A STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATSIFACTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO

LUX SOAP IN FATHIMA NAGAR TOWNSHIP-TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

A project submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirement for the Award of the Degree of
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE COMPUTER APLLICATION
Submitted by
KEVIN SEVIO J.K
(19UCC555)

Under the Guidance Of

Dr.F.X.VIRGIN FRAGA., M.COM.,M.Phil.,M.B.A.,B.Ed.,Ph.D.,

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

PG DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE COMPUTER APPLICATION

ST.JOSEPH’S COLLEGE(Autonomous)
Accredited at `A++’Grade (CycleIV) by NAAC
Special Heritage Status Awarded by UGC
College with Potential for Excellence by UGC
DBT-STAR & DST-FIST Sponsored College
Tiruchirappalli-620002
JUNE-2022
Dr.F.X.VIRGIN FRAGA., M.COM.,M.Phil.,M.B.A.,B.Ed.,Ph.D.,
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
RESEARCHADVISOR
PGDEPARTMENTOFCOMMERCECOMPUTERAPPLICATION
ST.JOSEPH’SCOLLEGE(AUTONOMOUS)
TIRUCHIRAPPALLI-620002

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this project titled “A STUDY ON CUSTOMER

SATISFACTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO LUX SOAP AND FATHIMA
NAGAR TOWNSHIP - TIRUCHIRAPPALLI” submitted to PG Department Of
Commerce Computer Application, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli is
a bonafide record of the independent and original work done by KEVIN SEVIO J.K
(REG.NO:19UCC555)under my guidance. Based on the declaration made by his, I certify
that this project report has not previously formed the basis for whole or part of any other
report of thesis.

Place:TIRUCHIRAPPALLI
Date:

HEADOFTHEDEPARTMENT RESEARCHADVISOR

EXTERNALEXAMINER
 DECLARATION

KEVIN SEVIO J.K (REG.NO:19UCC555) hereby declare that this project “A

STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE
TO LUX SOAP AND FATHIMA NAGAR TOWNSHIP -
TIRUCHIRAPPALLI” submitted to PG Department Of Commerce Computer
Application, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous),Tiruchirappalli in partial
fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree, BACHELOR OF
COMMERCE COMPUTER APPLICATION the original work carried out by me
under the guidance and supervision of Dr.F.X.VIRGIN FRAGA.,
M.COM.,M.Phil.,M.B.A.,B.Ed.,Ph.D., Assistant Professor, PG Department of
Commerce Computer Application, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous),
Tiruchirappalli and that this work has not been submitted, either in whole or in part,
for any other degree or diploma at any other university.

Place:Tiruchirappalli KEVIN SEVIO.J.K

Date: ( REG.NO:19UCC555)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I am graceful to the GOD Almighty ,who has showered his blessing

me throughout this project.

I proudly thank Rev.Dr.M.AROCKIASAMYXAVIER,SJ, Principal, and

Dr.K.ALEXRAMANI, Deputy Principal St.Joseph’sCollege, Tiruchirappalli, for providing me

the opportunity to be a part of the institution.

I express my thanks to our beloved Dr. J. RAJEES M.Com.,M. Phil, NET.,Ph.D.,

PGHead,of Commerce Computer Application, St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, for

innovativesuggestions andencouragements.

I express my personal in debtedness and great indebtedness and greatfullness to

Dr.F.X.VIRGIN FRAGA., M.COM.,M.Phil.,M.B.A.,B.Ed.,Ph.D., ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR, PG Department Of Commerce Computer Application, St. Joseph’s College
(Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli who guided with his scholarly valuable guidance.

I own a deep debt of gratitude to my Parents and Friends for their love and kindness

which sustained my effort throughout my project work.

(KEVIN SEVIO J.K)

4
 CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLES PAGE.NO

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 8

3 PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA 19

4 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 31

5 FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND 73

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY 76

QUESTIONNAIRE 77

5
 LIST OF TABLES

S.NO PARTICULARS PAGE NO

4.01 TABLE SHOWING GENDER WISE OF RESPONDENTS 31
4.02 TABLE GSHOWING THE AGE LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS 33
4.03 TABLE GSHOWING THE OCCUPATION OF THE 35
RESPONDENTS
4.04 TABLE G SHOWING THE FAMILY'S MONTHLY INCOME OF 37
THE RESPONDENTS
4.05 TABLE SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS USING LUX SOAP 39
4.06 TABLE SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE 41
4.07 TABLE SHOWING THE NO OF SOAP NEEDED EVERY MONTH 43
4.08 TABLE SHOWING THE INFLUENCES OF PURCHASE 45
4.09 TABLE SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS LIKINGS TOWARDS 47
SOAP
4.10 TABLE SHOWING THE DISLIKES OF THE RESPONDENTS 49
4.11 TABLE SHOWING THE RESPONDENT’S CHANGE IN BRAND 51
OF THE SOAP
4.12 TABLE SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF CHANGE IN BRAND 53
4.13 TABLE SHOWING THE BRAND OF SOAP USED 55
4.14 TABLE SHOWING THE EASY AVAILABILITY OF THE SOAP 57
4.15 TABLE SHOWING THE AWARENESS OF THE SOAP 59
4.16 TABLE SHOWING THE EFFECTIVE FORM OF 61
ADVERTISEMENT
4.17 TABLE SHOWING CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT PROMPT ON 63
PURCHASES
4.18 TABLE SHOWING THE EFFECT OF LUX SOAP ON HEALTH 65
4.19 TABLE SHOWING THE PREFERED FLAVOUR OF LUX SOAP 67
4.20 TABLE SHOWING THE OFFERS THAT INFLUENCES THE 69
PURCHASE
4.21 TABLE SHOWING THE SIZE OF THE SOAP 71

6
 LIST OF CHARTS

S.NO PARTICULARS PAGE

NO
4.01 CHART SHOWING GENDER WISE OF RESPONDENTS 32
4.02 CHART SHOWING THE AGE LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS 34
4.03 CHART SHOWING THE OCCUPATION OF THE RESPONDENTS 36
4.04 CHART SHOWING THE FAMILY'S MONTHLY INCOME OF THE 38
RESPONDENTS
4.05 CHART SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS USING LUX SOAP 40
4.06 CHART SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE 42
4.07 CHART SHOWING THE NO OF SOAP NEEDED EVERY MONTH 44
4.08 CHART SHOWING THE INFLUENCES OF PURCHASE 46
4.09 CHART SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS LIKINGS TOWARDS SOAP 48
4.10 CHART SHOWING THE DISLIKES OF THE RESPONDENTS 50
4.11 CHART SHOWING THE RESPONDENT’S CHANGE IN BRAND OF 52
THE SOAP
4.12 CHART SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF CHANGE IN BRAND 54
4.13 CHART SHOWING THE BRAND OF SOAP USED 56
4.14 CHART SHOWING THE EASY AVAILABILITY OF THE SOAP 58
4.15 CHART SHOWING THE AWARENESS OF THE SOAP 60
4.16 CHART SHOWING THE EFFECTIVE FORM OF ADVERTISEMENT 62
4.17 CHART SHOWING CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT PROMPT ON 64
PURCHASES
4.18 CHART SHOWING THE EFFECT OF LUX SOAP ON HEALTH 66
4.19 CHART SHOWING THE PREFERED FLAVOUR OF LUX SOAP 68
4.20 CHART SHOWING THE OFFERS THAT INFLUENCES THE 70
PURCHASE
4.21 CHART SHOWING THE SIZE OF THE SOAP 72

7
 CHAPTER -1

INTRODUCTION

HINDUSTAN Lever said today I has restructured LUX brand beginning

with the introduction of Lux international Body was Liquid with more additions to
the existing portfolio in the pipeline. These could include a Lux bath gel and other
bathig variants in the ear future.

Right now, Lux is present in the mass segment in four variants besides a
single variant of Lux international. Hll plans to introduce several new products
within Lux at different price points. The complete overhaul of the Rs.750 crore
Lux brand is being done after HLL concucted an extensive research across many
cities for the last one year on consumer perception about the brand and changing
consumer needs.

