AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

A Peer Reviewed International Journal of Asian Research Consortium

AJRBEM:
ASIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN BUSINESS ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT A STUDY ON MARKETING STRATEGIES OF BPCL (BHARAT PETROLEUM CORPORATION LTD)S BEYOND LPG (LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS) IN INDIA AT HUBLI-DHARWAD REGION, KARNATAKA
DR. N. RAMANJANEYALU*; R. KRISHNAPRASAD**; KIRAN S KOPPAD*** *Assistant Professor, Kousali Institute of Management Studies, Karnatak University Dharawada, Karnataka, India. **Territory Manager, BPCL, Dharawada. ***MBA Student, Kousali Institute of Management Studies, Karnatak University Dharwada, Karnataka, India. ABSTRACT The main challenging task for any business to survive in the present market is to retain its existing customers and to form a new bond with the upcoming customers. The relationship should be such that it should yield fruitful results to both company and its customers. Keeping this in mind, the company BPCL came up with an innovative concept known as BEYOND LPG. Beyond LPG is an innovative concept of value added service which was introduced in October 2003 by the company BPCL with a view to serve its customers at their door steps through its network of distributors. According to the concept, not only LPG cylinder is delivered, along with it the products as per the customers preferences are delivered at their door steps. The products includes home appliances, geysers, water purifiers, kitchenwares, kitchen utensils, groceries (tea powder, sugar, cooking oil, food grains), soaps, detergents, gas stove, etc. are delivered to the customers. As the time passed, beyond LPG was not yielding enough results as it was supposed to. This was due to the presence of bottlenecks in the business. In this study an attempt is made to know the problems that are actually obstructing the profitability of the business. Beyond LPG was started by the company through their distributors who are having wide network of customers. So it is very much necessary to know from where the problem is arising whether from the company or from the distributor or from the JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 267

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

customers. Hence in the study an attempt is made to know from where the problem is occurring. KEYWORDS: Beyond LPG, BPCL. Bharathgas. ______________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION In this competitive world of business, to have a good market share, the key is customer. More the number of customers more will be the sales and hence good profit, which in turn increases the market share, thus making the company a potential company. Today customers are kings. Their taste, preference, attitude, behavior, perception, etc. everything counts for good business. Most importantly maintaining good relationship with the customers plays a very important role for the survival of any business in the market. Keeping this in mind, the company BHARAT PETROLEUM CORPORATION LIMITED took one more step ahead to serve its customers at their door steps through its network of distributors. The company came up with an innovative concept to serve its customers at their door steps and the innovative concept is BEYOND LPG. BEYOND LPG Beyond LPG is an innovative concept of value added service which is introduced in October 2003 by the company BPCL with a view to serve its customers at their door steps through its network of distributors. The purpose for the introduction of this concept was to enrich their relationship with the existing pool of customers and to bond new relationship with the upcoming customers. In this Beyond LPG, not only LPG cylinder is delivered along with it, the products as per the customers preferences are delivered at their door steps. The products that are delivered are branded products. The products includes home appliances, geysers, water purifiers, kitchenwares, kitchen utensils, groceries (tea powder, sugar, cooking oil, food grains), soaps, detergents, gas stove, etc. are delivered to the customers. It is the concept of direct to home delivery at special prices. The orders are taken from the customers when they come for booking LPG and then the products are delivered along with the LPG to their home directly. Usually the products are delivered at special prices i.e. at concessional prices to the customers. The BPCL has a tie up with 129 branded companies, from which the products are purchased and given to its distributors. The distributors then directly deliver them to the customers home as per the orders. The companies which are in tie up with BPCL are ITC, Karnataka soaps, Fortune, Duncan tea, Prestige, Butterfly, Priya gold, Dabur, Bajaj, etc. and many more. From the concept of Beyond LPG, all the three i.e. company, distributor and the customers are having benefits. The benefits for all the three are discussed below in the table.

JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 268

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

Company 1. Can have good and lasting relationship with customers. 2. Can build good brand image. 3. Can increase their production capacity. 4. Can enhance customer service standards.

TABLE 1. BENEFITS Distributor Customer 1. Can earn profits. 1. Can get delivery of products along with 2. Can expand his existing LPG at their door steps. business. 2. Can get products at special prices 3. Can expand his (concessional prices). distribution capacity. 3. Can get offers on special events and 4. Can build good occasions. relationship with existing 4. Can enjoy service at their home, thereby and new customers. saving transportation cost and unnecessary traveling expenses. Hence they can concentrate on their regular work without any problem.

