A Study on Brand Preference and Customer Satisfaction of

A Study on Brand Preference and Customer Satisfaction of Selected Durables

among Post Graduate Students studying in The Maharaja Sayajirao University of

Baroda

Ms. Deepa Bhatia - Assistant Professor and Research Scholar Department of Commerce and Business Management, Faculty of Commerce

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat India

Dr. Kalpesh D. Naik - Assistant Professor Department of Commerce and Business Management, Faculty of Commerce

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat India

ABSTRACT

In this research study an attempt has been made to study various aspects of consumer behavior for selected three products viz. laptop,

mobile phone and two wheeler among post graduate and diploma students enrolled in the Faculty of Commerce, in The Maharaja

Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara Gujarat. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaire which was administered

to 100 respondents who owned and used laptop, mobile phone and two wheeler. The purpose of this study was to understand brand

preference, customer satisfaction, factors influencing purchase of selected durables and reasons for preferring selected durables by

respondents. The survey was conducted in Vadodara city in Gujarat. Research design used was descriptive in nature and primary data was

collected from only those students who possessed and used these three durables. The collected primary data was analyzed through

statistical software SPSS. Percentage frequency distribution was used to present the demographic profile of respondents. Descriptive

statistics like mean and standard was used to analyze the data. Chi square test used to test the hypothesis. Factor analysis was conducted

to know most important factor influencing respondents in purchase of durables. The results of the study indicated that, respondents owned

well known brands of durables. Brand name, company image, technology, after sales service and easier availability were the most

important factors considered by respondents while purchasing selected durables.

Keywords: Brand image, Brand Preference, Consumer Behavior, Consumer Durables, Customer Satisfaction.

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1. INTRODUCTION

According to Philip Kotler Marketing is defined as “a social and managerial process, by which individuals and groups

obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging value with others” (Kotler, 1998, p.9). Customers have

various expectations from the product which they want to purchase and they go through various stages in buying process

before deciding to purchase the product. A customer goes through five stages, when they decide to buy the product (Kotler,

1998, p.192). These five stages are need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and

post purchase behavior. When a customer has a need for a product, he searches for information from advertisements in

television, newspapers, websites etc. There are various brands of products available in the market. So, customer evaluates

various various brands in terms of price, quality, features, style, design and technology and finally selects one best

alternative out of available alternatives in the market. It is very interesting for the marketers to know that how consumers

make purchase decision and why they prefer to purchase a particular brand as compared to similar other brands available in

the market and also their post purchase behaviour.

Consumer Behaviour

Consumer behavior is defined as “the behavior that a consumer displays in searching for purchasing, using, evaluating and

disposing of goods and services that they expect will satisfy their needs and wants.” (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2008). It is very

difficult to understand and predict and understand buying behavior.

Consumer behaviour is a study of how individuals, groups and organizations select, purchase use and dispose of goods and

services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and desires. (Kotler, 1998, p.171).

Marketers study consumer behavior to know how consumers make purchase decisions and how they are influenced to buy

various types of goods. Due to severe competition prevailing in the market, they make choice and select best product out of

available alternatives in the market. The study of consumer behavior helps companies to understand how consumers select

goods and services of their choice and also to understand reasons behind purchase of a particular brand of a product.

A consumer is influenced by various factors viz. cultural, social, personal and psychological.

1) Cultural Factors:

A person's culture influences buying behaviour. Culture is sum Culture consists of sub culture and social class. Subculture

provides more specific identification of buyers. Sub culture consists of nationalities, religions, racial groups and

geographical regions. For example, food habits of north indian family is different as compared to south indian family.

Indian society is divided into three different social classes viz. upper class, middle class and lower class. A person

belonging to a particular social classes will have different product and brand preferences compared to a person of another

social class.

2) Social Factors

Buying behaviour is influenced by social factors like reference groups, family and role and status. A person's reference

groups consists of all those groups that have a direct or indirect influence on a person's behaviour. Reference groups may

affect a person's product decision and brand choice in many product categories. A study on involvement of husband and

wife in decision making in family was conducted for purchasing a house, which found out that, sex role play and important

role in decision making in families. [1]

3) Personal Factors:

Consumer behaviour is influenced by personal factors like age, occupation, income, life style and personality. A buyer has

different requirements in different age groups. Consumption pattern also changes when a person passes from one stage of

his life cycle to another stage. Occupation influences buying behaviour. Product choice is influenced by income of a person

and their attitude towards spending and saving. Lifestyle is defined “a person's pattern of living in the world as expressed in

the person's activities, interests and opinions."(Kotler, 1998, p.180). Personality types are studied by marketers to

understand relationship between brand choices and personality types.

4) Psychological Factors:

Buying behaviour is influenced by four psychological factors viz. motivation, perception, learning and beliefs and attitudes.

According to Abraham Maslow's theory of motivation, a person has various needs, and he satisfies his needs in order of

importance or priority. People perceive the same situation differently. Due to this reason each consumer is distinct from

other consumer. Consumers learn about products from past experience with it. A person consumes or buys products only

after learning that the product will satisfy his need.

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Consumer Buying Process

A consumer go through the below mentioned five stages before purchasing any product.

Figure 1. Consumer Buying Decision Process Source: Philip Kotler, Marketing Management, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., 1998, New Delhi p.192.

1) Need Recognition:

Consumer buying process starts when customer recognizes a need. A need is a state in which a person feels deprived of

something. Needs are of two types biological and psychological. A need can be aroused by internal or external stimuli.