“We have decided to introduce several products under the Lux brand AT
DIFFERENT PRICE POINTS. This has been done after extensive consumer
research. The new entries may not be confined to a bar of soap. We have begun
relooking Body Wash and more variants to Lux may follow,” the Vice – President
of Personal Wash for HLL, Mr.gopal Vital, told Busiess Line.

Asked whether Lux international, the single premium offering under

Lux at present, will be phased out, he said, “Lux international as moisturizing soap
will continue but may be it will not be called Lux International. We are still orking
on the concept.”

8
 Mr. V ital said HLL had tried to launch Lux international Body wash twice
earlier in the market but then the positioning was not found to be correct. The
time, the body wash is being positioned at the premium end of the bathing soap
market and not as a bath gel. The company is also thinking in terms of launching a
bath gel and other formulation under the LUX brand. “we will make significant
investments in LUX International body wash, it is brand we see good potential in,
“Mr. Vital said.

Besides new launches, the existing Lux bar (meant for the mass segment)
will also be strengthened, he said but decline to divulge details. He Lux brand
cornered about 18 percent of the personal wash market and is currently the largest
soap brand in the market closely followed by life boy.

Every one on earth has its sources and origin so too the toilet soaps. The
business organization plays on important role in producing soaps. The business
organization is trying to make their products popular and their by to one or more
reasons. One of the most important reasons will be “consumed behavior”.

It is very difficult to predict and understand the tastes and preference of the
consumer community as it changes its nature day after day. Obviously it becomes
important for every business concern to concentrate on the study of consumer and
their behavior, that they will be able to supply to the needs of consumers and make
them to satisfy their owns.

Toilet soaps is a consumer non durable product. It is very difficult to market

them. Earlier, toilet soaps where considered as a device used to beautify the
people now, toilet soaps are more or less the necessity of life.

In ancient days people used to prepare certain herbal powder to keep the skin
clean. But now it has become rare phenomenon. In the present world, modern
9
soaps are highly present rated into the minds of the consumers is such a mane that
consumer ae slowly for getting the trational methods of preserving skin.

Advertisement ae helping more and more for the development of any

product. At present more toilet soaps are produced by same producers, but in
different namely soaps are produced by different companies to satisfy the taste and
needs of the consumer.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To know the regular consumer for this product (LUX)

2. To analyse a reason for using this product.
3. To study weather the soap is offer able price or not to people.
4. To offer suitable suggestions to improve the soap market and consumer
interest.
5. To study the extent to which consumer preference varies with regard to Age,
Gender, Profession and Income.

METHODOLOGY

Methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It is the

various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying the research
methods or techniques but also the methodology.

The primary data was collected by directly through questionnaire method

where the questionnaire is the main tool. It was distribute among 50 respondents
and the needs details were collected from the respondents.

10
 The secondary data was collected from various magazines, books and
journals. The necessary secondary data was cpllected from various newspaper and
books.
The main tool for collecting the data is through questionnaire 50 samples
were collected from various respondents.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

 The study is to analyse the consumer behavior, attitudes towards the LUX
soap.
 The project is find out the reason for using lux soap.
 The study helps that whether all people are satisfied with the price of lux
soap.
 Through this studyu is to know the utility of product can be known.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

1. The study area is limited to particular area.

2. The respondents are limited for the study.
3. The time period is very short duration.
4. Respondents are relevant in giving exact answer while collecting the data.
5. The study was taken in general point of view of the consumer preference on
different brand of lux soap and not on as specific.

AREA OF THE STUDY

The researcher has chosen Trichy Town to find out consumer preferences of
tilet soaps. For this purpose, sample survey has been taken in Trichy Town area.
The area chosen for the present study is confined to Trichy Town Limits.
11
ADVANTAGES

Gentle Soap Product

Lux soap comes in a variety of forms, flakes, bars and liquids. Originally,
Lux made Laundry Flakes -- a thin sheet of soap film was cut into small
flakes. They called these Sunlight Flakes, but changed the name in the 1900s
to Lux, which means light. Lux flakes were made to wash clothes, but were
so gentle women soon began using them as dish soap, hair soap and other
soap uses. Lever Brothers developed a bar soap form of the Lux Flakes
called “Lux Toilet Form.” This became well-known hand soap because of its
gentleness.

Product Safety
Lux soap products are gentle and do not irritate normal skin. According to
the Unilever Corp., it applies high standards checked by in-house safety
specialists before bringing a product to market. Unilever has an established
Safety and Environmental Assurance Center that ensures safety of the
environment, people and production. Lux soap is formulated for use with
children under age 3, the elderly and other vulnerable members of the
population. All soap formulations are designed and tested for human and
environmental use, according to Unilever Corp.

Affordable
Lux, when it was introduced in the United States in 1925, gave people an
affordable option to expensive French milled soaps. Lux is also sold in China at an
affordable price for consumers, according to China Radio International.
12
DISADVANTAGES

The most common side effects of this medicine include burning sensation,
irritation, itching, and redness at the site of application. It may also cause
dryness, peeling, or blistering of the skin. These are not usually serious and
resolve with time. Call your doctor if these persist or bother you. Seek
emergency help if you notice signs of an allergic reaction such as a rash,
swelling of the lips, throat, or face, swallowing or breathing problems, and
nausea. Avoid direct contact with your eyes. In case of accidental contact,
wash your eyes with water and seek immediate medical attention.

It is not likely that other medicines you take by mouth or injection will affect the
way this medicine works, but talk to your doctor before using it if you have
recently used another medicine that contains a steroid or had an allergic reaction to
another antifungal medicine. Ask your doctor before using this medicine if you are
pregnant or breastfeeding.

13
SCHEME OF THE CHAPTERS

CHAPTER I – It is deals with introduction of the study, objectives of the

study, scope of the study,Methodology, limitations of
the study, Advantages, Disadvantages and chapter scheme.

CHAPTER II – This chapter contains literature review of previous studies

conducted by various authors.
CHAPTER III – It is described about the profile of the study
CHAPTER IV – This chapter displays that the data analysis and its
interpretations of the research.
CHAPTER V – This chapter deals with findings, suggestions, and
conclusion of the study.

14
 CHAPTER -2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

REVIEWS
According to James R.P. in his study examined the brand locality and brand
switching behavior of cooking oil consumer and observed the existence of a
positive relationship between age and education of the consumer and their brand.
The advertisement played a significant role in shaping the brand preference of the
consumer, mostly out of stock situation lod to brand switching with the consumer
preference.

According to Agarwal A.K. observed on contributory factor of brand of Indian

consumers revealed that consumers in general have been found to be guide loyal to
the brand of frequently purchase items., income of the house hold, size of the
family and the age of the house hold were positively correlated with brands.

According to Choi (2001) observed that the perceived service Quality was found
to be the most influential predictor of customer preference and repurchase
intention. He mentioned that the predictors for Explaining customer preferences
are perceived service quality, contract with Physical environment interpersonal
interaction and programs.

According to Ergo (2001) reported that customer preference is jointly

determined by managerial action industry characteristics and country differences
industry characteristics and country differences explain a very significant portion
of cross – country and between countries variance in customer preferences.

15
 According to Sevator Charles Percy says “consumer movement is a broad
public reaction against bureaucratric neglect and corporate disregard of public.
Cosumer means one who utilized goods for one’s needs or satisfaction. And
preference has been defines as “which shows the relative valuation that a person
places over a set of comparative objects when contemplating their value to him”.

According to P. Kolter defines “consumer as the social movement seeking toi

argument the rights and powers of the buyers in the relation to the seller’.
Consumer is that most genetic and all-encompassing term for a firm’s target. The
term is used in either the business-to-business or household context and may refer
to the firm’s current customers, competitor’s customers or current non purchasers
with similar needs or demographic characteristics. The term does not differentiate
between whether the person is a buyer or a user target. Only a fraction of
consumers will become customers.

