A Marketing Research Proposal on

The factors affecting young people in purchasing a T-Shirt: An empirical study

For the requirements of Course title : Marketing Research Course code : MKT 414 Section : 02 Summer 2012

Prepared for: Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir Chowdhury Professor Department of Business Administration East West University

Prepared by: 1.0 Ashiqur Rahman ID: 2008-1-10-194 Nazia Ahmed ID: 2008-2-10-060 Md. Tarak Hasan Rony ID: 2009-1-10-244

2.0

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Date of Submission: 16th July, 2012.

1.0 Executive Summary

People want to be recognized, appreciated, respected and in some cases to be considered as a fashion icon in a society. So amongst other thing, cloth is the one factor that determines the status of a person in the society. For instance T-shirt is a fusion form of fashion. T-shirt is very common to all not as only a dress also fashion stuff. Its being used widely by the younger generation. But how do they choose a T-shirt? Our research paper will contain some factors that influence young people in buying a T-shirt. Based on an exploratory research on 20 respondents we have identified 4 variables that influence in purchasing a T-shirt. Those are brand image, perceived price, perceived quality and color & design. The study will be conducted based on primary data, we will also conduct a survey among 70 respondents collected from private universities. The survey will be done through a questionnare. The research will be a causal research. The purpose of the study is to provide information to the decision maker about the factors that should be given priority while selling a T-shirt. In the concluding part of the report, we will identify the factor/factors which having the most significant impact on purchasing a Tshirt.

2.0 Background of the study

In our modern society T-shirt plays a vital role in fashion world. Everyone wears T-shirts, sometimes also called tee shirts, as casual daily wear. T-shirts have become so popular and so integrated into society that organizations use as promotional items, along with golf shirts and polo shirts. In Bangladesh more than 4000 garment factories produce garment products including T-shirt. Mostly those are non-branded except few. There are also some brands who offer T-shirt in the market. Nobody knows exactly when the first T-shirt was produced, but there is documentation dating back to as early as 1913 that the US Navy adopted the crew-necked, short-sleeved, white common undershirt, to be worn under overalls to conceal sailors chest hair. In the beginning Tshirt was definitely an undergarment. However, many working men wore a sleeveless undershirt

called a singlet, or a single-piece union suit almost into the 1940s. In the late 1930s Hanes, Sears, and Fruit of the Loom started to market the T-shirt. In 1934 the T-shirt received a setback, hen Clark Gable took off his dress shirt to reveal a bare torso in the movie It Happened One Night. American women liked the bare-chest look, and many men followed Gables lead by discarding their undershirts in droves. In the late sixties and seventies, people began to realize that printing on T-shirts could be a lucrative business. Rock and Roll bands and professional athletic teams started to make huge profits selling custom screen printed T-shirts. Since then, T-shirts have become a fashion staple of virtually every human being worldwide. In the different stages of growth several contents added and excluded from T-shirt creation but for some common perception were remain unchanged, which influences customers commonly to purchase a T- shirt. In this study we will find out which are the factors that influence the consumer for purchasing a T-shirt and among those factors, which has/have significant impact on purchasing.

3.0 Objective of the Study

Broad Objective To identify the factor/factors that influence young people greatly in purchasing a T-shirt. Specific Objectives To determine the impact of brand image on purchasing a T-shirt. To determine the impact of perceived price on purchasing a T-shirt. To determine the impact of perceived quality on purchasing a T-shirt. To determine the impact of color & design on purchasing a T-shirt.

