International Journal of Information Research and Review, July -2014

International Journal of Information Research and Review

Vol. 1, Issue, 1, pp. 018-021, July, 2014

Full Length Research Article

A STUDY ON CONSUMER ATTITUDE TOWARDS VARIOUS BRANDS OF BISCUITS IN
KARUR TOWN
*Prema, M.
Kandaswamy Kandars College P.Velur, Namakkal (Dt), Tamilnadu, India
ARTICLE INFO

ABSTRACT

Article History:

Consumer is one who will decide whether or not to buy a product. Marketers have to understand the
role of consumer in the market and work out marketing programmes accordingly. Consumer behavior
is defined as all psychological, social and physical behavior of all potential consumers as they become
aware of, evaluate, purchase, consume and tell others about products and services. Consumer behavior
is a part of human behavior Human behavior refers to the total process by which individuals interact
with their environment. Consumer behavior varies according to the type of product purchased.
Products are broadly classified as consumer and industrial goods.

Received 03rd April, 2014

Received in revised form
02nd May, 2014
Accepted 19th June, 2014
Published online 21st July, 2014

Keywords:
Marketers
Consumer behavior
Environment
Individuals
Product purchased

Copyright 2014 Prema, M. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

INTRODUCTION
Consumer is one who will decide whether or not to buy a
product. Marketers have to understand the role of consumer in
the market and work out marketing programs accordingly.
Consumer behavior is defined as all psychological, social and
physical behavior of all potential consumers as they become
aware of, evaluate, purchase, consume and tell others about
products and services. Consumer behavior is a part of human
behavior Human behavior refers to the total process by which
individuals interact with their environment. Consumer
behavior varies according to the type of product purchased.
Products are broadly classified as consumer and industrial
goods.
Statement of the Problem
This study is mainly concerned with the assessment of the
consumer buying behavior in respect of the purchase of various
brands of biscuits in Karur. The biscuit industry has made rapid
progress in recent years in India and several other developing
countries, successful attempts have been made to enrich
biscuits with proteins, minerals and vitamins.
*Corresponding author: Prema, M.
Kandaswamy Kandars College P.Velur, Namakkal (Dt), Tamilnadu,
India

Objectives of the Study

To identify the factors those influence the purchase of biscuits
To find out the buying attitude of the respondent.
To know the brand preference of biscuit consumers.
To assess the various features and nutritional information of
different brands of biscuits.
Review of Literature
Review of literature is essential for every researcher to carry on
the investigation successfully. A thorough review of literature
will expose the researcher to previous researches conducted,
their areas of study etc. Usha3 in her study focused to find the
consumers preference towards soft drinks. Percentage analysis
is used for data interpretation. She found that the awareness
about Pepsi is the most preferred brand. Coco-cola and slice
occupy the next two places.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study is based on both primary and secondary data. The
primary data were collected by issuing interview schedules to
biscuit consumers in karur town. The secondary data has been
collected from the books and websites connected with biscuits.

019

Prema, A study on consumer attitude towards various brands of biscuits in karur town

The data collected are analyzed with the help of statistical tools
and interpretations are drawn.

flavours-Standard & Elachi and live up to the Horlicks Promise

of Great taste and nourishment.

Sampling

IV Sunfeast Biscuits

For the purpose of the study, convenience sampling. Technique

was adopted. Because, the biscuit consumers are in numerable
and widely spread all over karur town.

Riding on the success of offerings in the Glucose, Marie and

Cream categories, ITC has recently enriched its Sunfeast range
of biscuits. The company has launched three new cream
flavours-coconunt, strawberry and pineapple. ITC has
pioneered the launch of coconut cream biscuits in India.

Analytical Tools Used

To facilitate better understanding of the study, the analysis is
amply supplemented by tables, graphs and pie-charts are
worked out for primary data collected
Limitations
The main limitations of this study are that information could
not be obtained from the entire population of the consumers.
Due to want of time and resources only.
The data are based on the schedule in which in formation was
given by the respondents from out of their memories. So there
will be chance or occurrence of error.
Company profile of biscuit industries
I Britannia
In 1892 to be precise, a biscuit company was started in a
nondescript house in Calcutta with the investment of Rs.295.
The company we all know as Britannia today.
Britannia Varities

Sunfeast Varities
SUNFEAST-MILKY MAGIC
SUNFEAST-SNACKY
SUNFEAST-BUTTER, CASHEW
CASHEW
SUNFEAST- SACHINS FIT KIT

AND

HONEY

&

V Dukes
Dukes foods ltd is in the business of manufacturing and
marketing processed foods, i.e. Biscuits, wafers, chocolates
and confectionery, which are distributed all across India. The
family-owned organization commenced operations in 1985 in
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India with confectionery, then
expanded into biscuits & chocolates in 1985.
Dukes Varities
DESIRE, MARIE BREAK
SALT KISS, CREAM MAGIC

