Project Report

On

Consumer Behavior and

Satisfaction Level of Surf
Excel

Submitted to: Submitted By:

Mr. Jones Mathew Richa Pahuja

PG20095428

Batch 09-11
IILM Institute of Higher Education
 Acknowledgment

I would like to express my sincere thanks to my project guide Mr. Jones Mathew for
his guidance & support throughout my course in Consumer Behavior at IILM
Institute for Higher Education, Gurgaon. His calm demeanor & willingness to teach
has been a great help in successfully completing my project. My learning has been
immeasurable. I extend my sincere thanks to all the faculty members of Marketing
Department IILM Institute for Higher Education, Gurgaon for providing me a very
hospitable & helpful learning environment for continuously motivating me during my
course which made my PGP a memorable event. Also, I would like to thank all my
friends and family members without whom I had not been able to complete this project.
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As we all know that Surf Excel is a very famous brand of in washing detergent category. It has launched
various products in the same range from lower price segment to upper price segment. This project is
mainly concentrated on Surf Excel which is designed for all the societal classes.

I Conducted the research to know about the performance and the satisfaction level of the respondents
from Surf Excel with the help of questionnaire. The main Objective was to know what is that the
customers perceive about the brand. Is it meeting the customers’ expectations or not. If not what should
be the measures to improve it to have a competitive stand in the market.

.
 Introduction of Hindustan Unilever Limited

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company with a
heritage of over 75 years in India and touches the lives of two out of three Indians.

HUL works to create a better future every day and helps people feel good, look good and get more
out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.

With over 35 brands spanning 20 distinct categories such as soaps, detergents, shampoos, skin care,
toothpastes, deodorants, cosmetics, tea, coffee, packaged foods, ice cream, and water purifiers, the
Company is a part of the everyday life of millions of consumers across India.

The Company has over 15,000 employees and has an annual turnover of Rs.17,523 crores (financial
year 2009 - 2010). HUL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast
moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the globe with
annual sales of about €44.3 billion in 2010. Unilever has about 52% shareholding in HUL.
 Product Portfolio of HUL

Food brands
HUL is one of India’s leading food companies. Our passion for understanding what people want
and need from their food - and what they love about it - makes our brands a popular choice. The
products coming under Food Brands are:

Annapurna, Brooke Bond 3 Roses, Bru, Kissan, Taj Mahal, Knorr, Kwality Wall’s, Lipton,
Modern, Brooke Bond Sehatmand

Home care brands

HUL has a diverse portfolio of brands offering home care solutions for millions of consumers
across India. Home Care brands are:
Active Wheel, Comfort, Cif, Domex, Surf Excel, Vim, Sunlight

Nutritional Products

Hygiene and Beauty Products

Personal Care Brands

Aviance, Ayush, Axe, Breeze, Clear, Close-up, Fair and Lovely, Lakme, Clinix Plus, Dove,
Hamam, Lifebuoy, Liril, Lux, Pears, Pond’s, Pepsodent, Rexona, Sunsilk, Vaseline

Water: Pureit

Pureit is the world’s most advanced in-home water purifier. Pureit, a breakthrough offering of Hindustan
Unilever (HUL), provides complete protection from all water-borne diseases, unmatched convenience and
affordability.
 Surf Excel

Surf Excel was introduced in 1959.A pioneer in the Indian detergent powder market, Surf Excel
has constantly upgraded itself over the years, to answer the constantly changing washing needs
of the Indian homemaker. Today Surf Excel offers outstanding stain removal ability on a wide
range of stains. This means that mothers now have the freedom to let their kids experience life
without worrying about stains.

Surf Excel quick wash is powered with a path-breaking technology- it reduces water
consumption and time taken for rinsing by 50%. It is a significant benefit, given the acute water
scarcity in most of India.

Product Range:

Surf Excel Quick Wash Detergent Powder

Surf Excel Matic Top Load

Surf Excel Blue Detergent Powder

Surf Excel Quick Wash Detergent

Powder
Surf Excel Detergent Bar

Surf Excel Gentle Wash

 Consumers

➢ Fabric Wash Market in India

• Total Market size Rs. 8800
• Total Volume – 2.3 Million Tones +
• 98 percent penetration in India.