According to Memoria joshi The customer relationship is the major aspect of

all business. So the basic objective of any bussiness is profit maximization
through customer satisfaction. But it is always difficult to get customers
satisfaction. A consumer may state his needs and wants and yet may act otherwise.
He may not be aware of his deeper motivation and may act otherwise. He may not
be aware of his deeper motivation and may change his mind at any stage. In spite
of such diversities among consumer there are many similarities among them.

Schiff man and Kanuck says the terms “consumer behavior” refers to the
behavior that consumer display in searching for purchasing, using, evaluating and
disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy their needas and the
16
study of consumer behavior is the study of how individuals make decisions to
spend their available resources like time, money, effort on consumption related
items.

According to Loudon and Della bitta, “consumer behavior is the decision

process and physical activity individual engage in when evaluating acquiring using
or disposing of goods and services” To final these, the study of target customer’s
want, perceptions and shopping and buying behavior will be helpful as it will
provide the information necessary for developing new products, prices, channels,
communications and other making elements.

According to Garpet Thomas the importance of consumer behavior in

marketing has been beautifully described in a journal titled modern management
Calcutta January 99 in the following words. “Consumer behavior is a rapidly
growing field of research and teaching which, in addition to considerable value of
marketing managers and other who are professionally concerned with buying
activity” An important reason for studying consumer behavior is evaluation of
consumer groups with satisfied needs and desires.

According to Prashanth murkerger Hindustan lever relaunched old faithful

Lux in three variants, including a translucent bar, with new shapes and fragrances.
Lux Beauty Shower, a shower gel, and Lux Beauty wash, a face cleanser “enriched
with cream” in a soft squeeze tube, were also launched.

P.K. Ghose (1998) described in his review that the economic status was the
major factor to influence consumers attitude. V.R. Choudhri (1999) explained that
the consumer would be willing to buyagain and again when they were satisfied
17
with their sentimental feelings and they usually evaluate their buying decision in
terms of expectation and satisfactions J.Santhose and K. Kamalesh Guptha (2000)
listed various strateges of consumer satisfaction in automobile industry and they
concluded that the consumers, attitude would be influenced by the price and value
of the products.

Keller 2003 recognized that famous brand name can spread product
benefits, higher recall of advertisements than non famous brand names. In
Indiathere are many unfamiliar and weaker branda name which are flooded in
themarket place. Now conmmer have helth and hygienic conscious. Which lead
them towards trust and influence them toward purchase of strong branded
products.

Cadogan and Foster 2000 Suggested that prestigious and strong brand
name and their brand image attract and influence to purchase the brand and make
theconsumers to influence repest purchasing behavior for the brand to be more
successful, brand should link toward its emotional and self expressive benefits
which make differentiation between products.

Andrew K. & Lawrence V (1984) found out that the consumer was very
much sensitive in the context of frequent hike in price of commodities. William J.
Stanton (1990) concluded that the consumer behavior would be determined by
various psychological attributes rather than explicit factors such as change in
quality, design of the commodity, packing etc..

Edward F.Flippo has told that the determinants of consumer behavior

would make the consumer more sensitive and they influenced their buying process.
18
John R. Dillon (1991) discussed various determinants of consumer behavior such
as income, age sex, religion, and other social economic background and he came in
their choice. K.V. Charles and V. kohil (1994) decided in their study on consumer
preference shope of cosmeties that in their the consumer attention would be on the
price and utiliy of the products.

Kohli and Thakor (1997) recooended that development or creation of

brand name or brand identify is very expensive and time consuming. The process
will take huge investment and time. But development of brand name is very
essential part thus name is the basic of brand image. Just the name will attract
consumer to purchase the specific brand. Brand name will influence the consumer
for repeat purchase behavior and reduce the swithing behavior. Consumer will
always perceive the brand name from an overall perspective which associate with
the brand name its attributes and satisfaction experienced by the costomer after
purchasing and using of the product.

According to Herrman (1992), price perceptions directly influence

satisfaction judgments: “The research demonstrated the influence of perceived
price fairness on satisfaction judgments empirically.”

According to Xia (2004), price fairness refers to consumers’ assessments of

whether a seller’s price is reasonable, acceptable or justifiable. In a separate study
on factors affecting customer satisfaction, the authors found that “charging a fair
price helps to develop customer satisfaction and loyalty.”

Herrmann (2007) told that customer satisfaction is directly influenced

by price perceptions, albeit indirectly, through the perception of price fairness. The
price fairness itself and the way it is fixed and offered have a great impact on
satisfaction.

19
 Eugene Anderson reported in the study: “The findings imply that
increasing customer satisfaction is likely to decrease price elasticity of demand. In
particular, the findings imply a 1 percent increase in customer satisfaction should
be associated with a 0.60 percent decrease in price sensitivity.”

In 1995 a Harvard Business Review article by Thomas Jones and Earl

Sasser Jr. came up with the “satisfied customers defect.” This theory debunked the
clout of customer satisfaction. R.L. Oliver’s Expectations Confirmation
Theory held that customer satisfaction could be defined by measuring the gap
between the customer’s expectations and his or her perception of whether those
expectations had been met.

Thomas Jones and Earl Sasser Jr. showed that customer satisfaction
couldn’t be used solely to track customer loyalty, and in fact – you should be
looking at a range of customer satisfaction metrics to gauge a better understanding
of your customers and their loyalty. Hoyer and MacInnis (2001) said that
satisfaction can be associated with feelings of acceptance, happiness, relief,
excitement, and delight. There are many factors that affect customer satisfaction.

Kotler (2000) defined satisfaction as: “a person’s feelings of pleasure or

disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance (or
outcome) in relation to his or her expectations”. According to Hansemark and
Albinsson (2004), “satisfaction is an overall customer attitude towards a service
provider, or an emotional reaction to the difference between what customers
anticipate and what they receive, regarding the fulfillment of some need, goal or
desire”.

According to Hokanson (1995), these factors include friendly

employees, courteous employees, knowledgeable employees, helpful employees,
20
accuracy of billing, billing timeliness, competitive pricing, service quality, good
value, billing clarity and quick service.

Das Prasun (2009) examined in this study that any effort which has been taken for
finding a pleasure of customers while buying of services related to any sector is
based on the customers. An article on satisfaction of customer’s looks twisty as
well as it covers various segments which are accounting, management and
marketing, etc. he said that customers satisfaction is related to all the functions and
it also depends upon the employee’s performance. Customer satisfactions one of
the best methods of attracting customer by providing better service to the
customers so that they become loyal towards the service provider.

Iacobucci (1994) examined and explained the precise and easy definition of
services standards and customer pleasure and happiness. He said that all the service
standards will never been mislead by the satisfaction of customer, while the
pleasure is profitable result of giving better advantage. Here, there’s a huge
difference between service standards and customer happiness. But many customers
think that it is same. Actually, service quality is a factor which will influence a
customer for their satisfaction like that there are many factors which employee
performance are, behave of the employee , price, etc. These all the factor will lead
to the customer satisfaction. So that customer will be happy and be brand loyal.

Sulek (1995) examined that the customer satisfaction positively profitably affects
the services. It means the demand of the service will be increase day by day. It also
said that customers are brand loyal and if they satisfy then they avail the services
whether the service to increase their sales, income, revenue and customer base. So
Sulek call it as positively affects the sales of services.

21
Anderson (2004) examined that there is a positive integration between satisfaction
of the customer at store level. Customer satisfaction I s the best way which will
enhance the financial performances, profitability of the company and number of
customers who will directly or indirectly increases the revenue of the company.
Customer satisfaction also says that if any company has large number of satisfied
customers base d then the company is the market leader because their quality
services, standard services at low price.

Babakus (2008), examined that if service quality is linked to the customer

satisfaction within service providing firm and found that service quality has a
significant impact on the profit of the firm. It means quality of service directly
impact on the profit of the firm or services quality leads to the customer
satisfaction and it increases the profit of the organization or firm.

Cardozo’s (1965) examined that the customer satisfaction has been very popular
topic in marketing study and academic research and initial study is all about
customer effort, expectations and satisfactions. A customer is satisfied when
several factors are included in the service like service quality, awareness of
customer, employee performance and also some efforts will be to put by customer,
expectation by the customer is not very high so that it will be fulfilled easily by
maintaining some quality and standard.