CORPORATE HISTORY On 24 January 1976, the Burmah Shell Group of Companies was taken over by the Government of India to form Bharat Refineries Limited. On 1 August 1977, it was renamed Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. It was also the first refinery to process newly found indigenous crude Bombay High, in the country. Today Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has got three refineries at Mumbai, Kochi and Numaligarh. PRODUCTS Bharat Petroleum produces a diverse range of products, from petrochemicals and solvents to aircraft fuel and specialty lubricants and markets them through its wide network of Petrol Stations, Kerosene Dealers, LPG Distributors, Lube Shoppes, besides supplying fuel directly to hundreds of industries, and several international and domestic airlines. TECHNOLOGICAL EDGE Bharat Petroleum has always been on the forefront of harnessing technology initiatives for BPCL has been on forefront in harnessing technology. Maximizing efficiency and achieving greater customer satisfaction. Bharat Petroleum is the first Public Sector Oil Company to implement Enterprise wide Resource Planning (ERP) solutions - SAP. The implementation project known as ENTRANS (Enterprise wide Transformation) has been awarded the 'SAP Star Implementation Award', with Bharat Petroleum having the distinction of executing the largest and the most ambitious SAP project in India. The challenge of SAP implementation was to ensure that all the integrated elements (of the complex multi-modular integrated solutions that impact the entire workflow of the organisation) work seamlessly across the length and breadth of the country, including the remote locations. Providing online connectivity in these remote locations, given the full-fledged IT network infrastructure, was in itself a daunting task. Bharat Petroleum is reaping the benefits of the integrated system in many areas of its operations. The early gains of implementation are in the areas of tracking customer-receivables, monitoring credit-management, inventory management, besides easing the operations in a large number of areas. Furthermore, Bharat Petroleum has also set up one of the biggest 'Centres of Excellence' in Asia to provide online support to the end users and also work towards continuous improvement in business processes and handle product upgrades and new generation products. With SAP as the IT backbone, Bharat Petroleum plans to take advantage of the Internet based capabilities along the entire value chain with a Customer Relationship Management solution. A large data JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 269

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

warehouse project has also been implemented, which facilitates access to real-time accurate information on key performance indicators at all Bharat Petroleum locations. This enables the management to take strategic and business decisions, thus ensuring value-added services, better customer satisfaction and enhanced shareholder value. PEOPLE ABOVE OIL Over the years, Bharat Petroleum continues to meet the challenges of the rapidly changing environment, leading to changes in the marketing of products and services. In all these changes, only one factor has remained constant and has been the source of Bharat Petroleum's strength and inspiration for any future innovations - Bharat Petroleum's People. The feeling of ownership has facilitated all employees to understand the complexity of the market and needs of the customers, and respond to these needs with innovative initiatives and offerings. For Bharat Petroleum, commitment of its employees is a critical resource. Fully realizing that only a happy employee will put his best foot forward with the customers, Bharat Petroleum has taken many steps to make the organisation a great place to work. In a survey conducted by Hewitt Associates for the January 2001 issue of Business Today magazine to identify the best employers, Bharat Petroleum was ranked among the top ten employers in India. The objective of the study was to find out which companies had really charged the emotional and intellectual energy of their employees. The other companies who were selected were Infosys, HewlettPackard, P and G, ICICI, Hughes, LG, HLL, Compaq and Asian Paints. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. To understand the concept of Beyond LPG. 2. To know the awareness among the customers regarding the products of Beyond LPG. 3. To understand the perception of customers regarding the products of Beyond LPG. 4. To understand the communication link between the company, distributors and customers. 5. To know the promotional activities of Beyond LPG. 6. To know the marketing strategies adopted by the distributors. 7. To understand the distributors operating capacity for Beyond LPG products. 8. To know the potential customers. IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY In this study an attempt is made to understand the market potential of Beyond LPG and marketing strategies followed by the BHARAT PETROLEUM CORPORATION LIMITED for the improvement of Beyond LPG in the market. In the study, awareness and perception of Beyond LPG products of the customers of Bharatgas was done. Also the distributors performance in operating Beyond LPG was studied. The main focus in the study was given to identify the bottlenecks that were occurring and hindering the growth of Beyond LPG in the market. The study helps the company to identify the problems and difficulty that are occurring in Beyond LPG, and guides it to take the necessary steps to tackle the obstructions. This will help the company to retain its customers, protect its market shares and maintain profitability in competitive scenario. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY DATA COLLECTION COLLECTION OF THE PRIMARY DATA: Primary data was collected by conducting the survey for both customers and dealers of Bharatgas. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire differently for both customers and distributors. A market survey was done mainly for Bharatgas customers and dealers using the structured questionnaires, which were prepared differently based on the objectives of the study. The questions prepared were mainly of closed JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 270