Marketers study the various types of stimuli that triggers a particular type of need.

2) Information Search:

When a customer, recognizes a need then after he collects information about product, price, brand related to his need.

Information can be collected from various sources like personal, commercial, public and experiential sources. A consumer

receives most of the information from commercial sources i.e. advertisements in television, newspapers and magazines.

3) Evaluation of Alternatives:

After collecting information about products and brands, a consumer will then evaluate various brands on the basis of

benefits and utility that the product will provide him. Then the buyer will consider to buy the products that best suits his

needs.

4) Purchase Decision:

The consumer then makes decision to purchase the product. His purchase decision is influenced by two factors viz. attitude

of others, and unanticipated situational factors.

5) Post purchase Behaviour:

After purchasing the product, the consumer will experience some level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction from the product.

Marketers also try to find out the reason why the consumer is dissatisfied from the product. Buyer's satisfaction is the

function of the closeness between the buyer's product expectations and the product's perceived performance. If the product's

performance is less than expectations, the customer is dissatisfied. If the performance meets expectations, the customer is

happy. If performance exceeds expectations, then the customer is delighted. If customer is happy then, he can make repeat

purchases in future. Customer satisfaction is defined as "a person's feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from

comparing a product's perceived performance in relation to his or her expectations." (Kotler, 1998, p.40).

Concept of Branding

According to American Marketing Association, brand is defined as “a name, term, sign, symbol or combination of them,

intended to identify goods and services of one seller and to distinguish them from those of others.” (Kotler, 1998, p.443)

A brand is thus a product or service whose dimensions differentiate it in some way from other products or services designed

to satisfy same need. These differences may be functional, rational or tangible. (Kotler and Keller, Koshy & Jha, p. 261-

262).

Need Recognition

Information Search

Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase Decision

Post Purchase Behaviour

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Evolution of Brands

The world 'brand' is derived from old norse word 'brandr' which means to burn. (Harsh Varma, p.31). In earlier times, the

farmers used to burn a mark or a symbol on the animals to identify their livestock. This is practiced even today. Branding

was a practice, in which humans were stamped with hot iron to identify wrongdoers and also hot iron was used for

identification of animals. (Kirti Dutta, p.6)

Branding is practiced since the beginning of human civilization. Business was done during the time of Indus valley

civilization, around 2250 to 2000 BC. During those times, craftsmen used to put a mark on their products with seals and

then sold to merchants. These seals were used to identify the supplier of the products. These seals were the 'earliest known

examples of branding. These seals also provided information about the quality, origin and function of the brand. (Kirti

Dutta, p.5)

The earlier signs of branding were seen during medieval period when craftsmen used to put a trademark on their products to

protect themselves, to identify their products and to protect consumers against inferior quality products. Today, hardly we

see any unbranded products in the market. (Kotler, 1998, p.445)

Brand Preference

Brand Preference is the degree to which consumers prefer one brand over another [2]. In short preference means desirability

or choice among alternatives [3]. Brand Preference is choice of a particular company's product among other companies'

products available in the market. Brand preference represents that which brand is most preferred by consumers. Brand

preference is defined as “desire to use a particular product or service even when there are equally priced and equally

available alternatives [4].

Scope of the Study

This study had selected three durables to understand consumer buying behavior of selected post graduate and diploma

students studying in the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara. These durables are Laptop, mobile phone and

two wheeler. Only those students were included in the sample who owned and used these three durables. The study has

selected these three durables because, it is very common among college going students. Students use laptop for their

educational purpose. This study has selected only one University and in that only post graduate and diploma students of

only commerce faculty were selected to do the survey.

Brand Awareness Customer Satisfaction

Brand Preference Purchase Decision

Brand Choice Customer Dissatisfaction

Figure 2 Conceptual Framework

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Walia and Singla (2017), in their study on factors influencing purchase decision on cellular phones examined various

factors which influences respondents in making purchase decision for cellular phones. Consumers make purchase decision

of cellular phones based upon factors like price, brand name, features, durability, size, appearance etc. This study was

undertaken in Patialia city belonging to Punjab state. Primary data was collected from 300 respondents through

questionnaire designed to ascertain necessary information from the respondents. Respondents were asked that which brand

of cellular phone they own and use presently. It was found 80% use Micromax followed by Samsung, Microsoft and Apple.

Very few of them own brands like Nokia and Panasonic. Hence, the most preferred brand used by respondents were

Micromax, Samsung and Apple. Features in the cellular phones like Wi-fi, Bluetooth and operating system highly

influences consumers to make purchase decision. Out of total six factors influencing purchase decision, three factors viz.

product features, price and durability and most influences consumers in making purchase decision for cellular phones.