Oliver (1980) examined that pleasure of customer is only an outcome of the

evaluation course which contrast pre-purchased expectation with the perception of
an act at the time and later consuming experience. Customer satisfaction is all
about result which a customer feels and he/she replies to someone after availing
any service facilities.

22
Knutson (1988) examined that room cleanliness and comfort, convenience of
location, prompt service, safety and security and friendliness of employees are
important to satisfy the customer. These are the determinants of customer
satisfaction, if these all will be included in any service then there is no
dissatisfaction.

Larcker and Ittner (1998) studied that empiric proof by many customers,
business and helps to measure various financial performances (which includes
revenues, revenue changes, margin sales return, equities market value and the
current earning) all are directly related with the satisfaction of customers. It means
if a customer is satisfied then it directly impacts on the revenue, profit, sales return,
etc.

Dinesh kumar, P.Vikkraman (2012) studied that satisfaction of customers are

largely remembered as the main component for attracting the customers for the
post purchase behavior. The customers who are satisfied are use to say to other
people about their positive experience and then engaged in word of mouth
advertising for positive sense. Word of mouth is the best way of marketing because
an experienced customer is attached in such activity.

DR.T N R. Kavitha, Mr. R Mohana, Sundaram(2010), studied that customer

satisfaction towards any service is carried out with some objectives like
determining the customer expectation and to know the satisfaction level. It means
if any company is focusing on the customer satisfaction of customer than there is
motive behind, it which is to retain large number of customers and to know the
expectations of the customers.

23
Ms. Jayshree Chavan, Mr. Faizan Ahmed (2013), studied that today all the retail
industries are customer oriented and they are focusing on the customer needs and
then start to realize that the company is more over depending on the standards of
the services offered to all of the customers.
S M Sohail Rana, Abdullah Osman, MD. Aminul Islam (2014), analyze that the
industry and its services are becoming popular day by day companies day by day.
Companies in this sectors are paying more focus for the development of the
industry. This fresh research focuses on all the determinants which constitute
customer pleasure in the retail services. Satisfaction of customers in this industry is
important indicator and shown how well dealers meet the customer’s expectations.
Miguel I. Gomez, Edward W. McLaughlin, Dick R. Wittink (2004), analyzed to
evaluated a connection between the perception as well as the satisfaction of
customer, also between customer pleasure and the sales performances.
Sundeepa S (2011) analysis that Green or Environmental Marketing consists of all
activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy
human needs or wants, such that the satisfaction of these needs and wants occurs
with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment. Final consumers and
industrial buyers also have the ability to pressure organizations to integrate the
environment into their corporate culture and thus ensure that all organizations
minimize the detrimental environmental impact of their activities. An
environmentally committed organization may not only produce goods that have
reduced their detrimental impact on the environment, these may also be able to
pressurize their suppliers to behave in a more environmentally “responsible”
fashion. It is suggested that a firm to promote increased use of Green Marketing.
Polonsky (2009) examines the inclusion of sustainability into marketing activities
of the top Australian firms. Almost half of organizations (46%) did not integrate
sustainability or environmental issues into their mission statement. Of those that
24
did include sustainability in their mission, few then integrated environmental issues
into other areas of their activities, as reported on their corporate web sites. It is
suggested that while sustainability is frequently talked about within organizations
as being important, it does not necessarily translate in to a strategic integration
across activities. Firms might therefore be using environmental issues tactically,
which could unfortunately result in superficial attempts at becoming
environmentally sustainable.
Rakhsha and Majidazar (2011) evaluated the effect of green marketing mix on
satisfaction and loyalty of the customers and consumers of the East Azarbaijan
Pegah Dairy Company located in Tabriz, Iran. It was concluded that green
marketing mix has significant effect on consumer satisfaction. It was also
concluded that consumers' satisfaction has significant effect on their loyalty. By
considering the effect of green marketing mix upon consumers' and customers'
satisfaction and the effect of such satisfaction upon their loyalty, it can be assumed
that companies can create competitive advantage in their organization through
taking steps in making the green marketing as the part of their overall marketing
strategy.
Yazdanifard & Mercy (2011) have approached" The impact of Green Marketing
on Customer satisfaction and Environmental safety". Green revolution, going
green, environmental protection, sustainable life style, sustainable development,
protecting our earth and many more has become a natural phenomenon in our
everyday life. As a result, this paper can be used by researchers who need to find
out the impact of green marketing on customer satisfaction and environmental
safety.

25
 CHAPTER 3

PROFILE OF THE STUDY

PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA

TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

Tiruchirappalli also spelled Tiruchirappalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or

Trichy formerly also pronounced as Trichmopoly under British rule) is Tamil
Nadu's Fourth largest City after Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore with an estimated
population of 1,067,915 (as of 2008). It is situated in the centre of the state, on the
banks of the Cauvery River Trichy is a Municipal Corporation and the
administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District.

The most famous landmark of Trichy is the Rock fort temple which is
perched on a huge rocky out crop. The smooth crop was first hewn by the Pallavas
but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who later built the Rock fort temple. The temple
is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha

Trichy city encompasses Srirangam, a Vaishnavite temple and the biggest

functioning Hindu temple in the world. Trichy also contains "Thiru Anaikka"
ThiruvAnaikkaval, House of Water, one of the five main abodes "Panchaboodha
Sthalam" of Lord Shiva. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was bom in
Thiruvanatkaval and his house has been preserved as a museum.

26
HISTORY

Tiruchirappalli was originally a Chola citadel and later, during 1"

millennium AD, it was occupied by other south Indian dynasties such as the
Pallavas and Pandyas. The Chola's regained control over Tiruchirappalli during the
10th century. Nearby Urayur was the capital of the Early Cholas. Later, after the
fall of the Chola empire, it came under the direct control of the Madurai Nayak
Dynasty who paid tribute to the Vijayanagara empire. The Rock Fort temple, the
most famous landmark in Tiruchirappalli, was built by the Nayaks. The Madurai
Nayak rulers changed their capital from Madurai to Tiruchirappalli, and back,
several times.

Trichy was an important town in the days of the Later Cholas and of the
Nayak kings, and during the early days of the British East India Company. The
conquest of Tiruchirappalli by the British East India Company marked a major step
in the British conquest of India.

One famous landmark in Tiruchirappalli is the Rock Fort, a large outcrop of

rock, 83 metres high. It is the only such outcrop in the otherwise-flat land of the
city, and because of it Trichy is also called Rock City. On top of the rock is the
Ucchi Pillayar Koil, a temple dedicated to the Indian god Vinayaka (Ganesha),
from where one can enjoy a panoramic view of Tiruchirappalli. The temple was
also used as a military fort by the Nayaks for some time.

On the southern face of the rock are several beautifully-carved cave temples
of the Pallava period. On the eastern side is Sri Nandrudayanı Vinayakar Temple,
with Ganesha as the main deity. A large-sized Ganesha and depictions of other rare
deities can be seen in this temple, which hosts festivals every year during the
Vinayaka Chathurthi (birthday of Ganesha). Many Carnatic musicians have given

27
concerts in this famous shrine. Around the rock temple is a busy commercial
region, specializing in textiles, known as Chatram. The Main Guard Gate is
flooded on festive occasions such as Deepavali, Ramzan, Bakrid Christmas, and
Pongal.

Trichy is famous for the number of Christian churches it contains it is said to

have the greatest number of chapels in India. The most famous are Holy
Redeemer's Church (Sagayamatha Koil), Lourdes Church, and the Cathedral.
Trichy also is famous for Arcot Nawab masjid (one of the oldest), with its large
water storage tank (Ahil).

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

The topology of Trichy is flat. It lies at an altitude of 78 m above sea level.

The river Kaveri (also called Cauvery) and the river Coleroon (also called
Kollidam) flows here, the latter forms the northern boundary of the city. The river
Cauvery flows along WNW-SSE direction through the city.

