INTRODUCTION

Consumer behaviour is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not
buy product. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and
economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both
individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as
demographics and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand people's wants. It
also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends,
reference groups, and society in general. Customer behaviour study is based on
consumer buying behaviour, with the customer playing the three distinct roles of user,
payer and buyer.

Relationship marketing is an influential asset for customer behaviour analysis as it has

a keen interest in the re-discovery of the true meaning of marketing through the re-
affirmation of the importance of the customer or buyer. A greater importance is also
placed on consumer retention, customer relationship management, personalisation,
customisation and one-to-one marketing. Social functions can be categorised into
social choice and welfare functions.

Each method for vote counting is assumed as a social function but if arrow‟s
possibility theorem is used for a social function, social welfare function is achieved.
Some specifications of the social functions are decisiveness, neutrality, anonymity,
monotonocity, unanimity, homogeneity and weak and strong Pareto optimality. No
social choice function meets these requirements in an ordinal scale simultaneously.
The most important characteristic of a social function is identification of the
interactive effect of alternatives and creating a logical relation with the ranks.
Marketing provides services in order to satisfy customers. With that in mind, the
productive system is considered from its beginning at the production level, to the end
of the cycle, the consumer.

In modern times, the consumer is the central theme of every marketing system. For a
product to sell, with or without advertising, it must appeal to and satisfy some needs
for consumers at least. These needs dominate the behaviour of the modern customers.
The field of consumer behaviour covers a lot of ground. It is the study of the process
involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use or dispose of products,

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services, ideas, experiences to satisfy their needs and desires. The study of consumer
behaviour provides an insight into how consumers arrive at the purchase decision and
the variables influencing their decision. In today‟s global culture, the company‟s
image is built and made known by its customers. The success of the firm will be
determined by how effective it has been in meeting the diverse consumer needs and
wants by treating each customer as unique and offering products and services to suit
their needs. Profits from customer relationships are the major aspects of all business.
So, the basic objective of any business is profit maximization through customer
satisfaction.

The emergence of marketing concept in respect of services is a recent phenomenon.

“The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer”. It implies that the purpose
of a business organization is to achieve the objectives set out by its stake holders, its
shareholders, its employees and others. But among the most important players in this
game are the customers of the business. No business can be successful if it ignores the
needs of its customers.

PERCEPTION OF CONSUMER :
Perception is the image or the formalised impressions residing in the minds of the
individual consumers about different products on, producers and retailers and of
themselves. Patterns of buying behaviour are greatly influenced by these perceptions.
As perception affects the buying behaviour of the consumer. There are two types of
image in the minds of modern consumers. These are,
(i) Self image (ii) Brand image
Self image is a picture of himself in the mind of the individual consumer. Different
consumers have different kinds of self image that give rise to market segmentation
along psychological lines. A basic level of motivation is that in many buying
situations, an individual consumer prefers to buy those products or services whose
images appear consistent with his self-image. Brand image is the impression of a
particular band in the minds of the modern consumers. Through long continued use of
particular advertising and selling appeals many brands have acquired definite image
in the minds of the consumer such as surf, Pepsodent etc. Modern management should
also take advantage of the brand image. Thus, perception of incoming stimuli is
greatly influenced by the attitudes to these stimuli.

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 THE TYRE INDUSTRY-AN OVERVIEW
Highlights
The tyre industry is a Rs. 75,000 crore industry. The fortune of this industry depends
on the agricultural and industrial performance of the economy, the transportation
needs and the production of vehicles. While the tyre industry is mainly dominated by
the organized sector, the unorganized sector holds away in bicycle tyres.
Natural rubber constitutes 25 per cent of the total raw material cost of the tyres. The
ratio of natural rubber content to synthetic rubber content is 80:20 in Indian tyres,
whereas world wide, the ratio of natural rubber to synthetic rubber is 30:70. The
overall recession in the Indian economy and especially the automobile sector
continued for 3-4 years. The largest hit among the auto sector was the commercial
vehicle segment. Tyre industry is capital intensive, and as production is released in
spurts, it leads to constant demand-supply imbalances and consequent cyclically in
prices.
As raw materials form 70% of the costs, variable costs are very high. Profit margins
are therefore thin. Production process is technology intensive and globally huge sums
are invested in R&D. Tyre demand is a derived demand, dependent on the auto
industry.

SALIENT FEATURES
 The Indian tyre market is expected to grow by 12% this year.
 As automobiles have become more sophisticated, technology has become key
to success in this sector.
 Truck and bus segment account for 60% of the total tyre market by value.
 Passenger car radials are the most profitable but because of poor road
conditions in India; truck radials are yet to catch on.
 It will take at least 5 years for light trucks and over 10 years for heavy trucks
to reach 25-30% radialisation.
 With the large additions in capacity over the last two decades, tyre companies
have found themselves hard-pressed to maintain market share.

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 OBJECTIVES

 To know about the Indian & foreign tyre industry.

 To determine the customer perception about tyres.
 To know about the customer preference towards tyres.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

Dr S. Subadra 8 (2010) In recent days India is witnessing a change in consumerism.

The market is now predominantly consumer-driven. The focus is shifting from
product-based marketing to need-based marketing. Consumer is given many options
to decide. Passenger car segment is no exception to this general trend. An effective
market communication is imperative for reaching the target audience. So it is
important to study the consumer perceptions and behaviour of the car owners which
will give one feedback on how marketing strategies can be worked. Namakkal town in
Tamil Nadu State, which is in the southern part of India, has a progressive and
growing market for cars. This town was selected for this study. Pre-testing was done
by an Interview schedule which was developed and administered to a convenient
sample of twenty five car owners. The simple random sampling technique was
adopted in the study to select the sample respondents. As the size of the universe was
restricted, the study was conducted on the respondents who were the owners of all the
segments of passenger cars.

Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi, ―Study the Effects of Customer Service and Product Quality on
Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty‖, International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
Vol. 1 No. 7, Special Issue –June 2011, pp. 253-257. 8 Dr S. Subadra, Dr K. M. Murugesan,
Dr R. Ganapathi, ―Consumer Perceptions and Behaviour: a Study with Special Reference to
Car Owners in Namakkal District‖, APJRBM volume 1, issue 3, December, 2010, pp. 21-25.

