31

Urban population (%) Rural population (total

33.78 28.21 3.76

Density of population 1476 981 369

Literacy rate 89.4 92.6 85.5

Gender related Development index 0.743 0.766 0.736

No. of Block Panchayats 12.0 17.0 3.0

No. of Grama Panchayats 78 92 25

No. of villages 116 151 49

Real per capita inland (PPDS) 3402 3717 2909

Work participation ratio 32.0 32.2 39.3

Household with pucca House (%) 42.6 68.1 60.4

Access to Electricity (%) 74.9 73.3 42.0

Source: Centre for Development Studies, 2005. Human development index, Centre for Development Studies, Kerala.

80

4.2 SOCIO ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SELECTED

RESPONDENTS

Socio economic characteristics of consumers play a crucial

role in their behaviour towards consumption. The income,

education, sex, age and type of family influence their purchase

decisions both for essential goods and other comforts of life.

Therefore it is worthwhile to assess the socio economic profile of the

selected respondents before proceeding to the analyses of the

objectives.

Tables 4.2 to 4.7 represent the socio economic profile of the

respondents.

Sex -wise classification of respondents

Table 4.2 Sex -wise classification of Sample households

Sex Trivandrum Thrissur Wayanad Total percent to total

Male 76 48 73 197 65.7

Female 24 52 27 103 34.3

Total 100 100 100 300 100

Source: Primary data

Table 4.2 reveals the sex wise classification of the

respondents. It can be noticed that 65 percent of the respondents

represent males. In central zone, the female respondents are more

than the male respondents.

81

Age-wise classification of Respondents

Table 4.3 Age-wise classification of Sample households

Age Trivandrum Thrissur Wayanad Total percent to total

Below 20 Nil 4 Nil 4 2.6

20 to 30 28 31 8 67 22.3

30 to 40 34 25 28 87 29.0

40 to 50 25 21 42 86 28.7

50 and above 15 19 22 56 19.0

Source : Primary data

Age wise representation shows that majority of them belong

to the age group of 30 to 50 (57 percent) followed by 20 to 30 (22

percent) and 50 and above (19 percent) age group. Further it can be

noticed that majority of the people are in higher age group (40 to 50

group) in the case of northern region whereas in central zone and

south zone majority of the respondents are in lower age group i.e. in

between 20 to 30. The general classification reveals that all

respondents are matured enough to respond towards their behaviour

towards purchases.

82

Income-wise distribution of respondents

Table 4.4 Income-wise distribution of Sample households

Income

(Rs.) Trivandrum Thrissur Wayanad Total

percent

to total

Below 25,000 30 16 7 53 17.70

25,000 – 50,000 26 4 33 100 34.00

50,000 – 75,000 9 15 40 64 21.3

75,000 – 1,00,000 5 8 12 25 11.3

Above 1,00,000 30 18 8 56 18.7

Total 100 100 100 300 100

Source: Primary data.

Table 4.4 reveals that 30 percent of respondents in South

zone (SZ) came under the category of income below Rs.25,000 and

above one lakh followed by 26 percent under the category between

Rs.25,000 and 50,000 whereas in central zone (CZ), 43 percent

came under the category of Rs.25000 to Rs.50000 and 18 percent

under above 1 lakh. Only 16 percent came under below Rs.25,000/-.

The analysis of the respondents of northern region reveals that

majority of them (40 percent) came under the category of Rs.50,000

to Rs.75,000. Further 33 percent came under the category between

Rs.25,000 to Rs.50,000 followed by 12 percent under the category of

Rs.75,000 to one lakh. While, looking into the total respondents,

majority of them came under the category of Rs.25,000 to Rs.50,000

(34 percent) followed by Rs.50,000 to Rs.75,000 category (21.3

percent) and above one lakh category (18.7 percent). It can be

inferred from the table that majority of the respondents have an

income below Rs.75000 (78 percent) per annum.

83

Occupation -wise distribution of respondents

Table 4.5 Occupation -wise distribution of Sample households

Occupation Trivandrum Thrissur Wayanad Total Percent to total

Farmer 18 15 30 36 21.0

Labourers 31 24 5 60 20.0

Govt. Employees 21 12 21 54 18.0

Emigrant 15 8 26 49 16.3

Businessmen 5 5 3 13 4.3

Others 10 36 15 61 21.3

Total 100 100 100 300 100

Source : Primary data.

Table 4.5 depicts that farmers (21 percent) and labourers (20

percent) are the major occupation classes among the sample

respondents. Government employees represent 18 percent followed

by business people (16.3 percent). The rest of the respondents are

house-wives.

Region wise analysis of the respondents shows that labourers

are the major category (31 percent) in south zone, whereas, farmers

constitute majority in northern zone. In central zone, housewives

represent 36 percent of respondents followed by labourers (24

percent) and farmers (15 percent).

84

Education-wise classification of respondents

Table 4.6 Education -wise classification of Sample households

Particulars Trivandrum Thrissur Wayanad Total percent to total

Not literate Nil Nil 4 4 1.3

Upper Primary 15 8 2 25 11.3

High School 55 45 53 153 51.0

Graduates 24 46 53 103 34.3

Post-graduate 6 1 8 15 5.0

Total 100 100 100 300 100

Source: Primary data.

Educational status of the respondents influences the

perception and attitude towards the products to be selected. Table

4.6 depicts occupation wise classification. Out of the total

respondents 51 percent of them have education up to high school

level and 34.3 percent of them are graduates. This shows the high

level of literacy in rural areas. It can also be noticed that only 1.3

percent respondents are illiterate that too in northern region only.

The area-wise analysis does not show much difference in the

level of education in south, north and central zones.

85

Classification based on family size

The consumption pattern and behaviour of the households

normally vary with the family size. Details of the types of family in

which the respondents belong is shown in table 4.7

Table 4.7 Family size of Sample households

Family size Trivandrum Thrissur Wayanad Total percent to

total

Nuclear 64 51 62 177 59.0

Joint 36 49 38 123 41.0

Total 100 100 100 300 100.0


Table 4.7 represents that 59 percent of respondents belong

to nuclear family and the rest from joint family. Area-wise analysis

also shows the dominance of nuclear family over joint family.

With this background of socio economic profile of respondents

the study focused on the assessment of consumer behaviour towards

consumer durables.

4.3 PRE PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR OF CONSUMERS TOWARDS CONSUMER DURABLES

The consumer behaviour starts with the process involved

before making a purchase decision. Pre purchase behaviour actually

includes the understanding of a set of decisions viz. what, why,

when, how, where, how much and how often consumers are related

to the product. In this section the variables like market search of

consumers, decision maker in the family, motivation towards

86

purchase, awareness about the product and brands, sources of

awareness etc. are assessed for examining the pre purchase

behaviour. Separate analyses for different zones were also made to

find out inter regional differences.

Market Search of Respondents (Area wise)

Consumers in the new market economies are faced with an abundance

of choice never before experienced. Pre-purchase search occurs in response

to problem recognition, the major goal to make better purchase decision. So

the market search is a critical aspect for judgment and decision making

process.

Market search is assessed by collecting the opinions of

respondents with respect to the collection of information regarding

the quality and price of the products, available brands in the market,

the market outlets, opinion of the friends/relatives, the various

models available etc. Tables 4.8, 4.9 and 4.10 present the results of

the survey with respect to three zones.

87

Table 4.8 Market search towards selected consumer durables in South zone

(Figures in percentage)

Items/ Products

TV N=85

PC N=62

GS N=65

WW N=85

Fan N=100

Quality 94 84 63 58 98

Price 98 72 86 95 95

Brands 83 41 37 64 78

Marketing outlets 74 26 18 12 26

Enquiry friends/relatives/dealers 66 84 90 48 36

Habit of checking Model 48 18 12 52 8


It is clear from the table that more than 80 per cent of

respondents made a search of quality, price and brands available in

the case of TV, while price search is made by on an average 89 per

cent of the consumers for all the products. The brand search is

limited in the case of pressure cooker and gas stove. On an average

53 percent of consumers collected information from friends, relatives

and dealers before taking a purchase decision. For the purchase of

TV, the search of marketing outlets was more when compared to

other products. For gas stove consumers are much concerned about

the opinion of their friends, relatives and dealers.