Product features includes wi-fi, Blue tooth and operating system. [5]

Malviya and Saluja (2013), in their study on “Factors influencing Consumer’s Purchase Decision towards Smartphones in

Indore”, examined buying behavior of consumers. The reason why they undertook this study was that the number of mobile

phone users in our country is increasing day by day. The main purpose behind conducting this study is to know various

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factors motivating consumers to purchase smartphones in Indore. According to a report by a research firm Canalys, India is

the second largest smartphone market in the world after china. The objectives of this research study is to find out the

relationship between four independent and influencing factors viz. price, brand name, features and social influence and

consumer’s purchase decision towards smartphone. Primary data was collected from 250 respondents through convenient

sampling method. As respondents did not filled completely 62 questionnaires, they were excluded from the sample and

sample size was reduced to 188 respondents. Through factor analysis it was found that out of all four factors which are

price, brand name, features and social influence, in influencing respondents for making purchase decision of smartphone,

price is not considered as a major factors in influencing respondents in purchasing smartphone. Hence it is concluded that

consumers in Indore purchase smartphone irrespective of it’s prices. Other features like brand name, technology, social

image and durability are considered by respondents in purchasing a smart phone.[6]

Vijayalakshmi and Manimozy (2015) in their study on brand preference of smartphone users undertaken in Thiruvaurur

district belonging to Tamil Nadu state examined brand preference of smart phone users and also examined factors

influencing brand preference of consumers of smart phones in Thiruvarur city. Primary data was collected through

structured questionnaire which was administered to 150 respondents. The objectives of their study are to know the brand

preference of smart phone, to identify factors influencing purchase of smartphone by respondents to examine satisfaction

level of respondents from the smart phone which they use and to understand the impact of demographic variables on brand

preference of smart phones. Respondents were asked that which brand of smart phone they use currently and it was revealed

that majority i.e. 26% use Samsung, followed by Nokia (19%) and Micromax (17%). Others used brands like HTC and

Sony. The various factors influencing purchase of smart phones by respondents were quality followed by brand image,

service and appearance. Hypothesis was tested to find out significant difference between demographic variables and brand

preference of smart phones. Chi square test was applied to test the hypothesis and null hypothesis was not rejected and it is

concluded that demographic variables like age and income does not affect the purchase decision regarding brand of smart

phone used by respondents. [7]

Saranya an Yoganandan (2019) undertook a study on brand preference of smart phones among college going students in

Coimbatore city. They carried out this study because the demand for smart phone is going on increasing among students and

they use smart phone for calling, internet and for their educational purposes. Hence, smart phone is very useful for students.

The respondents were students studying in Arts and Science colleges in Coimbatore. Sample of size 100 was selected

through non probability convenience sampling method from five different colleges. Hypothesis was framed to test the

association between demographic factors and brand preference of smart phones among these students. Anova test was

applied to test the hypothesis and no significant differences was found between age and education on brand preference of

smart phones. Significant differences were found among brand appearance and repurchase intention with respect to age and

education of respondents. [8]

Brahmbhatt and Acharya (2015), in their study on different factors influencing consumer’s pre purchase buying behavior

towards Laptop, examined laptop buying behavior among 232 respondents belonging to Ahemadabad city and Gandhinagar

city of Gujarat region. Laptops of use by people of all age groups and by both males and females. The objectives of their

study was to examine factors influencing buying behavior of consumers towards branded laptops. Respondents were given a

list of 16 factors and they were asked to give their opinion on a five point rating scale to know which factors were most

important for them in purchasing laptop. Out of sixteen factors, through factor analysis, it was found that four factors

influence laptop purchase decision by respondents. These four factors are technical specifications, design, purchase

convenience and affordability. [9]

Afrin at. el. (2015), conducted a study entitled “Impact of the Influential factors on Laptop Buying Decision: A Study of

Students of Bangladesh”, examined factors affecting students’ buying decision towards Laptop. The objectives of their

study were to find out most influencing factor considered by students before purchasing Laptop, to examine current laptop

brands used by students and to find out relationship between factors influencing purchase of laptop by students and buying

decision making of laptop. To conduct this study 100 respondents were selected from college through convenience sampling

method. Respondents own popular brands of laptop. They possessed various brands like apple (19%), samsung (18%), Asus

(16%), Dell (9%) and Acer (8%) and remaining others owned Compaq, Toshiba, HP and Lenovo. Further, it was found out

that the most influential factor considered by respondents while purchasing laptop was physical features. Further, regression

analysis was used to find out relationship between factors influencing purchase of laptop and buying decision of laptop.

Significant relationship was found between various factors like price, technical feature, physical feature, quality, brand

image and buying decision of laptop. [10]

S. Namasivayam et. al. (2016) undertook a study entitled “A Study on Brand awareness and consumer buying behavior

towards laptops with reference to Coimbatore City”, examined buying behavior of respondents in Coimbatore city. The

main objectives of their study are to find out brand awareness of laptops among respondents, to identify various factors

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influencing purchase of laptops by respondents and to find out satisfaction level of respondents towards laptops used by

them. Primary data was collected from 250 respondents residing in various areas of Coimbatore city. All respondents own

Laptops and all of them were aware of various brands of laptops available in the market. Respondents own well-known

brands of Laptops like Dell (32%), Acer (15%), HP (11%) and remaining others own Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba. 82% of

respondents prefer purchasing Laptop from showroom, 21% agreed that they prefer to purchase to do online shopping for

laptop, while 79% said that, they don’t prefer purchasing laptop online. Respondents were asked that out of various factors,

which factor is most influential during purchase of laptop. They were asked to give ranks to various factors which most

influenced them to purchase laptop, to which they assigned 1st rank to latest technology, 2nd rank to reasonable price and 3rd

rank to warranty and service. Respondents were satisfied with software support, display and battery life of laptop which

they currently use. [11]

Riya Malla (2016), in her study on factors affecting brand preference of scooters among women consumers in Kathmandu

conducted a survey among 200 female users of Scooters to identify and analyze brand preference, factors influencing and

customer satisfaction from use of two wheeler scooters among female users. This study was conducted in Kathmandu as

large number of women drive scooters in this city. 200 respondents were selected from population through convenient

sampling method which consisted of only females. These females were students, housewives, government employees,

business person and unemployed females and are above 16 years of age and belonging to different age groups, income

groups, educational groups and occupation. From data analysis, it was found that 56.5% own Honda, 8% own Hero scooter,

