A

PROJECT REPORT
ON

UNDERSTANDING BUYER BEHAVIOUR WITH REFRENCE TO PRINT MEDIA IN

ALMORA REGION

SUBMITTED TO:
KUMAUN UNIVERSITY NAINITAL
FOR THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE
OF
MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
FROM
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
(BHIMTAL)

SUPERVISED BY:
BY:

SUBMITTED BY:
BY:

Dr. NEELAM PANDEY

GARIMA NEGI
MBA IV SEM
ROLL NO 01264610029
ENROLL NO KU0961230

STUDENTS DECLARATION

I GARIMA NEGI hereby declares that the winter project report entitled understanding Buyer Behaviour
With Reference To Print Media in Almora region being submitted to Department of Management Studies Bhimtal,
Kumaun University, Nainital is my original work and the analysis and findings are for academic purpose only. This project
has not been presented in any seminar or submitted elsewhere for the award of any degree or diploma.

Counter Signed By
(Dr. NEELAM PANDEY)

GARIMA NEGI

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

An endeavour over a period can be successful only with the advice and support of well-wishers. I take this
opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation to all those who encouraged me to complete this project.
I express my profound and sincere thanks to Dr. NEELAM PANDEY who acted as a mariners compass
and steered me throughout my project voyage through his excellent guidance and constant inspiration.
I also extend my hearty thanks to all the faculty members of DEPARTMENT OF MNAGEMENT
STUDIES for their support and guidance.

Thanks to the almighty god for keeping me strong with high spirit till the end of the project.
Last but not the least; I am grateful to my parents for providing me opportunity to be a part of such
reputed institute & generous consent to undertake this project

INDEX
Content

Declaration

Acknowledgement

CHAPTER 1 (INTRODUCTION)
1.1 Industry Profile
1.2 Theoretical Background

CHAPTER 2 (LITRATURE REVIEW)

2.1 Literature Review

CHAPTER 3 (OBJECTIVES & RESEARCH MEHODOLOGY)

3.1 Objective of the study

3.2 Research Methodology
3.2 (1)Scope
(1)Scope of study
3.2(2)Limitation
3.2(2)Limitation of study

CHAPTER 4 (DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION)

4.1 Data analysis

CHAPTER 5 ( CONCLUSION)
5.1 Finding
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Bibliography
5.4 Annexure

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

INDUSTRY PROFILE
History of print media industry
Print Media, as anyone can understand is one of the most important factors coming through in the way a nation
works. Newspapers, magazines, books etc. are ready by a lot of people and are certainly one of the most trusted
mediums of National and International News.
India has a vast array of Print Media with Thousands of Magazines and Newspapers in circulation. Top Notch
Journalism, great reporting, press unity and a very strong network is what makes Print Media so much of a
success even today in the age of Television and the Internet. It is also said that Print Media also helped literacy
and undoubtedly the General Knowledge of the average person in India.
The good thing about Indian Print media is that any Bias of any sort is quickly subsided, therefore impartial
reporting is a major feature of the Indian Print Media. The news you get through these outlets cannot be any truer.
The newspaper with the largest Circulation in India is Dainik Jagran, having near about Two million readers.
Next comes Times of India, an English newspaper, followed by Dainik Bhaskar, another Hindi Newspaper.
India has a lot of regional newspapers and magazines as well in a lot of languages. Therefore there is something
out there for everyone to read! This section is dedicated to the Indian Print media with articles on Newspapers,

Magazines, Controversies and opinions related to them etc. We hope you have a good time browsing through.
Please let us know of any suggestions you may have through our contact page.
The Media in India enjoys a great amount of freedom and is therefore flourishing. Whole new segments are
opening up for this Rs 10,000 crore industry. Perhaps the most significant possibility is in India emerging as a
back-end destination for digitising television and film content as well as managing video servers for global
companies in the pay-per-view TV market. The previous year has been a landmark year for television
broadcasting. Many new news channels like the two from NDTV and one each from TV Today and Star were
launched. Television viewers were to enjoy much more freedom in metros with the rollout of Conditional Access
System, which was quietly introduced in Chennai, but trouble was just round the corner. In Chennai there are
very few customers for channels in languages other than Tamil and all Tamil Channels are free to air. As a result
there was no objection, only people did not go for the top box. Delhi however has been a different story what
with CAS being first put off, then implemented and then the total confusion on its status. The launch of a choice
private FM radio stations has got the metro residents hooked on to the otherwise almost obsolete radio service.
Lots of multiplexes opened across the country and many more are on the pipeline. Overseas studios were bullish
on producing. Piracy however, continued to bother the Indian film and music industry. The Internet continues to
grow.

