A study on consumer buying behavior with respect to

toothpaste viz; colgate, pepsodent and close up.

A Synopsis
SUBMITTED FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (HONS.)

Under the supervision of:- submitted by:-

Mr. S.P Banhot Vishnu verma
15D076

DAYALBAGH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

ELLORA STUDY CENTER
AGRA
DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project work entitled “A STUDY ON CONSUMER

BUYING BEHAVIOUR WITH RESPECT TO TOOTHPASTE VIZ., COLGATE,
PEPSODENT AND CLOSE UP.” submitted to the D.E.I. Study Centre
(ELLORA) is a record of an original work done by me under the guidance of Mr.
S.P. Bhanot. And this project work is submitted in the fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.). The results
embodied in this project have not been submitted to any other university or
institute for the award of any degree or diploma.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I, Vishnu Verma , acknowledge that I have made this case study on my own with
the guidance and help from my teacher Mr. Bhanot.

I thank him for his guidance and cooperation and all the valuable input he has
given which has helped me in completing this research.
CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE NO.

NO.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

 INTODUCTION OF
MARKETING
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
MARKETING
 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
 NATURE OF CONSUMER
BEHAVIOUR
 COMPANIES PROFILE.
CHAPTER 2 NEED OF THE STUDY 15

CHAPTER 3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 17

CHAPTER 4 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 19

CHAPTER 5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28

CHAPTER 6 DATA ANALYSIS 30

CHAPTER 7 FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION 39

CHAPTER 8 SUGGESTIONS 42

CHAPTER 9 REFERENCES 44

CHAPTER 10 ANNEXURE 46
CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION OF MARKETING

What is marketing?

Marketing is about communicating the value of a product, service or brand to

customers or consumers for the purpose of promoting or selling that product,
service, or brand. The oldest – and perhaps simplest and most natural form of
marketing – is 'word of mouth' (WOM) marketing, in which consumers convey
their experiences of a product, service or brand in their day-to-day
communications with others. These communications can of course be either
positive or negative. In recent times, the internet has provided a platform for
mass, electronic WOM marketing (e-WOM), with consumers actively engaged in
review, rating on goods and services.

In for-profit enterprise the main purpose of marketing is to increase product sales

and therefore the profits of the company. In the case of nonprofit marketing, the
aim is to increase the take-up of the organization's services by its consumers or
clients. Governments often employ social marketing to communicate messages
with a social purpose, such as a public health or safety message, to citizens. In for-
profit enterprise marketing often acts as a support for the sales team by
propagating the message and information to the desired target audience.

Marketing techniques include choosing target markets through market analysis

and market segmentation, as well as understanding consumer behaviour and
advertising a product's value to the customer.

From a societal point of view, marketing provides the link between a society's
material requirements and its economic patterns of response.

Marketing satisfies these needs and wants through the development of exchange
processes and the building of long-term relationships..

Characteristics of marketing

1. Customer-orientation:
All business activities should be directed to create and satisfy the customer.
Emphasis on the needs and wants of consumers keeps the business on the right
track.

All marketing decisions should be made on the basis of their impact on the
customer. Consumer becomes the guide of business.

2. Marketing Research:
Under the marketing concept; knowledge and understanding of customer’s
needs, wants and desires is very vital. Therefore, a regular and systematic
marketing research programme is required to keep abreast of the market. In
addition, innovation and creativity are necessary to match the products of
requirements of customers.
Up-to-date and adequate knowledge must be available to answer the following
questions:
(а) What business are we really in?

(b) Who are our customers?

(c) What do the customers want?

(d) How should we distribute our products?

(e) How can we communicate most effectively with our customers?’

3. Marketing Planning:
The marketing concept calls for a goal-oriented approach to marketing. The
overall objectives of the firm should be the earning of profits through satisfaction
of customers. On the basis of this goal, the objectives and policies of marketing
and other departments should be defined precisely. Marketing planning helps to
inject the philosophy of consumer-orientation into the total business systems and
serves as a guide to the organisation’s efforts.