88

Table 4.9 Market search towards consumer durables in Central zone


Items/

Products

TV

N=74

PC

N=62

GS

N=72

WW

N=100

Fan

N=100

Quality 99 55 85 90 95

Price 98 86 90 98 100

Brands 95 24 25 74 38





In the central zone more than 85 per cent of the consumers

made market search on quality and price though an exception was

there for pressure cooker for which 85 percent of consumers enquire

to friends/relatives/dealers for getting information. It is because

mainly housewives are dealing with pressure cooker and they are

more accessible to get information from friends/relatives. It can be

further inferred that overall market search is more for TV compared

to other products. Habit of checking the model of the selected

products was comparatively less except in the case of TV. As TV is

a most expensive item among the selected products the consumers

may involve in an extensive decision making process.

89

Table 4.10 Market search towards consumer durables in North zone


Items/ Products

TV N=90

PC N=70

GS N=78

WW N=100

Fan N=100

Quality 98 64 70 78 90

Price 95 98 84 95 98

Brands 86 25 10 58 45





Results of the market research in the north zone are

represented in Table 4.10. The percentage analysis showed that

majority of the respondents (i.e. above 90 per cent) searched for

price followed by the quality of the product. It also showed that for

the purchase of TV consumers collected information more about its

brand availability and marketing outlets. Only around 50 per cent of

respondents enquired to friends, relatives, about different models

available in the market. For the purchase of Pressure Cooker, Gas

Stove and Wrist Watch more than 75 per cent of the respondents

made an enquiry with their friends and relatives. Thus, the zone

wise analysis showed that irrespective of the area majority of the

consumers collected information on price and quality of the product

because they want to make a wise decision on purchase of durables

with their limited income.

90

Market search towards selected consumer durables (Total)

An analysis with respect to the total consumers selected in

relation to market search is presented in Table 4.11

Table 4.11 Market search towards consumer durables (Total) (Figures in percentage)

Items/ Products

TV N=249

PC N=194

GS N=215

WW N=285

Fan N=300

Quality 97 67 73 75 94

Price 97 85 80 96 98

Brands 88 30 24 65 54





It can be observed from the table that market search with

respect to the selected durables was very high in the case of TV

when compared to other durables followed by wrist watch. This is

due to the availability of more sources of information about these two

products. Moreover with respect to TV as it is very expensive,

extensive problem solving will take place in the minds of rural

consumers. A variable wise analysis revealed that price was the

mostly searched variable followed by quality. The search for various

models and the market outlets was comparatively less. However it is

interesting to note that rural consumers were (63 percent) enquired

the various aspects of the products very often to their friends and

relatives before taking a decision on purchase.

Thus it can be observed that the consumer’s especially rural

consumers are involved in searching information about the different

91

aspects of a durable product before taking a purchase decision. As

opined by skinner (1990)1 when a consumer purchases an unfamiliar

expensive product he uses large number of criteria to evaluate

alternative brands and spends a great deal of time seeking

information and deciding on purchase.

Motivation behind the purchase of selected consumer durables

Motivation is the driving force within that causes a person to

take action to satisfy specific goals. Motives is defined as, “those

influences or considerations which provide the impulse to buy,

induce action or determine choices in the purchase of goods and

services. The motivation behind the purchase of durable products

may vary from product to product based on the nature of the product

and the services that provides to the consumer.

Tables 4.12, 4.13 and 4.14 exhibit the results of the primary

data related to motivation behind the purchase.

Table 4.12 Motivation behind the purchase of selected consumer durables (south zone)

Durables

Credit

Compulsion

Status

FestivalSeason

Necessity

Total

Television

9 (10)

--

15

(18)

12

(14)

49

(58)

85

(100)

Pressure Cooker

2

(3)

13

(21)

--

3

(5)

44

(71)

62

(100)

Gas Stove

5

(8)

2 (3)

--

--

58

(89)

65

(100)

Wrist Watch

--

--

--

--

85 (100)

85 (100)

Fan

19 (19)

2 (2) -- 12

(12) 67

(67) 100

(100)

Figures in brackets indicate percentage total. Source : Primary data.

92

It is observed from table 4.12 that, with respect to the

selected five durable items majority of the households opined that

they consider these products are necessary for life. But in case of

TV, only 58 percent of consumers considered it as a necessary item.

For others status and festival season offers also give motivation to

purchase. In the case of Pressure Cooker, their decision on

purchase is also influenced by the compulsion from the family

members. For fan 19 percent of the respondents were attracted by

the credit facility extended to them.

Table 4.13 Motivation behind the purchase of selected

consumer durables in Central zone

Products Credit Compulsion Necessary Total

Television 23 (31)

5 (7)

46

(62)

74 (100)

Pressure Cooker

--

--

62

(100)

62 (100)

Gas Stove

18 (25)

--

54

(75)

72 (100)

Wrist Watch --

--

100

(100)

100 (100)

Fan --

--

100

(100)

100 (100)

Figures in brackets indicate percentage total. Source : Primary data.

Table 4.13 revealed that the rural consumers consider all the

selected durables as essential for their daily life. In the case of TV

and Gas Stove, the credit facility offered also plays a major role in

motivating their purchase decisions. In the central zone, the agents

of various consumers are making door-to-door sale of Gas Stove on

an instalment basis to rural consumers as a part of their rural market

penetration. For other durables, the role of consumer credit,

93

compulsion, status and festival season as motivational factors were

very limited.

Table 4.14 Motivation behind the purchase of selected consumer

durables in North zone

Durables

Credit

Compulsion

Status

Festival Season

Necessary

Total

Television

2

(2)

7

(8)

10

(11)

3

(3)

68

(76)

90

Pressure Cooker

--

--

--

--

70

(100)

70

Gas Stove

5 (6

10

(13 )

--

--

63

(81 )

78

Wrist Watch

--

7

(7)

--

--

93

(93)

100

Fan

--

--

--

--

100

(100)

100

Figures in brackets indicate percentage to total. Source : Primary data.

The results presented in table 4.14 showed that necessity is

the major reason for purchase of selected durables. However, in

case of TV other factors like status (11 percent) and compulsion (10

percent) also have a role in influencing the consumers. For the

purchase of gas stove and Wrist Watch, compulsion was also a

factor that motivated the purchase decisions.

A comparison of the motivational factors of different zones

revealed that major motivation to purchase the selected products is

its essentiality. However, the ‘compulsion’ plays a role in the

southern and northern regions but not in central zone. It is due to

the fact that the major buyer in the case of these two zones are

mainly male members of the family and the purchase decisions with

94

respect to Pressure Cooker and Gas Stove are mainly taken by the

female members.

A consolidated picture of the total selected consumers with

respect to the motivation behind the purchase presented in table

4.15

Table 4.15 Motivation behind the purchase of selected

consumer durables of total respondents

Durables

Credit

Compulsion

Status

FestivalSeason

Necessary

Total

Television

34 (14)

12 (4)

25 (10)

15 (6)

163 (66)

249 (100)

Pressure Cooker

13 (7)

2 (1) -- 3

(2) 176 (90)

194 (100)

Gas Stove

28 (13)

12 (6) -- -- 125

(81) 215

(100)

Wrist Watch

-- 7 (2) -- -- 278

(98) 285

(100)

Fan

19 (6)

2 (1) -- 12

(4) 267 (89)

300 (100)

Figures in brackets indicate percentage to total. Source : Primary data.

Table reveals that necessity of the product was the major

motivation behind the purchase of selected consumer durables.

Availability of consumer credit also played a significant role in the

case of TV and Gas Stove, i.e. 14 and 13 percent respectively. In

the case of TV, status was the motivational factor for 10 percent of

the consumers. Compulsion and festival seasons motivated only few

respondents.

95

As a whole, rural people consider the selected consumer

durables as necessity of life. Many of these items considered either

a luxury earlier and now become essential item of life. This reveals

the dynamics in consumer behaviour and changing perceptions and

standard of living of the rural people.

Brand awareness towards selected consumer durables

A brand is a name, term, symbol or design or a combination of

them, which intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or a

group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitor. The

information regarding the awareness among the consumers about the

number of brands for each product will help the marketing men to

evaluate their strategies to create awareness among the consumers and

to identify their weakness.

For the purpose of the study the rural consumers asked

to recall the brands known to them on the selected products and

based on that, the following inferences are made with respect to

selected zones.