8.5% own Mahindra and others own Yamaha, TVS and Suzuki. Hence, it can be said that the most preferred brand of

scooter by females were Honda, Hero and Mahindra. The reasons for choosing their preferred brand of scooter was design

(57%), comfort (53%) and durability (47%). Price does not play any role in selecting brand of scooter by respondents. A

significant but weak relationship was found between brand preference of scooters and all independent factors like price,

mileage, colour, comfort, design and durability of scooters. No significant relationship was found between demographic

variables like age, occupation, education, income and brand preference of scooters among female respondents. The main

factors influencing purchase of two wheeler is comfort followed by mileage and design. [12]

Padmasani et. al. (2014) undertook a study on brand preference towards scooters among women consumers in Coimbatore

City.” Automobile manufactures realized the demand for two wheeler among females, and due to demand of two wheelers

among females, they have brought in the market two wheelers which is gearless, less in weight and easier for females to

ride. Various models of two are available like TVS Scooty, Vespa, Jupiter, Access, Activa etc. Brand preference means

consumers favour and would like to purchase a particular brand even though other brands are available in the market. The

objectives of this study is to examine brand preference of scooters and to examine factors influencing purchase of scooters

among women in Coimbatore city. A sample of 235 respondents was selected from population through random sampling

method. Only those female respondents were included in the sample who own and drive two wheeler regularly. It was found

that out of 18 factors, the most important factor influencing the brand preference of scooter was comfort, efficiency,

affordability, familiarity and service quality. Hypothesis was framed to test the significant difference between demographic

factors of respondents and factors influencing brand preference of scooters. Anova test was used to test this hypothesis. It

was found that age group has influence on affordability, occupation has a significant influence on comfort, efficiency,

affordability and familiarity and education of women has a significant influence on comfort, efficiency, affordability and

quality. Hence it can be concluded that women prefer to purchase scooters which are affordable, provide good service

quality provide comfort and is familiar among their groups. [13]

Mohammed Akbar Ali Khan and Datrika Venkata Madhusudan Rao (2018), undertook a study entitled “Two

wheeler’s behavior towards Customer Satisfaction” in Hyderabad. According to a Report on Automobiles published by

India Brand Equity Foundation, Feb.2019, India is the 2nd largest two wheeler market in the world. In Automobile Industry,

two wheeler market is the largest market in India which consists of 81% of total Auto Industry. It consists of electric two

wheelers, mopeds, motor vehicles and scooters. Two wheeler market in India is dominated by Honda, Bajaj, Hero and TVS.

A sample of 600 users of two wheelers were selected from various areas of Hyderabad through random sampling method.

This study was conducted on only four brands of two wheelers viz. Hero, Bajaj, Honda and TVS and only those consumers

were included who owned either of these four brands of two wheelers. This study did not include consumers who own other

than these four brands of two wheelers. The objectives of their study is to examine the impact of demographic variables

independent variables on customer satisfaction. It was observed that there was no influence of independent variables like

safety, features, technology and brand on customer satisfaction of respondents. Second hypothesis tested was influence of

demographic variables on customer satisfaction. It was found that gender, age, education, occupation, marital status and

economical status has no impact on customer satisfaction of respondents. [14]

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3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Objectives of the study

1) To study the brand preference of selected durables among postgraduate and diploma students studying in M.S.

University, Baroda.

2) To identify factors influencing purchase of selected durables among post graduate students.

3) To examine reasons for purchasing and using selected durables by students.

4) To measure satisfaction level of students from selected durables which they own and use.

Hypotheses

Ho1: There is no significant relationship between monthly income and expenditure on purchase of selected durables by

respondents.

Ho2: There is no significant relationship between gender, income, course enrolled and type of family of respondents and

brands of selected durables possessed by them.

Ho3: There is no significant association between satisfaction level and brands of durables possessed by respondents.

Ho4: The ranks assigned by respondents to reasons for using selected durables on selected criteria do not differ.

Research Design

Descriptive research design was used in this study.

Sources of Data

Secondary Data

Various journals were referred for framing review of literature and various books on marketing and consumer behavior were

also referred. Latest information about durables were collected from consumer durable reports, which were available online.

Primary Data

A structured non-disguised questionnaire was framed to ascertain relevant information from the respondents.

Sampling Decisions

Population

Population consists all students enrolled in post graduate and diploma courses offered by faculty of commerce, The

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

Sampling Frame

Post graduate and Diploma students enrolled in faculty of commerce and only those students who own and use all these

three durables.

Sampling Unit

A student of Faculty of Commerce, enrolled in post graduate or diploma course who is use all three durables and is

regularly attending classes.

Sample Size

Sample size consists of 100 students.

Sampling Method

Non-probability convenience sampling method was used to select sample from the population.

Statistical tools used in the study

The collected data was coded in MS Excel and SPSS software version 20 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive

statistics, Chi –square test, friedman’s test and factor analysis was carried out to analyze the data.