EARLY YEARS OF THE PRINTING MEDIA:Acta Diuna (Journal of the day) was the earliest known journal. It is a handwritten news bulletin distributed in the
Forum Romanum. This was in the 1st century B.C during the time of Julius Caesar.
The first printed newspaper appeared in Peiking (Beijing) in the 8th century A.D. The Chinese did the printing
using separate wooden block for type, which could be used over and over again. The Koreans also followed the
Chinese. Printing ink and paper were developed in china and Egypt.
Egypt. But the whole process of printing had a
stunted growth in Asia
Europeans, on the other hand, used the new process on large scale. They benefited from the popularization of
printing, which led to the advent of affordable books & popular newspaper. This also led to the democratization
of communication.
Printing led to the third major revolution in communication,
communication, the first having been the development of human
speech some 35,000 years ago and second the art of representing sound in written form using an alphabet. With
the spread of printing, libraries and schools sprang up. Books, libraries and higher education-all these led to
major political, socioeconomic and cultural changes in Europe.
The new modes of agricultural and mechanical production, migration of people from rural areas to industrial
towns, rapid changes in social and cultural life and scientific and technological led to new methods of
communication among people. Democratization of communication meant strengthening of democratic idea.
Political democracy led to economic democracy and social reorganization.
In all this, the newsletter produced in various sizes and at different frequencies played an influential role in
Germany, Holland, France and England during 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

By the early 18th century, political leaders realized how powerful an instrument the periodicals were for
spreading ideas.
ideas. Many of them began to produce their own papers to propagate their ideas and influence people
such as the Whigs and Tories in England. A new force was detected in society, namely, the force of public
opinion. Consequently, the journalism of the period was largely political in nature and thus the impression,
justifiable to a great extent, was created that journalism was an adjunct of politics.
Avisa Relation Oder zeitung was the first regular printed newspaper of Europe which commenced publication in
1615. Weekly News was the first newspaper of England that lasted from 1622 to 1641. The next paper there was
a fortnight, the Daily Courant that started publication in 1702.
The first printing press in the Americas was established in South America by Juan Pablos, a Spanish printer, in
1539.
1539.
Boston, capital of the Massachusetts colony became an active centre of printing in the 17th century. The Puritans
imported the first printing press to New England in 1638 to supply printed materials to Harvard College.
The very first newspaper in the US was Public Occurrences-Foreign and Domestic, published by Benjamin
Harris, a bookseller in Boston, in 1690.
1690. Harris could not continue publication as he was imprisoned by the British
authorities for printing without prior consent. Then came another news paper, the Boston Newsletter in 1704.
James Franklin, brother of Benjamin Franklin, published the New England Courant in 1721.
Famous English essayists such as Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Dr Samuel Johnson and others either
contributed essays to their own publications or to periodicals published by other. They wrote contemporary issues
besides literary topics. Across the Atlantic, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Pain, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander
Hamilton and other had contributed.
The Glorious Revolution in England (1688), The American Revolution (1775-76) and The French Revolution
(1789) owe much to the radical and rational thoughts of people such as theme, Locke the Pitts, Robespierre,
Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, Jefferson, Franklin, Paine and Hamilton etc.

WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN INDIA DURING THE EARLY CENTURIES?

Emperor Asokas pillar inscriptions and rock edicts in different parts of the Mauryan Empire during 3rd century
B.C are considered examples of imperial political communication to the informed and literate section of the
population.
population. Ashoka used the Prakrit language in his communication on ethics and morals as evidence by his
inscriptions.
The learning languages were confined to high casts, the aristocracy, priests, army personnel and landowners.
Another feature of communication in ancient India was the emphasis placed on oral and aural systems. Writing
was done on palm leaves using a style, but the written documents were considered too scared to be touched or
used by the lower classes. The ruling class used certain methods for coding, transmitting and decoding messages
secretly through the network of spies to information about neighboring enemies.