Brand Awareness of Sample Households of South Zone

The results revealed that the awareness about the BPL brand

of TV comes to 64 percent followed by Philips (56 percent) and

Sansui (52 percent) and Samsung (44 percent). The brands like

Onida, Videocon, Sony, Keltron and Solidaire also recalled only by

more than 30 percent of the respondents. Very few respondents

recall other brands. However, as a whole the consumers identified

around 18 brands of TV.

The major brands of Pressure Cooker identified by the

consumers of South zone include Prestige (41 percent) Hawkins (38

96

percent) and Chakson (16 percent). Only few respondents recalled

the brands like Miss Mary, Futura, Alfa and Butterfly.

The brand awareness towards Gas Stove revealed that

majority of the respondents is familiar with the Butterfly and

Jeevajyothi followed by Sunflame (18 percent), Mitaso (16 percent)

and supreme. Few respondents knew other brands like Hitachi,

Suvidha, Prestige, Agni and Sanyo.

Among the various brands of Wrist Watch it can be noticed

that ‘HMT’ (80 percent ) followed by Titan (64 percent) are the

mostly known brands. Other brands like seiko, sonato, timex, etc are

also familiar among a noticeable percentage of consumers.

The analysis on the brand awareness towards Fan revealed

that Usha (94) followed by Kaithan (32), Bajaj (28) and Polar (28)

are the most popular brands. Almost 14 brands of Fans are familiar

in this zone.

97

Brand Awareness Of Central Zone Respondents The brands of TV Onida and BPL were recalled by 85 and 80

percent of the respondents respectively recalled the brands of TV

Onida and BPL. More than 50 percent of the respondents recalled

the brands L.G, Soni, Videocon and Keltron. The percentages of

consumers who are familiar with other brands are relatively less.

Among the various brands of Pressure Cooker, households

opined that Hawkins (60 percent) and prestige (58 percent) were the

most familiar brands followed by Chakson and Miss Mary. Only very

few consumers recalled Futura, Butterfly and Akshaya.

With respect to Gas Stove, Butterfly brand recalled by 62

percent of the respondents and more than 25 percent of consumers

recalled the brands like Supreme, Sanyo and Mitaso. Around 15

percent of the respondents are also aware about Super, Sunflame

and prestige. Awareness regarding other brands is meagre.

The recalled brands of (Table 5.10) high lights that HMT (92

percent) and Titan (80 percent) are the brands with maximum recall

followed by citizen and Allwyn (56 and 49 percent respectively). 28

percent of respondents recalled Timax and and the brands like

Seiko, Omax and Sonata. Some of the rural cnsumers recalled few

other brands. As a whole, the respondents were aware about 12

brands of Wrist Watches.

The various brands of Fan recalled by the rural consumers

revealed that Usha is the most familiar Fan among the consumers

(82 percent) followed by Rally & Khaitan 42 and 35 percent

respectively. Few respondents also recalled the brands like Polar,

Bajaj, Titan, Videon etc.

98

Brand awareness of North Zone respondents Brand awareness towards T.V. revealed that BPL (86

percent) and Samsung ((70 percent) were the brands of TV recalled

by majority of the respondents followed by Onida, LG and Sansui; 68

percent, 65 percent and 65 percent respectively. As a whole, the

consumers identified around 18 brands but the number of people

who were aware about other brands was very few.

The brands of Pressure Cooker recalled by the respondents

revealed that average respondents were aware about 7 brands of

Pressure Cooker, Hawkins was the most familiar to them (56

percent) followed by prestige (43 percent). They also recalled the

brands like Chakson, Miss Mary, Futura, Alfa and Butterfly.

Majority of the respondents recalled Butterfly brand of gas

stove. 20, 18 and 17 percent of the consumers respectively recalled

brands BPL, Sanyo and Surya. Only few respondents recalled other

brands.

Cent percent of the respondents recalled HMT and 92

percent recalled Titan. Among others, comparatively popular brands

were Seiko (54 percent), Citizen (42 percent) and Timex 36 percent).

Very few respondents identified the rest of the brands.

In the case of Fan the rural consumers identified on an

average 11 brands. Among them Usha (84 percent) followed by

Khaitan (52 percent) recalled by majority of the respondents. 34, 26

and 27 percent of respondents also identified Crompton, Bajaj and

Polar.

Brand awareness of total Selected Households toward consumer

durables

An examination of brand awareness towards TV, revealed that

BPL (77percent) Onida (64 percent) and L.G. (51 percent) are the

most familiar brands among the rural consumers. A significant

99

percentage of consumers were also aware about the brands like

Soni, Videocon, Philips, Samsung and Sansui.

Among the brands of Pressure Cooker, the most familiar ones

were Hawkins (51 percent) Prestige (47 percent) and Chakson (25

percent). The awareness level was very low with respect to other

brands.

Butterfly brand of Gas Stove (56 percent) was the most

familiar brand followed by Supreme and Sanyo.

Brand Awareness with respect to Wrist Watch showed that

‘HMT’ brand known to 91 percent of consumers followed by Titan

(79 percent). The awareness regarding the brands like Citizen,

Seiko, Timex and Allwyn found to be high among the consumers.

The rural consumers identified almost 12 brands of fan.

Among them majority (87 percent) recalled ‘Usha” followed by

Khaitan (40 percent), Polar (27 percent), Crompton (25 percent) and

Rally (24 percent). Number of consumers who recalled other brands

were very few.

The brand awareness among the consumers was almost the

same in all the zones though these are minor variations. It is also

observed that the majority of respondents easily recalled the mostly

advertised brands. For instance for TV, BPL, Onida, for Pressure

Cooker, Hawkins and Prestige, for Gas Stove, Butterfly, for Wrist

Watch HMT and Titan and for FAN, Usha and Khaitan etc. The

knowledge about the awareness regarding the brands in the market

will help the marketers to chock out the brand awareness

programmes wherever necessary.

100

Sources of Information about the Consumer Durables The study with respect to the different sources of information

to rural consumers enables the marketers to know about the reach of

different media to rural areas. In the study an analysis was made to

know the different sources of information regarding the

products/brands and sources of availability and presented in

separate tables for three zones of Kerala.

Sources of Information about the Consumer Durables (Area wise)

Source of information of South Zone respondents

The sources of information with respect to the selected

durables are presented in table 4.16.

Table 4.16 Sources of Information of Selected households of South Zone

Sources of Information

TelevisionN = 85

PressureCooker N = 62

Gas StoveN = 65

Wrist Watch

N = 85

Fan

N = 100

Advertisement

37 (44)

45 (73)

40 (62)

49 (58)

53 (53)

Friends & Relatives

20 (24)

10 (16)

19 (29)

19 (22)

12 (12)

Neighbours

18 (21)

6 (10)

5 (8)

11 (12)

5 (5)

Agents

13 (15)

5 (8)

11 (17)

- 16 (16)

Dealers

8 (9)

11 (18)

- 18 (21)

14 (14)

Point of purchase 4 (5)

18 (29)

10 (15)

11 (12)

7 (7)

Total 85 62 65 85 100

Figures in brackets indicate percentage total (As the total responses is more that total respondents percentage may not equal to 100)

101

Source : Primary data It is observed from the table that Advertisement was the

major source of information for all durables. In the case of TV, Gas

Stove and Wrist Watch majority of the consumers gathered

information from friends and relatives. Neighbours and agents also

acted as a source of information for 29 percent of the consumers in

the case of Pressure Cooker. But for all other durables very few

consumers collected information from agent’, neighbours and

dealers.

Sources of Information of Central Zone respondents The results with respect to the sources of information in

central zone are presented in Table 4.17 Table 4.17 Sources of information of selected households of Central

zone


TelevisionN=74

PressureCooker N=62

Gas Stove N=72

Wrist Watch N=100

Fan

N = 100 Advertisement

66 (89)

51 (82)

24 (33)

44 (44)

80 (80)

Friends & Relatives

22 (27)

18 (29)

32 (44)

29 (29)

10 (10)

Neighbours

10 (14)

7 (11)

7 (10)

5 (5)

5 (5)

Agents 12 (16)

2 (3)

-- 3 (3)

-

Dealers 8 (11)

3 (5)

8 (11)

12 (12)

12 (12)

Point of purchase

10 (14)

4 (6)

21 (29)

23 (23)

8 (8)

(Brackets indicate percentage of responses to total respondents. As the total responses is more than the number of respondents the percentage may not be equal to 100) Source : Primary data

It was clear from the table that similar to the south zone

advertisement was the main source of information for majority of the

rural consumers, except for Gas Stove. Second major source of

102

information was friends and relatives for all durable items. For Gas

Stove friends and relatives were the major source of information

followed by advertisement and point of purchase. Point of purchase

was also an information source for Television and Wrist Watch.