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4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTREPRETATIONS

Table No. 1: Demographic Profile of Respondents

Demographic Profile of Respondents Frequency Percentage

Gender

Male 27 27

Female 73 73

TOTAL 100 100

Age Groups

18 to 21 Years 73 73

22 to 24 Years 23 23

25 Years & above 4 4

TOTAL 100 100

Marital Status

Married 3 3

Unmarried 97 97

TOTAL 100 100

Course Enrolled

M.com 90 90

PG Diploma 10 10

TOTAL 100 100

Name of Department

Accounting and Financial Management 30 30

Commerce and Business Management 25 25

Banking and Insurance 25 25

Cooperation 17 17

General 3 3

TOTAL 100 100

Monthly Family Income

Up to Rs.15,000/- 19 19

Rs.15001/- to Rs.30000/- 32 32

Rs.30001 to Rs. 45000/- 15 15

Rs.45,000/- & above 34 34

TOTAL 100 100

Type of Family

Joint 36 36

Nuclear 64 64

TOTAL 100 100

From Table 1, it can be seen that, 27% respondents are males and 73% are females, 73% belong to age group of 18 to 21

years and 23% belong to age group of 22 to 24 years. 97% are unmarried and 3% are married, 36% belonged to joint family

and 64% belonged to nuclear family. 36% belonged to joint family and 64% belonged to nuclear family. Regarding monthly

income of respondents, 34% belonged to income group of Rs. 45,000 and above and 32% were from income group of Rs.

15,000 to Rs. 30,000. 90% were enrolled in post-graduation course and remaining 10% in Diploma course.

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Table No. 2: Brand Preference of Selected Durables possessed by Respondents

Mobile Phone Laptop Two Wheeler

Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage

Nokia 2 2 Dell 25 25 Jupiter 9 9

Samsung 30 30 Acer 9 9 Access 12 12

Apple 4 4 Lenovo 31 31 Activa 48 48

Vivo 13 13 HP 22 22 Honda Bike 7 7

Oneplus6 7 7 Sony 5 5 Royal Enfield 1 1

Redmi 18 18 Toshiba 0 0 TVS 5 5

Redpro 1 1 Compaq 0 0 Suzuki 0 0

Sony 0 0 HCL 0 0 Hero 11 11

Micromax 2 2 Asus 4 4 Yamaha 2 2

HTC 2 2 Apple 4 4 Bajaj 2 2

Oppo 9 9 Samsung 0 0 Vespa 2 2

Others 12 12 Others 0 0 Others 1 1

TOTAL 100 100 TOTAL 100 100 TOTAL 100 100

Table 2 indicates the brand preference of laptop, mobile phone and two wheeler currently owned and used by respondents.

It can be seen that the most popular brand of mobile phone is Samsung (30%), followed by Redmi (18%) and Vivo (13%).

Remaining others use brands like one plus 6, HTC, apple and Nokia. With respect to laptop brand most of the respondents

use Lenovo (31%) followed by Dell (25%) and HP (22%). Regarding two wheeler brand, the most popular brand among

respondents is Activa (48%) followed by Access (12%) and Hero (11%) while others use two wheeler brands like Jupiter,

Yamaha and Bajaj.

Table No. 3: Amount Spent in Purchase of Selected Durables

Mobile Phone Laptop Two Wheeler

Amount Spent

(In Rupees)

Freq

uency

Percen

tage

Amount Spent

(In Rupees)

Freq

uency

Perce

ntage

Amount Spent

(In Rupees)

Freq

uency

Percen

tage

Up to 10000 34 34 Up to 20000 2 2 Up to 30000 4 4

10000 to 25000 60 60 20000 to 40000 44 44 30000 to 50000 11 11

25000 to 50000 5 5 40000 to 60000 46 46 50000 to 70000 73 73

50000 & above 1 1 60000 & above 8 8 70000 & above 12 12

TOTAL 100 100 TOTAL 100 100 TOTAL 100 100

As per table 3, 60% respondents spent Rs.10000/- to Rs.25,000/- in purchase of mobile phones. This indicates that they own

mobile phone which is of reasonable price, and is not very costly. 46% had purchased laptop within price range of Rs.

40,000/- to Rs. 60,000/- and 44% purchased within price range of Rs. 20000/- to Rs. 40000/-. 73% had purchased two

wheeler within Rs.50000/- to Rs.70000/-.

Table No. 4: Place of Purchase of these Durables

Place of Purchase Mobile Phone Laptop Two Wheeler

Frequency Percentage Freque

ncy

Percenta

ge

Frequency Percentage

Online 44 44 18 18 0 0

Authorized Dealer 24 24 38 38 46 46

Shopping Mall 7 7 9 9 1 1

Appliances Showroom 25 25 35 35 53 53

TOTAL 100 100 100 100 100 100

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Table 4 shows the place from where respondents had purchase selected durables. It is found that, 44% had purchased mobile

phone through online sources, 25% from mobile phone showroom, 24% from authorized dealer and only 7% had purchased

from shopping malls. 38% purchased laptop from authorized dealer, 35% from appliances showroom and 18% from online sources. Regarding two wheeler 53% purchased from Appliances showroom while 46% from authorized dealer.

Table No. 5: Respondent’s preferred time period for purchase of selected durables

Time period of Purchase Frequency Percentage

As and when need arises 86 86

During replacement of old product 29 29

During Festivals 17 17

During discount schemes 53 53

Table 5 indicates the time period during which respondents prefer to purchase selected durables. It was found that 86%

purchase selected durables viz. laptop, mobile phone and two wheeler whenever need arises, 53% prefer to purchase when

there is any scheme like discount offered, 29% purchase when they want to dispose off their existing product and 17%

prefer to purchase during festivals like Diwali.

Table No. 6: Respondents’ Rankings on Reasons for buying selected durables on selected criteria

Reasons for Buying Durables Respondents’ Ranks

1 2 3 4 5 Mean S.D.