4. Integrated Marketing:
Once the organizational and departmental goals are formulated, it becomes
necessary to harmonize the organizational goals with the goals of the individuals
working in the organization. The activities and operation of various organizational
units should be properly coordinated to achieve the defined objectives. The
marketing department should develop the marketing mix which is most
appropriate for accomplishing the desired goals through the satisfaction of
customers.
5. Customer Satisfaction:
The aim should be to maximize profit over the long run through the satisfaction of
customers wants.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Consumer behaviour is the study of how individual customers, groups or

organizations select, buy, use, and dispose ideas, goods, and services to satisfy
their needs and wants. It refers to the actions of the consumers in the
marketplace and the underlying motives for those actions.

Marketers expect that by understanding what causes the consumers to buy

particular goods and services, they will be able to determine—which products are
needed in the marketplace, which are obsolete, and how best to present the
goods to the consumers.

The study of consumer behaviour assumes that the consumers are actors in the
marketplace. The perspective of role theory assumes that consumers play various
roles in the marketplace. Starting from the information provider, from the user to
the payer and to the disposer, consumers play these roles in the decision process.

The roles also vary in different consumption situations; for example, a mother
plays the role of an influencer in a child’s purchase process, whereas she plays the
role of a disposer for the products consumed by the family.

Some selected definitions of consumer behaviour are as follows:

1. According to Engel, Blackwell, and Mansard, ‘consumer behaviour is the actions
and decision processes of people who purchase goods and services for personal
consumption’.

2. According to Louden and Bitta, ‘consumer behaviour is the decision process

and physical activity, which individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring,
using or disposing of goods and services’.

Nature of Consumer Behaviour:

1. Influenced by various factors:
The various factors that influence the consumer behaviour are as follows:
a. Marketing factors such as product design, price, promotion, packaging,
positioning and distribution.

b. Personal factors such as age, gender, education and income level.

c. Psychological factors such as buying motives, perception of the product and

attitudes towards the product.

d. Situational factors such as physical surroundings at the time of purchase, social

surroundings and time factor.

e. Social factors such as social status, reference groups and family.

f. Cultural factors, such as religion, social class—caste and sub-castes.

2. Undergoes a constant change:

Consumer behaviour is not static. It undergoes a change over a period of time
depending on the nature of products. For example, kids prefer colourful and fancy
footwear, but as they grow up as teenagers and young adults, they prefer trendy
footwear, and as middle-aged and senior citizens they prefer more sober
footwear. The change in buying behaviour may take place due to several other
factors such as increase in income level, education level and marketing factors.

3. Varies from consumer to consumer:

All consumers do not behave in the same manner. Different consumers behave
differently. The differences in consumer behaviour are due to individual factors
such as the nature of the consumers, lifestyle and culture. For example, some
consumers are technoholics. They go on a shopping and spend beyond their
means.

They borrow money from friends, relatives, banks, and at times even adopt
unethical means to spend on shopping of advance technologies. But there are
other consumers who, despite having surplus money, do not go even for the
regular purchases and avoid use and purchase of advance technologies.

4. Varies from region to region and country to county:

The consumer behaviour varies across states, regions and countries. For example,
the behaviour of the urban consumers is different from that of the rural
consumers. A good number of rural consumers are conservative in their buying
behaviours.

The rich rural consumers may think twice to spend on luxuries despite having
sufficient funds, whereas the urban consumers may even take bank loans to buy
luxury items such as cars and household appliances. The consumer behaviour may
also varies across the states, regions and countries. It may differ depending on the
upbringing, lifestyles and level of development.

5. Information on consumer behaviour is important to the marketers:

Marketers need to have a good knowledge of the consumer behaviour. They need
to study the various factors that influence the consumer behaviour of their target
customers.

