Business Research Methods

Title: Factors affecting Consumer Preference Towards

Snacks.
Executive Summary:
The project purports to decipher the satisfaction level as well as the preferences of
consumers pertaining to the trends in snacks industry and the various flavors of Lays, a new
range of savory snacks launched by Pepsi Co. in Pakistan. We aim to analyze the success,
marketability and future growth prospects of Lays. Basically we intend to find out the most
popular flavor of Lays in the market from our sample and consumer trends towards snacks.
Snacks are a part of Consumer Convenience/ Packaged Foods segment. Snack is described as a
small quantity of food eaten between meals or in place of a meal. Snack food generally
comprises bakery products, ready-to-eat mixes, chips, namkeen and other light processed foods
Snacks as such are, a very minor part of the food processing industry. Snacks are mostly
preferred by children and youngsters to fulfill their appetite for the time being.
Of the wide range of snacks available, potato chips constitute a sizeable segment of the Pakistani
snack food industry, according to Pakistan Info line. The potato chip market is generally an
unorganized industry. Nearly all potato chip snack products are manufactured and sold locally.
There is also no uniform standard for packaging, as there is in Europe, the United States and
other more developed regions. Many snack foods are sold loose or packaged in poly-pouches,
which may only be folded, or in some cases, stapled closed. As the Pakistani economy continues
to grow, and production standards improve, many snack food companies are making significant
investments into plant equipment and packaging machinery.

Pepsi Foods Ltd., now known as Frito-Lay Ltd., produces Pakistan's largest snack food
manufacturers brands, including kukuree, Cheetos and Lay`s. Frito Lay's story is an example of
how American recipes were adjusted to satisfy local tastes.
To study the consumer preferences towards snacks and the favorability of Lay`s chips, a survey
will be conducted in Multan, Pakistan where respondents will be requested to fill a questionnaire.
The data will be collected and analyzed to obtain conclusions The report carries an introduction
of the company profile, detail of the methodology followed detailed data analysis and the results
so obtained with the variety of graphs along with given.

Problem Statement:
What are the factors which constitute for consumer preference
towards snacks?
A. Null Hypothesis:
Consumers prefer snacks
B. Alternate Hypothesis:
Consumers dont prefer snacks

Research Objectives:

To study the trends in snacks industry as a part of food processing

industry.

To find out what percentage of population likes to eat snacks.

To find out what percentage of population likes to eat Lay`s Chips.

To find out which flavor of Lay`s is most preferred.

To analyze the reason for the popularity of Lay`s as the most

preferred snack.

To know the satisfaction level of people who eat Lay`s.

To find out how much people spend on Lay`s snacks weekly.

To find out conclusions to our results.

Literature Review:

Secondary Data.
Internet Hunting.

Importance and benefits:

This research will enable us to know the factors which are directly and indirectly
involved in the change in the consumer preference towards snacks as many competitors to our
defined product prevail in the market. Also we will be able to help the company, improve its
quality and make future improvements in providing supreme customer value and satisfaction.

Research Design:
Research design is the basic framework which provides guidelines for the rest of
research process. It specifies the methods for data collection and data analysis. The need of the
research itself determines the methodology and the design of the research. The following are the
components of the research design in our case of study:

Correlation Hypothesis Testing (because we find the important

variables or factors that contribute their part in varying consumer

preferences towards snacks).

Applied Research methodology.
Unit of analysis is Sample.

 Sample Design:
A sample of 50 individuals is selected randomly over a population.

Data Collection Technique:

Primary Data.
- Through structured interviews (Questionnaires).
Secondary Data.
- From websites and articles.

Data Analysis:
For the data analysis we will be using the following techniques:

Probability Sampling.

Correlation testing.

Chi-square technique.

Pie-Charts.

Graphs.

Bibliography:

www.lays.com
http://www.pepsico.com/Brands/Frito_Lay-Brands.html
www.wikipedia.com
www.google.com