There are a few hills located within the city, the prominent among them are
Golden Rock, Rock Fort, and the one in Thiruverumbur. There are few reserve
forests along the river Cauvery, located at the west or the north-west of the city.
The southern and the south-western part of the district is dotted by several hills
which are thought to be an offset of the Western Ghat Mountain range he soil here
is considered to be very fertile. As two rivers flows through the city, the northern
part of the city is greener than other areas of the city.

Trichy has a moderate and pleasant climate, with humidity slightly above
normal. The city experiences mild winters and humid summers. The timing of the
monsoon in this part of the country has lately become unpredictable, with the rainy

28
season starting from mid-October until early-November and the rains then
extending until early or mid-January.

Summer temperature: 41.10°C (maximum) 36.40°C (minimum) Winter

temperature: 21-31°C (maximum) 18.60°C (minimum)

DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the 2001 national census, Trichy had a population of 752,066, Males

constitute 49.97% of the population and females 50-03%. Trichy has an average
literacy rate of 91.45%. Male literacy is 94.17% and female literacy is 88.73%. In
Trichy 9.59% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The city's population is predominantly Hindu, and there are sizable Christian
and Muslim populations. Sikhs JAINS also are present in smaller numbers.

Tamil is the official language. The dialect of the Tamil language spoken here
is usually 'Neutral', although there is a hint of "Kongu Tamil". Madurai Tamil may
be heard as one travels through the western and southern boundaries of the city.
One may also hear elangai/Sri Lankan Tamil widely spoken in some pockets of the
city. Other language spoken here is English.

Tiruchirappalli served as the headquarters of the South-Indian Railways

(which was renamed later "Southern Railways", with Madras/Chennai as the
headquarters) during the pre-independence era, for a few years. Anglo-Indians,
many of whom worked in the 'South-Indian Railways, started settling in 'Golden
Rock-Township' and 'Crawford" located within the city, during that time.

29
CULTURE

The city has a multi-cultural society with a sizeable price of Tamil. English,
Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam-speaking population. The city projects a
calm outlook and is considered to be friendly toward tourists.

One may experience typical Anglo-Indian, Andhra and Kenda cuisines here,

In addition to Pongal, the Thamizhar Thirunaal. Ugadi, Boli & Onam are
festivals celebrated by their respective communities retaining their cultural roots.

CUISINE

Trichy cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as the main

ingredient. The city prefers a fairly mild flavour, with variations to suit the local
palette. Lunch is usually served in many restaurants over a banana leaf

North Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines are also available. Jelebi,
Mysorepa (a sweet made from lentil flour and ghee), idly, dosa halwa (a sweet
made of milk, wheat, and rice), parotta and biryani are popular among the locals.

ECONOMY

Trichy is a major Engineering hub and Energy Equipment and Fabrication

Capital of India. Some major industrial houses are located in Trichy among them
are BHEL, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited a prominent Navaratna company, a
highly profitable Public Sector undertaking which, along with its ancillary
industries, contributes some 6000 crores rupees (1 crore = 10 million) to the
industrial output of Trichy also Ordnance Factory (HAPP and small Arms Project),
Golden Rock Locomotive Workshop, and Dalmia Cements.

30
The plant of BHEL in Trichy manufactures high pressure boilers. There also are
many BHEL-groomed small to medium scale industries notable in the national and
international market, such as Cethar Vessels, Veesons Energy Systems, Anand
Engg. GB Engg. Adela Software and Services Pvt. Ltd., Pi Square Software
Solutions, Kps and Co Silica gel manufacturer, Simsys Corp Software Research
and Development Company, Satron Technologies, Cethar FoodOils Ltd., and
others.

TRANSPORTATION

ROADWAYS

Trichy is well connected to various parts of Tamil Nadu, by private and

public bus services. (1) The Chathram (Maingaurd Gate) bus station, near Rock
Fort temple, runs local and mofussil (City-to-Town) bus services which connect
people to nearby towns and villages such as Thuraiyur, Perambalur, Ariyalur,
Karur so ans so.... Bus services are frequent, once every two to five minutes.

The central bus station runs long distance services to major cities and states
of South India such as Thanjavur, Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Bangalore,
Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Tirupathi, Salem, Erode, Pudukkotai, Dindigul,
Rameswaram, Theni, Hosur, Vellore also well connected Karnataka, Andhra and
Kerala through private charter and Lusery buses. One can get buses from Trichy to
almost any part of the state, due to its geographical location in the center of Tamil
Nadu.

On the road infrastructure front, with the completion of highway projects in

Tamil Nadu state, Trichy will have four track highways from the city branching to
destination Chennai, Madurai, Nagappattinam and Coimbatore. The four-laning of
Chennai-Trichy should be completed in mud 2009 and also Trichy-Madurai would
31
be completed at the same time. The widening of Trichy-Tanjore, Trichy-Karur and
Trichy-Rameswaram should also be completed in 2 years

Trichy is connected by major National Highways which connect Chennai

(towards north) and Dindigul (towards south) by NH 45. Madurai and Tuticorin by
NH 45B (towards south), Coimbatore and Ooty (towards west) and Tanjore and
Nagapatinam (towards east) by NH 67, Putukkottai and Ramanathapuram (towards
south-east) by NH 210 and Chidambaram (towards north-east) by NH 227.

Tamil Nadu Government introduced the Share-Auto scheme in the year

2001. The city has a very wide network of city buses and mini buses The State-nin
DCTC town buses cover areas from trichy to Pudukkottai, Manapparai, Musiri,
Viralimalai and Vallam. Private and Public buses connect Trichy to all parts of
Tamil Nadu.

RAILWAYS

Trichy is the hub of Southern Railway's operation to connect this central part
of Tamil Nadu to various parts of India, notably regions in Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh, Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh. Trichy
Railway Junction has five branches leading to Madurai, Rameswaram,
Coimbatore, Tanjore and Chennai and currently there are 7 platforms. After the
completion of electrification of tracks between Villupuram - Trichy sector in Tamil
Nadu, Trichy is set to become one of the busiest railway juctions. The
Electrification between Villupuram and Trichy is nearing completion and expected
to become operational around March 2009. The railway station code for Trichy
Junction is TPJ.

32
 The most important trains of Trichy are Pallavan Express, Trichy Howrah
Express, Rockfort Express, Trichy-Ernakulam Tea Garden Express are the
important trains originating from Trichy.

The other important trains halting and passing through Trichy junction are
Kanyakumari Express, Tamilnadu Sampark Kranti Express, Tirukkural Express,
Ananthapuri Express, MAQ Chennai Express, Podigai Express, Nellai Express,
Cape-Howrah Express, MS Mangalore Express, Pearl City Express, MS
Guruvayur Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Nagercoil-Mumbai Express, Vaigai
express, Rockfort link Express, Sethu Express, Madurai-Jammutawi link Express,
Pandian Express, Madurai-Lokmanya Tilak express, Myladudurai-Mysore Express
are most important express trains passing through Trichy junction Other than
Express trains there are more number of Passenger Trains which connects the
Trichy with the nearest town frequently.

AIRWAY

Trichy has an international airport about five kilometers from the city, which
operates flights to Indian cities, territories, and neighbouring countries including
Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the Gulf by Air Asia, Indian Airlines, Air
India Express, Srilankan Airlines, Mihin Lanka, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramount
Airways and Kingfisher Red. Trichy airport is the second airport in south India
next to Chennai to get international connectivity to Colombo (Srilanka) in 1981.
Nowadays, flights are operated to Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates
and Kuwait.

Plans are being made to upgrade it to a full fledged international port in the next
three years. The extended runway (8000 ft) was commissioned and further
expansion to 12500 ft has started. Also, the construction of new terminal building

33
is expected to be completed in 2008 An new Air Traffic Control Centre is also
being planned to be constructed to cope up with growing air traffic in the region.

Various airlines including Malaysian airlines, Oman Air, Air Arabia will soon
operate international flights while Kingfisher Airlines which now operates to
Bangalore from Trichy is planning to connect various Indian cities. Air India
Express will make Dubai and Singapore flights a daily service as soon as the
corrections in the extended runaway is completed.