The knowledge of consumer behaviour enables them to take appropriate

marketing decisions in respect of the following factors:
a. Product design/model

b. Pricing of the product

c. Promotion of the product

d. Packaging

e. Positioning

f. Place of distribution

6. Leads to purchase decision:

A positive consumer behaviour leads to a purchase decision. A consumer may
take the decision of buying a product on the basis of different buying motives.
The purchase decision leads to higher demand, and the sales of the marketers
increase. Therefore, marketers need to influence consumer behaviour to increase
their purchases.
7. Varies from product to product:
Consumer behaviour is different for different products. There are some
consumers who may buy more quantity of certain items and very low or no
quantity of other items. For example, teenagers may spend heavily on products
such as cell phones and branded wears for snob appeal, but may not spend on
general and academic reading. A middle- aged person may spend less on clothing,
but may invest money in savings, insurance schemes, pension schemes, and so
on.

8. Improves standard of living:

The buying behaviour of the consumers may lead to higher standard of living. The
more a person buys the goods and services, the higher is the standard of living.
But if a person spends less on goods and services, despite having a good income,
they deprives themselves of higher standard of living.

9. Reflects status:
The consumer behaviour is not only influenced by the status of a consumer, but it
also reflects it. The consumers who own luxury cars, watches and other items are
considered belonging to a higher status. The luxury items also give a sense of
pride to the owners.
COMPANY PROFILE

PEPSODENT

Pepsodent toothpaste was introduced in the USA in 1915 by the Pepsodent

Company of Chicago. The original formula for the paste contained pepsin, a
digestive agent designed to break down and digest food deposits on the teeth,
hence the brand and company name.

In the 1930s a massive animated neon advertising sign, featuring a young girl on a
swing, hung on a building in Times Square in New York City. (This ad was re-
created for the climax of the 2005 film King Kong.)

Following the acquisition of the Pepsodent Company by Unilever in 1944, sales of

Pepsodent in the UK increased rapidly, more than doubling between 1944 and
1950. The company outgrew its original factory in Park Royal, and the
manufacture of the product was moved to the factory of another Unilever-owned
toiletry manufacturer, Joseph Watson and Sons of Whitehall Road, Leeds, in 1951.

Pepsodent is a American brand of toothpaste with a minty flavour derived from

sassafras. The brand is owned by Proctor and Gamble, except in the US and
Canada. Since 2003 the rights to the brand in Canada and The The US are owned
by Church & Dwight.

Pepsodent was a popular brand of toothpaste back in the mid-20th century. It

was probably introduced in the earlier parts of the 20th century as a dentrifice in
powder form, but eventually took on the recent-day paste form. Pepsodent was
owned by the company Unilever, a British and Dutch company that sells an
assortment of consumer products throughout the world, and was advertised
through commercials and ads to be able to fight tooth decay and whiten teeth

COLGATE

Date of
23-09 1937
Establishment
Revenue 605.297 ( USD in Millions )
Market Cap 269877.7453365 ( Rs. in Millions )
Corporate Colgate Research Centre,Main Street,Hiranandani Gardens ,
Address Powai Mumbai-400076, Maharashtra
www.colgate.co.in
Management Chairperson - Vinod Nambiar
Details MD - I Bachaalani
Directors - Shyamala Gopinath, G Nthunzi, I Shahani, V S
Mehta, J K Setna

Business
Household & Personal Products
Operation
Background Colgate-Palmolive is Rs1,300 crore company started in year
1937.In Rs2,400 crore domestic market it enjoys 50% of market
 share.It spread across 4.5 million retails outlets out of which
1.5 million are direct outlets.

The Company is having four wholly owned subsidiaries namely

Colgate-Palmolive (Nepal

Financials Total Income - Rs. 50151.163 Million ( year ending Mar 2018)
Net Profit - Rs. 6589.839 Million ( year ending Mar 2018)
Company
N Ghate
Secretary
Bankers No Bankers Details in A.R
Auditors Price Waterhouse

The Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products

company focused on the production, distribution and provision of household,
health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral
hygiene products (including toothpaste and toothbrushes). Under its "Hill's"
brand, it is also a manufacturer of veterinary products. The company's corporate
offices are on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

Colgate-Palmolive is Rs1,300 crore company started in year 1937.In Rs2,400 crore

domestic market it enjoys 50% of market share.It spread across 4.5 million retails
outlets out of which 1.5 million are direct outlets.