Durables are necessities and not luxuries. 48 9 17 13 13 2.34 1.499

Durables make my life comfortable. 9 26 24 31 10 3.07 1.157

Possession of selected durables enhances my

social status.

1 4 15 19 61 4.35

0.947

Selected durables are required due to my

education.

33 33 16 14 4 2.23

1.171

Use of these durables saves my time. 9 28 28 23 12 3.01 1.168

* Highest rank is 1st rank and lowest rank is 5th rank, S.D. = Standard Deviation

Table 6 shows respondents’ opinion on reasons on reasons for purchasing selected durables. They were told to assign ranks

from 1 to 5 i.e. from most important to least important. From mean rank, it can be concluded that, 1st rank is assigned to

durables are need due to education, 2nd rank is assigned to durables are necessities and 3rd rank is assigned to use of durables

saves their time.

Table No.7 : Respondents’ opinion on Factors influencing purchase of Selected Durables

Selected Factors Respondents’ Opinion Total Mean S.D.

UI LI CS I MI

1 2 3 4 5

Price 9 10 13 27 41 100 3.81 1.316

Brand name 2 3 9 45 41 100 4.20 0.876

Company image 3 3 10 45 39 100 4.14 0.932

Latest Technology 3 4 5 34 54 100 4.32 0.963

Social Status 34 23 23 14 6 100 2.35 1.250

Colour 16 20 24 13 10 100 2.98 1.247

Model /Style 6 9 13 44 28 100 3.79 1.131

Lighter Weight 10 16 14 36 24 100 3.48 1.291

Discount/cash back 7 11 7 39 36 100 3.86 1.223

After sales service 6 13 16 36 32 100 3.72 1.215

Easier Availability 10 14 8 35 33 100 3.67 1.334

Advertisement 14 22 21 27 16 100 3.09 1.303

*UI= Unimportant, LI = Least Important, CS = Can’t Say I = Important, MI = Most Important

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Table 7 describes about factors influencing purchase of selected durables by respondents. Respondents were asked to give

their opinion on a 5 point likert scale ranging from unimportant to most important. Their scores are shown in the above

table. From mean score, it can be concluded that, the main factors influencing purchase of durables by respondents were

technology followed by brand name and company image.

Table No. 8: Satisfaction level of Respondents from Selected Durables

Features Respondents’ Opinion Total Mean

S. D.

HD D CS S HS

1 2 3 4 5

Mobile Phones

Price 2 5 12 56 25 100 3.97 0.87

Brand name 2 4 8 49 37 100 4.15 0.88

Functions 4 6 11 49 30 100 3.95 1.009

Camera Quality 6 14 13 39 28 100 3.69 1.195

Screen Clarity 3 13 14 42 28 100 3.79 1.085

Audio-Video Clarity 0 6 14 53 27 100 4.01 0.810

Operating System 2 4 11 48 35 100 4.10 0.893

Model/Design 2 3 11 50 34 100 4.11 0.863

Laptop

Price 7 9 16 43 25 100 3.70 1.150

Brand name 0 3 10 40 47 100 4.31 0.775

Style/Model 0 2 15 51 32 100 4.13 0.734

After Sales Service 2 11 27 25 35 100 3.70 1.030

Latest Technology 0 4 14 46 36 100 4.14 0.804

Features 3 9 5 51 32 100 4.00 1.005

Two Wheeler

Price 2 4 18 51 25 100 3.93 0.879

Brand Name 1 2 10 49 38 100 4.21 0.782

Mileage 1 10 22 39 28 100 3.83 0.985

Pick-up 1 11 25 40 23 100 3.73 0.973

Fuel Efficiency 1 8 14 51 26 100 3.93 0.902

Service Centre Support 2 9 16 45 28 100 3.88 0.988

Availability of Spare

parts

2 2 15 44 37 100 4.12 0.879

*HD = Highly Dissatisfied, 2 = Dissatisfied, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Satisfied, 5 = Highly Satisfied

Table 8 gives information about satisfaction level of respondents from the durables which they possess and use.

Respondents were asked to mention their level of satisfaction on 5 point likert scale ranging from highly dissatisfied to

highly satisfied. From mean score assigned by respondents, it is found that for mobile phones respondents were highly

satisfied from brand name, model and operating system. Regarding laptop they are highly satisfied from brand name,

technology and model. Regarding two wheeler they are highly satisfied from brand name and availability of spare parts and

price.

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Table No. 9: Reliability Score for Scale Items

Variables Cronbach’s Alpha Number of Items

Factors influencing purchase of selected durables by

Respondents

0.772 12

Satisfaction level from Mobile Phones 0.78 8

Satisfaction level from Laptop 0.69 6

Satisfaction level from Two Wheeler 0.68 7

Table 9 shows cronbach’s alpha’s value which are greater than 0.6. Hence, the data is considered as reliable.

Table No. 10: Testing of Hypothesis and Results of Chi Square Tests for Selected Durables

Hypothesis C.V of

Chi

Square

p-value d.f. Result

1) Influence of monthly family income on expenditure done on purchase of selected

durables possessed by respondents.

Ho1 There is no significant influence of monthly family income of the respondents on

expenditure incurred in purchase of mobile Phone.

16.957 .049 9 Rejected


expenditure incurred in purchase of Laptop.

3.63 0.934 9 Accepted


expenditure incurred in purchase of two wheeler

4.914 0.842 9 Accepted

2) Influence of demographic variables on mobile phone brands possessed by

respondents.