A total of three hundred and fifty interview schedules were prepared and out of this,
only three hundred and twenty seven interview schedules were filled up and collected.
Data were collected through an interview schedule regarding perception of the
respondents on the usage of cars. The following tools were used in testing the
hypotheses and in the analysis of the data. Descriptive statistical tools such as
Percentage, Mean, Median and Standard deviation have been used to describe the
profiles of consumers, preferred product attributes and levels of satisfaction.
ANOVA, t-Test and F-Test have been used to test the significant differences between
the groups of respondents in their perception and satisfaction for selected independent
variables like age, sex and income. Chi-Square test has been used to test the
association between the consumer demographic characteristics and preferred product

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attributes and satisfaction. Multiple regression analysis has been used to study the
influence of income and lifestyle on the overall satisfaction level of the respondents.
Correlation analysis has been used to establish the relationship between the factors
which influenced the purchase‘ and ‗the factors which favoured the level of
satisfaction‘. Factor analysis has been employed to identify the key factors
responsible for the consumers‘ purchase of cars and level of satisfaction after
purchase. Cluster analysis has been used to identify the consumers with similar tastes
and preferences with respect to the purchase of car. The study throws light on various
features that the manufacturers should concentrate on how to attract the prospective
buyers. This study concludes that consumer behaviour plays a vital role in marketing
cars and that there is more scope for extensive research in this area.

Dr P. Natarajan and U. Thiripurasundari (2010) this study focuses on the consumer

preference of global brands vs. local brands in the Indian car industry. Consumer
brand perceptions have substantial implications in marketing. The customers‘
preference towards local and global brands is studied by administering a structured
interview schedule with one hundred and fifty customers in Pondicherry city. The
findings of the study advised that the consumers who possessed global car brands
preferred their car brands due to factors such as global presence, worldwide reputation
and the quality of being imported. Consumers made favourable perceptions on the
country wherein they tend to associate factors such as superior quality, technical
advancements, modernization etc. to the country from which the brand had taken its
origin. Consumers who owned a local brand evaluated the local brand in a favourable
manner, wherein they tended to associate the brand to India‘s strong automobile
sector making quality and technically efficient cars.

Dr P. Natarajan and U. Thiripurasundari (2010), Their article ―Brand Preference

on ‗B‘ Segment Maruti Cars‖, emphasised that strong brands quality increased trust in
intangible products enabling customers to better visualise and understand them. The
Brand Preference towards Maruti B Segment cars was studied by administering a
structured interview schedule to one hundred and fifty customers in Pondicherry city.
Maruti should take the initiative to introduce new models according to the choice of
customers at regular intervals which will pave the way to be the leader in India in the
near future. While the customer gets satisfaction and is able to improve his/her

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standard of living and quality of life, the marketer profits from the brand experience
that the customer gets, and is able to generate a surplus after ensuring satisfaction to
the consumer.

Dr P.Natarajan and Thiripurasundari U, ―Local brand vs. Global brand syndrome-

A study with reference to Indian car industry‖, Advances in Management, Vol. 3, No.
10, 2010, pp. 55-59. 10 Dr P.Natarajan and Thiripurasundari U, ―A study on Brand
Preference of ‘B’ Segment cars‖ (with ref. to Maruti Cars), International Journal of
Business Intelligence and Management, Vol. 2, No.1-2, 2010, pp. 165-174.

Chidambaram and Alfred (2007) The study postulates that there are certain factors
which influence the brand preferences of customers. Within this framework, the study
reveals that customers give more importance to fuel efficiency than other factors. They
believe that the brand name tells them something about product quality, utility, and
technology, and they prefer to purchase passenger cars which offer high fuel efficiency,
good quality, technology, and durability, and are priced reasonably.
18 Chidambaram and Alfred, ―A Study on Brand Preference of Passenger Car with
Reference to Coimbatore City‖, Indian Journal of Marketing, Vol.34, No.9, September 2007,
p. 30. 19 Dr J.Jelsy Joseph and Hemalatha.T - "Customer Relationship Management in
Passenger Car Industry" Southern Economist, Vol. 45, No. 20, February 15, 2007, pp. 30-32.
Dr Renu Verma, ―A study of tubeless tyres with special reference to passenger car radial
tyres‖, Indian Journal of Marketing, Vol. XXXVII, No. 6, June - 2007, pp. 23-31.

Dr Mrs. J Jelsy Joseph and T Hemalatha 19 (2007) Their study "Customer Relationship
Management in Passenger Car Industry" argues that after-sales services not only help in
firms coming close to the customer and build credibility for their service and commitment
towards the customer but also help improve mouth publicity and good will generated
from such customer-oriented efforts. It also reveals that the firms improve their market
share and interact with consumer to maintain relationship. A customer acquisition and
relations have become the most important terms in sales.

Dr Renu Verma (2007) According to the author in her article "A study of Tubeless Tyres
with Special Reference to Passenger Car Radial Tyres" states that the absence of a tube
make a tyre lighter in weight, thus it has less chance of vibrations, which means that it
leads to a better fuel saving. Even the rolling resistance in a tubeless radial is lower when
compared to a tube type radial. This is due to the fact that the tubeless tyre sidewall is

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subtler as there is no internal body to create a friction. This also helps the tyre to run
cooler as it eliminates heat generation caused by the internal shuffling of the tube. She
also argues that the tubeless tyres improve the fuel efficiency of a car; they have a
rounder profile and offer a less rolling resistance, and it is easier to repair a tubeless tyre
than a tube and special kits allow the driver to repair the tyre almost painlessly.
The study is conducted in the context of automobile purchases in major German car
dealerships. Based on a theoretical conceptualization of the constructs and an empirical.

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 CONCEPTUALIZATION

PERCEPTION OF CONSUMER :
Perception is the image or the formalised impressions residing in the minds of the
individual consumers about different products on, producers and retailers and of
themselves. Patterns of buying behaviour are greatly influenced by these perceptions.
As perception affects the buying behaviour of the consumer. There are two types of
image in the minds of modern consumers. These are,
(i) Self image (ii) Brand image
Self image is a picture of himself in the mind of the individual consumer. Different
consumers have different kinds of self image that give rise to market segmentation
along psychological lines. A basic level of motivation is that in many buying
situations, an individual consumer prefers to buy those products or services whose
images appear consistent with his self-image. Brand image is the impression of a
particular band in the minds of the modern consumers. Through long continued use of
particular advertising and selling appeals many brands have acquired definite image
in the minds of the consumer such as surf, Pepsodent etc. Modern management should
also take advantage of the brand image. Thus, perception of incoming stimuli is
greatly influenced by the attitudes to these stimuli.

In philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science, perception is the process of

attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. The word "perception"
comes from the Latin words perceptio, percipio, and means "receiving, collecting,
action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses". Perception is one
of the oldest fields in psychology. The oldest quantitative law in psychology is the
Weber-Fechner law, which quantifies the relationship between the intensity of
physical stimuli and their perceptual effects. The study of perception gave rise to the
Gestalt school of psychology, with its emphasis on holistic approach. What one
perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including one’s culture,
and the interpretation of the perceived. If the percept does not have support in any of
these perceptual bases it is unlikely to rise above perceptual threshold.

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Meaning and Definition

Meaning
Perception is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information inputs
to produce a meaning. A person receives information through, senses sight, taste,
hearing, smell and touch. How and, what consumer perceive strongly affect their
behavior towards products,prices,package designs, salespeople, stores, advertisements
and manufacture. Perceptions vary from person to person. Different people perceive
different things about the same situation. But more than that, we assign different
meanings to what we perceive. And the meanings might change for a certain person.
One might change one's perspective or simply make things mean something else.

Definition
"To perceive means to immobilize... we seize, in the act of perception, something
which outruns perception itself." - Henri L. Bergson.

"If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is,
infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thru chinks of his
cavern". - William Blake.

"Nothing exists until or unless it is observed. An artist is making something exist by

observing it. And his hope for other people is that they will also make it exist by
observing it. I call it creative observation, creative viewing". - William S.
Burroughs.

Types
Two types of consciousness are considerable regarding perception:
phenomenal (any occurrence that is observable and physical) and psychological.

PERCEPTION-IN-ACTION :
Perception is the process by which organisms interpret and organize sensation to
produce a meaningful experience of the world. Sensation usually refers to the

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immediate, relatively unprocessed result of stimulation of sensory receptors in the
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or skin. Perception, on the other hand, better describes one's
ultimate experience of the world and typically involves further processing of sensory
input. In practice, sensation and perception are virtually impossible to separate,
because they are part of one continuous process. Thus, perception in humans
describes the process whereby sensory stimulation is translated into organized
experience. That experience, or percept, is the joint product of the stimulation and of
the process itself.

APPLICATIONS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR :

By determining the behavior of the consumer you are more able to determine when,
what, and where a consumer is more likely to buy. There are four main applications of
consumer behaviour:
• The most obvious is for marketing strategy-i.e., for making better marketing
campaigns.
• A second application is public policy.
• Social marketing involves getting ideas across to consumers rather than selling
something.
• As a final benefit, studying consumer behaviour should make us better consumers.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research means a search for knowledge or gains some new knowledge and
methodology can properly refer to the theoretical analysis of the methods appropriate
to a field of study or to the body of methods and principles particular to a branch of
knowledge. A Research methodology has a specified framework for collecting the
data in an effective manner. Research methodology means a ‘defining a problem,
defining the research objectives, developing the research plan, collecting the
information, analyzing the information and presentation of finding’.

RESEARCH DESIGN
This Research Is Descriptive And Exploratory In Nature. In Explratory Research
Design The Past Records Are Obtained From Company’s Data. In Descriptive
Research Design the Result Detail Collected With The Help Of Responses Obtained
From Questionnaire.

SAMPLING METHOD:
Sampling is the process of obtaining information about an entire population by
examining only a part of it. There are two types of sampling technique -
 Probability sampling – it is a sample in which every unit in the population
has the equal chance for being selected in the sample.
 Non probability sampling – in this type of sampling technique, some
elements have the chance of being selected in the sample.
In this study, a non probability type of sampling technique has been used.
Convenience sampling is a non probability type of sampling technique and this
technique has been used in this study. In this sampling, the sample is drawn from that
part of population which is close to the hand of researcher according to his/her
convenience.

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The Sample:
 Sample Area: Delhi
 Sampling method: Convenient sampling
 Sample Size: 100 respondents
 Research Instrument : Structured Questionnaire

Techniques:
 Questionnaires: - A questionnaire consists of a set of questions presented to
respondent for their answers. It can be Closed Ended of Open Ended.
 Documents and Records.
 Surveys.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS USED IN THIS PROJECT:

Dichotomous Questions : This has only two answers “Yes” or “No”.

Multiple Choice Questions: Where respondent is offered more than two choices.
This is done to know the choice of the customers regarding different matters.

Sample Extent:
Delhi (Rohini)
SAMPLE SIZE: 100 PEOPLE
Method of Collection: Market Survey
Time Frame
4 weeks in 2018

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Sources of data collection
There two sources on which data can be collected via primary source and secondary
source. The data, which are prepared from the main proposed and researcher or
owner, it is called primary source and the data collected from this source is called
primary data. The data which is collected from the persons, private bodies, private
research agencies etc are called secondary source and the data collected is from both
primary and secondary type.

The following are the data that have been collected from both the sources: -
Primary data: - In the course of carrying out the project I have collected very few
data from this source but they are more needed in carrying out the project work.
Secondary Data: - Most of the data in my project has been collected from the
secondary source as the data is only available to them and other parties I have find the
most convenient source and collected from them. The data collected from this source
are the past records and it is used to analyses.

STATISTICAL TOOL:
For the representation of analysis of data, graphs and charts are used.

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 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

There are certain limitations that every researcher has to face during the research
period. Following are some of them:-
 Time constraint – the time given to complete the dissertation was very less so
it was very difficult to complete the whole research in that limited time
duration.
 Lack of skill- to complete any research, a researcher must have knowledge
and skills to implement. Since I am a student so it was very difficult for me to
complete it correctly.
 Lack of technology – to complete the analysis one must use spreadsheet or
SPSS. I have not used any of them.
 Less resources – I did not have proper resources to complete the research.
 Less number of respondents– I did not have the enough respondents and
source of information.
 Lack of proper information – I did not have proper information about the
things required for completing the research.