According to historians of journalism, news was collected in a well-organized manner under Akbar the Great. In
1574, Akbar established a recording office that helped later medieval historians to gather materials for chronicles.
FIRST PRINTING PRESS IN INDIA:INDIA:The first printing press arrived in India on 6th September 1556 and was installed at the college of St.Paul in Goa.
THE FIRST INDIAN NEWSPAPER:ER:First printed newspaper of India was in English edited and published by James Augustus Hicky, an employee of
East India Company. It was named Bengal Gazette which came out on 29th January 1780. Soon many other
weeklies & monthlies such as Indian Gazette, Calcutta Journal, Bengal Harakaru, John Bull in the East came out
during the 17th & 18th century.
THE MAJOR INDIAN LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER:NEWSPAPER:Digdarshan was the first Indian language newspaper.
newspaper. It started in April 1818 by the Serampur missionaries
William Carcy, Joshua Marshman and William Ward. They soon started another journal in June of the same year
& named it Samachar Darpan. The famous Raja Ram Mohan Roy also brought out periodicals in English,
Bengali & Persian. Some of Roys papers were Sambad Kaumadi, Brahmical Magazine, Mirat-ul-Akhbar, and
Bangadoota & Bengal Herald .
Assamese:Assamese:Amnodaya, a distinguished journal in the Assamese language was started in 1846 under the editorship of the Rev.
Oliver.T.Cutter.
Gujarathi:Gujarathi:The newspaper with the greatest longevity in India, Mumbai Samachar was also the first Gujarati Newspaper. It
was established in 1822 by Farduvji Marzaban as a weekly and then became a daily in 1832.
Hindi:Hindi:The first Hindi daily was samachar Sudhavarshan (Calcutta, 1854). Later Samayadant Martand, Banaras Akhbar,
Shimila Akbar and Malwa Akhbar came out.
Calcutta was the birth place not only of English, Bengali and Hindi journalism. The first Urdu newspaper was
published by Urdu Akhbar in the second decade of the 19th century.
Kannada:Kannada:Kannada Samachar was the earliest Kannada journal, according to many scholars. But others think that the first
Kannada journal was Mangaloora Samachar. Later Subudhi Prakasha, Kannada Vaatika, Amnodaya,
Mahilaasakhi and Sarvamitra came out during the 18th century.
Malayalam:Malayalam:-

Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kanmudi are the main newspapers of Kerala. The other daily
newspapers are Desabhimani, Mangalam, Madhyamam, Chandrika, Deepika etc.
Marathi:Marathi:Darpan was the first Marathi newspaper started on 6 January 1832. Kesari and Sudarak were other papers of the
18th century. Induprakash was an Anglo- Marathi daily established in 1862.
Oriya:Oriya:The first Oriya magazine Junaruna was published by the Orissa Mission Press in 1849 under the editorship of
Charles Lacey. Then came another publication from the same press Prabhatchandrika, under the editorship of
William Lacey. Utkal Sahitya, Bodhadayini, Balasore Sambad Balika etc. started in the 18th century.
Punjabi:Punjabi:Although Maharaja Ranjit Singh encouraged the development of Punjabi journalism. The earliest Punjabi
newspaper was a missionary newspaper. The first printing press in Punjab was established in Ludhiana in 1809.
Tamil:Tamil:The first periodical Tamil Patrika a monthly was brought out in 1831 by the Religious Tract Society in Madras; it
lasted till 1833.
The next periodical weekly was the Dina Vartamani published in Madras from 1856 by the Dravidian press and
edited by the Reverend P.Percival. Later Swadeshamitran, Deshabaktan etc. were other papers.
Telugu:Telugu:Kandukuri Veeresaliongam Pantulu, known as the Father of the renaissance movement in Andhra and the founder
of modern Telugu, sparked a social reform movement through his weekly Vivekavardhini. He also founded
separate journals for women; Satihitabodhini.
Urdu:Urdu:Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan, a great educationist, judge and social reformer did much for the development of Urdu
journalism.

THE INDIAN PRESS AT INDEPENDENCE AND TODAY:TODAY:In 1947, the major English newspaper in India were the Times of India (Bombay), Statesman (Calcutta), Hindu
(Madras), Hindustan Times (New Delhi), Pioneer (Lucknow), Indian Express (Bombay and Madras) Amrita
Bazaar Patrika (Calcutta), National Herald (Lucknow), Mail (Madras) and Hitavada (Nagpur). Of these, the
Times of India, Statesman and Pioneer were under British ownership till 1964, when it came under a group of
Indian business.
During the long struggle for Indias Independence, the major English newspaper that served the national cause
were the Hindu (1878), Amrita Bazaar Patrika (1868), Bombay Chronicle (1913), Free Press Journal (1930, it
became Indian Express) and Hindustan Times (1924). Among the Indian language newspapers, the prominent
ones were Aaj (1920), Ananda bazaar Patrika (1922), Sakal (1931), Swadeshamitran (1882), Mumbai Smachar
(1822), Malayala Manorama (1890) and Mathrubhumi (1930).
Generally speaking, journalism is flourishing in India today. The Indian language newspapers have overtaken the
English newspapers in number and circulation. The highest circulation till the 1990s was enjoyed by the English
newspapers despite the fact that less than 5 percent of the population of India claim English as their mother
tongue. English is still the medium of instruction in colleges and many prominent schools. It is also the language
of administration, although state governments have introduced legislation in favor of local government.
Hindi newspapers have the largest total circulation in India. Hindi is the main language of 10 Indian states- Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand and Uttar
Pradesh.
Certain trends in communication and journalism throughout the modern world prompted several sociologists and
media experts to discuss the desirability of re-examining the trends in the light of basic issues. In other words,
back to the basics say the experts. This is where Gandhi becomes relevant. High technology is good, but if it does
not enable us to solve basic problems confronting the succeed in catering to the greed of a few to the exclusion of
the need of the many-as it has done through the recent decades and in all countries that experienced colonial
subjugation in the past.