➢ Consumption Pattern Increase

55 percent Urban (14 percent users of Washing Machine)
In the era of latest technological advancements where customers are more aware about hygiene
& related products, customer involvement & differentiation has increased drastically. With the
competitors increasing day by day, availability of substitutes has also increased. The awareness
about Surf as a brand is very high. With 1.4 billion water stressed consumers globally & laundry
consumes a third of household water, Surf Excel re launch in 2005 “Save two buckets of water”
grew sales by 20% in water stressed areas & saved over 30million litres of water in 2 years. At
present it is dominant global player in the fabric wash market with rapidly growing usage.
 Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet
or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is defined as "the number of customers,
or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its
services (ratings) exceeds specified satisfaction goals.

What constitutes Satisfaction?

We cannot create customer satisfaction just by meeting customer's requirements fully because
these HAVE to be met in any case. However falling short is certain to create dissatisfaction.

Major attributes of customer satisfaction can be summarized as:

• Product Quality
• Product Packaging
• Keeping delivery commitments
• Price
• Responsiveness and ability to resolve complaints
• Overall communication, accessibility and attitude.
 Problem Definition

This study evaluates how status consumption and consumers. need for uniqueness influence
brand perceptions of a well established brand Surf Excel and if these lead to purchase intention.
This integrates earlier research from two academic areas that examine consumer’s need for
uniqueness.

• First, there is considerable research in psychology on how consumers use possessions to

define identity.
• Second, to examine how a variety of factors influence the consumption of certain
products and brands. Studies show that status seeking consumers are concerned with their
peers and use brands to convey this message.

Objective of the Study:

• To focus on the customers’ likes and dislikes

• To verify the satisfaction level of customers
• To analyze the future needs of the customers
• To find the measures of outcomes to improve the overall performance
 Research Methodology

This research project is an outcome of primary research carried by us based on interview, filling
of questionnaires and survey.

Primary research involves getting original data directly about the product and market. Primary
research data is data that did not exist before. It is designed to answer specific questions of
interest to the business - for example:

What proportion of customers believes the level of customer service provided by the business is
rated good or excellent?

What do customers think of a new version of a popular product?

To collect primary data a business must carry out field research. The main methods of field
research are:

Face-to-face interviews – interviewers ask people in the hostel or on their doorstep a series of
questions.

Telephone interviews - similar questions to face-to-face interviews, although often shorter.

Online surveys – using email or the social networking sites like facebook.

Questionnaires – sent in the post (for example a customer feedback form sent to people who
have recently bought a product or service).
 How the research was conducted?

The research was conducted by distributing the questionnaire to the respondents in our society
Using Surf Excel and requesting them to fill it completely. As the questionnaire was quite
lengthy therefore some people didn’t turn up positively to our request but since the sample size is
not too large hence we made it possible to get it filled by 25 respondents. The process of getting
the questionnaire filled is time-consuming. But with the cooperation of respondents we made our
task successfully done.

Also looking at such big questionnaires, people were not willing to respond regarding the
Behavior about Surf Excel. So, the questions regarding the purchase behavior are not mentioned
in the list and I have made the questionnaires very specific and discussed about it in an informal
manner.
 Analysis

The customer's requirements must be translated and quantified into measurable targets. This
provides an easy way to monitor improvements, and deciding upon the attributes that need to be
concentrated on in order to improve customer satisfaction. We can recognize where we need to
make changes to create improvements and determine if these changes, after implementation,
have led to increased customer satisfaction.

Two major factors that can be determined from the survey data are:

1. Performance Matrix (Your performance relative to customers priorities) and

2. Satisfaction Index (Customers Satisfaction over a period of
time).
Performance Matrix

The average of the weightings and the scores given by the customer for each parameter is plotted
on a Scatter graph. This Graphical representation is easy to understand without any great
great knowledge of statistics.

With the data obtained, the average Weighting (importance) on x-axis versus average Scores
(performance) on y-axis can be plotted for each parameter.

From this Scatter Plot the supplier can find out at a glance, the areas where there is scope for
improvement, highlighted, where possible by using the Traffic Signal analogy.

Customers Satisfaction Index

The Customer Satisfaction Index represents the overall satisfaction level of that customer as one
number, usually as a percentage. Plotting this Satisfaction Index of the customer against a time
scale shows exactly how well the supplier is accomplishing the task of customer satisfaction
over
a period of time.

Since the survey feedback comes from many respondents in one organization, the bias due to
individual perception needs to be accounted for.

