A Project Report

On

“A Study of Consumer Buying Behavior with respect to Laptop.”

Submitted ToUniversity of Pune

In the Subject of Research Methodology In partial fulfillment of (MBA)

Submitted By Swati Jakhotia Gulshan Ara Sonam Bajaj Namrata Jamgaonkar Madhavi Londhe Shruti Dhongde MaduraKukade Punam Deshmukh Kazeem Khan Rahul pawar

Under the Guidance ofProf. Mancharkar sir

B.P.H.E. Society’s(I.M.S.C.D. & R.), Ahmednagar

Academic Year2010-2011

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Words are not sufficient to describe the contribution made by the people for the project.It is great pleasure and honors for us to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped us and been with us all through the development of this project. First of all we would like to thank our Department Head prof. Meera Kulkarni for helping us. We also thank our project incharge prof. Mancharkar sir for their valuable suggestions and Guidance without which the project would have been full of pitfalls. We also own a large amount of gratitude to our staff members who in true sense stood by us and made our project a success. And last but not list we would like to thank each other for playing important role in developing this project.

Swati Jakhotia Gulshan Ara Sonam Bajaj Namrata Jamgaonkar Madhavi londhe Shurti Dhogande Madura kukade Punam Deshmukh Kazeem Khan Rahul pawar

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INDEX

INTRODUTIONTO

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

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Sr.No CONTENTS PAGE No.

1. Introduction 1-4

2. Product profile 5-7

3. Objective & scope of research 8-9

4. Research design 10-11

5. Limitations of the study 12

6. Data Analysis & interpretation 13-26

7. Findings & Conclusions 27-28

8. Suggestions 29

Appendix 30-32

Bibliography 33

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

Customer behavior study is based on consumer buying behavior, with the customer playing the three distinct roles i.e.

1] User.

2] Payer.

3] Buyer.

Relationship marketing is an influential asset for customer behavior analysis as it has a keen interest in the re-discovery of the true meaning of marketing through the re-affirmation of the importance of the customer or buyer. A greater importance is also placed on consumer retention, customer relationship management, personalization, customization and one-to-one marketing. Social functions can be categorized into social choice and welfare functions.

There are many factors that directly or indirectly influence the buying behavior of the consumers. Some of these factors are:

Cultural factors Family

Friends

Peer groups

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Advertisements, etc.

The above mentioned factors influence on the choice making decision of the consumer for buying a particular product. There is a systematic procedure for the buying process consisting of different stages. Each step has got its own significance and features.

The process begins with the discovery and recognition of an unsatisfied need or want. Consumers begin a search for information, followed by evaluation of alternatives and a purchase decision.

1) Need Recognition:

A need for something often triggers the buying process. Needs are very complex, as they are initiators of buying behavior. Marketers are keen to understand how various kinds of needs are formed.

2) Search for Information:

Once the need has triggered the consumer to satisfy the same through product, the search for information begins. The following information sources are likely to be used by the consumer:

Past experience Word of mouth

Reference group

Publications

Internet

Advertising, etc.

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All the above sources help the consumer to search the information they require.

3) Evaluation:

During the process of information search, the total range of products or alternatives available in the market place is gradually filtered down to a manageable number for evaluation .The consumer makes choice from among a select set of possibilities that can be classified as:

The total set The Awareness set

The consideration set

The choice set

Infeasible set.

Many analysts have developed a number of frameworks for understanding, how a consumer chooses among competing alternative products.

4) Purchase Decision:

After evaluation of alternatives the consumer enters the next stage which is the purchase decision stage. While making purchase decision following factors should be taken into account:

Social factors Situational factors

Risk factors

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5) Post Purchase Behavior:

This is the last step in the consumer buying process. It normally states the behavior of the consumer after the purchase of the product. It is indicated in terms of satisfaction. This behavior is reflected in repeating purchases or discontinuation of purchases.

All the above points give a brief description of consumer buying behavior experienced in today’s market.