Theoretical Background/ Operational Definition

Consumer Buying Behaviour
Definition of Buying Behaviour:

Buying Behaviour is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using products.
Need to understand:

Why consumers make the purchases that they make?

What factors influence consumer purchases?

The changing factors in our society.

Consumer Buying Behaviour refers to the buying behaviour of the ultimate consumer. A firm needs to analyze
buying behaviour for:

Buyers reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firms success.

The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix (MM) that satisfies (gives
utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the what, where, when and how consumers buy.

Marketers can better predict how consumers will respond to marketing strategies.

Stages of the Consumer Buying Process

Six Stages to the Consumer Buying Decision Process (For complex decisions). Actual purchasing is only one
stage of the process. Not all decision processes lead to a purchase. All consumer decisions do not always include
all 6 stages, determined by the degree of complexity...discussed next.
The 6 stages are:
1.

Problem Recognition (awareness of need)--difference

need)--difference between the desired state and the actual
condition. Deficit in assortment of products. Hunger--Food. Hunger stimulates your need to eat. Can be
stimulated by the marketer through product information--did not know you were deficient? I.E., see a
commercial for a new pair of shoes, stimulates your recognition that you need a new pair of shoes.

2.

Information search-o

Internal search, memory.

External search if you need more information. Friends and relatives (word of mouth). Marketer
dominated sources; comparison-shopping; public sources etc.

A successful information search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives, the evoked set.
set.

3.

Evaluation of Alternatives--need
Alternatives--need to establish criteria for evaluation, features the buyer wants or does not
want. Rank/weight alternatives or resume search. May decide that you want to eat something spicy, indian
gets

highest

rank

etc.

If not satisfied with your choice then return to the search phase. Can you think of another restaurant?
Look in the yellow pages etc. Information from different sources may be treated differently. Marketers try
to influence by "framing" alternatives.
4.

Purchase decision--Choose
decision--Choose buying alternative, includes product, package, store, method of purchase etc.

5.

Purchase--May
Purchase--May differ from decision, time lapse between 4 & 5, product availability.

6.

Post-Purchase Evaluation--outcome:
Evaluation--outcome: Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction. Cognitive Dissonance,
Dissonance, have you
made the right decision. This can be reduced by warranties, after sales communication etc. After eating an
Indian meal, may think that really you wanted a Chinese meal instead.

Types of Consumer Buying Behaviour

Types of consumer buying behaviour are determined by:

Level of Involvement in purchase decision. Importance and intensity of interest in a product in a

particular situation.

Buyers level of involvement determines why he/she is motivated to seek information about a certain
products and brands but virtually ignores others.

High involvement purchases--Honda Motorbike, high priced goods, products visible to others, and the higher the
risk the higher the involvement. Types of risk:

Personal risk

Social risk

Economic risk

The four type of consumer buying behaviour are:

Routine Response/Programmed Behaviour--buying low involvement frequently purchased low cost items;
need very little search and decision effort; purchased almost automatically. Examples include soft drinks,
snack foods, milk etc.

Limited Decision Making--buying product occasionally. When you need to obtain information about
unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category, perhaps. Requires a moderate amount of time for
information gathering. Examples include Clothes--know product class but not the brand.

Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement, unfamiliar, expensive and/or infrequently bought
products. High degree of economic/performance/psychological risk. Examples include cars, homes,
computers,

education.

Spend

lot

of

time

seeking

information

and

deciding.

Information from the companies MM; friends and relatives, store personnel etc. Go through all six stages
of the buying process.

Impulse buying, no conscious planning.

The purchase of the same product does not always elicit the same Buying Behaviour. Product can shift from one
category to the next. For example: Going out for dinner for one person may be extensive decision making (for
someone that does not go out often at all), but limited decision making for someone else. The reason for the
dinner, whether it is an anniversary celebration, or a meal with a couple of friends will also determine the extent
of the decision making.

Categories that Effect the Consumer Buying Decision Process

A consumer, making a purchase decision will be affected by the following three factors:
1.

Personal

2.

Psychological

3.

Social

The marketer must be aware of these factors in order to develop an appropriate MM for its target market.

Personal
Unique to a particular person. Demographic Factors. Sex, Race, Age etc. Who in the family is responsible for the
decision making? Young people purchase things for different reasons than older people.