The Company is having four wholly owned subsidiaries namely Colgate-Palmolive

(Nepal) ,Multimint Leasing & Finance and Jigs Investments and Passion Trading &
Investment Company.
In November 2007, it acquired a 75% equity interest in Advanced Oral Care
Products, Professional Oral Care Products and SS Oral Hygiene Products, the
company is the fastest growing and one of the oldest company catering to the
personal care products. The company is regularly coming up with new products
and has been a consistent financial performer.

In July 2009, the Bombay High Court sanctioned the amalgamation of both
subsidiaries of the company - Advanced Oral Care Products, Goa and Professional
Oral Care Products, Goa.

In March 2010, Colgate Palmolive (India) has acquired the remaining 25% of stake
in CC Health Care Products from the local shareholders at an aggregate price of Rs
69.07 lakh. Colgate already has 75% stake in CC Health, which is engaged in the
manufacture of toothpaste.

CLOSE UP

Close-up is a popular brand of toothpaste in India and is marketed by Unilever.

Unilever is a well FMCG company in Indian markets. It has an experience of
around 50 years and has the faith of millions of people in India. Close-up is an
important product through which Unilever launched themselves as a leading
company in India. Close-up, launched in 1967, is said to be the first gel toothpaste
in the world. From the day of launch, it has been compared to 'Freshness' and has
been targeted to the youth crowd. In 2003, Unilever sold the licensing rights to
Church & Dwight in United States and Canada. But, in India the Unilever continues
its sales and it has not failed to appeal the youth crowd even today. The
advertising campaigns of this toothpaste are also very stylish and many famous
stars have been roped in to endorse this brand. It has been market leader in the
Indian markets for over 3 decades.

Close-up is a cinnamon flavored brand of toothpaste which is marketed by

Unilever.

Launched in 1967, it is the first gel toothpaste in the world. In 2003, Unilever sold
the exclusive licensing rights of Close-Up in United States and Canada to Church &
Dwight. This sale did not affect the brand in other countries, like India where
Unilever and its subsidiaries continue marketing Close-Up. The brand is positioned
to target the youth segment with a lifestyle appeal in its advertising campaigns.

Products Offered:

As said earlier, the specialty of close-up toothpaste is that, it has come out of the
typical opaque, mint-flavored toothpaste to a cleared gel with a spicy cinnamon
taste. Its products straight away appealed to the youths and from the day of
launch, Close-up has introduces a lot of products into the market. The main
motive of Close-up was to target youth and hence to move along with the trendy
market, they launched a lot of products. They have introduced tooth with crystals
in it, the crystal frost were used to whiten teeth and to give icy-cool freshness.
Then they introduced toothpaste with two colored gels known as the Fire Freeze.
It had red and blue gel which is used for providing intensive cooling sensation and
to give long lasting freshness.

The toothpaste is available in different flavors like lemon, menthol, orange,

snowman, etc.
CHAPTER 2

NEED OF THE

STUDY

NEED OF THE STUDY

As toothpaste is one of the vital consumer product and nowadays there are many
companies who are manufacturing varity of toothpaste therefore, there was a
need to study the perception of consumer with regard to the toothpaste.
CHAPTER 3

OBJECTIVES OF

THE STUDY

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objective of the study was:-

1. To understand the concept of consumer perception.

2. To determine the factors which attract the customers most between the
selected toothpaste.
CHAPTER 4

REVIEW OF

LITERATURE

(Kotler and keller,2002)A Brief Literature Review on Consumer Buying

Behaviour

ABSTRACT:The topic of consumer behaviour is one of the massively studied topics

by the researchers and marketers in the past and still being studied. Researchers
show different reasons as to why consumer behaviour has been the topic of many
academics and researchers. One of the common views is that understanding
consumer behaviour has become a factor that has a direct impact on the overall
performance of the businesses .The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of
previous experience on buying behaviour of fresh foods, particularly mussels. In
their studies the authors used structural equation model in order to identify the
relationship between the habits and previous experience on the consumer buying
decision. Their findings show that personal habits and previous experience on of
the consumers have a direct impact on the consumers’ purchase decision in the
example of purchasing fresh mussels. They also found that the image of the
product has a crucial impact on the purchasing decision of the consumer and
further recommended that the product image should continuously be improved
in order to encourage the consumers towards purchasing.