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PRODUCT PROFILELAPTOP

A laptop] is a personal computer designed for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device (a touchpad, also known as a trackpad, and/or a pointing stick) and speakers into a single unit. A laptop is powered by mains electricity via an AC adapter and can be used away from an outlet using a rechargeable battery. A laptop battery in new condition typically stores enough energy to run the laptop for three to five hours, depending on the computer usage, configuration and power management settings. When the laptop is plugged into the mains, the battery charges, whether or not the computer is running.

Portable computers, originally monochrome CRT-based and developing into the modern laptop, were originally considered to be a small niche market, mostly for specialized field applications such as the military, accountants and sales representatives. As portable computers became smaller, lighter, and cheaper and as screens became larger and of better quality, laptops became very widely used for all sorts of purposes.

History

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As the personal computer became feasible in the early 1970s, the idea of a portable personal computer followed. A "personal, portable information

The first laptops using the flip form factor appeared in the early 1980s. The Dulmont Magnum was released in Australia in 1981–82, but was not marketed internationally until 1984–85. The $8,150 ($18,540 in current dollar terms) GRiD Compass 1100, released in 1982, was used at NASA and by the military among others. The Gavilan SC, released in 1983, was the first computer described as a "laptop" by its manufacturer[12] From 1983 onward, several new input techniques were developed and included in laptops, including the touchpad (Gavilan SC, 1983), the pointing stick (IBM ThinkPad 700, 1992) and handwriting recognition (Linus Write-Top,[13] 1987). Some CPUs, such as the 1990 Intel i386SL, were designed to use minimum power to increase battery life of portable computers, and were supported by dynamic power management features such as Intel SpeedStep and AMD PowerNow! in some designs.

Displays reached VGA resolution by 1988 (Compaq SLT/286), and color screens started becoming a common upgrade in 1991 with increases in resolution and screen size occurring frequently until the introduction of 17"-screen laptops in 2003. Hard drives started to be used in portables, encouraged by the introduction of 3.5" drives in the late 1980s, and became common in laptops starting with the introduction of 2.5" and smaller drives around 1990; capacities have typically lagged behind physically larger desktop drives. Optical storage, read-only CD-ROM followed by writeable CD and later read-only or writeable DVD and Blu-Ray, became common in laptops soon in the 2000s.

On March 2011, Lenovo has built the world's first eye-cotrolled laptop with using eye tracking technology from Tobii. A built-in small infrared camera will track eye's positioning which make as mouse do as select, point, scroll, etc. There are also games with eye fully functioning.[14]

Classification

The term "laptop" can refer to a number of classes of small portable computers:

Full-size Laptop: A laptop large enough to accommodate a "full-size" keyboard (a keyboard with the minimum QWERTY key layout, which is

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at least 13.5 keys across that are on ¾ (0.750) inch centers, plus some room on both ends for the case). The measurement of at least 11 inches across has been suggested as the threshold for this class[citation needed]. The first laptops were the size of a standard U.S. "A size" notebook sheet of paper (8.5 × 11 inches), but later "A4-size" laptops were introduced, which were the width of a standard ISO 216 A4 sheet of paper (297 mm, or about 11.7 inches), and added a vertical column of keys to the right and wider screens.

Netbook : A smaller, lighter, more portable laptop. It is also usually cheaper than a full-size laptop, but has fewer features and less computing power. Smaller keyboards can be more difficult to operate. There is no sharp line of demarcation between netbooks and inexpensive small laptops; some 11.6" models are marketed as netbooks. Since netbooks, compared to laptops, are quite small in size, CDs cannot be used in these computers.

Tablet PC : these have touch screens. There are "convertible tablets" with a full keyboard where the screen rotates to be used atop the keyboard, and "slate" form-factor machines which are usually touch-screen only (although a few older models feature very small keyboards along the sides of the screen.)

Rugged : Engineered to operate in tough conditions (mechanical shocks, extreme temperatures, wet and dusty nvironments).

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OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH1) To Study consumer buying behavior with respect to laptop

as product.

2) To Study various factors which consider by the consumer before buying laptop.

3) To Study various factors which consider by the consumer at the time of purchasing of laptop.

4) To Study post purchase behavior of consumer related to laptop.