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 INDUSTRY PROFILE

INTRODUCTION
Indian tyre industry has been reporting good growth figures over the past few years,
spurred by the growing passenger vehicle and two-wheeler market. It has emerged as
one of the most competitive markets in the world and with the emergence of new
technology, ultra-modern production facilities and availability of raw materials, the
sector is poised to grow further. Major technological changes have taken place in tyre
design from conventional bias or diagonal ply from the past to the current steel radial
tyres, tubeless tyres, with low aspect ratio tyres, puncture resistant tyres etc. Testing
standards have also evolved accordingly to ensure high performance, mileage, safety,
reliability and longevity of the tyres. The Indian tyre industry has been quick in
adopting the latest technology trends through foreign collaborations and tailoring
these to Indian needs. The manufacturers are also investing in the development of
green tyres‘ and in capacity expansion for radial tyres. Innovative technologies like
self-inflation and run flat tyres (RFT) are also gaining popularity in the Indian market.
The market for radial tyres in the commercial 64 vehicles segment has seen rapid
growth in recent times. As per ATMA, 2016-17 report, in the medium and heavy
commercial vehicle segment the current adoption levels of radial tyres is around 18
per cent. In the light commercial vehicle segment, it is estimated to be 20 per cent.
The passenger car segment switched to radial tyres earlier, and within a short period
of time, penetration levels reached almost 98 per cent. This segment will surely be the
focus for Indian tyre manufactures as it is expected to grow at about 15 per cent over
the next few years to Rs 393 billion by 2020.

In Indian tyre industry, capacities are concentrated in the hands of a few large players
with top four tyre companies accounting for over 77 per cent of industry market share.
The industry is raw material intensive with raw material constituting over 63 per cent
of the sales turnover and 72 per cent of production cost, of which rubber accounts for
the major share of the material cost. The main inputs natural rubber smoked sheets
and Technically Specified Natural Rubber (TSNR) account for 43 per cent of raw
material cost of tyres.

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The major demand comes from the replacement market accounting for around 55 per
cent. It is followed by 29.80 per cent from the Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEM) and 25.2 percent from the exports. In the past the replacement demand has
been the major growth driver of the industry. But the sustained GDP growth of more
than 8.6 per cent has also increased the demand for the OEMs. The strong Compound
Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16 per cent during the 2016-2017 period, in the
automobile sales gives a clear indication of the same and has kept the both OEM and
replacement demand buoyant. The Indian tyre industry has witnessed a CAGR of 7.7
per cent over the last decade.
The demand and growth for the tyre industry depends on primary factors like overall
GDP growth, agricultural as well as industrial production and growth in vehicle-
demand. It also depends on the on secondary factors like infrastructure development
and prevailing interest rates. In India the primary factors have sustained in the last
three years helping the sector to emerge as a winner. Even the secondary factors have
helped a lot, the only concerns are raising interest rates on the automobile segment
and increased rubber prices.
The size of Indian Tyre industry is estimated at about Rs.25000 crore, comprising 43
players with an aggregate installed capacity of over 971 lakh tyres. The 10 large tyre
companies account for over 95 per cent of the total production.

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OUTLOOK FOR THE INDUSTRY

On the positive side, it is estimated that there would be a volume growth of 12-14 per
cent in 2017-18. The performance of the tyre industry is linked to the automobile and
infrastructure sectors, the growth of which is dependent on the performance of the
economy. The current estimated economic growth is over 8.6 percent. The continuous
thrust being placed by the Government on the development of infrastructure,
particularly roads, agriculture and manufacturing sectors, would lead to an impressive
acceleration in the automobile, ultimately generating more demand for tyres.
However, tyre companies face immense competition together with price and cost
pressures. Pricing pressures, from OEMs because of their high bargaining power and
in the replacement market due to huge competition, are existent dampeners.
Companies are now giving emphasis to innovation in product and process technology
and operational efficiencies. The tyre companies would definitely show improvement
in the margins sequentially, and if prices remain at these levels, profitability would
improve. But then, it would be highly dependent on prices of major raw materials like
Rubber, Carbon Black, and NTC Fabric which are highly volatile. The continuously
rising trend witnessed in the prices of raw materials remains an area of concern. The
trend is very volatile and the future pundits expect the prices to go upwards from the
current levels.

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MARKET PROFILE

While the tyre industry is mainly dominated by the organized sector, the unorganized
sector holds sway in bicycle tyres. The major players in the organized tyre segment
consist of MRF, Apollo Tyres, Ceat and JK Industries, which account for 77 per cent
of the organized tyre market. The other key players include Modi Rubber, Kesoram
Industries and Goodyear India, with 11 percent,7 per cent and 3 percent share
respectively. Dunlop, Falcon, Tyre Corporation of India Limited (TCIL), TVS-
Srichakra, Metro Tyres and Balkrishna Tyres are some of the other players in the
industry. MRF, the largest tyre manufacturer in the country, has strong brand equity.
While it rules supreme in the industry, other players have created niche markets of
their own. The Indian tyre industry is two tiered; Tier-I players (top 5 tyre
companies), account for over 77% of industry turnover and have a well diversified
product-mix and presence in all three major segments, i.e., Replacement market,
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's) and exports. Tier-II companies are small
in size, mainly concentrating on production of small tyres (for two/ three-wheelers,
etc.), tubes & flaps and the replacement market.

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Global Scenario

As per www.ffmnag.com, (July,2017) report, increasing sales of passenger and

commercial vehicles in developing countries and a strong demand for replacement
tyres is providing significant opportunities for players in the automotive tyre industry.
A projected CAGR of around 4 per cent over the next five years for the global tyre
market means an estimated $187 billion by 2021. The passenger car segment is
forecast to witness the highest growth over the next five years. Regionally, the APAC
region is anticipated to lead growth during the forecast period. It is expected to see the
strongest growth in rubber demand, reflecting the strength of the tyre market in China,
India, Thailand and Vietnam. The global automotive tyre market is highly
consolidated and consists of passenger car tyres, heavy truck tyres and other
segments. North America dominates this market with approximately 30 per cent of
the total global demand for tyres. Fuel efficiency and safety concerns are key factors
influencing the purchase of tyres in developed markets, which are transitioning into
higher-performance tyres. Japan and Europe have implemented stringent tyre
performance criteria (covering rolling resistance related fuel saving, wet grip related
braking distance and noise reduction). Europe anticipates a 20 million tonnes
reduction in traffic related carbon dioxide emissions per year due to enhanced tyre
performance.

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Indian Scenario

As per www.ffymag.com, (July, 2017) report, in 2015-16, the Indian tyre industry
recorded a turnover of Rs 43000 crore producing 1254 lakh tyres, amounting to
15million metric tons. Moreover, it has recorded 958.35 lakh tube production.Tyre
export realisation by value is Rs. 4209 crore with steady CARG 15% (which accounts
79.2 lakh tyres in 2016 – 17.