Gathering of information from other sources was limited for almost

all products.

Sources of information of North Zone respondents

Table 4.18 depicts the different sources of information for

consumers in the north zone.

Table 4.18 Sources of information of selected households of

north zone


TelevisionN=90

PressureCookerN=70

GasStoveN=78

WristWatch N=100

Fan N=100

Advertisement 40(44) 31(44) 1(1) 55(55) 60(60)

Friends & Relatives

35(40) 14(20) 17(22) 24(24) 14(14)

Neighbours 1(1) 1(1) 1(1) 1(1) 12(12)

Agents 4(4) 2(3) 2(3) 2(2) 2(12)

Dealers 1(1) 1(1) 43(55) 5(5) 1(1)

Point of purchase

9(10) 13(19) 14(18) 13(13) 11(11)

Figures in bracket indicate percentage. Source : Primary data

It is clear from the table that for TV, Pressure Cooker, Wrist

Watch and Fan advertisement was the major source of information

for majority of the consumers. In the case of Gas Stove majority

depend on dealers (55 percent) as a source of information. Friends

and relatives were the second major source of all the consumer

durables. Point of purchase also contributed to provide information

103

on durables to consumers. Information collection from other sources

like dealers neighbours and agents were very limited.

While comparing the three zones of Kerala not many

variations noticed with respect to the different sources of

information. It may be because the marketers are providing

information about their products and brands by using almost same

media of communication and they are not concerned about using

different communication strategies for different regions.

Sources of Information of Total Selected rural households

Table 4.19 Sources of Information of Total selected rural households


TelevisionN = 249

PressureCooker N=194

Gas Stove N=215

Wrist Watch

N =285

Fan N=300

Total N=1243

Advertisement 143 (57)

152 (78)

65 (30)

148 (52)

193 (64)

701 (56)

Friends & Relatives

77 (31)

42 (22)

68 (31)

22 (25)

36 (12)

295 (24)

Neighbours 29 (12)

14 (7)

10 (5)

17 (6)

22 (7)

92 (7)

Agents 29 (12)

9 (5)

13 (6)

5 (2)

18 (61)

74 (6)

Dealers 17 (7)

15 (8)

51 (24)

35 (12)

27 (9)

145 (12)

Point of purchase

23 (9)

35 (18)

46 (21)

47 (16)

26 (9)

177 (14)

Source : Primary data Note: Percentage does not tally due to the more than one source reported by the consumers.

It is very clear from table 4.19 that almost for 50 percent of the

selected consumers advertisement was the major source of

information followed by friends and relatives. This is similar to the

findings of Rodge (2001)2 that the rural consumers gave more

importance to the advertisement and its impact as compared to

urban consumers. Bhavaniprasad and Sitakumary (1987)3 also

104

observed that friends are the major source of influence followed by

advertisement for the consumer durables. Irrespective of the

improvements in the literacy, income and other socio economic

aspects rural consumers still depend upon their friends and relatives

as a source of information. It implies the need for collecting

feedback from the existing customers and for reducing post purchase

dissonance among them.

Decision makers

The person who decides the purchase normally influences pre

purchase behaviour of any product. Marketers have to concentrate

on decision makers while framing their promotional strategies. An

area wise analysis of the decision maker is shown in tables 4.20,

4.21 and 4.22.

105

Table 4.20 Decision makers on the purchase of consumer

durables in South zone

Products

Total

Father

Mother

Children

Both Father

and Mother

Father, Mother & Children

Mother &

Children

Television

85

22

(26)

-

--

42 (49)

19 (22)

2 (2)

Pressure Cooker

62

10 (16)

15 (24)

3 (5)

29 (47)

1 (2) 4 (6)

Gas Stove

65

10 (15)

15 (24)

3 (5)

23 (38)

11 (17)

3 (5)

Wrist Watch

85

18 (21)

7 (8)

15 (18)

32 (38)

11 (13)

2 (2)

Fan

100

13 (13)

11 (11)

15 (15)

48 (48)

13 (13)

-


It is revealed from table 4.20 that in the case of Television

mainly both father and mother take the decision to purchase (49

percent) followed by father alone (26 percent) and joint decision. In

the case of other products also decisions are taken by father and

mother jointly. In the case of Pressure Cooker and Gas Stove

‘mother alone’ plays a major role in taking the purchase decision (24

percent). ‘Father alone’ and sometimes ‘children alone’ influenced

the purchase decision on Wrist Watch. It is because of the fact that

Wrist Watch is purchased for individual use, users preference

dominate over others. In the case of Fan though majority of the

decisions are taken by father and mother jointly children also play a

role in the decision making process.

106


durables in Central zone

Products

Total

Father

Mother

Children

Both Father

& Mother

Father, Mother

& Children

Father &

Children

Mother &

Children

Television 74 (100)

18 (24)

-- 5 (7)

18 (24)

27 (37)

4 (5)

2 (3)

Pressure Cooker

62 9 (14)

11 (18)

6 (10)

34 (55)

-- -- 2 (3)

Gas Stove

72 8 (14)

2 (3)

4 (6)

41 (57)

10 (11)

1 (1)

6 (8)

Wrist Watch

100 51 (51)

2 (2)

8 (8)

33 (33)

2 (2)

3 (3)

1 (1)

Fan

100 84 (84)

2 (2)

5 (5)

9 (9)

-- -- --


The results of the survey in table 4.21 revealed that for the

purchase of TV majority of the respondents make joint decisions (37

percent) followed by father and mother jointly and father alone (24

percent each). In the case of ‘Pressure Cooker’ father and mother

jointly decide (55 percent) and for 18 percent of the households’

mother alone take the purchase decision. The decision maker in the

case of Gas Stove also was father and mother jointly. It is noticed

that father alone plays a major role in the decision regarding the

purchase. For the purchase of wrist watch it is clear from the table

that father alone was the major decision maker (51 percent) followed

by joint decision of father and mother.

North zone

Decision makers in the case of selected consumer durables

in the north zone depicted in table 4.22.

107


durables in north zone

Products Total Father Mother Children

Both

Father &

Mother

Father, Mother

& Children

Father & Children

Mother &

Children

Television 90 17

(19)

7

(8)

- 37

(41)

24

(27)

2

(2)

3

(3)

Pressure Cooker

70 12

(17)

4

(6)

-- 32

(46)

15

(21)

4

(6)

3

(4)

Gas Stove

78 15

(19)

3

(4)

- 31

(40)

20

(26)

5

(6)

3

(4)

Wrist Watch

100 19 (19)

12

(12)

4

(4)

33

(33)

24

(24)

3

(3)

5

(5)

Fan

100 21

(21)

6

(6)

5

(5)

37

(37)

21

(21)

3

(31)

7

(7)


The results revealed that in majority of the cases the joint

decisions are taken by father and mother with respect to the

purchase of all the selected durables The role of children and

mother alone seemed to be meagre in all cases.

108

Decision makers at All Kerala level

Decision makers at All Kerala level are presented in table

4.23 taking the total of all consumers of three zones.


durables by total respondents

Products

Total

Father

Mother

Child-

ren

Both Father

& Mother

Father, Mother & Children

Father &

Children

Mother&

Children

Television 249 57 (23)

7 (3)

5 (2)

97 (39)

70 (28)

6 (2)

7 (3)

Pressure Cooker

194 31 (16)

30 (15)

9 (5)

95 (49)

16 (8)

4 (2)

9 (5)

Gas Stove

215 33 (16)

20 (9)

7 (3)

95 (44)

41 (19)

6 (3)

12 (6)

Wrist Watch

285 88 (31)

21 (7)

27 (10)

98 (34)

37 (13)

6 (2)

8 (3)

Fan

300 118 (49)

19 (6)

25 (89)

94 (31)

34 (11)

3 (1)

7 (2)

Total

1243 327 (26)

97 (8)

73 (6)

479 (39)

198 (16)

25 (2)

43 (3)

Figures in bracket indicate percentages Source : primary data

It is observed from table 5.26 that both father and mother

together took the decision regarding the purchase of TV, Pressure

Cooker, Wrist Watch and Gas Stove. However, in the case of Fan

‘father alone’ took the decision in majority of the cases (40 percent)

followed by father and mother together. In the case of TV in about

28 percent cases the family members jointly took the decision. For

all other durables father alone dominated over mother and children

alone.