Psychological factors
Psychological factors include:

Motives-A motive is an internal energizing force that orients a person's activities toward satisfying a need or
achieving a goal. Actions are effected by a set of motives, not just one. If marketers can identify motives
then they can better develop a marketing mix.

MASLOW hierarchy of needs!!

o

Physiological

Safety

Love and Belonging

Esteem

Self Actualization

Need to determine what level of the hierarchy the consumers are at to determine what motivates their
purchases.

Perception
What do you see?? Perception is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information inputs
to produce meaning. IE we chose what info we pay attention to, organize it and interpret it. Information
inputs are the sensations received through sight, taste, hearing, smell and touch.

Selective Exposure-select
Exposure-select inputs to be exposed to our awareness. More likely if it is linked to an event,
satisfies current needs, intensity of input changes (sharp price drop).
Selective Distortion-Changing/twisting
Distortion-Changing/twisting current received information, inconsistent with beliefs.
Advertisers that use comparative advertisements (pitching one product against another), have to be very
careful that consumers do not distort the facts and perceive that the advertisement was for the competitor.
Selective

Retention-Remember
Retention-Remember

inputs

that

support

beliefs,

forgets

those

that

don't.

Average supermarket shopper is exposed to 17,000 products in a shopping visit lasting 30 minutes-60% of
purchases are unplanned. Exposed to 1,500 advertisements per day. Can't be expected to be aware of all
these inputs, and certainly will not retain many. Interpreting information is based on what is already
familiar, on knowledge that is stored in the memory.

Ability and Knowledge-Need to understand individuals capacity to learn. Learning, changes in a person's behaviour caused by
information and experience. Therefore to change consumers' behaviour about your product, need to give
them new information re: product...free sample etc.
When

making

buying

decisions,

buyers

must

process

information.

Knowledge is the familiarity with the product and expertise.

Inexperience buyers often use prices as an indicator of quality more than those who have knowledge of a
product.
Learning is the process through which a relatively permanent change in behavior results from the
consequences of past behavior.

Attitudes--

Knowledge and positive and negative feelings about an object or activity-maybe tangible or intangible,
living or non- living.....Drive perceptions
Individual

learns

attitudes

through

experience

and

interaction

with

other

people.

Consumer attitudes toward a firm and its products greatly influence the success or failure of the firm's
marketing strategy.
Attitudes and attitude change are influenced by consumers personality and lifestyle.
Consumers screen information that conflicts with their attitudes. Distort information to make it consistent
and selectively retain information that reinforces our attitudes. IE brand loyalty.
There is a difference between attitude and intention to buy (ability to buy).

Social Factors

Consumer wants, learning, motives etc. are influenced by opinion leaders, person's family, reference groups,
social class and culture.

Opinion leaders-Spokespeople etc. Marketers try to attract opinion leaders...they actually use (pay) spokespeople to market
their products. Michael Jordon (Nike, McDonalds, Gatorade etc.) Can be risky...Michael Jackson...OJ
Simpson...Chevy Chase

Reference Groups

Individual identifies with the group to the extent that he takes on many of the values, attitudes or
behaviours of the group members.
Families, friends, sororities, civic and professional organizations. Any group that has a positive or
negative

influence

on

persons

attitude

and

behavior.

Membership groups (belong to) Affinity marketing is focused on the desires of consumers that belong to
reference groups. Marketers get the groups to approve the product and communicate that approval to its
members. Credit Cards etc.!!

Aspiration groups (want to belong to) Disassociate groups (do not want to belong to) Honda, tries to
disassociate from the "biker" group.
The degree to which a reference group will affect a purchase decision depends on an individuals
susceptibility to reference group influence and the strength of his/her involvement with the group.

Culture and Sub-culture-Culture refers to the set of values, ideas, and attitudes that are accepted by a homogenous group of people
and transmitted to the next generation.
Culture also determines what is acceptable with product advertising. Culture determines what people
wear, eat, reside and travel. Cultural values in the US are good health, education, individualism and
freedom. In american culture time scarcity is a growing problem. IE change in meals. Big impact on
international marketing.
o

Geographic regions

Human characteristics such as age and ethnic background.

Culture effects what people buy, how they buy and when they buy.
Understanding Consumer Buying Behaviour offers consumers greater satisfaction (Utility). We must assume that
the company has adopted the Marketing Concept and are consumer oriented.

Types of Consumer Purchase Decisions

Consumers are faced with purchase decisions nearly every day. But not all decisions are treated the same. Some
decisions are more complex than others and thus require more effort by the consumer. Other decisions are failry
routine and require little effort. In general, consumers face four types of purchase decisions:

Minor New Purchases these purchases represent something new to a consumer but in the customers
mind is not a very important purchase in terms of need, money or other reason (e.g., status within a
group).

