STUDY ON THE DEMAND FOR EUREKA FORBES-AMRIT WATER PURIFIER IN RURAL MARKET

INTRODUCTION:
Approximately 80% of diseases in India are caused by water borne micro organisms. This is true in rural as well as urban India. In comparison, the urban Indian is definitely more health conscious and understands the necessity of purifying water before it is fit for consumption. Though quite a few city dwellers still boil water, many are switching over to modern domestic water purifiers. Electrical or chemical based home water purification systems are most suitable for urban households because they require little or no manual operation and depending on the technology can eliminate biological contaminants, chemical toxins and excessive salts. On the other hand, awareness of health risks linked to unsafe water is still very low among the rural population. There remains a huge untapped market for water purifiers.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE:

Households in rural area use variety of methods for treating their water before drinking it. Some of these, such as boiling, have been heavily promoted by governments, health-care providers and others, and they are among the most effective microbiologically. Others, such as straining water through a cloth or allowing it to stand and settle, have little microbiological efficacy except in special cases and are mainly practiced to improve aesthetics. Identifying the population that do and do not treat their water will answer many questions. The water purifiers can be introduced in those gaps to ensure better healthy life. [1] The population in rural was always ignored by the private sector due to its lowincome level, low literacy rate, and high cost because of improper infrastructure facilities. Unavailability of proper distribution channels and media, and low awareness, rural market was never looked upon as profit making market. However, as the growth in the urban market started stagnating, the need for exploring new market became evident. [2]

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc2813171/ [2] http://waterpurifiers.in/the-water-purifier-market-in-india-today.html

LITERATURE REVIEW:
Consumer buying behavior refers to the buying behavior of the final consumers- in this case the rural consumers. About70% of Indias population lives in rural areas. Consumers in this segment have displayed vast differences in their purchase decisions and the product use. Thus utmost care in terms of understanding the consumer behavior should be taken while marketing the product in the rural segment. (Prof. Loya Arpit, rural consumer behavior). The rural consumers are discerning and the rural market is vibrant. At the current rate of growth, it will soon outstrip the urban market. The rural market is not sleeping any longer. We are. (Godrej Adi of Godrej industries) The factors influencing the rural consumer behavior are : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Socio-economic environment of the consumer Cultural environment Geographic location Education/literacy level Occupation Exposure to urban lifestyles and media The way the consumer uses the products Involvement of others in the purchase Marketers effort to reach out the rural markets

(V S Rama Rao, buying behavior of rural consumer, 2008) Culture and tradition influence the perception and buying behavior of the rural consumer. For example, the preference in color, size and shape is often the result of cultural factors. Geographical locations also influence the buying behavior. For example, nearness to feeder towns and industrial projects influence the buying behavior of consumers in the respective clusters of villages. Also, lack of electricity in many rural households acts as a barrier to the purchase of certain consumer durables. The way the consumer uses the product or the situation in which the consumer utilizes the product also influence their buying behavior. For example, lack of electricity increases the purchase of batteries by rural consumers. Similarly, since rural consumers cannot use washing powders/detergent powders much, as they wash their cloths in streams and ponds, they go in more for washing bars and detergent cakes.

Buying behavior of rural consumers also varies depending on the place of purchase. Different segments of rural buyers buy their requirements from different places/outlets. Some buy from the village shopkeepers; some buy from village markets/fairs; other from the town that serves as the feeder to the rural area. Involvement of others in the purchase decision is yet another relevant factor in this regard. There has been a change in the recent years. In the past, the head of the family used to make the purchase decision all by himself. In contrast, the involvement of the other members of the family has been growing in recent years. An increase in literacy coupled with greater access to information has resulted in this development. [3]

RESEARCH PROBLEM:
Consumers in rural segment have been displaying vast buying behavior. The factors influencing the buying decision in rural segments differ from place to place. The common factors that drive the purchase decision are mentioned above. The problem that we cite in this research is that whether the product of Eureka Forbes will be accepted by the rural consumers in Anekal.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this research is to determine the demand for the product AMRIT water purifier of Eureka Forbes in the rural market. In order to determine the demand for the product, it is essential to understand the factors influencing the buying behavior of the rural consumers.

HYPOTHESIS:
Ha0: there is no significant influence of the socio-economic factor on the demand for the product Hb0: there is no significant influence of the cultural factor on the demand for the product

[3] http://www.citeman.com/2777-buying-behavior-of-rural-consumers/

Hc0: there is no significant influence of the geographic factor on the demand for the product Hd0: there is no significant influence of the educational factor on the demand for the product He0: there is no significant influence of the occupation factor on the demand for the product Hf0: there is no significant influence of the exposure to urban lifestyles and media on the demand for the product Hg0: there is no significant influence of the way the consumer uses the product on the demand for the product Hh0: there is no significant influence of the involvement of others in the purchase decision on the demand for the product Hi0: there is no significant influence of the marketers effort to reach out the rural markets on the demand for the product

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
A descriptive research will be carried out in order to provide quantitative information on the perceptions and buying behavior of the sample population taken from Anekal. We propose to carry out the study using a questionnaire addressing the influencing factors considered in the research.

STATISTICAL TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS:

The primary data collected will be analyzed to explore the buying behavior in the Anekal market in order to pursue an effective marketing strategy for the success of the product. The analysis will be done using regression analysis to quantify the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variables. The questionnaire will probe the factors influencing the purchase decision. The questions will be developed as follows; What is your occupation? What is your income level? Do you think purifying water will avoid health issues to some extent?

What method would you prefer to purify the water? Do you believe the urban life is healthier than the rural life? Who makes the buying decision in your family? Do you discuss with every member in the family before buying a product? Have you heard about the product AMRIT water purifier? Would you like to prefer Eureka Forbes? What do you expect from the product?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH:

The study provides insights about the factors influencing the buying decisions of the rural people. This study gives a prior knowledge to the marketers about the consumer behavior in the segment. This helps the marketers to predict the success of the product in the rural market Anekal.

COST:
The following cost details are subject to assumptions and adjustments will be done in case of any need. Travelling cost incurred in primary data collection is expected to be Rs 50/(up and down) Stationary cost is expected to be around Rs 200/ Food expenses for the researchers during field work is expected to be around Rs 250/-