109

It may be inferred from the above tables that the differences

with respect to decision makers within three zones were marginal.

However, while looking into product wise it can be noticed that in the

case of TV family members together take the decisions in majority of

cases. In the case of Pressure Cooker and Gas Stove father and

mother took majority of the decisions whereas for Wrist Watch and

Fan father dominate the decision making. While taking the selected

durables as a whole (Table 4.23) domination of ‘father and mother’

together followed by father alone can be noticed.

Thus it can be concluded that family members are jointly

involving in the decision making process than the earlier concept of

the ‘head’ of the family making complete decisions as it is evident

from the findings of Xavier (1991)4 that in more than half of the

households husband is the major decision maker. The role of

women alone is not increasing up to the expectations though their

literacy level and social status is increasing. In a few cases father

consults with children for taking the purchase decisions.

The findings of the analysis confirmed the study of

Venkateswara and Rao (2000)5 that in the case of durables both

husband and wife together take the purchase decision.

4.4 PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR OF RURAL CONSUMERS TOWARDS CONSUMER DURABLES

Purchase is a consumer commitment for a product. It is the terminal

stage in the buying decision process. It occurs as either a trial and/or

adoption. If a consumer is buying something for the first time, a trial, and if

this experience is positive in terms of satisfaction derived, then repeat

purchase may occur. However, the possibility of a trial purchase is not

possible in the case of consumer durables. It is because of the fact that

once a product is purchased, it has to be adopted and repeatedly used.

110

Adoption means a consumer decision to commit to a fall or further use of

product. Therefore, consumer durables normally are not open for trial

purchase but will have to adopt only.

The analysis with respect to the behaviour of rural consumers

at the time of purchase of consumer durables was done with respect

to the indicators like, the possession of the durables; source of

purchase, actual buyer, mode of purchase, brand choice, reasons

behind the brand choice etc. by using percentages and ranks. This

will highlight the psyche of rural consumers at the time of purchase.

Actual Buyer of Consumer durables

Actual buyer is the person who makes actual purchase. As the

person who makes the purchase decision assumes importance in the

stages to decide upon what, for, how much, from where and how etc.

actual buyer of the product will have an influence on these factors.

So actual buyer’s behaviour at the time of purchase may influence

above decisions if the decision maker and the actual buyer were not

the same because the convenience of the buyer, his or her interest

towards a particular store/brand, personal relationships, availability

at the time of purchase etc. will also influence the purchase of the

products.

Actual buyer of consumer durables (Area wise)

South zone

Actual Buyer in the case of consumer durables of South zone

is depicted in Table 4.24.

111

Table 4.24 Actual Buyer of consumer durables by the South

zone respondents

Products/

Actual Buyer

Father

Mother

Both Father

and Mother

Children joint others total

Television

28 (33)

12 (14)

16 (19)

2 (2)

27 (42)

85 (100)

Pressure Cooker

26

(42)

8

(13)

21 (34)

-

6

(10)

1 (1)

62

(100) Gas Stove

31

(48)

5

(8)

12 (18)

-

15

(23)

2 (3)

65

(100) Wrist Watch

54

(64)

9

(12)

1

(1)

18

(24)

3 (4)

85

(100) Fan

59

(59)

6

(6)

5

(5)

4

(4)

8

(8)

5 (5)

10

(100)

Figures in bracket indicate percentages

Source : Primary data.

Majority of the households while purchasing TV (42 percent)

had made joint purchase. For the purchase of all other durables

father was the buyer followed by father and mother jointly. In the

case of Wrist Watch children also acted as actual buyer. It can be

noticed that the role of mother alone was very poor even for the

household items, which are handled by them like Pressure Cooker

and Gas Stove actual buyer was either father alone or both father

and mother because rural women particularly unemployed hesitate to

go out alone for purchase.

Central Zone

Table 4.25 presents the result of the actual buyer in the

Central Zone

112

Table 4.25 Actual Buyer of consumer durables by the central zone

respondents

Products/ Actual Buyer

Father

Mother

Children

Father and

motherJoint Others Total

Television

13 (18)

2 (3)

--

35 (47)

24 (32)

--

74 (100)

Pressure Cooker

15

(24)

21

(34)

--

12

(19)

14

(23)

--

62

(100) Gas Stove

21

(29)

20

(28)

--

6

(8)

25

(35)

--

72

(100) Wrist Watch

52

(52)

5

(5)

8 (8)

-

35 (35)

--

100

(100) Fan

20

(20)

2

(2)

--

56

(56)

-

22

(22)

100

(100)


It is evident from table 4.25 that actual buyer of selected

consumer durables vary as the products vary. For television, actual

purchase made mainly by father and mother together followed jointly

by the members of the family. Further it can be noticed that in the

case of Pressure Cooker mother alone (34percent) was the actual

buyer. With respect to Gas Stove, the actual purchase is mainly

made ‘jointly’. Father alone and mother alone made the actual

purchase in certain cases i.e. 29 and 28 percent respectively. It can

be further noted from the table that watch is purchased mainly by

father alone (52 percent) followed by ‘jointly’. Eight percent of

children also engaged in the actual purchase. The role of mother in

this regard is only negligible. In the case of Fan for majority of the

cases actual buyer was father and mother together. It is interesting

to note from the analysis that neighbours and friends of the

respondents also act as actual buyer on behalf of the consumer.

113

North Zone

Table 4.26 presents actual buyers of selected consumer

durables in Wayanad region.

Table 4.26 Actual Buyer of consumer durables by the north zone

respondents


Father

Mother

Both Father and Mother

Children joint others total

Television

26 (28)

8 (9)

32 (36)

6 (7)

18 (20)

-

90 (100)

Pressure Cooker

10

(14)

9

(13)

36 (51)

2

(3)

11

(16)

2 (3)

70

(100)

Gas Stove

24 (31)

5

(6)

28 (36)

-

19

(24)

2 (3)

78

(100)

Wrist Watch

36

(36)

7

(7)

17

(17)

22

(22)

10

8 100

(100)

Fan 22

(22) 11

(11) 41

(41) 2

(2) 26

(26) 5

(5)

100 (100)

Figures in bracket indicate percentage to total Source : primary data

It is evident from table 5.29 that actual purchase of TV, Pressure

Cooker, Gas Stove and Fan mainly done by father and mother together. In the

case of Wrist Watch father alone mainly acts as actual buyer (36 percent)

followed by Children. (22 percent)

A comparison between the three zones reflects the

differences in the domination of consumers in the buying process. It

can be noticed from the above analysis that in the case of south and

north zones domination of ‘father’ can be noted in the actual

114

purchase but in central zone actual purchase is mainly made by

father and mother together.

The reason may be the socio economic profile of the respondents

of central zone. As noted in table 4.4 majority of the respondents were

female and their level of education was very high when compared to

other selected regions.

After making a comparison of the three zones in Kerala, it is

worthwhile to look into the overall behaviour of consumers with

respect to ‘actual buyer’.

Actual Buyer of consumer durables (Total)

Table 4.27 Actual Buyer of consumer durables by Total respondents


Father

Mother

Both Father and Mother

Children

Joint

Others

Total

Television

67 (27)

22 (9)

83 (33)

8 (3)

69 (28)

-

249 (100)

Pressure Cooker

51 (26)

38 (20)

69 (36)

2 (1)

31 (16)

3 (1)

194 (100)

Gas Stove

76 (35)

330 (14)

46 (21)

-

59 (27)

4 (3)

215 (100)

Wrist Watch

142 (77)

21 (7)

10 (6)

48 (17)

45 (16)

11 (4)

285 (100)

Fan

101 (34)

12 (4)

115 (38)

6 (2)

34 (11)

32 (11)

300 (100)

Total 437 (35)

123 (10)

331 (27)

64 (5)

238 (19)

50 (4)

1243 (100)

Figures in bracket indicate percentages Source : primary data It seems from table 4.27 that when considering the rural

consumers as a whole father and mother together made the

purchase in the case of TV, Pressure Cooker and Fan in the case of

majority of the households. In the case of Gas Stove and Wrist

115

Watch, father dominates. A noticeable percentage of respondents

also made purchase ‘jointly’ with their family members. Table further

revealed that the role of women alone and children is only marginal

as actual buyer except in the case of Pressure Cooker (20 percent

women alone) and Wrist Watch (17 percent children). Kulkarni and

Murali (1996)6 in their study on purchase practices of consumers

pointed that in the case of majority of the household’s, purchases

are done either by husband alone or by husband and wife together.