Airlines and Destinations

Domestic
Carrier Destination
Kingfisher Red Chennai
Indian Airlines Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram
Air-India Express Chennai
KINGFISHER Airlines Chennai, Bangalore
International
Carrier Destination
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur
SriLankan Airlines Colombo
Air-India Express Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Kuwait
Mihin Lanka Colombo
Indian Airlines Sharjah
Air Arabia Sharjah
Malaysian Airlines Kuala Lumpur
Oman Air Muscat
Tiger airways Singapore
Starting soon

ADMINISTRATION

The city is a Municipal Corporation. It also serves as the headquarters of the

district with the same name. The city has one Member of Parliament representing
the Trichy constituency, but the southern part of the district including the
manapparai town has been merged with Pudukkottai Parliamentary constituency
34
for administrative reasons Both Tiruchirappalli-1 and Tiruchirappalli-II assembly
constituencies are part of Tiruchirappalli (Lok Sabha constituency). The city is
headed by a Mayor, under whom are the Deputy Mayor and several councilors
elected by people representing administrative wards; as well as a corporation
Commissioner of the rank of IAS to administer the city. The district is headed by
the District Collector of the rank of IAS. The District court is the highest court of
appeal in Trichy/ Tiruchirappalli. The city has seen moderate to high development
in spite of funds constraint. The city's police force is headed by the City Police
Commissioner of the rank of IPS. One of the 5 Central prisons of the state is
located here.

EDUCATION

Considered an educational city, Tiruchirappalli has schools and colleges that

are hundreds of years old. College Road in Chatram has three colleges and five
schools. Notable educational institutions from the city include the National
Institute of Technology, Trichy formerly known as REC Trichy Regional
Engineering College, Anna University Trichy, Bharathidasan Institute of
Management, Bharathidasan University and the Government Law College. St.
Joseph's College is another important institution in Trichy. Former President of
India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and writer Sujatha Rangarajan (Rangarajan) studied
here. R. Venkataraman, another former President of India also had his education in
Trichy.

HEALTH-CARE

The city has numerous hospitals. Apart from the Government hospital,
several multi-facility hospitals function in the city. The district's health department
35
is one of the best in terms of implementing government-initiated healthcare
schemes. Rare surgical procedures have taken place in some of the hospitals in the
city. The polio eradication programme is heavily assisted by various NGOs and
clubs in the city. It also has many sidhdha/unani/ayurveda/homeopathic clinics.

Trichy-A low-cost high-quality healthcare destination

Fast pace of economic development with the increase in the health

awareness have led to the growth of the healthcare industry in the city.

The city stands next to Chennai in Tamilnadu for affordable and quality
healthcare deliveries of high-standards.

Trichy is also a preferred healthcare destination to the from nearby towns

and districts.

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

The city has two major English dailies, The Hindu and the New

Indian Express. Tamil language dailies include Dina Malar, Dina Thanthi,
Dina Mani and Dinakaran with two other dailies Tamil Murasu and Malai Malar
published in the evening. A short wave radio station is operated by All India
Radio, with most programmes in Tamil, English and Hindi. A FM station AIR FM
Rainbow operated by All India Radio with the programmes in Tamil, English and
Hindi, Also a other Private FM Stations Hello FM 106.4 Mhz (Malar Publication),
Suryan FM 93.5 Mhz (SUN Network) and Holly Cross (Educational) Operated in
this City. Television relay started in 1985 from Delhi Doordarshan. In 1986, after
inception of a repeater tower at Kodaikanal, telecast from Madras Doordarshan

36
commenced. Television reception is through DTH or by Cable, while
"Doordarshan" reception is still available using an external antenna. Trichy has an
excellent communication infrastructure, with the major cellular/broadband service
providers involved in. Telecom services BSNL (Second Largest Electronic
Exchange in Tamilnadu), VSNL (TATA Indicom), Reliance, Vodafone, Airtel,
Aircel and BPL available are by Landline, CDMA and GSM. Fiber optic cables
were laid in 2001, improving internet access.

37
 4. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

TABLE 4.01
GENDER OF RESPONDENTS

S.NO GENDER NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE (%)

1 MALE 41 82.0

2 FEMALE 9 18.0

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION:

From the about table it is inferred that 82.0% of the respondents are male,
18.0% of the respondents are female.

Majority (82.0%) of the respondents are female.

38
 CHART NO4.01

GENDER OF THE RESPONDENTS

26.5

26

25.5

25

24.5

24

23.5

23
MALE FEMALE

39
 TABLE 4.02

SHOWING THE AGE LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS

NO OF
S.NO AGE RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE (%)

1 BELOW 15 5 10

2 16-30 16 40

3 31-50 21 30

4 ABOVE 50 8 14

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the table it is inferred that 10.0% of the respondents are under the age
group of below 15years, 40.0% the respondents are under the age group of 16-30
years, 30.0 %of the respondents are under the age group of 31-50 years and 14.0%
of respondents are under the age group of above 50 years.

Majority (40.0) of the respondents are the group of 16-30 years.

40
 CHART NO 4.02

SHOWING THE AGE LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS

25

20

15

10

0
BELOW 15 16-30 31-50 ABOVE 50

41
 TABLE 4.03

SHOWING THE OCCUPATION OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO OCCUPATION NO OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE (%)

1 STUDENT 16 32

2 PROFESSIONAL 8 16

3 BUSINESS 11 22

4 HOMEMAKER 15 30

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that 32.0% of respondents were students,
16.0%of the respondents were professional, and 22.0% of the respondents have
own business, and 30.0% of the respondents were homemakers.

Majority (32.0%) of the respondents are students.

42
 CHART NO4.03

SHOWING THE OCCUPATION OF THE RESPONDENTS

18

16

14

12

10

0
STUDENT PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS HOMEMAKER

43
 TABLE 4.04

SHOWING THE FAMILY'S MONTHLY INCOME OF THE

RESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE
S.NO INCOME NO OF RESPONDENTS (%)
BELOW
1 10,000 5 10

2 10,000 - 20,000 22 44

3 20,000 -30,000 15 30
ABOVE
4 30,000 8 16

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that the 10.0% of the respondents get
below 10000, 44.0% of respondents 10000-20000,30.0% of respondents get
20000-30000, and 16.0% the respondents get 30000 and above.

Majority (44.0%) of the respondents are having their family monthly income
of Rs.10000-20000.

44
 CHART NO 4.05

SHOWING THE FAMILY'S MONTHLY INCOME OF THE

RESPONDENTS
25

20

15

10

0
BELOW 10,000 10,000 - 20,000 20,000 -30,000 ABOVE 30,000

45
 TABLE 4.05

SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS USING LUX SOAP

USE LUX NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO SOAP RESPONDENTS (%)

1 YES 31 62

2 NO 19 38

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the table it is inferred that 62.0% the respondents respond yes, and
38.0% of the respondents say no.

Majority (62.0%) of the respondents are saying yes.

46
 CHART NO 4.05

SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS USING LUX SOAP

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO

47
 TABLE4.06

SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE

FREQUENCY OF NO OF PERCENTAGE
S.NO PURCHASE RESPONDENTS (%)

1 WEEKLY 11 22

2 MONTHLY 24 48

3 BIMONTHLY 10 20

4 QUARTERLY 5 10

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION:

From the above table it is inferred that 22.0% of the respondents buy
weekly, 48.0% of the respondents buy monthly, 20.0% of the respondents buy
bimonthly and 10.0% of the respondents buy quarterly.

Majority (48.0%) of the respondents are buying monthly.

48
 CHART NO 4.06

SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE

30

25

20

15

10

0
WEEKLY MONTHLY BIMONTHLY QUATERLY

49
 TABLE4.07
SHOWING THE NO OF SOAP NEEDED EVERY MONTH

NO OF SOAP NEEDED NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO EVERY MONTH RESPONDENTS (%)

1 1 9 18

2 2 28 56

3 3 11 22

4 OTHERS 2 4

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that 18.0% of the respondents need 1
soap, 56.0% of the respondents need 2 soaps, 22.0% of the respondents need 3
soaps, 4.0% of the respondents need more than 3 soaps.

Majority (56.0%) of the respondents need 2 soaps every month.