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

ended type as options given were only YES or NO. All the Bharatgas customers and dealers were personally interviewed by using the structured questionnaire which was prepared as per the objectives. The primary data collected from the customers and dealers of Bharatgas is the survey data. From the data collected, master coding sheet was prepared for further analysis, interpretation and then to draw final conclusion. The study involves a fieldwork of around 8 weeks (July 1st to August 31st 2011) where in the survey is carried out for 10 Bharat Gas Dealers and 60 Bharatgas customers. The customers of only HUBLI-DHARWAD were surveyed. The distributors from in and around HUBLI-DHARWAD were surveyed. COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA: The secondary data was collected from secondary sources of information such as; Territory Managers office, Database of the departments, Sales executives, Official Website of the company. SAMPLING PROCEDURE SAMPLE SIZE: The total number of customers selected for survey was 60. All of them are Bharatgas customers. The total number of dealers selected for survey was 10. All of them are dealers of Bharatgas. TECHNIQUES FOR ANALYSIS The data collected were subjected for analysis using the Microsoft excel. In this study, the percentages are found for each questions responded in the analysis and they are presented table in order to provide clarity. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY a. This study is restricted only to the customers and dealers of Bharatgas. b. This study is done only for Beyond LPG. c. The study is not focused on individual products of Beyond LPG. d. The sample size is limited to only 10 for Bharat Gas Dealers due to limited distributors in and around HUBLI-DHARWAD and 60 for customers of HUBLI-DHARWAD only due to time constraint. e. The analysis, interpretation and conclusion are drawn from the information collected only from 10 dealers and 60 customers of Bharatgas. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF CONSUMERS SURVEY 1. HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN THE CUSTOMER OF BHARATGAS? YEARS NO OF CUSTOMERS 1-5 22 6-10 25 11-15 8 16-20 2 21-25 2 26-30 1 TABLE 2: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY About 22 members have become new customers of Bharatgas. Rests are the old members who have become the customers before the introduction of beyond LPG in the market. Many people are ready to become the customers of Bharatgas and the old people are still there, it means that they have faith in Bharatgas. The new customers told that they have taken suggestions from their relatives, friends and family members about the facilities, services, etc. given by the company JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 271

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

and then became the customers of Bharatgas. The old customers who are still with the Bharatgas told they are satisfied with the service and facilities given by the company. 2. DO YOU GET THE DELIVERY OF LPG CYLINDER ON TIME? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 51 85% NO 9 15% TABLE 3: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 51(85%) customers are telling that they are getting on time delivery of LPG and only 9(15%) customers are not getting on time delivery of LPG. Majority of Bharatgas customers are getting delivery of LPG on time from Bharatgas distributors. Among 60 customers surveyed, the customers who said YES are booking the LPG exactly after 21 days from the date of delivery, whereas customers who said NO are booking the LPG before 21 days from the date of delivery. Hence the customers who said NO are getting the delivery as per company rules and hence they told they are getting late delivery. 3. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE SERVICES GIVEN BY YOUR DISTRIBUTOR? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 52 87% NO 8 17% TABLE 4: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 52(87%) customers are satisfied with the service given by Bharatgas and 8(13%) customers are not satisfied. Majority of the Bharatgas customers are satisfied by the service given to them by their distributors. The customers who said YES, are satisfied by the distributors good response for both major and minor problems faced by them and most important they are getting on time delivery of LPG. But the customers who said NO are not satisfied either by their distributors response or by the delivery of LPG.

4. HOW MUCH DO YOU SPEND ON GROCERIES MONTHLY? Expenditure on groceries per month Number of customers 1/- to 1000/9 1001/- to 2000/8 2001/- to 3000/24 3001/- to 4000/8 4001/- to 5000/9 5001/- to 6000/2

Percentage 15% 13% 40% 13% 15% 4%

TABLE 5: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 9(15%) customers are spending 1/- to 1000/- per month, 8(13%) customers are spending 1001/- to 2000/- per month, 24(40%) customers are spending 2001/- to 3000/- per month, 8(13%) customers are spending 3001/- to 4000/- per month, 9(15%) customers are spending 4001/- to 5000/- per month, and 2(4%) customers are spending 5001/- to 6000/- per month on groceries. Majority of the Bharatgas customers are spending 2001/- to 3000/- per JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 272