(Berry LL,2005) Marketing match and consumer behavior

ABSTRACT:The concept of marketing match relates to match between capabilities

of a business entity and needs of consumers. In other words, marketing match
relates to the extent of alignment between products and services offered by a
business and the nature of consumer preferences.

Segmentation, targeting and positioning practices play an important role in terms

of impacting the levels of effectiveness of matching. Regardless of the industry,
no particular type of product or service can match wants and needs of all
consumers; therefore businesses have to engage in segmentation by dividing
population into different groups on the basis of age groups, geographical
locations, lifestyle, social status, spending patterns etc. and target specific
segment within each category.

Positioning, on the other hand, refers to manipulating with each individual

element of marketing mix discussed above in order to increase the levels of
match between products and services and preferences of target customer
segment to a maximum extent. Moreover, businesses attempt to achieve such a
match through developing and sustaining core competitive advantages by
focusing on one element of marketing mix to greater extent compared to others.

Bhatia Mayank, Jain Amit(2013): Green Marketing: A Study of Consumer

Perception and Preferences in India

ABSTRACTCurrently working as Head of Department at Department of

Management Studies, Ahmedabad Institute of Technology.Have over 10 years of
experience (6 years in industry and 4 years in academic).Area of interest includes
Research, Operations Management, Operations Research, Sales and Distribution
Management and Services Marketing. Dr. Amit Jain is Associate Professor in
Marketing Area with JK Lakshmipat University. He has over 11 years of
experience. He has been associated with various management and training
institutes as a guest faculty, such as Bank of Baroda Staff College, Ahmedabad
Management Association, Sardar Patel University, ICFAI University, Ahmedabad
University and University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Dr. Jain has designed
and conducted training programmes/sessions for various organizations. Dr. Jain
has several publications to his credit and has presented research papers at
National and International conferences organized by institutes like IIM, IIT SMU,
Singapore and UTS, Sydney. He has received award for two of his research papers
at National Conferences. Dr. Jain is life member of Indian Society for Training and
Development and currently holds position of Hon. Secretary with ISTD-Jaipur
Chapter. His area of interest for Research, Training and Consultancy includes
Marketing Strategy, Sales Management, Marketing Communications and Retail
Management

Kavitha T.N.R (2012):A Study On Customer Satisfaction Towards Toothpaste

With Special Reference To Colgate

ABSTRACT: A study on customer satisfaction towards toothpaste with special

reference to Colgate. The main objective of to identify the various factor
influencing customer in purchase of the toothpaste, to know the customer
satisfaction level about the toothpaste. The research design used in this study is
descriptive research design. Data was collected from 50 sample respondents.
Data was collected by survey method, the survey was collected erode city in Tamil
nadu, through structured questionnaire with five point rating scale questions.
Secondary data were collected from the available literature sources. For
distribution of questionnaire to the respondents random sampling method was
used and to collect the respondents opinion, survey was taken among the
selected sample respondents. After collecting the data from the respondents, it
was analyzed using factor analysis, percentage analysis ,and chi square method.
The collected data include customer satisfaction towards Colgate Toothpaste
personal product details.