BRITANNIA MILK BIKIS, BRITANNIA 50-50

BRITANNIA TIGER, BRITANNIA MARIE GOLD
BRITANNIA GOOD DAY, BRITANNIA TIME PASS
BRITANNIA GOOD DAY CHOCO-NUT & CHOCOLATE
CHIP
BRITANNIA NUTRI CHOICE DIGESTIVE
BRITANNIA CREAM BISCUITS, BRITANNIA NICE
TIME
BRITANNIA TIGER BRITA, BRITANNIA LITTLE
HEART

Biscuits Making Process

II Parle Biscuits
The year was 1929 and the market was dominated by famous
international brands that were imported freely. Despite the
odds and unequal competiton, this company called Parle
products survived and succeeded, by adhering to high quality
and improvising from time to time.

Wheat flour, sugar and fat constitute the major portion of the
biscuit. Other ingredients includes leavening agents, vitamins,
minerals and flavours. The flour should be from soft wheat or
medium hard wheat. The fat is usually hydrogenated fat
containing antioxidants and with good keeping quality. In the
case of sweet biscuits cane sugar is incorporated, while in the
case of salt biscuits 0.5-0.1 percent Nacl is added.

Parle Varities

Chapter III

PARLE-G, PARLE-G Magix

PARLE-G MILK SHAKTHI, KRACK JACK
MONACO, MARIE CHOICE
PARLE-G NIMKIN, ORANGE, MANGO,

Consumer behaviour a theoretical approach

III Horlicks
Horlicks Biscuits has been growing in popularity ever since it
was launched in 1992. Horlicks biscuits are available in two

The biscuit industry has made rapid progress in recent years in

India and several other developing countries. Successful
attempts have been made to enrich biscuits with proteins,
vitamins and minerals. The steps involved are 1. Mixing and
kneading, 2. Heating and Shaping, 3. Baking and Cooling, 4
Packaging.
Raw Materials

The wealth of products and services produced in a country

make our economy strong almost all the products, which are
available to buyers, have a number of alternative supplies; i.e.
substitute products are available to consumers, who make a
decision to buy products. Therefore a seller, most his time,
seeks buyers and tries to please them. In order to be successful,
a seller is concerned with,

020

International Journal of Information Research and Review, Vol. 1, Issue, 1, pp. 018-021, July, 2014

Who is the customer?

What do consumers buy?
When do consumers buy?
How do consumers buy?
From where to consumers buy?
Why do consumers buy?

Chapter IV
Analysis and interpretation of various brands of biscuits

INTRODUCTION

A buyer makes a purchase of a particular product or a

particular brand and this can be termed Product Buying
motives. More or less, after the Second World War, the
sellers markets have disappeared and buyers markets have
come up. It means that the manufactures attention has switched
over from the products to the consumers and specially
concentrated on the consumer behavior. The manufacturer
possesses no control over the behavior of consumers. A
modern marketer first tries to understand the consumers and
their response, than he studies the basic character tics of their
behavior. If can be said that consumers is the pivot, around
which the whole marketing system revolves. The selection or
choice of products or services by consumers greatly determines
the take of the producers. As such, the marketer must know the
consumers more and more, in order to manufacture the
products, which give them satisfaction, in the way, the
customers need. The marketing programmer and polices
depend upon the consumer behavior.

Consumer research is vital in formulating marketing strategies

because knowledge of the factors that influence buyer purchase
can help to increase share. The ultimate motive of all
marketing activities is to satisfy the buyer. Marketing research
can be conducted at one or two levels that is at the retail level
or at the consumer level. In recent years, many new brands of
biscuits has been brought into the market most of the
manufactures find a very stiff competition in capturing the
market. Most of the new brands have disappeared from the
minds of consumer due to consumer attitudes.
Table 2. Factors of preference
S.NO

FACTORS

1
2
3
4

Taste
Extra offer
Package
Advertisement
TOTAL

NO.OF.
RESPONDENTS
66
48
12
24
150

PERCENTAGE
44
32
8
16
100

Source: primary data

Determinations of Buying Behaviour

A marketer is always interested to know how consumers
respond to various marketing stimuli-product, price, place and
promotion and other stimuli i.e. buyers environment-economic,
technological, political and cultural. The stimuli pass through
buyers box which produces the buyers responses and is
shown below.