4.0 Approach to the problem

Theoretical foundation Consumers buying behavior regarding a T-shirt is highly influenced by some factors like brand image, perceived price, perceived quality and color & design. So the related factors are described below in short: Brand Image Usually, consumers buy not only a product but also the image associated with the product. Brand image can be an important information cue for consumers to evaluate a product. It is nothing but the consumers perception about the product. Consumers focus on the brands opportunities, suitability, benefit, and prestige when they evaluate brand image. When a brand can fulfill these expectations of a consumer s/he holds positive impression toward that brand. Positive brand image enhances the goodwill and brand value of an organization or product. In our study Brand Image is considered as an important factor because different levels of customers have different brand preferences while purchasing a T-shirt and they are not willing to compromise with brand image because it shows prestige, status and somehow reduces their perceived risk also. So people want to purchase a branded T-shirt which is relatively popular both nationally and internationally. Perceived Price Price perception is the process by which consumers translate price into meaningful cognitions. So Price is an important factor for consumers to purchase a T-shirt because it has significant influence on the income level of the consumers. T-shirt can range in price from 250 taka to 3000 taka. Normally branded T-shirt is an expensive because of its quality, fabrics, design and so on. People perceive that they are going to get a better quality T-shirt if they go with the more expensive one. However it is important to think about how much its really affordable and how

much a consumer really want to pay for a T-shirt not only branded T-shirt but also non branded T-shirt.

Perceived Quality Quality is the ability of a product to satisfy a consumers needs and requirements. Perceived quality can be defined as the perception of a consumer about the overall excellence and superiority of a brand, which is directly related to satisfaction. ISO 8402-1986 standard defines quality as "the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs." Quality is an important factor for Bangladeshi customers that no one can ignore it while purchasing a product. In our research we emphasis on quality as an important factor because customer always want cotton, polyester, or a cotton/polyester blend Tshirt .Sometimes environmental conscious consumers may want organically grown cotton and natural dyes. They are also looking for customized screen prints, the softness and absorbing power of fabric which is used to produce a T-shirt. Color & Design Color is another important factor for purchasing a T-shirt. Especially young generation they are much more color conscious. It is related with visual cues. Sometimes may be a T-shirt contains good fabrics, design but color is not that much attractive then consumer may not buy the T-shirt. Generally young people like black. Blue, white, red etc colored T-shirt very much. T-shirt with a wonderful design provides satisfaction to the customers. At the present time Tshirts are available in a variety of cutting, design composing, patterns and styles such as the standard crew neck, round-neck, short polo-neck and V-neck. Shirt sleeves may be short or long. Printed shirts may feature political slogans, humor, art, sports, as well as famous people and places. Customer sometimes considers that design of the T-shirt which reflects their personality.

 Analytical Model Perceived Quality

Brand Image

Purchasing a T-shirt

Perceived Price

Color & Design

Research Questions What are the factors that influence the purchase decision of a T-shirt? Research questions regarding specific components:
1. Does brand image influence consumer purchase decision of a T-shirt? 2. Does perceived price influence consumer purchase decision of a T-shirt? 3. Does perceived quality influence consumer purchase decision of a T-shirt? 4. Does color & design influence consumer purchase decision of a T-shirt?

 Hypotheses H1: Brand image influences consumer purchase decision of T-shirt. H2: Perceived price influences consumer purchase decision of T-shirt. H3: Perceived quality influences consumer purchase decision of T-shirt. H4: Color & Design influence consumer purchase decision of T-shirt.

5.0 Research Design

The research design will be a causal research which will be used to identify and evaluate the influencing factors of purchasing a T-shirt. We will collect consumer opinions regarding how do they choose a T-shirt and which factors influence them greatly. We will conduct a questionnaire survey through personal interview. As a sample we will use students of private universities and our sample size will 70.

6.0 Data Collection

The required primary data will be collected by our co-worker from the students of East West University through a survey questionnaire. The quality of data will be controlled by our instructor.

7.0 Data Analysis

The task of data analysis will be done according to the instructions of our respected course instructor.

8.0 Reporting
At the end the report will be presented according to the procedures given by the instructor.

9.0 Cost & Time

Particulars Research Proposal paper Questionnaire Data collection Data analyzing and interpretation Prepare Report Submission and Presentation Total

Time (days) 5 5 5 3 2 1 21 days

Cost (taka) 100 100 100 50 50 100 500 taka