Vani G and Ganesh Babu M(2010):Toothpaste Brands –A Study of consumer

behavior in Bangalore city

ABSTRACT: ‘Consumer is king’ –the statement carries profound truth in it. Today
the success of any firm depends upon the satisfaction of consumers. For satisfying
the consumers the firm should know about the behavior of the consumers. In
these circumstances understanding consumer is a very difficult task because of
the changing technology, innovation, and changes in life style. Researchers
conducted many research in this area, and they given only few suggestion, but
there is no final conclusion. As per the ideas given by the researchers, there are
two factors influencing the consumers such as intrinsic and extrinsic factors. It is
difficult to classify consumers by conventional demographic factors and unless
their thought process and buying behavior are fully understood, decisions on
product designs and packaging, branding and distribution channels are likely to be
misplaced. With the inevitability of change looming large over the horizon, Indian
companies must learn from their western counterparts; not only to identify the
sources, timing and direction of the changes likely to affect India, but also the
new competencies and perspective that will enable them to respond to these
changes, comprehensively and effectively. This study mainly focus on
understanding the external factors like demographic, social, cultural ,price, quality
,product attributes etc for buying toothpaste. The market share of any product is
highly determined by the purchasing behavior of the consumers. Following study
is conducted by the researcher to find out the behavior of the consumers, to
analyze the preference of consumers, & consumer awareness. Descriptive
research design was adopted and the data is collected through primary and
secondary sources. The method adopted for conducting survey is questionnaire;
Simple random sampling technique was adopted for selecting the consumers.

Dani Vinit (2006):Buying behavior of toothpaste in Urban India.

ABSTRACT:Toothpaste industry is a big market in India. Toothpastes form an

important item in the monthly grocery shopping of most of the urban households.
In earlier times, consumers especially in India relied on using the traditional
substances like Neem twigs or Mishri (Tobacco containing teeth cleaning powder)
for keeping their teeth clean and healthy. But slowly international brands started
replacing the older methods of maintaining oral hygiene. Earlier consumers were
negligent of their oral hygiene and even didn't care to see a dentist for their oral
health problems. However, the trend is changing and now a day's dental advice is
also considered an important factor while making a purchase decision of the
toothpaste brand, at least in urban markets. Today's consumer has a wide variety
of choice in terms of toothpaste brands. Toothpastes from paste form, to gel and
powder form are present in the market catering to needs of all the segments. Also
a lot of herbal and medicated toothpastes having natural and anti –sensitivity
properties are creating niches for themselves in the market space. This descriptive
study mainly focuses on understanding the external factors like demographic,
social, product attributes and other external influencers which impact consumer
decision making process for buying toothpaste. The method adopted for
conducting survey is questionnaire; using non probability convenience sampling
technique for gathering information from consumers.

Carry John(2010):Study on Consumer Buying Behaviour in Toothpaste Industry a

Case Study of Colgate
ABSTRACT: Toothpaste industry has grown immensely in the Indian scenario.
There is a lot of competition in the industry mainly between two major players
Colgate and HLL .The companies are coming up with new schemes as well as
products to lure the customers. The usage of toothpaste has grown because of
the lifestyle and the way the individuals are living i.e. more awareness about
health. Colgate is going ahead with almost 60% of the market share in the
industry.
The title of the project was “study on consumer buying behavior in the toothpaste
industry”.

The objectives of the study were to “Study the consumer buying habit” and “to
study the toothpaste brands to identify important parameters for customer”.
The questionnaire methodology was adopted and the consumers and the sales
officer in companies were contacted in order to have their view on toothpaste.
The area of the study was restricted to Gurgaon 100 respondents were contacted
.The sales managers in two companies were contacted and their views were
known in terms of how they were going in the toothpaste segment.
It was found that many firms are in the toothpaste segment. So it is a highly
competitive segment. It was found that focus as well as cost leadership was being
followed by the firms when they were going in the toothpaste segment.
The firms are more and more focusing on the promotion and they are spending a
lot of money on this front. Customers are also becoming demanding now-a-days
and it is seen that many attributes are important for the success of a particular
brand. The firms are going in for new launches.
It is found that the discounts are important factor. Another important factor is
brand image or brand name.
The project provided an opportunity to know about a competitive segment and
how consumers behave in that segment. It also provided an insight into the
toothpaste industry and the attitude and perception of the consumer in that
segment.