From the above discussion, it is clear that even with the high rate of

literacy and increasing employment among women, the role of

women, as an actual buyer is not so encouraging. It is also clear

from the analysis that the tendency for joint purchase is increasing

among rural folk. This is because of small size of family and

increased infrastructure and transportation facilities in rural areas.

Source of Purchase of Consumer durables

Source of purchase is a part of purchase behaviour of

consumers. The decisions regarding the sources of purchase

depends on many factors like availability, convenience, proximity,

availability of credit and so on. As far as rural consumer is

concerned, the shops dealing with consumer durables are rare due

to the lack of infrastructure to keep and maintain the durables.

Moreover, rural people did not mind to visit the nearby towns to

purchase on expensive item.

The following table gives the details regarding the preferences

for the sources of purchase of rural people in selected 3 zones of

Kerala.

South zone

Table 4.28 exhibits the preferred sources of purchase of rural

consumers

116

Table 4.28 Source of purchase of consumer durables by South

zone respondents

Source

Durables

Television

Pressure Cooker

Gas

Stove

Wrist

Watch

Fan

Town

72 (85)

58 (94)

60 (92)

61 (72)

84 (84)

Village shop

NIL

NIL

NIL

9 (11)

6 (6)

Abroad 8

(9)

NIL

NIL 8

(9)

NIL

Others

5 (6)

4 (6)

5 (8)

7 (8)

10 (10)

Total 85

(100) 62

(100) 65

(100) 85

(100) 100

(100)


The results presented in table 4.28 revealed that irrespective

of the nature of durables majority of the respondents preferred to

purchase the durables from town. Very few, that too only in the case

of Wrist Watch and Fan made purchase from village shops. Some of

the consumers brought the durables from abroad. Few got it as gift.

In certain cases, door delivery by agents was also done.

Central zone

The sources of purchase of consumer durables at Central

region consumers are exhibited in table 4.29.

117

Table 4.29 Source of purchase of consumer durables by Central

zone respondents

Source

Durables

Television

Pressure Cooker

Gas Stove

Wrist Watch

Fan

Town

61 (82)

62 (100)

42 (58)

59 (59)

68 (68)

Village shop

9 (12)

NIL

NIL

22 (22)

6 (6)

Abroad

4 (6)

NIL

6 (8)

12 (12)

1 [1]

Others

- - 24 (35)

7 (7)

25 (25]

Total

74 (100)

62 (100)

72 (100)

100 (100)

100 (100)


Similar to the results in Trivandrum, in Thrissur region also

consumers expressed their preference to purchase the durables from

the town shops. In case of TV, 12 percent of consumers purchase

from village shop. It is because there is a TV showroom not so far

from the villagers in that area. They are even offering TV on credit

even to the unemployed persons. For Wrist Watch 59 percent prefer

shops located in towns and 22 percent, village shops. For Pressure

Cooker cent percent of consumers preferred town shops whereas for

Gas Stove 33 percent purchased from ‘others’ i.e. from the agents

who directly brought the item at their homes.

North zone

Table 4.30 gives the results of preferred sources of purchase

in northern region.

118

Table 4.30 Source of purchase of selected consumer durables by

north zone respondents

Source

Durables

Television

Pressure Cooker

Gas

Stove

Wrist Watch

Fan

Town 75 (83)

68 (97)

60 (47)

52 (52)

74 (74)

Village shop

6 (7) --- 10

(13) 24

(24) --

Abroad 9 (10)

2 (3)

2 (3)

16 (16)

4 (4)

Others -- -- 6 (7)

8 (8)

22 (22)

Total 90 70 78 100 100 Figures in bracket indicate percentages Source : primary data

Town shops are selected by majority of the respondents in

the case of purchase of all durables selected. A noticeable share of

respondents preferred village shops for the purchase of Wrist Watch

(24 percent) and Gas Stove (13 percent). In the case of Fan 22

percent of the consumers purchased from other agencies. In this

area, there are agencies that supply selected items of home

appliances through their monthly kuri schemes.

A comparison of the sources of purchase of the 3 selected

zones revealed that, there is no difference among the regions

regarding the sources of purchase. Majority of them preferred to

purchase from town shops. The reason may be the non-availability

of the durables in their village shops and even if it is available,

choice of preferred brands may not be easy.

119

Sources of purchase of selected consumer durables (Total)

Table 4.31 Source of purchase of consumer durables (Total)

Source

Durables

TV

Pressure Cooker

Gas

Stove

Wrist

Watch

Fan

Town

208 (84)

188 (97)

162 (75)

172 (60)

226 (75)

Village shop

15 (6)

--

10 (5)

55 (19)

6 (2)

Abroad

21 (8)

2 (1)

8 (4)

36 (13)

11 (4)

Others

5 (2)

4 (2)

35 (16)

22 (8)

57 (19)

Total

249 (100)

194 (100)

215 (100)

285 (100)

300 (100)


It can be inferred from table 4.31 that majority of the rural

consumers prefer to buy consumer durables from town shops rather

than from village shops. i.e. it is above 60 per cent in all cases and

97 percent in the case of Pressure Cooker. The reason behind this

is the absence of village shops dealing with the selected durables

and even if the shops are there, the brand choice may be less. It

can be further noted that the preference towards the village shops

are comparatively high in the case of Wrist Watch (19 per cent)

because there are large number of watch dealers and repairers in

the sample area. The rural consumers having low income may

prefer these shops, since they are price conscious than quality or

brand.

In the light of the above analysis it can be concluded that

rural consumers preferred to purchase the durable items from town

shops. This calls for the need of exclusive showrooms and dealers

of durable items in rural areas.

120

Mode of Purchase

Mode of purchase means how consumers make their purchases by

paying the entire amount at a time or on credit. Consumer durables

normally considered as high value products compared to the non-

durables or consumables. As far as rural consumer is concerned, their

level of income is low and their affordability to purchase expensive

durable items is limited. However, all depends upon the policy of the

marketers as whether to offer credit facility to rural consumers and if so to

whom it offered under what conditions.

121

Mode of purchase (Area wise)

The preferred mode of purchase of consumer durable in South,

Central and North Zones are analysed below.

Mode of purchase of South zone respondents

Table 4.32 reveals the mode of purchase of selected durables in

South Zone.

Table 4.32 Mode of Purchase of sample households of south zone

Products Cash Credit/instalments Total

TV

51 (60)

34 (40)

85 (!00)

Pressure Cooker

62 (!00) -- 62

(!00)

Gas Stove

53 (82)

12 (18)

65 (!00)

Wrist Watch

85 (100) -- 85

(!00)

Fan

79 (79)

21 (21)

100 (100)


It can be inferred from table 4.32 that irrespective of the

category of the durables selected, majority of the respondents

preferred cash purchase. In the case of Pressure Cooker and Wrist

Watch it is cent percent. With respect to TV, 40 percent of

consumers preferred credit purchase. The reasons are high cost

and less affordability by rural consumers. For Gas Stove and Fan 18

and 21 percent of respondents respectively made credit purchase.

122

Central Zone

Mode of purchase of consumers in Central zone is presented in

table 4.33. Table 4.33 Mode of Purchase of sample households of central

zone.

Durables/Mode Cash Credit/instalments Total

Television

51 (69)

23 (31)

74 (100)

Pressure Cooker

62 (!00)

-- 62 (100)

Gas Stove

52 (72)

20 (28)

72 (100)

Wrist Watch

94 (94)

6 (6)

100

(100)

Fan

82 (82)

18 (18)

100 (100)


It is evident from table 4.33 that majority of the consumers preferred

cash purchase to credit purchase. It may be because of the lack of availability

of credit to low income group consumers. For the purchase of Pressure

Cooker cent percent paid in lump sum and for Wrist Watch only 6 percent

gone for credit purchase. In the case of TV, Gas Stove and Fan 31 percent,

28 percent and 18 percent respectively depend on credit purchase. It is also

observed that credit availability for TV is mainly extended for employed group

only. With respect to gas stove, agents of the product visit the doorsteps of

the rural consumers, made demonstrations and offered the items on credit.