Ho4 There is no significant relationship between mobile phone brands possessed by

respondents and their gender.

15.422 0.117 10 Accepted


respondents and course in which they are enrolled.

20.741 0.023 10 Rejected


respondents an various groups of monthly family income.

40.907 0.088 30 Accepted

Ho7. There is no significant relationship between mobile phone brands possessed by

respondents and type of family to which they belong.

13.519 0.196 10 Accepted

3) Influence of demographic variables on Laptop brands possessed by respondents.

Ho8 There is no significant relationship between Laptop brands possessed by


11.761 0.068 6 Accepted



7.963 0.241 6 Accepted


respondents and various groups of monthly family income.

10.393 0.918 18 Accepted



2.366 0.883 6 Accepted

4) Influence of demographic variables on two wheeler brands possessed by

Respondents.

Ho12 There is no significant relationship between two wheeler brands possessed by


28.660 0.001 10 Rejected



3.755 0.958 10 Accepted


respondents and various groups of monthly family income.

50.201 0.012 30 Rejected



6.359 0.784 10 Accepted

*Sig. Level is 0.05, d.f. = degrees of freedom, C.V. = Calculated Value of Chi-Square

In table 10, chi square test is used to test the hypothesis and to find out significant association between demographic

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variables of the respondents and durable brands possessed by them. Hypothesis 1 states that there is association between

income of the respondents and amount spent in purchasing mobile phone. Higher the income of respondents, more amount

they spent on mobile phone. Significant relationships was not found between durable brands possessed by respondents and

their gender, income and type of family. Significant relationships was found between gender and two wheeler brands

possessed by respondents. This is because bikes like splender and Hero are meant for males and active, access are meant for

females. Also, income influences the purchase of two wheeler brand.

Table No.: 11 Results of Chi Square Tests regarding Satisfaction from brands of Durables possessed by Respondents

Selected Durable Brands Calculated Value

of Chi Square

Table Value of Chi

Square

p-value Degrees of

Freedom

Result

Mobile Phone Brands 4.354 29.483 0.930 10 Accepted

Laptop Brands 4.655 12.592 0.589 6 Accepted

Two Wheeler Brands 4.377 29.483 0.929 10 Accepted

Ho16: There is no significant association between satisfaction level and brands of durables possessed by

Respondents.

From table 11, it can be seen that brand preference and satisfaction are independent. All respondents are satisfied from their

brands of durables. Hence, satisfaction from durables does not depend upon it’s brand name.

Table No.12: Friedman’s Test for respondents Rankings given to reasons for using selected Durables on Selected

Criteria

Hypothesis C.V of Chi

Square

p-value d.f. Hypothesis

Respondents’ rankings given to reasons for using selected durables

on selected criteria are equal.

114.240 0.000 4 Rejected

*Sig. at 0.05 level, C.V. = Calculated Value, d.f. = degrees of freedom

Ho17: The ranks assigned by respondents to reasons for using selected durables on selected criteria do not differ.

From table 12, it is observed that, as p-value is less than 0.05 null hypothesis is rejected and it is concluded that rankings

assigned by respondents for reasons for purchasing durables are not equal. It means that there are various reasons for

purchase of durables by respondents like education, necessity, saving of time and comfort.

Table No.13: Kaiser Meyer Olkin (KMO) measure of Sampling Adequacy and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. .743

Bartlett's Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 289.492

d.f. 66

Sig. .000

Table 13 shows the value of KMO measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s Test of sphericity. The values of KMO amd

Bartlett’s test of sphericity indicates that factor analysis is suitable for the data or not. It can be seen that the value of KMO

is greator than 0.6 which indicates that factor analysis can be conducted. Bartlett’s test of sphericity p-value is less than 0.05

which also indicates that factor analysis can be carried out.

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Table No.14: Total Variance Explained

Component

Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings

Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative %

1 3.528 29.400 29.400 2.309 19.243 19.243

2 1.563 13.025 42.425 2.267 18.893 38.136

3 1.487 12.391 54.816 2.002 16.680 54.816

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

From table 14, it can be observed that, total variance explained by first principal component analysis is 29.4%, by second

PCA is 13.025%, by third PCA is 12. 391%. Thus total variance explained by successive PCA are decreasing, but 54.816%

variation is explained by first three PCAs and eigenvalues for first three components is more than 1 so, three components

are to be extracted.

Factor analysis was performed to find out most important factors which influenced customers in purchase of selected

durables. Principal component analysis method was used for conducting factor analysis.

Table No.15: Factor Analysis of Factors considered by

Respondents while purchasing Durables

Rotated Component Matrixa

Price Component

Brand Name 1 2 3

Company Image .359 .225 .456

Latest Technology .745 .126 -.162

Social Status .738 .008 .095

Colour .675 -.049 .198

Model -.082 .737 -.006

Lighter Weight .126 .765 .199

Discount .358 .221 .297

After Sales Service .017 .028 .868

Easier Availability .086 .096 .879

Advertisement .044 .578 .091


Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.

a. Rotation converged in 4 iterations.

Table 15 describes that the correlation coefficient between the factor score and the variables included in the study is called

factor loading which is given in component matrix. The correlation coefficient between (first standardized variable) price

and factor 1(Factor 1 score) is 0.359, similarly, the correlation coefficient between factor 2 and price is 0.225 and so on.