The above table shows, it is clear that 44% of the total

respondents consider the taste of biscuits at the time of
purchase, 32% think seriously about extra offer and 8%
consider the package of the biscuits and 16% of the
respondents are influenced by advertisement. It is clear that
majority of the respondents consider the taste of the biscuits.

Table 1. Buyer behaviour model

OUT SIDE STIMULI
Marketing
Other
Product
Economic
Price
Technological
Place
Political
Promotion
Cultural

BUYERS BLACK BOX

Buyer characteristic
Buyer decision

Attitude Changes
Marketers try to bring about attitude changes by
Changing basic motivational function
Increasing knowledge, value, utility of product etc.,
Associating the product with a special group event or cause
(ITC classic cigarette is associated with people who play self
etc.)

BUYER RESPONSE
Product
Choice
Brand
Choice
Dealer
Choice
Purchase
Timing
Purchase
Amount

Table 3. Amount spend for biscuits in a month

S.NO
1
2
3
4

Amount Spend
Below Rs. 50
Rs. 51-100
Rs. 101-150
Above 151
Total

No.of.Respondent
18
66
57
9
150

Percentage
12
44
38
6
100

Source: primary data

Today the consumer prefers healthy and fat free oil unlike
theDalda days when the consumer preferred a coding
medium which delivered taste.

From the above table it can be seen that the people who are
spending below Rs.50 per month consuming the biscuits at a
rate of 12%, about Rs. 51-100 are spend per month by44% and
38 % of the respondents are spending Rs. 101-150 and only 6%
of the respondents the spending Rs. 150 and above for biscuits.
It is clear that majority of the respondents are spending Rs. 51100.

Altering components of the multi attribute model

Chapter V

Changing relative evaluation of attributes, B) changing brand

beliefs through advertisements. C) Adding an attribute. D)
Changing the overall brand rating.

Findings

Relating two conflicting attitudes

Most of the respondents (70%) are female.

021

Prema, A study on consumer attitude towards various brands of biscuits in karur town

Majority of the respondents (40%) who have preferred

biscuit come under the age group of 30-40 years.
The high percentage of respondents (24%) are school level.
Maximum no of respondents (36%) who have prefered
biscuits come under the category of house wife.
Majority of the respondents (36%) are income level above
Rs. 6000.
Majority of the respondents family size is 2-4.
The researcher has taken 7 brands namely Britannia, Parle,
Horlicks, True, dukes, complan, sunfeast.
Suggestions
Company should fix reasonable price in order to attract the
lower income class.
Company should maintain the same quality as it wasin the
beginning because of some times quality is inferior due to
its wrong ration of ingredients.
All cream biscuits are heavy calories. They control the
consumers normal appetite. If theuy are all easily digestible
of less calories than no problem for the consumers.
Effective steps must be taken to maintain the price so that
everbody can easily purchase.
The consumer expects different shapes of biscuits. Like
fish, duck, elephant, star for attracting childern.
The company shouod give free gifts with all type oif
flavour of biscuits like stickers, some small playing things,
tattoos, pencils, eraser which are useful for the child.
More calories should be reduced calcium, protein may be
added to biscuits.
If Biscuits with original nuts are introduced it will be good
for consumer health.
The companies shall offer new taste like apple and grapes
flavour in their brands.

Conclusion
The researcher after studying the consumer behaviour towards
the various brand of biscuits concluded thatconsumer is the
king. And that consumer satisfaction uis our goal. Findings
and suggestions of this study would show the way for
biscuit producers ot satisfy the consumers. So the consumer
satisfaction would undoubtly take the biscuits to greater
heights in the days to come.

REFERENCES
1. A.S.Hornby, E.V. Gatenby, H.W. Wakefield. The advance
Learners Dictionary of current English, II edition, London;
Oxford University press, 1963,P.83
2. Pillai and Bhahavathi, Marketing Sultan chand & sons,
New Delhi. P.128.
3. Philip Kotler, Principles of Marketing (Fifth Edition)
Prentice Hall-of India Private Ltd, New Delhi, 1991.
4. Rajan Nair. N. Marketing, Sultan Chand & Sons, New
Delhi.
5. Swaminathan.M.D.Sc. F.NA., Head Book of food science
and experimental Book.
WEBSITES
www.britannia.co.in/brandstories_milkbikis.htm
www.britannia.co.in/brandstories_50-50.htm
www.britannia.co.in/brandstories_tiger.htm
www.britannia.co.in/brandstories_mariegold.htm
www.britannia.co.in/brandstorie_goodday.htm
www.parle products.com
www.gsk-ch.in/HorlicksBiscuits.aspx
www.dukesfood.co.in
www.itcportal.com

*******