50
 CHART NO 4.07

SHOWING THE NO OF SOAP NEEDED EVERY MONTH

30

25

20

15

10

0
1 2 3 OTHERS

51
 TABLE 4.08

SHOWING THE INFLUENCES OF PURCHASE

INFLUENCES OF NO OF PERCENTAGE
S.NO PURCHASE RESPONDENTS (%)

1 PRICE 9 18
CELEBRITY
2 ADVERTISEMENT 25 50

3 QUALITY & QUANTITY 10 20

4 PACKAGE 6 12

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that 18.0% of the respondents are
influenced by price, 50.0% of the respondents are influenced by celebrity
advertisement, 20.0% of the respondents are influenced by quality and quantity,
12.0% of the respondents are influenced by package.

Majority (50.0%) of the respondents are influenced by celebrity advertisement.

52
 CHART NO 4.08

SHOWING THE INFLUENCES OF PURCHASE

30

25

20

15

10

0
PRICE CELEBRITY QUALITY & PACKAGE
ADVERTISEMENT QUANTITY

53
 TABLE 4.09

SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS LIKINGS TOWARDS SOAP

LIKINGS TOWARDS NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO SOAP RESPONDENTS (%)

1 PERFUME 19 38

2 COLOUR 17 34

3 HYGIENE 3 6

4 PROTECT SKIN 11 22

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that the 38.0% of the respondents like its
perfume, 34.0% of the respondents like its color, 6.0% of the respondents like
because its hygiene, 22.0% of the respondents like as it protects skin.

Majority (38.0%) of the respondents like its perfume.

54
 CHART NO4.09

SHOWING THE RESPONDENTS LIKINGS TOWARDS SOAP

20

18

16

14

12

10

0
PERFUME COLOUR HYGIENE PROTECT SKIN

55
 TABLE 4.10

SHOWING THE DISLIKES OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.N DISLIKES OF THE NO OF PERCENTAG

O RESPONDENTS RESPONDENTS E (%)

1 LACK OF AWARENESS 15 30

2 LACK OF AVAILABILITY 13 26

3 YOU FIND IT EXPENSIVE 18 36

YOU DON'T LIKE THE
4 PRODUCT 3 6

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that the 30.0% of the respondents have
lack of awareness, 26.0% of the respondents have lack of availability, 36.0% of the
respondents find it expensive and 6.0% of the respondents doesn’t like the product.

Majority (36.0%) of the respondents say that they find the product expensive.

56
 CHART NO 4.10

SHOWING THE DISLIKES OF THE RESPONDENTS

20

18

16

14

12

10

0
LACK OF LACK OF YOU FIND IT YOU DON'T LIKE
AWARENESS AVAILABILITY EXPENSIVE THE PRODUCT

57
 TABLE 4.11

SHOWING THE RESPONDENT’S CHANGE IN BRAND OF THE

SOAP

CHANGE IN NO OF PERCENTAGE
S.NO BRAND RESPONDENTS (%)

1 YES 21 42

2 NO 29 58

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that the 42.0% of the respondents change
the brand, 58.0% of the respondents doesn’t change the brand.

Majority (58.0%) of the respondents do not change the brand of the soap

58
 CHART NO 4.11

SHOWING THE RESPONDENT’S CHANGE IN BRAND OF THE

SOAP

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO

59
 TABLE 4.12

SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF CHANGE IN BRAND

FREQUENCY OF CHANGE NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO IN BRAND RESPONDENTS (%)

1 ONCE 10 20

2 TWICE 8 16

3 THRICE 6 12

4 MANY TIMES 26 52

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that the 20.0% of the respondents change
the brand once, 16.0% of the respondents change the brand twice, 12.0% of the
respondents change the brand thrice, 52.0% of the respondents change the brand
many times.

Majority (52.0%) of the respondents change the brand frequently.

60
 CHART NO 4.12

SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF CHANGE IN BRAND

30

25

20

15

10

0
ONCE TWICE THRICE MANY TIMES

61
 TABLE 4.13

SHOWING THE BRAND OF SOAP USED

BRAND OF NO OF PERCENTAGE
S.NO SOAP RESPONDENTS (%)

1 LUX 31 62

2 CINTHOL 8 16

3 MEDIMIX 9 18
NATURE
4 POWER 2 4

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that 62.0% of the respondents prefers
Lux, 16.0% of the respondents prefers Cinthol, 18.0% of the respondents prefers
Medimix and 4.0% of the respondents prefers Nature power soap.

Majority (62.0%) of the respondents prefers Lux soap.

62
 CHART NO 4.13

SHOWING THE BRAND OF SOAP USED

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
LUX CINTHOL MEDIMIX NATURE POWER

63
 TABLE4.14
SHOWING THE EASY AVAILABILITY OF THE SOAP

EASY AVAILABILITY OF NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO THE SOAP RESPONDENTS (%)

1 YES 37 74

2 NO 13 26

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that 740.0% of the respondents say that
the soap is easily available and 26.0% of the respondents find it difficult.

Majority (74.0%) of the respondents say that the soap is easily available.

64
 CHART NO 4.14

SHOWING THE EASY AVAILABILITY OF THE SOAP

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO

65
 TABLE 4.15

SHOWING THE AWARENESS OF THE SOAP

AWARENESS OF THE NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO SOAP RESPONDENTS (%)

1 YES 35 70

2 NO 15 30

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the above table it is inferred that 70.0% of the respondents have the
awareness of the product and 30.0% of the respondents do not have the awareness
of the product.

Majority (70.0%) of the respondents say that they have the awareness of the
product.

66
 CHART NO 4.15

SHOWING THE AWARENESS OF THE SOAP

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO

67
 TABLE 4.16

SHOWING THE EFFECTIVE FORM OF ADVERTISEMENT

EFFECTIVE FORM OF NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO ADVERTISEMENT RESPONDENTS (%)

1 NEWS PAPER / MAGAZINE 4 8

2 STORE WINDOWS 2 4

3 TV ADVERTISEMENTS 42 84

4 INTERNET 2 4

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION:

From the above table it is inferred that 8.0% of the respondents prefer
newspaper/magazines, 4.0% of the respondents prefers stores window, 84.0% of
the respondents prefers TV advertisements and 4.0% of the respondents prefer
internet.

Majority (84.0%) of the respondents prefers TV advertisements.

68
 CHART NO 4.16

SHOWING THE EFFECTIVE FORM OF ADVERTISEMENT

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
NEWS PAPER / STORE WINDOWS TV INTERNET
MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENTS

69
 TABLE 4.17

SHOWING CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT PROMPT ON PURCHASES

NO OF
S.N PURCHASES PROMPTED BY RESPONDENT PERCENTAG
O CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT S E (%)

1 YES 44 88

2 NO 6 12

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION:

From the above table it is inferred that 88.0% of the respondents are
prompted by celebrity endorsements and 12.0% of the respondents are not
prompted by celebrity endorsement.

Majority (88.0%) of the respondents say that they are prompted by celebrity
endorsements.

70
 CHART NO 4.17

SHOWING CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT PROMPT ON PURCHASES

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO

71
 TABLE 4.18

SHOWING THE EFFECT OF LUX SOAP ON HEALTH

EFFECT OF LUX SOAP ON NO OF PERCENTAGES

S.NO HEALTH RESPONDENTS (%)

1 YES 17 34

2 NO 33 66

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION:

From the above table it is inferred that 34.0% of the respondents have health
issues and 66.0% of the respondents do not have health issues.

Majority (66.0%) of the respondents say that they do not have health issues.

72
 CHART NO 4.18

SHOWING THE EFFECT OF LUX SOAP ON HEALTH

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO

73
 TABLE 4.19

SHOWING THE PREFERED FLAVOUR OF LUX SOAP

FLAVOUR OF LUX NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO SOAP RESPONDENTS (%)
LOTUS AND CREAM
1 PURPLE 13 26
2 SANDAL 14 28
3 STRAWBERRY 16 32
4 PEACH 7 14
TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION:

From the table it is inferred that the 26.0% of the respondents prefer lotus
and cream purple, 28.0% of the respondents prefer sandal, 32.0% of the
respondents prefer strawberry and 14.0% of the respondents prefer peach flavor.