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Table No.16: Factor Loadings

Communalities

Factors Extraction

Price .387

Brand Name .597

Company Image .554

Latest Technology .498

Social Status .550

Colour .641

Model .668

Lighter Weight .530

Discount .265

After sales service .755

Easier Availability .789

Advertisement .345

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis

Table 16 indicates how much of each variable is accounted for by the underlying factors taken together. It is a measure of

the percentage of variable’s variation that is explained by the factors. A relatively high communality shows that not much of

the variable is left over after whatever the factor represent is taken into consideration. The communality for the first variable

is 0.387, which means 38.7% of the information content of the first variable called price is explained by three factors. Only

26.5% is explained for discount by extracted three factors. Communalities obtained by rotated component matrix is also

same as obtain from initial component matrix. Highest communality is 0.789 for easier availability, which indicate 78.9 %

of the information content of the variable easier availability is explained by three factors.

Table No. 17: Factor Analysis - Rotated Component Matrix

Rotated Component Matrixa

Factors Component

1 2 3

Price

Brand Name .745

Company Image .738

Latest Technology .675

Social Status .737

Colour .765

Model .727

Lighter Weight

Discount

After sales service .868

Easier Availability .879

Advertisement


Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.

a. Rotation converged in 4 iterations

Table 17 shows the results of rotated component matrix. For this cut-off point should be decided which should be greater

than 0.5. Here let we take cut-off point as 0.6. The factor 1 comprises of brand name, company image and latest technology.

Factor 2 comprises of the social status, colour and model while factor 3 comprises of after sales service and easier

availability.

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This shows that the most important factors influencing the purchase of selected durables are brand name, technology, after

sales service and easier availability.

5. FINDINGS OF THE RESEARCH STUDY

Out of total 100 respondents, 27% were males and73% were females, 97% were unmarried and 3% were unmarried.

73% belonged to age group of 18 to 21 years. 90 % were post graduate students and remaining 10% were studying

Diploma course. 32% had monthly family income between Rs. 15000/- to Rs.30000/- and 34% belonged to income

group of Rs. 45000/- and above. 64% were from joint family and rest 36% belonged to nuclear family.

Respondents had high level of awareness towards various brands of selected durables available in the market. The

most popular brand of mobile phone owned by respondents were Samsung, Redmi and Vivo. The most preferred

laptop brands were Lenovo, Dell and HP. Two wheeler brands owned by respondents were Activa followed by Access

and Hero. Respondents consider these durables as necessities and not luxuries. 60% respondents had spent Rs.10000/-

to Rs.25000/- for purchasing mobile phone. 46% had spent RS. 40000 to Rs.60000/- on purchasing Laptop and 73%

had spent Rs.50000/- to Rs.70000/- for purchasing two wheeler.

44% had purchased mobile phone and 18% had purchased Laptop online through Amazon and Flipkart websites. 38%

purchased laptop and 46% purchased two wheeler from Authorized dealer showroom. They preferred to make

payment either in cash or used debit card.

54% were influenced by parents and 38% took their own decision for purchasing these products. 86% said that they

prefer to purchase these durables as and when need arises.

The main reason for purchase of selected durables were educational purpose (mean rank 2.23) followed by necessity

(mean rank 2.34), and saving of time (mean rank 3.01).

From mean comparison of score assigned by respondents to factors influencing purchase of durables, the most

important factor considered by respondents was technology (4.32), followed by brand name (4.20) and company

image (4.14). Respondents were satisfied from the durables which they own and use.

No significant association was found between income of the respondents and their expenditure towards laptop and two

wheeler. Association was found between income and expenditure towards mobile phone.

No significant relationships were found between gender, course enrolled, income and type of family with brands of

durables possessed by respondents. Significant relationships was found between gender and two wheeler brands

possessed by respondents.

Results of chi square test shows that respondents were satisfied from the brand of durables which they own. Hence, it

can be concluded that brand preference and satisfaction are independent.

The results of friedman’s test reveals that the ranks assigned to reasons for using durables differ among respondents.

Hence, different respondents have given different reasons for purchase of selected durables. The most important

reason for purchasing durables was education, necessity and saving of time.

The results of factor analysis reveals that the factors which most influenced respondents in purchasing selected

durables were brand name, technology, after sales service and easier availability.

6. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

The study of consumer behaviour helps us in understanding how consumers make purchase decision and what are the factor

influencing them during purchase of products. This study was carried out among students to understand their buying

behaviour. This study had selected only three durables viz. laptop, mobile phone and two wheeler to understand buying

behaviour of consumers. Hence, the results of this study cannot be generalized for population. This study has been carried

on students, because all these three durables are easily available with students and they use them in their daily routine.

Vadodara has a very big market for two wheelers. The results of this study revealed that, respondents are brand conscious,

they possessed popular brand of durables and most of them were satisfied from the brand of durables which they own and

use. The most influencing factor considered by them in purchase of durables were brand name, technology, after sales

service and easier availability. The demand for these durables is going on increasing. It is found that respondents purchase

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durables as and when need arises and during replacement of old technology product. Hence, companies should innovate and

develop latest technology products.

7. LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH STUDY

1) This study was confined to only post graduate and diploma students studying in only Faculty of Commerce, The

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

2) This study has selected only three durables to examine buying behavior of students. This study has not included other

durables which students use like personal computer, notepad etc.

8. REFERENCES

Journals / Bibliography / Webliography

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14) Mohammed Akbar Ali Khan and Datrika Venkata Madhusudan Rao (2018), “Two Wheeler Consumer’s Behaviour

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http://www.canalys.com/

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A Study on Brand Preference and Customer Satisfaction of