Minor Re-Purchases these are the most routine of all purchases and often the consumer returns to
purchase the same product without giving much thought to other product options (i.e., consumer is brand
loyalty).

Major New Purchases these purchases are the most difficult of all purchases because these are
important to the consumer but the consumer has little or no previous experience making the purchase

AND is important. This type of decision often (but not always) requires the consumer to engage in an
extensive decision-making process.

Major Re-Purchase - these purchase decisions are also important to the customer but the customer feels
more confident in making the decision since they have experienced purchasing the product in the past.

For marketers it is important to understand how consumers treat the purchase decisions they face. If a company
is targeting customers who feel a purchase decision is difficult (i.e., Major New Purchase), their marketing
strategy may vary greatly from a company targeting customers who view the purchase decision as routine. In
fact, the same company may face both situations at the same time; for some the product is new, while other
customers see the purchase as routine. The implication of buying behavior for marketers is that different buying
situations require different marketing efforts.

CHAPTER 2

Literature Review
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 (Kotler and Keller, 2012).
Another view suggests that understanding consumer behaviour has become crucial especially due to fierce
competition in retail industry in the UK and worldwide (Lancaster et al, 2002). This chapter will introduce some
other areas of research background of consumer behaviour addressing the works of researchers and marketers.
Moreover, consumer decision making process, in particular, five stages of consumer decision making process will
be discussed in detail.
It is worth noting that consumer buying behaviour is studied as a part of the marketing and its main objective it to
learn the way how the individuals, groups or organizations choose, buy use and dispose the goods and the factors
such as their previous experience, taste, price and branding on which the consumers base their purchasing
decisions (Kotler and Keller, 2012).
One of such studies of consumer buying behaviour has been conducted by Acebron et al (2000). 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.
Another study conducted by Variawa (2010) analyzed the influence of packaging on consumer decision making
process for Fast Moving Consumer Goods. The aim of the research was to analyze the impact of packaging for
decision making processes of low-income consumers in retail shopping. A survey method has been used in order
to reach the research objectives. In a survey conducted in Star Hyper in the town of Canterville 250 respondents
participated. The findings of the research indicate that low-income consumers have more preferences towards
premium packaging as this can also be re-used after the product has been consumed. Although the findings
indicate that there is a weak relationship between the product packaging and brand experience. However, it has
been proven by the findings of the research that low-income consumers have greater brand experience from the
purchase of premium products when compared to their experience from purchasing cheap brand products.
Lee (2005) carried out study to learn the five stages of consumer decision making process in the example of
China. The researcher focuses on the facts that affect the consumer decision making process on purchasing
imported health food products, in particular demographic effects such as gender, education, income and marital
status. The author employed questionnaire method in order to reach the objectives of the research. Analysis of
five stages of consumer decision making process indicate that impact of family members on the consumer
decision making process of purchasing imported health food products was significant.
The author further explains this by the fact Chinese tradition of taking care of young and old family members
have long been developed and marriage is considered to be extremely important in Chinese tradition. This reflects
in the findings of the study that the purchase of imported health food products made by a person for the people
outside the family is declined significantly by both male and female Chinese after they get married.
Five Stages Model of consumer decision making process has also been studied by a number of other researchers.
Although different researchers offer various tendencies towards the definitions of five stages, all of them have
common views as they describe the stages in similar ways. One of the common models of consumer decision
making process has been offered by Blackwell et al (2006). According to him, the five stages of consumer
decision making process are followings: problem/need recognition, information search, evaluation of
alternatives, purchase decision made and post-purchase evaluation.
Each stage is then defined by a number of researchers varying slightly but leading to a common view about what
each stage involves. For example, according to Bruner (1993) first stage, need recognition occurs when an
individual recognizes the difference between what they have and what they want/need to have. This view is also

supported by Neal and Questel (2006) stating that need recognition occurs due to several factors and
circumstances such as personal, professional and lifestyle which in turn lead to formation of idea of purchasing.
In the next stage, consumer searches information related to desired product or service (Schiff man and Kanuk,
2007). Information search process can be internal and external. While internal search refers to the process where
consumers rely on their personal experiences and believes, external search involves wide search of information
which includes addressing the media and advertising or feedbacks from other people (Rose and Samouel, 2009).
Once the relevant information about the product or service is obtained the next stage involves analyzing the
alternatives. Kotler and Keller (2005) consider this stage as one of the important stages as the consumer considers
all the types and alternatives taking into account the factors such as size, quality and also price.
Backhaus et al (2007) suggested that purchase decision is one of the important stages as this stage refers to
occurrence of transaction. In other words, once the consumer recognized the need, searched for relevant
information and considered the alternatives he/she makes decision whether or not to make the decision.
Purchasing decision can further be divided into planned purchase, partially purchase or impulse purchase as
stated by Kacen (2002) which will be discussed further in detail in the next chapters.
Finally, post-purchase decision involves experience of the consumer about their purchase. Although the
importance of this stage is not highlighted by many authors Neal et al (2004) argues that this is perhaps one of the
most important stages in the consumer decision making process as it directly affects the consumers purchases of
the same product or service from the same supplier in the future.
The most noteworthy writers that serve as academic advocates of The Five Stage Model of consumer decision
making include Tyagi (2004), Kahle and Close (2006) Blackwell et al. (2006), and others.
It is important to note that The Five Stage Model is not the only model related to consumer decision-making, and
there are also a range of competing models that include Stimulus-Organism-Response Model of Decision Making
developed by Hebb in 1950s, Prescriptive Cognitive Models, The Theory of Trying (Bagozzi and Warsaw, 1990),
Model of Goal Directed Behaviour (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001) and others. All of these models are analysed in
great detail in Literature Review chapter of this work.