5) To Study the importance of consumer buying behavior.

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SCOPE OF RESEARCH

1. In this project all researched information are collected form only current students of IMS, Ahmednagar.

2. The students from whom we collected the information were related to the Pune university affiliated courses.

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RESEARCH DESIGN

1) Problem statement :-

The research is to be done on, “consumer buying behavior “with respect to consumer buying behavior for laptop.

2)Type of data : -

In this research the primary data is used. A set of questionnaire is prepared and filled for further analysis

3)Sources of data:-

There are two sources of data i.e. internal and external. For this research the external data is used i.e. internet, magazine etc.

4)Data collection method:-

There are five data collection methods for collecting various data. For collecting the data with regards to consumer buying behavior in case of laptop, the survey method was used in which the questionnaire was designed and got filled from various students of IMS for making analysis.

5)Research instrument:-

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In this research the questionnaire was used as a research instrument for collecting the data with respect to consumer buying behavior.

6)Sampling plan:- The sampling method was used for research. The samples were selected from the population by using random sampling method i.e. the students were randomly selected by lottery method.

7)Tools for data analysis:- Various statistical and financial tools were used for data analysis. For this research we used graphs, pie-charts, tables,etc.

LIMITATION OF Research

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1) Due to insufficient time sufficient information data was not collected.

2) Primary data collection is time consuming & costly.

3) Some time student not filling questioners with proper attention.

4) The area in which we carry out the rearch was limited i.e. only IMS college. And because of that data collected was so limited.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Q.1 Do you own a laptop?

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a) YES

b) NO

INTERPRETATION:- Out of 50 students of IMS 47 students having their own laptop, it means the no. of students who having laptop is more i.e. 94%.

Q.2 which company laptop do you have?

HP 14%

LENOVO 10%

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DELL 40%

ACCER 10%

OTHERS 6%

INTERPRETATION:- The no. of students having DELL companies LAPTOP is higher than the other companies i.e. HP, LENOVO, ACCER etc. and out of 50 students 20 student have DELL LAPTOP.

Q3. What was the purpose of buying a laptop? A. The purpose for which the student buys the laptop is mainly:

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Entertainment Education Project work Personal use Office use

As per the information we collected from students through questionnaire is that about 50% of students use it for the sake of entertainment i.e. for internet work, movies ,etc and 20% students buy it for education, 15% for project work, 10% for personal use and 5% for office use.

Q4. From which source did you collect the information about the laptop?

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There are various sources from where we collected

the information about laptop. Some of them are

magazines, brochures, friends, relatives and most

important source is internet for gathering information about

anything.

Q5. What expectations did you have before buying the laptop?

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There are so many expectations of a consumer before buying a laptop. Some of them are as follows:

a). First thing that comes to the mind of a consumer is less cost and more functionality.

b). A laptop should have unique features, user friendly and good quality.

c). A laptop should have good battery backup and good storage capacity.

d). A laptop should have current updated features.

Q.6 Customer preferences regarding laptop?

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INTERPRETATION-

While purchasing laptop students gives more importance to the battery backup and hard disk memory while brand name and price is less important than the battery backup and hard disk memory and color of laptop is somewhat important.

Q.7 Range of your laptop?21

25000-30000 12%30001-35000 51%35001-40000 33%

40001 & above 4%

INTERPRETATION-

The percentage of buying laptop within the range of 30001-35000 i.e. 51% is higher than other ranges while the percentage of buying laptop within the range of 40001& above is very less i.e. 4%.

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Q.8 Which colors of laptop do you have?

Black 55%

Pink 10%

Grey 15%

Blue 14%

Others 6%

INTERPRETATION-

Most of the students give more preference to the black colour in laptop as compare to other colors i.e. pink, gray, blue etc.

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Q.9 When did you buy laptop?

The laptops were introduced long back, but it’s use

increased in the past few years. This is due to the

emergence of rapid industrialization and the growing

importance of IT sector. The increasing demand for

laptops, has decreased the demand for desktops.