Kumari Anita (2015):BRAND USERSHIP OF TOOTHPASTE BUYERS: A STUDY ON

BERHAMPUR CITY
ABSTRACT: ‘Consumer is treated as the king of market’, because products are
made, designed and allowed to come in market according to the need and
preferences of the consumers. Thus, success of any organisation always depends
on being able to attract, satisfy and retain customers. This requires an
understanding of what factors affect consumers’ satisfaction with a product or
service and what determines their decision to purchase a product. Based on the
various analysis of scientific literature, brand is a key factor and it generates
customer satisfaction. For attracting and retaining customers, branding is one of
the important factors which influence on consumer buying behavior. This paper
analyses upon awareness and user ship of different toothpaste brand Buyers. It
also focuses on understanding the demographic factors of consumers which
ultimately impacts on buying toothpaste. Besides that the study has conducted by
the researcher to find out various reasons which are influenced by factors of
brand choice towards toothpaste
CHAPTER 5

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The process used to collect information and data for the purpose
of making business decisions. The methodology may
include publication research, interviews, surveys and other research techniques,
and could include both present and historical information.

DATA SOURCE

Primary data is information collected from sources such as personal interviews,

questionnaires or surveys with a specific intention and on a specific subject, and
observation and discussion by the researcher him or herself, which information is
then assessed by that person.

SAMPLE SIZE: The sample was conducted with 50 people only.

SAMPLE CRITERIA: Questionnaire was filled by consumers of selected toothpaste.

TOOLS USED: I presented all the result of my research through Bar Graph,
Column Graph and Pie Chart.
CHAPTER 6

DATA ANALYSIS

AND INTERPRETATION

1) Which of the toothpaste brand you prefer?

Colgate Pepsodent Close Up

23%

13%
64%

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that Colgate is most preferred toothpaste among
respondents.

2) Since how long you are using your preferred toothpaste?

 1 year 2 year 3 year more than 3 year

4%
14%
5%

77%

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that majority of the respondents are using their preferred
toothpaste for more than 3 years.

3) Which feature you prefer while purchasing toothpaste?

12/hrs refreshing Germs protection

No cavity Any other
14%

9% 36%

41%

INTERPRETATION
The above graph shows that Germs Protection feature is mostly preferred while
purchasing toothpaste.

4) Which of the toothpaste according to you are better with regard to the
following criteria?

Colgate
Whitening
Good foam
Freshens your breath
Prevents germs disease
Deep clean
Prevents tooth decay
Strengthens enamel
No cavity
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Pepsodent
Whitening
Good foam
Freshens your breath
Prevents germs disease
Deep clean
Prevents tooth decay
Strengthens enamel
No cavity
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
 Close Up
Whitening
Good foam
Freshens your breath
Prevents germs disease
Deep clean
Prevents tooth decay
Strengthens enamel
No cavity

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that Colgate is most preferred in No Cavity criteria,
Pepsodent in Whitening criteria and Close Up in Freshens your breath criteria.

5) Which of the following features attracts you the most while purchasing
toothpaste?
 Quality Extra quantity Offers Advertisement Packing

11%

11%

11%
60%
7%

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that Quality of the toothpaste is most preferred feature
while purchasing toothpaste.

6) How much satisfied were you in terms of product effectiveness the last time
you used your preferred toothpaste?

Colgate

Very satisfied

Satisfied

Not sure

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

 Pepsodent

Very satisfied

Satisfied

Not sure

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14%

Close Up

Very satisfied

Satisfied

Not sure

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that majority of the respondents are satisfied in terms of
product effectiveness.

7) Rank the following toothpaste in accordance to their feature?

COLGATE
 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% Best
20% Very Good
10%
0% Good

PEPSODENT

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% Best
20% Very Good
10%
0% Good

CLOSE UP
 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% Best
20%
10% Very Good
0% Good

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows ranking of toothpaste according to their features.

8) In case you have to choose a substitute other than your first preference which
one will you choose?