This can be achieved by calculating the Satisfaction Index using an importance weighting based
on an average of the weightings assigned to each parameter by the respondent
No. of Respondents: 25

Male : 11

Female : 14
Age Group

18-24 20
24-30 3
30-35 1
35-40 0
40-45 1
 Analysis of Questionnaire on basis of different
parameters

1. How do you rate surf excel when it comes to meeting your needs and expectations
regarding quality and performance?

1 2 3 4 5
2. How would you rate the product packaging?

1 2 3 4 5
3. How do you rate its delivery on tie performance and commitment to meet your delivery
expectations?

1 2 3 4 5
4. How do you rate its competitiveness and does it represent best value for money?/

1 2 3 4 5
5. How would you rate its responsiveness when you faced any problem and you needed a
support?

1 2 3 4 5
6. How would you rate Surf Excel over all in terms of communication, accessibility and
attitude?

1 2 3 4 5
 Performance Matrix

15

W
E
I
G
H 7.5
T
I
N
G

0 7.5 15

SCORE

Product Quality

Product Packaging

Keeping delivery commitments

Price

Responsiveness and ability to resolve complaints

Overall communication, accessibility and attitude.

 Specification 1=Poor 2 = Fair 3=Good 4=Very 5=Excellent Total
Good

Product Quality 0 4 1 10 10 25

Product Packaging 0 2 6 15 2 25

Keeping delivery 1 2 2 16 4 25
commitments

Price 1 3 3 7 11 25

Responsiveness and ability to 3 1 15 5 1 25

resolve complaints

Overall communication, 0 10 3 3 9 25
accessibility and attitude.

Total 5 22 30 56 37 150
Customers Parameter Weighting Score

Delhi NCR &

Rajpura (Punjab) Product Quality 4.04 10

Delhi NCR &

Rajpura (Punjab) Product Packaging 3.68 2

Delhi NCR &

Rajpura (Punjab) Keeping delivery commitments 3.8 4

Delhi NCR &

Rajpura (Punjab) Price 3.96 11

Delhi NCR & Responsiveness and ability to resolve

Rajpura (Punjab) complaints 3 1

Delhi NCR & Overall communication, accessibility

Rajpura (Punjab) and attitude. 3.44 9
 Calculation of Customer Satisfaction Index

Weighted
Parameter Weighting Score(B) Weighting Score
(A) (Avg. of 1) ( C ) (D)=B*C

Product Quality 4.04 10 1.10 11

Product Packaging 3.68 2 1.008 2.01

Keeping delivery 3.8 4 1.04 4.16

commitments

Price 3.96 11 1.08 11.88

Responsiveness and ability

to resolve complaints 3 1 0.82 0.82

Overall communication, 3.44 9 0.94 8.46

accessibility and attitude.

Average 3.65 6.16 6.38

CSI 127.6%

The CSI is 6.38. Since the scale used was 1-5, CSI= 127.6% (in percentage
terms).
 Recommendations

• When it comes to Customer support, 1 out of 25 which means only 4% respondents

agreed that their support services are excellent. So, There should be improvement in the
customer touch Points.

• Inspite of the Innovative Ad-campaigns like “Surf Excel- Daag Ache Hain”, 10 out of
25 respondents means 40% people said that there over all communication and attitude is
just Fair, which means customer want more innovation and creativity. So, In order to
attract and retain the customers, Brand Recall should be very high and innovative too.
 Conclusion

Consumer Behavior is always certain to change, the acceptance of a product friendly behavior
from the customer is possible only if the needs, wants and demands are either met or exceeded.
This project helped us to get a deep insight of management functions like Customer Satisfaction
Index.

After analyzing the questionnaire and calculating CSI I can conclude that Surf Excel has
attracted a lot of customers. A CSI of 127.6% percent indicates that a majority of its customers
are satisfied with it and they are not willing to change it.
 Annexure

Questionnaire on Surf Excel

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Section I
1 = Strong Disagreement

2 = Moderate Disagreement

3 = Neutral

4 = Moderate Agreement

5 = Strong Agreement

1. When I am in a group of strangers, I am not reluctant to express my opinion openly.

1 2 3 4 5
2. I find criticism affects my self-esteem.
1 2 3 4 5
3. I sometimes hesitate to use my own ideas for fear they might be impractical.
1 2 3 4 5
4. I think society should let reason lead it to new customs and throw aside old habits or
mere traditions.
1 2 3 4 5
5. People frequently succeed in changing my mind.
1 2 3 4 5
6. I find it sometimes amusing to upset the dignity of teachers, judges, and "cultured"
people.
 1 2 3 4 5