Further, there are certain shops that offer consumer credit to purchase Fan

mainly based on personal relationships.

123

North zone

The results with respect to the mode of purchase of

consumer durables of northern region is given in table 4.34

Table 4.34 Mode of Purchase of sample households of north

zone

Products Cash Credit/instalments Total

Television

80 (89)

10 (11)

90 (100)

Pressure Cooker

70 (100) -- 70

(100) Gas Stove

78 (100) -- 78

(100)

Wrist Watch

100 (100) -- 100

(100) Fan

92 (92)

8 (8)

100 (100)


It is deduced from the table that except for the purchase of

TV and Fan all other selected durables are purchased for cash

payment. For TV and Fan 10 percent and 8 percent of consumers

respectively made credit purchase. However, as a whole the number

of persons opted for credit purchase was very less. While making a

comparison between the modes of purchase of three zones, in all

three regions consumers preferred cash purchase to credit purchase.

Credit purchase was preferred mainly in the case of TV in all cases.

Further, for the purchase of Pressure Cooker and Wrist Watch the

entire consumers preferred mostly cash purchase.

It is clear from the above discussions that irrespective of the

differences in the level of income among the consumers of the

selected regions, the mode of purchase did not vary. The reason

124

may be the similar type of sales policies adopted by marketers in all

the regions.

Mode of purchase of rural consumers in Kerala

A consolidated table is also preferred to get an over all idea

about the mode of purchase of rural consumers in Kerala.

Table 4.35 Mode of Purchase of total sample households

Products Cash Credit/ Instalments

Total

Television

182 (73)

67 (27)

249 (100)

Pressure Cooker

194 (!00)

-- 194 (100)

Gas Stove

183 (85)

32 (15)

215 (100)

Wrist Watch

279 (98)

6 (2)

285 (100)

Fan

253 (84)

47 (16)

300

(100) Figures in bracket indicate percentages Source : primary data

Table 4.35 clearly showed that majority of the respondents

made ready payments at the time of purchase of consumer durables.

The respondents resort to credit purchases is very few and maximum

credit purchase was made in the case of TV (27 percent) followed by

Fan (16 percent). The probable reason is that the consumer credit

facility is not offered to all sections of rural consumers evenly.

Another reason is that the income of the rural consumers is

increasing and they can afford the purchase of most of the durables.

4.5 POST PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS

Post purchase behaviour refers to the behaviour of a

consumer after commitment to a product. It originates out of

125

consumer experiences regarding the use of the product and is

indicated in terms of satisfaction. This behaviour reflected in repeat

purchases or abstinence from further purchase. Consumers

sometimes develop post purchase decision dissonance as an

attempt to either confirm or disconfirm expectation by actually

engaging in acquisition, consumption or disposition. It can influence

consumer behaviour because it creates anxiety (an uncomfortable

feeling).

In this section an analysis of post purchase behaviour of rural

consumers with respect to consumer durables are made by analyzing

the satisfaction level of consumers towards the various attributes of

the selected durables like quality, price, durability, after sales

service, availability of component parts, Model of the product and

servicing cost. Moreover, the period of possession of the durables

and the intentions to shift the brand is also studied to know the

brand loyalty of the consumers.

Brand Loyalty

Brand loyalty occurs when consumers make a conscious

evaluation that a brand or Service satisfies their needs to a great

extent than others and because of this, they buy the same brand

repeatedly. Brand loyalty represents the most desirable situation for

marketers. They can build brand loyalty by offering high quality

product as well as by providing special incentives to the consumer

for repeat purchase. As far as consumer durables are concerned

changes in the technologies and arrival of different brands with

different product features will motivate the customers to own new

brands. Therefore, marketers should try hard to develop positive

post purchase behaviour among the consumers.

Brand loyalty was analysed in the study by taking into

consideration the period of possession of currently using brands and

126

by identifying the respondents having intentions to shift and actually

switched over to other brands.

Period of possession of currently using brand of selected durables An examination of how long a particular brand of a product is

in use by the consumers would reveal their brand loyalty. Period of

possession of the durables of 3 selected zones of Kerala is depicted

in tables, 4.36, 4.37 and 4.38.

Period of possession of durables in South Zone Table 4.36 depicts the results of south zone

Table 4.36 Period of possession of currently using brands of south

zone respondents

Products

Below 1 year

1 to 3 year

3 to 5 year

5 years &

above

Total Number

of responses

Television N = 85

14 (16)

26 (31)

19 (22)

26 (31)

85 (100)

Pressure Cooker N = 62

2 (3)

14 (23)

28 (45)

18 (29)

62 (100)

Gas Stove N = 65

8 (13)

21 (32)

21 (32)

15 (23)

65 (100)

Wrist Watch N = 85

30 (46)

20 (30)

18 (28)

17 (26)

85 (100)

Fan N = 100

25 (25)

24 (24)

29 (29)

22 (22)

100 (100)

Source : primary data

127

It is clear from table 4.36 that 31 percent of the Television

users were using the same brand for a period of five years and

above and 1 to 3 years each and 22 percent of them were using the

same brand for 3 to 5 years recent users of TV (i.e. below 1 year)

account about 16 percent. In the case of Pressure Cooker, majority

of the consumers are using the same brand for a period of 3 to 5

years (45 percent) followed by the category 5 years and above (29

percent).

An analysis of the period of possession of Gas Stove revealed

that around 64 percent are using the same brand for 1 to 5 years and

23 percent of them come under ‘5 years above’ category.

The period of possession of currently using brands of wristwatch

showed that 46 percent of respondents are using the same brand for

below 1 year duration and around 30 percent of them are using it for

below 1 - 3 years duration.

With respect to the usage of various brands of Fan, the

percentage of consumers under various categories spread almost

equally. i.e. around 20 to 30 percent. Thus it can be inferred from

the table that same brand of fan was used by majority of the

respondents for a long period

128

Period of possession currently using brand of durables in Central zone

Table 4.37 Period of possession of currently using brands by sample respondents of central zone

Products Below 1

year 1 to 3 year

3 to 5 year

5 years & above

Total Number of responses

Television N = 74

4 (5)

20 (27)

16 (22)

34 (46)

74 (100)


2 (3)

10 (16)

19 (31)

31 (50)

62 (100)

Gas Stove N = 72

23 (32)

27 (38)

10 (14)

12 (16)

72 (100)

Wrist Watch N = 100

22 (32)

10 (10)

36 (36)

32 (32)

100 (100)

Fan N = 100

12 (12)

85 (85)

22 (22)

33 (33)

152* (100)

Figures in brackets represents percentage to total number of respondents (N) Source : primary data

* Some respondents were using more than one brand.

It is evident from table 4.37 that in the case of TV 46 percent

come under the category of 5 years and above followed by 1 to 3

years (27 percent). With respect to Pressure Cooker, majority of the

consumers (50 percent) are using the same brand for 5 years and

above followed by the category of 3 to 5 years.

Regarding Gas Stove 38 percent possessed the same brand

for the last 1 to 3 years and 32 percent come under below 1-year

category. The percentage of consumers using same brand for more

than 3 years are limited

An analysis with respect to Wrist Watch showed that majority

of the consumers (36 percent) are using the same brand for a period

of 3 to 5 years followed by under the category of 5 years (32

percent).

129

The analysis with respect to Fan revealed that majority of the

consumers (85 percent) is using the same brand for duration of 1 to

3 years followed by the duration of 5 years by 33 percent of

consumers.