Colgate Pepsodent Close Up

27%
41%

32%

INTERPRETATION
The above graph shows that Close Up is most preferred substitute among
respondents other than their first preference.
CHAPTER 7

FINDINGS AND

CONCLUSIUON

FINDINGS

 Colgate is preferred by 64% of the people whereas Pepsodent and Close

Up is preferred by 13% and 23% of the people respectively.
 It is observed that out of 50 respondents 30 of them prefer their
toothpaste brand due to its Quality and remaining are influenced by Extra
Quantity, Offers and Advertisements.
 77% of the people are using there preferred toothpaste brand from more
than 3 years and remaining are using for less than 3 year.
 Based on this study, product features plays a crucial role in influencing the
consumer for decision making while buying a toothpaste.
 It was found that Colgate was favourite brand for No cavity followed by
Pepsodent and Close Up.
 In case of choosing a substitute 41% of the people preferred Close up
while Pepsodent was preferred by 27% of the people and Colgate by 32%
of the people.
CONCLUSION

Consumer buying behavior cannot be exactly predicted, fairly it is predicted with

the help of research activity. Starting and ending of the research ends with the
only one statement ‘Consumer is King’.

Based on this study the preference for selecting toothpaste is mainly based on
brand quality and offers. It was seen that Colgate enjoys the majority amongst the
people closely followed by Close Up and Pepsodent. In order to choose a
substitute other than there preferred one most of the people were in favour of
Close Up .Hence well established brand such as Colgate and Close Up which have
been flourishing in the Indian market for decades control the market share of
toothpaste.

To wrap up Colgate is best among all Close Up and Pepsodent are close
competitors in this segment.
CHAPTER 8

SUGGESTIONS

 The companies should give more emphasis on Advertising and Sales

Promotion activities.
 The customers are becoming king as they have a whole lot of choices. Hence
the companies should try to be cost effective and pass on the saved amount
to the customer.
 The companies should try to launch new products after thorough research
of the consumers as they are becoming more dynamic day by day.
 The brands like Close Up and Pepsodent are less popular should plan to
launch new flavours , to attract customers who would like to change from
their existing brand of toothpaste.
 They should bring about some changes in their Packagings.
CHAPTER 9

REFERENCES

REFERENCES

 WEBSITES
 www.ssrn.com
 www.slideshare.net
CHAPTER 10

ANNEXURE

QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Respondent , I am Vishnu Verma of Dayalbagh Educational Institute

pursuing B.Com (Hons.) conducting project on Consumer Buying Behaviour
towards Consumer Products (toothpaste) viz Colgate, Pepsodent and Close Up. I
will be very thankful to you if you could provide me the following information,
which will be used only for academic purposes.

PERSONAL FIELDS

(*optional fields)

*Name-_______________ *Age-__________________

*Gender-________ *Email.Id-_________________

1) Which of the toothpaste brand you prefer?

a)Colgate
b)Pepsodent

c)Close Up

2)Since how long you are using your preferred toothpaste?

a)1 year b)2 years c) 3 years d) more than 3 years

3)Which feature you prefer while purchasing toothpaste?

a)12/hrs refreshing

b)Germs protection

c)No cavity

d)Any other__________

4)Which of the toothpaste according to you are better with regards to the
following criteria?

BASIS COLGATE PEPSODENT CLOSE UP

Whitening
No cavity
Strengthens enamel
Prevents tooth decay
Deep clean
Prevents germs disease
Freshens your breath
Good foam

5)Which of the following factor attracts you the most while purchasing
toothpaste?

a)Quality

b)Extra quantity

c)Offers

d)Advertisement

e)Packing

6) How satisfied were you in terms of product effectiveness the last time
you used your preferred toothpaste? (Please tick the desired column)

Please select Very Dissatisfied Not Satisfied Very

level of dissatisfied sure Satisfied
satisfaction

7)Rank the following toothpaste in accordance to their feature?

1-Best

2-Very Good
 3-Good

Features Colgate Pepsodent Close up

Whitening
Good foam
Strengthens enamel
Deep clean
Prevents tooth decay
Prevents germs disease
Freshens your breath

8)In case, you have to choose a substitute other than your first preference,
which one will you choose?

a)Colgate

b)Pepsodent

c)Close Up

9) Is there any improvements you would suggest to your preferred

toothpaste?

______________________________________________________