7. I like wearing a uniform because it makes me proud to be a member of the organization

it represents.
1 2 3 4 5
8. People have sometimes called me "stuck-up."
1 2 3 4 5
9. Others' disagreements make me uncomfortable.
1 2 3 4 5
10. I do not always live by the standards and rules of society.
1 2 3 4 5
11. I am unable to express my feelings if they result in undesirable consequences.
1 2 3 4 5
12. Being a success in one's career means making a contribution no one else has made.
1 2 3 4 5
13. It bothers me if people think I'm being too conventional.
1 2 3 4 5
14. I always try to follow rules.
1 2 3 4 5
15. If I disagree with a superior on his or her views, I usually do not keep it to myself.
1 2 3 4 5
16. I speak up in meetings in order to oppose those whom I feel are wrong.
1 2 3 4 5
17. Feeling "different" in a crowd of people makes me feel uncomfortable.
1 2 3 4 5

18. If I must die let it be an unusual death rather than an ordinary death in bed.
1 2 3 4 5
19. I would rather be just like everyone else rather than to be called a freak.
1 2 3 4 5
20. I must admit I find it hard to work under strict rules and regulations.
1 2 3 4 5
21. I would rather be known for always trying new ideas rather than employing well-trusted
methods.
1 2 3 4 5
22. It is better to always agree with the opinions of others than to be considered a disagreeable
person.
1 2 3 4 5
23. I do not like to say unusual things to people.
1 2 3 4 5
24. I tend to express my opinions publicly, regardless of what others say.
1 2 3 4 5
25. As a rule, I strongly defend my own opinions.
1 2 3 4 5
26. I do not like to go my own way.
1 2 3 4 5
27. When I am with a group of people, I agree with their ideas so that no arguments arise.
1 2 3 4 5
28. I tend to keep quiet in the presence of persons of higher rank, experience, etc.
1 2 3 4 5
29. I have been quite independent and free from family rule.
1 2 3 4 5
30 Whenever I take part in-group activities, I am somewhat of a nonconformist.
1 2 3 4 5
31. In most things in life, I believe in playing it safe rather than taking a gamble.
1 2 3 4 5
32. It is better to break rules than always conform to an impersonal society.
1 2 3 4 5
33. I think I have a desire to be different from others.
1 2 3 4 5
(if your response to Q 33 is 3,4 or 5, proceed to remaining questions).
34. My desire to be different from others is based on my need to give uncommon reasons
(explanations) for my choices.
1 2 3 4 5
35. My desire to be different from others is based on my need to display higher intellectual
capabilities
1 2 3 4 5
36. My desire to be different from others is based on the conviction that, “normal” is boring.
1 2 3 4 5
37. My desire to be different from others is because I do not seek any rewards for conformity.
1 2 3 4 5
38. My desire to be different from others is because I have a need for independence.
1 2 3 4 5

39. My desire to be different from others is dependent on NOT knowing the expectations of
others.
1 2 3 4 5

40. My desire to be different from others is to be seen as a “guru” (expert).

1 2 3 4 5
41. I like to help people with my knowledge of unique products & services.
1 2 3 4 5
42. I get deep personal satisfaction when I purchase unique products or services.
1 2 3 4 5
43. I like to buy unique products because I like to gamble and experiment.
1 2 3 4 5
44. I prefer buying unique products because I do not care much for criticism of others.
1 2 3 4 5
45. I buy unique products because I have been brought up in an environment where
unconventional activities or purchases did not invite negative feedback.
1 2 3 4 5
46. I purchase unique products to break free from the pressure of being like the others.
1 2 3 4 5
 Section II

1 = Poor

2 = Fair

3 = Good

4 = Very Good

5 = Excellent

1. How do you rate surf excel when it comes to meeting your needs and
expectations regarding quality and performance?

1 2 3 4 5

1. How would you rate the product packaging?

1 2 3 4 5

1. How do you rate its delivery on tie performance and commitment to meet your
delivery expectations?

1 2 3 4 5

1. How do you rate its competitiveness and does it represent best value for
money?/

1 2 3 4 5

1. How would you rate its responsiveness when you faced any problem and you
needed a support?

1 2 3 4 5

1. How would you rate Surf Excel over all in terms of communication,
accessibility and attitude?

1 2 3 4 5