India has 39 listed tyre manufacturing companies,of which the top 10 account for over
96 per cent of the country‘s total tyre production (www.ffymag.com, July, 2017).
They are Apollo Tyres Ltd, MRF India Ltd., JK tyres and Industries Ltd, Birla Tyres
Ltd. (KesoramGroup of Industries), CEAT Ltd., Balkrishna Tyre Ltd., Good-Year
India Ltd., Falcon TyresLtd., TVS Srichakra Ltd., Bridgestone India Ltd. The tyre
export market in India is valued at Rs3.6 billion. While the tyre industry is largely
dominated by the organized sector, the unorganized 69sector dominates the bicycle
tyre market. With the focus on providing better products and services, Indian tyre
manufacturers are setting up well equipped in-house research and development
(R&D) centres with emphasis on developing cutting-edge technology for new
compounds, new designs for different segments and new reinforcement materials.
Cost optimization for quality improvements and orientation towards changing
customer requirements are also areas of research. The concept of green tyres‘ is now
emerging as a benchmark for the industry‘s competitiveness. Though the technology
has been around since the 1990s, due to higher manufacturing costs, it was put on a
backburner until recently. Green tyres provide numerous benefits over normal tyres,
including lower fuel consumption.

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HISTORY

The origin of the Indian Tyre Industry dates back to 1926 when Dunlop Rubber
Limited set up the first tyre company in West Bengal. MRF followed suit in 1946.
Since then, the Indian tyre industry has grown rapidly. Transportation industry and
tyre industry go hand in hand as the two are interdependent. Transportation industry
has experienced 10% growth rate year after year with an absolute level of 870 billion
ton freight. With an extensive road network of 3.2 million km, road accounts for over
85% of all freight movement in India.
The tyre industry has witnessed a CAGR of 8.3% over the last decade mainly fuelled
by the strong growth in the domestic auto industry. Though the replacement market
has driven the industry growth for long time, the OEM market has seen a robust
growth over the last couple of years. The industry is highly capital intensive, as it
requires around Rs4bn to setup a radial tyre plant with a capacity of 1.5mn tyres and
around Rs1.5-2bn for a cross ply tyre plant of a capacity to manufacture 1.5mn tyres.
The profitability of the industry has high correlation with the prices of key raw
materials such as rubber and crude oil as they account for more than 70% of the total
costs.
The raw material to sales ratio in the industry is around 65%. The industry has high
entry barriers because of its capital intensive nature and low operating margins. With
demand increasing at a steady pace, the industry is expected to go through a
consolidation phase. The industry is dominated by four players viz MRF, Apollo
Tyres, JK Industries and Ceat and enjoys more than 77% of the total market share.
The fortunes of the industry are linked to the trend in the domestic auto industry,
retreading, trend in road transportation and spending on road infrastructure. The
companies have lined up further expansion plans to meet the increasing demand.

22
GROWTH OF TYRE INDUSTRIES IN INDIA
The Indian tyre industry is expected to clock a tonnage growth of 9-10 per cent over
the next five years, according to a study by Credit Analysis and Research Limited
(CARE), a noted rating firm that offers a wide range of rating and grading services
across sectors. While the truck and buses tyres are set to register a CAGR
(compounded annual growth rate) of 8 per cent, the LCV (light Commercial vehicles)
tyres are poised for a CAGR of 14 per cent. According to the CARE study, the growth
in the Indian tyre industry will be fuelled by the expansion plans of the automobile
companies, government's focus on development of road infrastructure and sourcing of
auto parts by the global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). However, the
tyre industry has to grapple with raw material price volatility, rupee appreciation and
cheap Chinese imports. The tyre industry in India recorded a CAGR of 9.69 per cent
during 2015-16.
The size of the industry was estimated at Rs 25000 crore in 2016-17 with a total
production of 971 lakh units of tyres. The study points out that on the export front, the
Indian tyre companies need to explore newer markets as the existing market for bias
truck tyre which accounts for about 45 per cent of the total export volume is nearing
saturation. This apart, with rationalization catching up in the foreign markets, the
Indian tyre companies need to graduate to radial tyres so as to protect their share in
the export market.
At present, radicalization of tyres is low in India except for the car tyre market where
95 per cent of the tyres is radicalized while cross ply tyres is preferred in all other
categories. Cross ply tyres are preferred owing to poor road conditions, overloading in
trucks, higher cost of radial tyres and poor awareness among the tyre users in the
country. The CARE report observes that though the tyre technology in India has
witnessed several developments with continuous innovation, the domestic tyre
manufacturers still lag behind their global counterparts in terms of product
differentiation .Global tyre makers offer a wide change of products like tyres with
pressure warning systems, run flat tyres, eco-friendly tyres and energy efficient tyres.
Though in FY18, we expect the industry to register a tonnage growth of only 4.27%,
the growth is expected to be higher in the medium and long run. In FY20, CARE
Research expects the industry to post a growth of 6.81% and the industry growth is
expected to touch 8.21% on a CAGR basis between FY21-22. The T&B and LCV

23
tyre categories are expected to register a 5-year CAGR of 6.83% and 8.97%,
respectively during this period. For in-depth analysis and our view on the future of
this sector, please refer to the exhaustive Report on Indian Tyre Industry.
The debate on the environmental impact of tyres and other rubber products is
generally dominated by the risks and impacts associated with above ground tyre
stockpiles. These stockpiles are often visually prominent and the potential impacts
from fires and the creation of breeding sites for mosquitoes and other vermin are well
documented. However, the environmental impacts of rubber products extend well
beyond these and appear through all of the stages in the life of the product. It is
important to consider all of these impacts to ensure that waste management
approaches do not simply result in the transfer of impacts to a different stage in the
life cycle, or to a different environmental medium, and result in greater overall
impacts.