Majority (32.0%) of the respondents prefer strawberry flavor of Lux soap.

74
 CHART NO 4.19

SHOWING THE PREFERED FLAVOUR OF LUX SOAP

18

16

14

12

10

0
LOTUS AND CREAM SANDAL STRAWBERRY PEACH
PURPLE

75
 TABLE 4.20

SHOWING THE OFFERS THAT INFLUENCES THE PURCHASE

OFFERS INFLUENCING NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO PURCHASE RESPONDENTS (%)
1 DISCOUNT 19 38
2 BUY ONE GET ONE 13 26
3 COMBO OFFERS 12 24
4 FREE GIFTS 6 12
TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the table it is inferred that the 38.0% of the respondents prefer
discounts, 26.0% of the respondents prefer buy one get one, 24.0% of the
respondents prefer combo offers and 12.0% of the respondents prefer free gifts.

Majority (38.0%) of the respondents prefer discount offers.

76
 CHART NO 4.20

SHOWING THE OFFERS THAT INFLUENCES THE PURCHASE

20

18

16

14

12

10

0
DISCOUNT BUY ONE GET ONE COMBO OFFERS FREE GIFTS

77
 TABLE 4.21

SHOWING THE SIZE OF THE SOAP

SIZE OF THE NO OF PERCENTAGE

S.NO SOAP RESPONDENTS (%)

1 100 29 58

2 200 17 34

3 300 4 8

TOTAL 50 100

INTERPRETATION :

From the table it is inferred that the 58.0% of the respondents prefer 100 gm,
34.0% of the respondents prefer 200 gm, and 8.0% of the respondents prefer 300
gm.

Majority (58.0%) of the respondents prefer 100 gm size of the soap.

78
 CHART NO 4.21

SHOWING THE SIZE OF THE SOAP

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0
1 2 3

79
 FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION
CHAPTER-5
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION
FINDINGS:
 Majority (82.0%) of the respondents are female.
 Majority (40.0) of the respondents are the group of 16-30 years.
 Majority (32.0%) of the respondents are students.
 Majority (44.0%) of the respondents are having their family monthly income
of
 Rs.10000-20000.
 Majority (62.0%) of the respondents are saying yes.
 Majority (48.0%) of the respondents are buying monthly.
 Majority (56.0%) of the respondents need 2 soaps every month.
 Majority (50.0%) of the respondents are influenced by celebrity
advertisement.
 Majority (38.0%) of the respondents like its perfume.
 Majority (36.0%) of the respondents say that they find the product
expensive.
 Majority (58.0%) of the respondents do not change the brand of the soap
 Majority (52.0%) of the respondents change the brand frequently.
 Majority (62.0%) of the respondents prefers Lux soap.
 Majority (74.0%) of the respondents say that the soap is easily available.
 Majority (70.0%) of the respondents say that they have the awareness of the
product.
 Majority (84.0%) of the respondents prefers TV advertisements.
 Majority (88.0%) of the respondents say that they are prompted by celebrity

80
endorsements.
 Majority (66.0%) of the respondents say that they do not have health issues.
 Majority (32.0%) of the respondents prefer strawberry flavor of Lux soap.
 Majority (38.0%) of the respondents prefer discount offers.
 Majority (58.0%) of the respondents prefer 100 gm size of the soap.

SUGGESTIONS:

Lux is a generic brand widely used by all segment of society, so company

should consider all segment of society while launching its different types of
product. Customer's behaviour always looks for some extra benefit with
purchasing. They demand for affordable price for product and good schemes with
purchasing.

Company targets only youth between 15 to 35 years who are conscious of

beauty and skin but in current scenario all people are more conscious regarding
their skin and beauty, so company should also consider them while manufacturing
the product. The company has to give some discounts or offers at the time of
special occassions i.e.. festivals.

Most of the people suggested that they would like to see more attractive
package for LUX soap though the present packing is of good quality. Most of the
people are satisfied with small sized LUX soap. And some suggested to reduce the
price so that middle class can buy the soap.

From the beginning it is popularly known as "beautiful soap of film

stars". Now LUX is a brand of all segment of society.

81
 CONCLUSION

From this study its finding revealed that majority of the respondents
belongs to teenage group. They expect the company to provide the product at a
lower price. The company can increase its sales by reducing its price and
increasing its advertisements. The company has to give some discounts or offers at
the time of special occasions i.e... Festivals. Majority of the respondents suggest to
provide free gifts like earrings, toys, necklaces, ect,…

82
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:

1. "Consumer Behaviour", "JAMES RP"

2. "Indian consumer", "AGARWAL A.K"
3. "Choi" (2001), "ADVERTISING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR"
4. "Ergo", "CUSTOMER PREFERENCE"
5. "Sevater Charles Percy","ADVERTISING CONSUMER PREFERENCE"
6. "Memoria Joshi", MARKETING MANAGEMENT" 7. "Loudon Della Bitta",
"CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR"
JOURNALS:
1. "Prashanth Mukherger", "ADVERTISING MARKETING" Vol-V
2. "Philip Kotler", "MARKETING PRINCIPLES" p.249-51
3. "Garpett Thomas", "MARKETING MANAGEMENT" p.209-215.
4. "R.S.N. Pillai and Bagavathi", "MODERN MARKETING"
5. "Pillai 1991". "ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT, p.219-220.

MAGAZINES:

"WOMEN STYLE"

83
 QUESTIONNAIRES

A STUDY ON CONSUMER’S SATISFACTION WITH SPECIAL

REFERECE TO LUX SOAP IN FATHIMA NAGAR TOWNSHIP -TRICHY

1) Name :
2) Gender
a) Male
b) Female
3) Age
a) Below 15
b) 16-30
c) 31-50
d) Above50
4) Occupation?
a) Student
b) Professional
c) Business
d) Homemaker
5) Family’s monthly income?
a) Below 10,000
b) 10,000-20,000
c) 20,000-30,000
d) Above 30,000

6) Do you use Lux soap?

a) Yes
b) No

84
7) What is the frequency of purchase of the Lux soap?

a) Weekly
b) Monthly
c) Bimonthly(monthly twice)
d) Quarterly(six months once)

8) How much Lux soap do you personally require every month? (If more than 3
mention in numbers)

a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) Others………..

9) What influences when you purchase the Lux soap?

a) Price
b) Celebrity advertisements
c) Quality & Quantity
d) Package

10) You like the Lux soap because of

a) Perfume
b) Color
c) Hygienic
d) Protect skin

85
11) If no, it is because:

a) Lack of awareness
b) Lack of availability
c) You find it expensive
d) You don’t like the product

12) Do you change from one brand of soap to another frequently?

a) Yes
b) No

13) How many times did you change brands in the last 3 months?

a) 0nce
b) Twice
c) Thrice
d) Many times

14) What brand of soap are you using now? (You can tick more than one option)?
a) Lux
b) Cinthol
c) Medimix
d) Nature power

15) Is Lux Soap easily available to you?

a) Yes
b) No

86
16) Have you ever seen the advertisements of the Lux soap?

a) Yes
b) No

17) Which is the most effective form of advertising according to you?

a) News papers / magazines

b) Store windows
c) TV Advertisements
d) Internet

18) Does celebrity endorsement prompt you to purchase Lux soap?

a) Yes
b) No

19) Do you have any health issues on usage of the Lux soap?

a) Yes
b) No

20) Which flavor of Lux bath soaps do you prefer? (You can tick more than one
option)

a) Lotus and cream purple

b) Sandal
c) Strawberry
d) Peach

87
21) What is the maximum price you spend on basic sized bath soap?

…………………………………

22) Which one of the offers available influences you the most to buy Lux soap?

a) Discounts offer
b) Buy one get one
c) Combo pack
d) Free gifts

23) What is the size of the Lux Soap you usually purchase?

a) 100g
b) 200g
c) 300g

24) Do you face any problems on customer care? (If yes describe what)

………………………………………………………………………………………

25) Do you have any suggestions?

………………………………………………………………………………………

88