CHAPTER 3
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The objective of the study is to understand the consumer buyers behaviour regarding the purchase of
magazines.

It also seeks out to understand various factors( e.g price,contents and offer) regarding the preference of
buyers towards a particular brand/ publisher.l

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Action Plan of the study
The action plan for the study consisted of step by step procedure. It started with problem recognition i.e. less
efficient sales process- that took more and more time to convert follow ups into a final order, thus a research was
conducted to find out consumer buying behaviour. Then with the help of questionnaire survey method, a small
sample size of 50 was taken and a survey was done randomly in the local Kumaun region.

Research Methodology adopted:

Survey method using questionnaire.
Source of data:
In the research both primary and secondary data collection techniques have been used
Primary Data:
The questionnaire is used and the data has been collected from the respondents.
Secondary Data:
It is collected for literature review purpose wherein the use of internet and other magazines has been done.
Descriptive Research:
The research is a descriptive research where in the study of taste and preferences of the consumers towards the
various magazines available in the market are done.
Population:
The population for the research was Kumaun Region.
Sample size:
The 50 responses were analyzed. The responses have been taken from the local region.
Tools:
Pie charts and bar graphs are used

SCOPE OF STUDY
It was very important to find out the reason why India Today captured the major portion of the market, even after
Outlook has been segmenting its magazine for every kind of mass. So in order to maintain its market leader
position the organization needs to have a competitive advantage over other which it can achieve by being
efficient enough to delivery in a short span of time. They are spread worldwide and looking at the growth
potential in India, they are also willing to develop manufacturing facilities at various locations as well in the
future.

LIMITATION OF STUDY

This study could not cover wide geographical area, so, it cannot be fully credible.

It was a time consuming and lengthy process.

It does not precisely convey information about consumer behaviour and leaves a further scope of research.

CHAPTER 4

LIST OF GRAPHS

S.NO.

GRAPHS

1.

What kind of magazines people read

2.

What brand magazines do people generally prefer

3.

What contents do you exactly look for into a magazine

4.

Cost range that people prefer

5.

What attracts you most towards the magazine

6.

Who/what influences you the purchase decision

7.
a.
b.
c.

Rating of magazines on the basis of the following attributes

Price
Contents
Offers

DATA INTERPRETATION & ANALYSIS

Efficiency assessment of the process is based on the inputs from the responses of all persons concerned with the
sales terms of time taken in ach and every step of the process be it, finalizing the specifications or negotiation or
signing of proposal. The following are the analysis done on basis of the 50 respondents.

1. What kind of magazines do you read?

Technology; 8%
Sports; 10%

Business; 31%

Politics; 2%

General; 33%

Fashion; 13%
health; 2%

Interpretation:
It was found that majority of the people i.e. 33% read general magazines and business related magazines, whereas
health and politics being the least choice of people.

2.Which brand magazines do you generally prefer?

Any

AutoCar

India today

Sports Star

Business World

Cosmopolitan

Digit

femina

Filmfare

Forbes

General

IndiaTimes

Outlook

Reader Digest

Sportstar

sportszone

Times

Times Now

Times Of India

Women Era

3%

3%

6%

6%

3%

6%

16%

3%
6%

3%

3%

6%
9%
3%

3%
3%
3% 3% 3%

6%

Interpretation:
The pie chart shows that India Today magazine is generally preferred mostly.

3.What contents do you exactly look for into a magazine

Business

Cars and Bikes

Case studies

Sports

Defence

Politics

Fashion

Technology

17%

Current affairs

7%
9%
11%

15%
7%
7%
7%

22%

Interpretation:
The pie chart shows that 22% of the total respondents look for current affairs in a magazine and 17% take
interests in technology related magazines.

4.What cost range do you prefer?