24
MAJOR PLAYERS IN INDIAN INDUSTRY

MRF

MRF is the market leader among tyre manufacturers in India, with a 24% share in
terms of revenues. Its leadership position, coupled with its strong brand recall and
high quality, MRF commands the price-maker status. MRF has a strong presence in
the T&B segment, the largest segment of the tyre industry, and commands around
19% market share in the segment. It is the leader in the two/ three-wheeler segment
(including motorcycles) and tractor front tyres, and holds second place in the
passenger cars and tractor - rear tyres. Exports account for around 12% of the gross
sales in MRF. The Company has a distribution network of 2,500 outlets within India
and exports to over 65 countries worldwide.
Madras Rubber Factory was started by K. M. Mammen Mappillai as a toy balloon
manufacturing unit in 1946 at Tiruvottiyur, Madras (now Chennai). In 1952, the
company ventured into the manufacture of tread rubber. Madras Rubber Factory
limited was incorporated as a private company in November 1960 and ventured into
manufacture of tyres in partnership with Mansfield Tire & Rubber company based
in Ohio, United States. The company went public on 1 April 1961 and an office was
established in Beirut, Lebanon to develop the export market in 1964 and its current
logo of the muscleman was born. In 1967, it became the first Indian company to
export tyres to USA.

25
S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

Strengths
 Company has remained in no.1 position in tyre industry and was the first to
reach annual turnover of Rs.5000 Crore in India.

 It enjoys strong brand equity and loyalty of customers.

 Strong financial position

Weaknesses

 Volatility in industrial relations. Ex: the labour unrest

 Intense competition due to presence of other global brands

Opportunities

 Emerging markets and growth of automobile industry.

 More tie-ups with Automobile companies as it’s mainly into B2B market.
 Horizontal and concentric Diversification.

THREATS

 Price wars.
 Stiff competition from national and international brands.
 Introduction of other transport facilities like metro, monorails and local trains
keeping pollution hazards caused by combustion of automobile fuels.

26
APOLLO TYRES (ATL)

Apollo Tyres is the second largest player in the Indian tyre industry, with a market
share of 22%, in terms of revenues, and the largest player in the T&B segment, with
around 22% market share and 82% of its product mix coming from this segment. It
also enjoys a strong brand recall. ATL derives 80% of its revenues from the
replacement market, where the EBITDA margins are higher; hence, at operating
levels, Apollo Tyres has better margins compared to those of its peers. ATL is a
strong player in the domestic market, with just 2% of sales coming from exports.
Apollo's recent foray into the relatively fast growing passenger radial market is
probably the only major positive feature. However, the competitive pressure and a late
entry into the segment would pressurize profitability, at least in the near term. From
an investment perspective, investors could look for opportunities to exit from Apollo
and the tyre sector.

Apollo Tyres Ltd is the world's 14th biggest tyre manufacturer ,with annual
consolidated revenues of Rs 140.53 billion (US$2.09 billion) in March 2017.It was
founded in1972.Its first plant was commissioned in Perambra, Thrissur, Kerala, India.
The company now has four manufacturing units in India, 1 in Netherlands and 1 in
Hungary. It has a network of nearly 5,000 dealerships in India, of which over 2,500
are exclusive outlets.

27
S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

Strengths
 Strong Brand Image
 Strong Financial Performance
 Emphasis on Research and Development

Weaknesses

 Heavy dependence on Indian market.

 Intense competition due to presence of other global brands.

Opportunities

 Growing Four Wheeler Industry in India.

 Global Expansion.

Threats

 Strong competition.
 Volatility in rubber production.

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JK INDUSTRIES

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd is an Automotive Tyre, Tubes and flaps manufacturing
company based in Delhi, India. The name JK is derived from the initials of
Kamlapatji (1884–1937) and his father Seth Juggilal (1857–1922). The company is
the market leader in Truck/Bus Radial tire in India and is the only tyre manufacturer
offering the entire range of 4 wheeler radials for Trucks, Buses and Cars. JK Tyre has
a worldwide customer base in over 80 countries across all 6 continents. It is a part
of J. K. Organisation group of Companies. JK Tyre acquired Mexican tyre major –
Tornel in 2008. With production facilities in all 9 plants, total production capacity is
almost 20 million tyres p.a.

JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. is the flagship company under the umbrella of JK
Organization
JK Industries has a 17% market share, in terms of revenue, making it the third largest
player in the industry. The Company ranks first in the MHCV and Passenger Car tyre
segments, with 79% and 7% of its product mix coming from these segments,
respectively. Exports account for approximately 17% of its gross sales.
The advent of JK Organization on the industrial landscape of India almost
synchronizes with the beginning of an era of industrial awareness - an endeavor for
self reliance and the setting up of a dynamic Indian industry. This was way back in
the middle of the 19th century. And the rest that followed is history.

29
S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

Strength
 Best of the technology used for production.
 Wide product range
 Pricing is better as compared to other Indian tyre manufacturing company

Weakness
 Quality control problems.
 Slow dealer response.
 No proper communication channel with dealers.

Opportunities
 Passenger car market growing @ 12% per annum.
 Good export potential.
 Still immense scope in truck/ bus radial market.

Threats
 Strong competition.
 Growing costs

30
MAJOR PLAYERS IN FOREIGN INDUSTRY

MICHELIN

Michelin is a French tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne

region of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world
after Bridgestone and larger than both Goodyear and Continental. In addition to the
Michelin brand, it also owns the BF Goodrich, Kleber, Tigar, Riken, Kormoran
and Uniroyal (in North America) tyre brands. Michelin is also notable for its Red and
Green travel guides, its roadmaps, the Michelin stars that the Red Guide awards to
restaurants for their cooking, and for its company mascot Bibendum, colloquially
known as the Michelin Man.

As of 1 September 2016, Michelin was again the world's largest tyre manufacturer
after spending two years as number two behind Bridgestone. Michelin produces tyres
in France, Poland, Spain, Germany, the USA, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Thailand,
Japan, Italy and several other countries. On 15 January 2010, Michelin announced the
closing of its Ota, Japan plant, which employs 380 workers and makes the Michelin
X-Ice tyre.

31
S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

Strengths

 Focus on features.
 Deep understanding of customer needs.
 Focus on innovation.

Weakness

 Expensive.
 Critical Product Failures.

Opportunities
 Growing demand for replacement tyres.
 Increasing vehicle sales in emerging economies.

Threats
 Competition
 Growing costs

32
GOODYEAR

The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire

manufacturing company founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberlingand based in Akron,
Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks,
motorcycles, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover
machinery. It also produced bicycle tires from its founding until 1976. As of 2017,
Goodyear is one of the top four tyre manufacturers along
with Bridgestone (Japan), Michelin (France) and Continental (Germany).