Period of possession of currently using brands in North zone

Table 4.38 exhibits the data with respect to north zone

Table 4.38 Period of possession of currently using brands by selected

households of north zone

Products Below 1 year

1 to 3 year

3 to 5 year

5 years & above

Total Number of responses

Television N = 90

5 (6)

22 (24)

38 (42)

25 (28)

90


4 (6)

21 (30)

33 (47)

12 (17)

70

Gas Stove N = 78

12 (15)

18 (23)

32 (41)

16 (21)

78

Wrist Watch N = 100

11 (11)

18 (18)

45 (45)

26 (26)

100

Fan N = 100

28 (23)

23 (19)

37 (31)

32 (27)

120*

Parenthesis indicate percentage to total number of respondents (N) Source : primary data * More than one brand was used by some respondents

It is clear from table 4.38 that on an average 40 percent of

respondents are using the same brand of all the selected durables

for a period of 3 to 5 years . In the case of TV 28 percent comes

under the category of 5 years and above and 24 percent in the 1 to 3

years category. For Pressure Cooker and Gas Stove majority of the

consumers belong to one to 3 years duration. The period of

possession of currently using brand of Fan revealed that 85 percent

130

of the consumers are using the same brand for duration of 1 to 3

years.

Period of possession of consolidated table of rural consumers

(Total).

An overall analysis of the 3 zones are also made and depicted in

table 4.39.

Table 4.39 Period of possession of currently using brands by the total selected households

Products Below 1 year

1 to 3 years

3 to 5 years

5 years & above

Total responses

Television N = 249

23 (9)

68 (28)

73 (29)

85 (34)

249 (100)


8 (4)

45 (23)

80 (41)

61 (32)

194 (100)

Gas Stove N = 215

43 (20)

66 (31)

63 (29)

43 (20)

215 (100)

Wrist Watch N = 285

63 (22)

48 (17)

99 (34)

75 (26)

285 (100)

Fan N = 300

65 (22)

32 (44)

88 (29)

87 (29)

372 (100)

Total N = (1243)

143 (12)

259 (21)

408 (33)

404 (33)

1315 (100)


From the table it can be inferred that majority of the users of

TV possess the same brand for more than 5 years (34 percent)

followed by 3 to 5 years category (29 percent) and also 1 to 3 years

category (28 percent). In the case of Pressure Cooker 3 to 5 years

131

category was more (i.e. 41 percent) followed by 1 to 5 years and

above category.

For Gas Stove majority of the users come under the category

of 3 to 5 years followed by 5 years and above. In the case of Wrist

Watch possession of a brand extended for the period up to 3 to 5

years for 34 per cent of rural consumers followed by 5 years and

above category.

The period of possession of Fan revealed that majority come

under the category of 1 to 3 years (44 per cent) followed by next two

categories i.e. 29 percent each.

In the light of the above analysis, it can be inferred that wide

variations cannot be noticed either with respect to the selected

consumer durables or with respect to different zones. However, it

can be noticed that brand loyalty towards TV was more as it is

evident from the Table that majority of the consumers were in

possession of currently using brand for more than 5 years. The

reason behind this may be that among the selected durable items,

TV is the most durable and expensive item considering the income

levels of rural consumers (refer Table 4.4). With respect to other

categories of durables, rural consumers showed a tendency to

change the brand. The persons engaged in the marketing of these

items should try to analyse the reasons behind this.

The analysis of brand loyalty will be incomplete without knowing

the brand shift among the consumers. Therefore, an attempt was also

made to analyse the consumers either shifted or intended to shift the

currently using brand.

132

Brand shift of consumer durables

As mentioned earlier, repeated purchase occurs with respect

to a particular brand only when consumers are satisfied with the

using brand. If his satisfaction is positive, he will stick on to his

brand and if it is negative, he will shift to alternative brands.

Although the products selected are durables the products undergo

changes day by day with respect to the model, product features,

size, colour and even in the use of the product. In these

circumstances whether consumer shifted the brand while purchasing

one more, or if he has any intention to shift, the using brand is a

matter to be examined.

Table 4.40 exhibited the brand shift/intention to shift the

brand of selected durables of selected regions.

133

Table 4.40

Brand shift of selected consumer durables by the selected rural households

South zone Central zone North zone Total

Durables

Intention to shift

the brand

Shifted the

brand for last5 years

Total

Intentionto shift

the brand

Shiftedthe


Total

Intentionto shift

the brand

Shifted the


Total

Intentionto shift

the brand

Shifted the

brand for last 5 years

Total

TV 22 (26)

16 (19)

38 (45)

7 (9)

11 (15)

18 (24)

11 (12)

16 (17)

27 (29)

40 (16)

43 (17)

83 (43)

Pressure Cooker

12 (19)

9 (15)

21 (34)

-- 8 (13)

8 (13)

-- 12 (17)

12 (17)

12 (6)

29 (15)

41 (21)

Gas Stove

10 (15)

5 (8)

15 (23)

-- 7 (16)

7 (10)

10 (13)

6 (8)

16 (21)

20 (9)

18 (8)

38 (17)

Wrist Watch

10 (15)

7 (11)

17 (26)

15 (15)

13 (13)

28 (28)

18 (18)

14 (14)

32 (32)

43 (15)

34 (12)

77 (27)

Fan 16 (16)

13 (13)

29 (29)

12 (12)

28 (28)

40 (40)

20 (20)

16 (16)

36 (36)

48 (16)

57 (19)

105 (35)


134

It is observed from the table that on an average 45 percent of

the consumers of Trivandrum region either have the intention to shift

the currently using brand or already shifted their brand of T.V. The

results in this respect are 24 percent in Thrissur region and 29

percent in northern region. With respect to Pressure Cooker, the

brand shift/intention to shift is around 34 percent, 13 percent and 17

percent in southern, central and northern regions respectively.

An analysis of brand shift with regard to Gas Stove showed

that the percentage of consumers intended to shift or shifted the

brand was low in central and comparatively better in other regions.

In the case of Wrist Watch, around 30 percent of respondents

are shifted or indented to shift the brand. Much difference not

noticed between regions. With respect to Fan, the percentage of

brand shift is 36 percent and 40 percent respectively in northern and

central zones and it is comparatively less in southern region.

Table 4.40 also gives a picture of the total selected rural

consumers of Kerala. It can be inferred from the table that the

shifted/intention to shift the brand is below 50 percent for all the

selected durables. This indicates that more than 50 percent of the

consumers are brand loyal. Among the durables, percentage of

brand shift is more in the case of TV and Fan (43 and 35 percent

respectively).

From the region wise analysis it can be inferred that, Central

zone consumers are more brand loyal in the case of the selected

durables except for Fan. It is further evident that southern zone

consumers are less brand loyalty is less compared to other regions.

However, an overall analysis reflects the fact that brand loyalty of

rural consumers is high as is evident from table 5.47 that on an

average below 40 percent of the respondents are either shifted or

intended to shift their currently using brand.

135

Concluding Remarks

From this chapter on the pre purchase and post purchase

behaviour of rural consumers towards consumer durables following

conclusions are made.

Pre purchase behaviour towards consumer durables revealed

that rural consumers are more concerned about the conformation search

regarding the quality, price, and availability of the durable items. The

role of advertisement as a major source of information also noticed from

the study. The shift from traditional beliefs of decision maker as head of

the family to the joint decision of father and mother also inferred in the

case of the purchase of durable items.

Rural consumers preference towards town shops is noticed from

the purchase behaviour of rural consumers. Even with the offer of

consumer credit, rural consumers preferred cash payments to credit

purchases. Rural consumers preference towards a specific brand

depends upon the quality and price of the brands.

Brand loyalty examined as part of post purchase behaviour

exhibited variations over regions. Central zone consumers are seen to

be more brand loyal and south zone consumers are less compared to

other regions. Further, the study revealed high level satisfaction with

respect to all the selected products. However inter regional variations

are also noticed over the regions.

List of Selected References

1. Skinner (1996). Marketing. Houghton Miffin Company, Boston. P.

689.

2. Rodge T.R. (2001). Influence of advertisement on consumer of

different age groups and areas. Indian Jl. Of Marketing Vol. 3 (4),

pp. 10-15.

136

3. Bhawani Prasad G.V. and Sitakumari, K.(1987). Impact of

advertising on consumer durable market. Indian Jl. Of Marketing

Vol.63, pp.19-31.

4. Xavier (1991). The Colour television buying decision – A Post

purchase analysis of Onida T.V. purchases. MBA project report,

School of Management Studies, Cochin University of Science and

Technology, Cochin p.121.

5. Venkteswaralu,H and Rao P.P. (2000). Women as consumer.

Vol.39.pp. 60-68.

6. Kulkarni M.S. and Murali D (1996). Study of purchasing practices

of consumers of Prabhani Town. Indian Jl. of Marketing.

Vol25(11)p.30.

________

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