100-200; 2%
Rs50-100; 11%
Rs10-20; 17%

Rs.30-50; 36%

Rs 20-30; 34%

Interpretation:
The pie diagram shows that 36% of the people between the age group of 20-25 are interested to purchase
magazines between the cost price of Rs 30-50 and hold the major portion.

5.What attracts you most towards the magazine?

Cover Page; 17%

Content; 83%

Interpretation:
From the pie diagram it is confirmed that 83% of the respondent make their purchase decision according to the
contents in the magazine if at all they purchase magazines.

6.Who/what influences you the purchase decision?

My self; 5%

Colleagues; 16%

Peers; 16%

Family; 9%
Nobody; 7%
Mentor; 2%
Interest; 2%

Friends; 42%

Interpretation:
The pie charts shows that 42% of the people agree that they are influenced by their friends when they go to buy
or subscribes magazines.

7.Rating of magazines on the basis of the following attributes

Price
25
20
15
10
5
0

Excellent

Very good

Good

Fair

Offer
Excellent

very Good

16%

Good

fair

2% 12%

32%
38%

Poor

Poor

[Contents]

Fair; 4%
Good; 14%
Excellent; 38%

Very good; 44%

Interpretation:
From the diagram its seen that majority respondent out of 50 respondents have rated price and offer as good and
contents as very good.

CHAPTER 5

FINDINGS
From the following study, we find that

Buyers are generally interested in buying general category magazines covering every area of relevance

and interest
It is found out that buyers are more inclined to buying or subscribing India todays magazines because of

their brand image and their understanding of consumer needs.

People generally buy general affair magazines or technology related magazines as compared to other

areas.
A major portion of the population believes in spending an average of Rs. 50 on magazine purchase.
Buyers do not judge the magazines by the cover page and generally go for the content.
Major influence on people when they buy or subscribe a magazine is their friends.
Preference of buyers rated as
Contents
Offer
Price

CONCLUSION
The job of marketer is to meet and satisfy target customers needs and wants but knowing customer" is not a
simple task. Understanding the buying behaviour of the target market for its company products is the essential
task for the marketing dept. The job of the marketers is to think customer and to guide the company into
developing offers, which are meaningful and attractive to target customers and creating solutions that deliver
satisfaction to the customers, profits to customer and benefits to the stakeholders. Marketers must study the
customer taste, preferences, wants, shopping and buying behaviour because such study provides the clues for
developing the new products, price, product changes, messages and other marketing mix elements. Hence it is
very important that a company knows its consumers area of interests and develop product accordingly.

As the basis on which a business will try to sell its product is consumers preference and choice, I suggest the
following points to be considered

As majority of the population is interested in reading magazines of general interest, an ideal people

magazine should cover every sector that a buyer will like to know about.
I also suggest that an appropriate pricing strategy be adopted that ranges between Rs. 30- Rs. 50, so that

the common mass may get access to the current affairs and other topic of their choice.
Emphasis should be laid on the contents of the magazine rather than the cover.
Advertising will considerably help in raising the sales of the magazines as people are greatly influenced

by it.
As a whole package, a buyer will look for a magazine with relevant contents in a feasible price; I suggest
a publishing house should focus on this strategy to improve sales.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.icmrindia.org
www.managementparadise.com
www.consumerbehavior
.net
www.consumerbehavior.net
www.consumer
psychologist.com
www.consumerpsychologist.com
www.wikipedia
.org/wiki
wiki//Consumer behaviour
www.wikipedia.org/

Books:

Naresh Malhotra, Marketing research an Applied orientation

Engel, J.F.; Kollat, D.T. and Blackwell, R.D. (1968), Consumer Behavior,
Behavior, Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Foddy, W (2001), Constructing questions for interviews and questionnaires: Theory and practice in social
Research,
Research, Cambrifge University Press.

ANNEXTURE
1)

What kind of magazines do you read?

a) Technology b) Sports c) Politics d) General
e) Health

f) Fashion

g) Business

2) Which brand magazines do you generally prefer?

a) Any

b) Times group c) Readers Digest

d) New York Times e) Todays group f) General

3) What contents do you exactly look in a magazine?
a) Business b) Defence c) Cars and bikes d) Politics e) Case studies
f) Fashion g) Sports h) Technology i) Current affairs j) True stories
4) What cost range do you prefer?
a) 10-20

b) 20 -30 c) 30-50

d) 50-100

e) 100-200

5) What attracts you towards the magazine?

a) Cover Page

b) Content

6) What influences your purchase decision?

a) Myself

b) Peers c) Nobody d) Mentor

e) Interest

f) Friends g) Family

h) Colleague

7) Rating of magazines on the basis of the attributes

PRICE, OFFER and CONTENTS
a)

Excellent b) Very good c) Good

d) Fair

c) Poor