Goodyear is also known for the Goodyear Blimp. Though Goodyear had been
manufacturing airships and balloons since the early 1900s, the first Goodyear
advertising blimp flew in 1925. Today it is one of the most recognizable advertising
icons in America. The company is the most successful tire supplier in Formula
One history, with more starts, wins, and constructors' championships than any other
tire supplier. They pulled out of the sport after the 1998 season. It is the sole tire
supplier for NASCAR series.
Goodyear is a former component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company
opened a new global headquarters building in Akron in 2013.

33
S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

Strengths

 Deep understanding of customer needs.

 Association with racing events.
 Focus on new products.

Weakness

 Pricing.
 Huge size.

Opportunities
 High market potential for luxury tires.
 Increase in demand in emerging markets.

Threats
 Competition
 Fluctuations in costs

34
BRIDGESTONE

Bridgestone Corporation is a multinational auto and truck parts manufacturer

founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The
name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi,
meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese.

As of 2017, the company is the largest manufacturer of tyres in the world, followed
by Michelin (France), Goodyear (UnitedStates)and Continental (Germany).
Bridgestone Group had 141 production facilities in 24 countries as of 2017.

The first Bridgestone tyre was produced on 9 April 1930, by the Japanese "Tabi"
Socks Tyre Division (actually made jika-tabi). One year later on 1 March 1931, the
founder, ShojiroIshibashi, made the "Tabi" Socks Tyre Division independent and
established the Bridgestone Tyre Co., Ltd. in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture.
"Bridgestone" was named after the name of the founder, ShojiroIshibashi (Ishi =
Stone, Bashi = Bridge).

35
S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

Strengths

 Largest producer of tyres

 Association with racing events
 Unique design

Weaknesses

 Increased focus on India

 Expensive

Opportunities

 Increased demand for replacement tyres

 Increasing vehicle sales in emerging economies

Threats

 Competition
 Costs

36
FUTURE OF INDIAN TYRE INDUSTRY
The tyre industry in India has already embarked on a process of consolidation, and
this is no different from what has basically happened in the rest of the world already.
India is no more an isolated economy, and the continued economic liberalization, and
relaxation of import duties and laws, makes competition from overseas inevitable. In
fact, tyres are already being imported into India.
Nevertheless, while the Indian tyre industry does lack scale, the tyre companies
themselves have proven to be very competitive. What is especially encouraging is the
vigor with which the Indian tyre companies are proactively changing to face global
competition in the changed economic and industrial environment. Product
improvements and cost reduction programs, along with a focus on the future - radials
- augurs well for the industry. Also, we believe the unique road conditions, and
consumer behavior in India, provides a window of opportunity, for a few years at
least, before the mainstay of the Indian tyre industry-bias truck and bus tyres - will be
threatened by the shift towards radials. We are confident that the continuing
innovative efforts of our partners in the Indian tyre industry will produce the
necessary results that allow them to continue to perform credibly in the future as well.

CRISIS IN THE INDUSTRY

India, as a whole, is clearly going through trying times, while GDP growth continues
to slow the growth rate from a peak of 7.5% has decelerated to a little less than 5%.
What is of more concern to us is the fact that the growth in industrial production had
dropped drastically from a peak of around 11% per annum to a little over 4%. The
lack of investment, and project fruition, especially in the infrastructure sector, is now
clearly adversely affecting the Indian industry. The general slow down in exports and
increased competition from imports, and the overall picture is a sea change from the
high levels of optimism of three - four years ago.

37
 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

1.Which brand you prefer for your vehicle ?

MRF APOLLO JK MICHELIN GOODYEAR BRIDGESTONE

NO. OF 23 7 15 30 10 15
CUSTOMERS

MRF APOLLO JK MICHELIN GOODYEAR BRIDGESTONE

15%
23%

10%

7%

30% 15%

Interpretation :

55% of the customers uses the foreign brand tyres i.e. Michelin, goodyear & bridgestone.

38
2.What is the most important factor you consider before purchasing the tyres ?

mileage price Speed grip

No. of customers 40 25 17 18

mileage price Speed grip

18%

40%

17%

25%

Interpretation:

Above the mentioned factors majority of the people consider the mileage factor before
purchasing the tyres for their vehicle (40% customers).

39
 3.Why do you prefer your brand?

mileage price Speed grip TOTAL

USERS
MRF USERS 4 7 2 10 23
JK USERS 5 8 1 1 15
APOLLO 2 3 2 0 7
USERS
MICHELIN 10 5 9 6 30
USERS
GOODYEAR 4 2 2 2 10
USERS
BRIDGESTONE 5 4 3 3 15
USERS
30 29 19 22 TOTAL =
100 USERS

mileage price Speed grip

12
10 10
10 9
8
8 7
6
6 5 5 5
4 4 4
4 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2
2 1 1
0
0

Interpretation:

The following data mentioned above interprets that people prefer their respective brands more
because of the mileage quality and price .

40
4. Are you satisfied with your brand ?

yes no NO. OF USERS

USERS
MRF USERS 15 8 23
APOLLO USERS 5 2 7
JK USERS 12 3 15
MICHELIN USERS 20 10 30
GOODYEAR USERS 7 3 10
BRIDGESTONEUSERS 11 4 15
70 30 TOTAL
USERS=100

yes no

20

15
12 11
10
8 7
5 4
2 3 3

Interpretation:

70 % of the customers are satisfied with their tyre brands.

41
5. What is your opinion about the overall quality of brand ?

GOOD AVERAGE BAD NO. OF

USERS USERS
MRF USERS 15 5 4 23
APOLLO USERS 5 1 1 7
JK USERS 12 2 1 15
MICHELIN USERS 20 6 4 30
GOODYEAR USERS 7 2 1 10
BRIDGESTONEUSERS 11 2 2 15
TOTAL
USERS=100

GOOD AVERAGE BAD

20

15
12 11

6 7
5 4 5 4
1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2

Interpretation:

Majority of the people have a good opinion about their respective brands for overall quality.

18% of customers have an average opinion about their brands & 13% have a bad opinion.

42
6.How will you rate overall performance of your brand ?

GOOD AVERAGE POOR NO. OF

USERS
USERS
MRF USERS 17 4 2 23
APOLLO USERS 5 1 1 7
JK USERS 8 6 1 15
MICHELIN USERS 24 6 0 30
GOODYEAR USERS 7 2 1 10
BRIDGESTONEUSERS 11 2 2 15
TOTAL
USERS=100

GOOD AVERAGE POOR

24

17

11
8 7
5 6 6
4
2 1 1 1 2 1 2 2
0

Interpretation:

More than 70% of the customers are happy with the overall performance of their respective
tyre brands.