From the year 2007 to 2011, this product has

experienced great rise in its sale, in comparison to the

sale of year 2007, the years 2010 and 2011 have proved

to be more advantageous to this product. Its unique

features like- easy to carry, battery backup etc, makes it a

most desirable product.

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10) What accessories did you get with your laptop?

Most laptop companies are providing their

customers with a variety of accessories, along with the

laptops. They give accessories such as- charger, warranty

card, free antivirus … etc.

These accessories have also helped in attracting

new customers.

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Q.11 What post purchase services did you get?

Post purchase services are another factor, which has

enhanced the sale of laptops. The companies provide

various post paid services like- free formatting, battery

replacement, warranty,….etc.

These services helps in the smooth functioning of

the laptops and the companies can get consumer

satisfaction, which in turn helps in spreading a good word

about that particular company.

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Q.12 How much hours of battery backup did you get in your laptop?

BATTERY BACKUP PERCENTAGE

1hr. or less than 1hr. 17%

1hr. – 2hrs. 21 %

2hrs. – 3hrs. 55%

3hrs & more than 3hrs. 7%

INTERPRETATION:- Most of the laptop gives the 2 to 3 hours battery backup i.e. 55%, and the no. of laptop which gives 3 hrs and more battery backup is very less i.e. only 5%.

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13) Did you face any problem in laptop? If yes, which?

There are 60% respondents who have not faced

any problem with respect of their laptop. And there are

respondents who have faced various problems regarding

their laptop such as ‘Battery Backup’ According to them it

was not up to the mark. Some of them faced problem of

screen.

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Q.14) Are you satisfied with your laptop?

Almost every respondent seems to be satisfied

with their laptops. Their percentage is almost 95%; only

5% respondents are not satisfied with their laptops.

Q.15) Your suggestions, if any?

Respondents have suggested that laptop should have

more battery backup. Screen should be clear & visible

from various angles.

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FINDINNGS

1. Findings with respect to consumer buying behavior for laptop

out of the total population 94% students own the laptop

out of total laptop market 63% of market share is captured by DELL computers.

2.Findings of factors considered before buying a laptop

It is found that while purchasing laptop students give more importance to battery backup and hard disk memory

Color, brand name and price are given somewhat important

3.Findings of factors considered at time of purchases of laptop.

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It is found that that consumer generally consider configurations, features, colors and price range of laptop .

4.Findings with respect to post-purchase behavior

Most of the respondents get generally one year guarantee or warranty of laptop.

Customers are satisfied with the after sales services.

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SUGGESTION

1. Company should provide more battery backup hours.

2. Company should provide all necessary accessories such as pen drive, head-phones, USB chord etc

3. Company should give importance to more visible screen

4. Company should provide wide range of colors in laptop

5. LENOVO, ACCER and OTHERS computer company should try to increase the market share.

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APPENDIX

# QUESTIONNAIRE ON LAPTOP - Name-:Stream-:

1)Do you own a laptop? YES: NO:

2)Which company laptop do you have?…………………………………………………………………………………………………...................

3)What was the purpose of buying the laptop?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4) From which source did you collect the information about the laptop?(Internet, Friends, Brochures, ………etc)………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5) What expectations did you have before buying the laptop?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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6)Please tick your preferences

particulars Extremelyimportant

Very important

Important Some what important

Not at all important

ColorPriceBrand nameBattery back upH/d memory

7) Range of your laptop?a) 25000-30000 b) 30001-35000c) 35001-40000 d) 40001 & above

8) Which color of laptop do you have?Black Pink. Blue

Grey. Others

9) When did you buy laptop? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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10) What accessories did you get with your laptop?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

11) What post purchase services did you get?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

12) How much hours of battery backup did you get in your laptop?

1hr. or less than 1hr. 1hr. – 2hrs. 2hrs. – 3hrs. 3hrs & more than 3hrs.

13) Did you face any problem in your laptop? If yes, which?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

14) Are you satisfied with your laptop?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

15) Your suggestions, if any?

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Marketing Management – Philip Kotler

Marketing Management – Ramaswamay

Research Methodology – C.R.Kothari

www.Google.co.com

www.wikepidea.com

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