43
7. What is your perception about the brand image of your tyre brand ?

GOOD AVERAGE BAD NO. OF

USERS USERS
MRF USERS 17 4 2 23
APOLLO USERS 5 1 1 7
JK USERS 8 6 1 15
MICHELIN USERS 24 6 0 30
GOODYEAR USERS 7 2 1 10
BRIDGESTONEUSERS 11 2 2 15
TOTAL
USERS=100

GOOD AVERAGE BAD

24

17

11
8 7
5 6 6
4
2 1 1 1 2 1 2 2
0

Interpretation:

Majority of the people have a good perception about the brand image of their brand (more
than 70%).

44
8. Would you like to opt for another brand in future?

yes no NO. OF USERS

USERS
MRF USERS 15 8 23
APOLLO USERS 5 2 7
JK USERS 12 3 15
MICHELIN USERS 20 10 30
GOODYEAR USERS 7 3 10
BRIDGESTONEUSERS 11 4 15
TOTAL
USERS=100

yes no

20

15
12 11
10
8 7
5 4
2 3 3

Interpretation:

30% of the users would like to opt for other brands in future

45
9.Are you satisfied by the services provided by your brand?

yes no NO. OF USERS

USERS
MRF USERS 14 9 23
APOLLO USERS 5 2 7
JK USERS 11 4 15
MICHELIN USERS 21 9 30
GOODYEAR USERS 7 3 10
BRIDGESTONEUSERS 11 4 15
TOTAL
USERS=100

yes no

21

14
11 11
9 9
7
5 4 4
2 3

Interpretation:

More than 60% of customers are satisfied by the services provided by their brands.

46
10.Would you recommend your brand to others ?

yes no NO. OF USERS

USERS
MRF USERS 15 8 23
APOLLO USERS 5 2 7
JK USERS 12 3 15
MICHELIN USERS 20 10 30
GOODYEAR USERS 7 3 10
BRIDGESTONEUSERS 11 4 15
TOTAL
USERS=100

yes no

20

15
12 11
10
8 7
5 4
2 3 3

Interpretation:

70% of the customers would like to recommend their brand to others.

47
 FINDINGS

 55% people use the foreign tyre brands i.e. Michelin ,goodyear &
bridgestone. The remaining 45% use the Indian tyre brands i.e. mrf , Apollo &
JK.
 Mileage factor is more preferred by the customers before purchasing the tyres.
The least preferred factor is speed.
 Most people prefer their brand because of the mileage quality and the price.
 70% of the people are satisfied with their respective brands and have a good
opinion for them.
 More than 70% of the customers are happy with the overall performance of
their brands.
 Majority of the people have good perception about the brand image of their
respective tyre brands.
 30% of the customers would like to opt for other brands in future.
 More than 60% of customers are satisfied by the services provided by their
brands.
 70% of the customers would like to recommend their brand to others.

48
 CONCLUSION

According to the study i conclude that more people prefer the foreign tyre brands . As
mileage quality factor is preferred most by the people before purchasing of tyres, the
foreign brands have successfully provided it to the people at reasonable price.

Apart from it Indian brands have also done the same with keeping in mind these both
factors and providing the best quality tyres to its customers, but still it lags behind
foreign brands at some areas like aftersale services and choices provided to customers
for before purchasing of tyres.

Majority of the people are happy with overall performance and have a good
perception about their brand image of their respective tyre brands, but still both the
Indian and foreign tyre brands have to improve their after sales services as some
customers may opt for other brands in future because of this reason.

There is a fierce competition between Indian and foreign tyre industry which results
in companies providing the best product and services to customers to increase their
market share . Due to this majority of people are ready to recommend their tyre brand
to others as well as most of the customers are satisfied.

Every brand have their own strengths and weaknesses and they will have to come
with the new innovations to switch people to their brands from other brands.

Customers perception towards a brand is built largely on the satisfactory value the
user receives after paying for the product and the benefits the user looks for .In the
above study, a large portion of the users are satisfied from with their respective
brands. It may be because of reasonable price of the product. It may be due to ability
of the product to cure the problem. The satisfaction brings in the retention of
customer.
In order to retain more customers and satisfy them,JK every company must fulfil the
claims made by the customers before any other brand may mushroom up and take
away the benefits of marketing through spirituality.

49
 RECOMMENDATIONS

 The company should advertise more to gain more customers.

 It should improve its quality and services to maintain the loyalty of its
customers.
 It should bring out new innovative variants of its product to attract new
customers.
 The company should share the proper and valid information when promoting
or selling a product.
 The company can open more stores and outlets to create brand awareness
among people.
 It should identify the needs of customers and their demands.
 Company always keeps some prizes and gifts to attract the customers.
 The products should advertise in the Regional TV channels and in leading
newspapers

50
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:
Kotler Philips, Marketing Management: 11th Edition, 2016, Prentice Hall of India
Ltd., New Delhi.
Marketing management, Rajan Saxena
“COMPETITIVE STRATEGY “, by Michael E Porter.

INTERNET WEBSITE LINKS

http://www.jktyre.com/
http://www.mrftyre.com/
http://www.apollo.com/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication
https://en.m.wikipedia.org
http://www.michelintyre.com
http://www.goodyeartyre.com
http://www.bridgestone.com

51
 ANNEXURES
QUESTIONNAIRE:
(CUSTOMER PERCEPTION TOWARDS INDIAN & FOREIGN TYRE
BRANDS)

Dear Sir/Madam
(please tick appropriate answer in the box)

1.Customer introduction
a. name : ___________________
b.address: __

c.occupation/job: ________________________________

2.Which brand you prefer for your vehicle ?

MRF APOLLO JK MICHELIN GOODYEAR BRIDGESTONE

3.What is the most important factor you consider before purchasing the tyres ?

mileage price Speed grip

4.Why do you prefer your brand?

mileage price Speed grip

5. Are you satisfied with your brand ?

yes no

6.What is your opinion about the overall quality of brand ?

GOOD AVERAGE BAD

52
7.How will you rate overall performance of your brand ?

GOOD AVERAGE POOR

8.What is your perception about the brand image of your tyre brand ?

GOOD AVERAGE BAD

9.Would you like to opt for another brand in future?

yes no

10.Are you satisfied by the services provided by your brand?

yes no

11.Would you recommend your brand to others ?

yes no

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