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

month on groceries. The customers who are spending more i.e. 4000/- to 6000/- are having larger family (joint), the customers who are spending 2000/- to 4000/- are having medium family, and customers who are spending 1000/- to 2000/- are having small family. 5. HOW FREQUENTLY DO YOU VISIT YOUR DISTRIBUTOR? Visit to distributors shop in one month Number of customers Percentage Once 42 70% Twice 9 15% Occasionally 8 13% Not much 1 2% TABLE 6: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 42(70%) customers visit only once in a month to the distributors shop, 9(15%) customers visit twice in a month, 8(13%) customers not much go to the distributors shop, and only 1(2%) customer visit occasionally to the distributors shop. Majority of Bharatgas customers visit regularly to the distributors shop at least once in a month. Most of the customers visit regularly to their distributors once in a month for booking LPG; some of them visit twice for enquiry and other problems. Some customers do their LPG booking from phone and hence they visit occasionally or dont visit at all. 6. ARE YOU AWARE OF BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 24 40% NO 36 60% TABLE 7: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 24(40%) are aware of beyond LPG, and 36(60%) are unaware of beyond LPG. Majority of the Bharatgas customers are unaware of beyond LPG and only a small portion of customers are aware of beyond LPG. The customers who have said YES, all of them are new customers. They told that they have seen some products being sold by their distributors, but are not completely aware. They got the products only at the time of getting new connection. But the old customers responded that they are not at all aware of beyond LPG. Hence they said NO. The old customers are thinking that the products are only for new customers. 7. ARE YOU AWARE OF PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES OF BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 10 17% NO 50 83% TABLE 8: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, only 10(17%) of the customers are aware of promotional activities of beyond LPG, and remaining 50(83%) of the customers are unaware of promotional activities of beyond LPG. Majority of the Bharatgas customers are unaware of promotional activities carried out by distributors for beyond LPG. Customers, who have responded YES, have seen the display of products of beyond LPG at their distributors shop and also in some fairs and local melas. The customers, who responded NO, have not seen display of products either in shop or in local melas and fairs. They have also not got information on phones when they call for booking LPG. JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 273

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

8. HAVE YOU GOT ANY INFORMATION ABOUT BEYOND LPG FROM YOUR DISTRIBUTOR? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 21 35% NO 39 65% TABLE 9: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, about 21(35%) customers have got information about beyond LPG from distributors, and remaining 39(65%) customers have not got any information from distributors regarding beyond LPG products. Most of the Bharatgas customers have not got information from their distributors regarding beyond LPG. The customers who have responded YES are again new customers. The customers who have responded NO are old customers. The new customers told they have got information about some products that are being sold by their distributors. Hence they responded that they have got information about beyond LPG from their distributors. 9. DO YOU KNOW THAT YOUR DISTRIBUTOR WILL SELL THE PRODUCTS OTHER THAN LPG WHEN YOU GET NEW CONNECTION OR WHEN YOU GO FOR BOOKING CYLINDER? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 39 65% NO 21 35% TABLE 10: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 39(65%) customers know that their distributors sell some products, and remaining 21(35%) customers dont know anything about the products sold by their distributors. Most of the Bharatgas customers know that their distributors sell some products at their shop. The customers who have responded YES, includes both old and new customers. Because new customers have already bought some products and some of the old customers have seen the display at their distributors shop and they have also seen buying of products by the new customers. Since many customers visit regularly to the distributors shop, they know that some products are being sold by their distributors. But the customers, who responded NO, either visit occasionally or dont visit at all to their distributors shop. This is because most of their work is done through phone calls like booking LPG, registering the complaints and other problems. 10. A) ARE YOU INTERESTED IN OUR BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS YES 57 NO 3

PERCENTAGE 95% 5%

TABLE 11: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 57(95%) customers are interested in beyond LPG, only 3(5%) customers are not at all interested in beyond LPG. Majority of the Bharatgas customers are interested in beyond LPG. After explaining the features of beyond LPG to the customers, almost all the customers showed interest upon the products of beyond LPG. The customers felt very comfortable and gave positive response for the products of beyond LPG. The customers who told YES are very much JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 274

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

interested in beyond LPG, and the customers who told NO were not sure about the products. Hence they showed no interest. 10. B) ARE YOU READY TO BUY THE PRODUCTS OF BEYOND LPG, IF THEY ARE DELIVERED AT YOUR DOOR STEPS? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 57 95% NO 3 5% TABLE 12: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 57(95%) customers are ready to buy the products if they are delivered at door steps, and remaining 3(5%) are not at all interested. Majority of the Bharatgas customers are ready to buy the products if they are home delivered. The customers were made clear that after placing an order for the products of beyond LPG at their distributors shop, home delivery is made for free of cost, and most of the customers gave very good and positive response. The customers who said YES are having an interest on the products of beyond LPG, where as the customers who said NO didnt shown any interest as they were no sure about the home delivery in time.

10. C) IF CONCESSION IS GIVEN FOR THE PRODUCTS, WILL YOU BUY? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 59 98% NO 1 2% TABLE 13: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 59(98%) customers are ready to buy the products of beyond LPG if concession is given on them, and remaining 1(2%) customer is not at all interested in beyond LPG. Almost all the customers of Bharatgas are ready to buy the products of beyond LPG if concession is given on them. Maximum number of customers gave very good and positive response for buying the products of beyond LPG, when they were told that concession will be given to them for the products they have purchased. The customers, who said YES have responded positively and have shown lot of interest to purchase the products of beyond LPG. The customers (only 1from 60 respondents) who said NO are not having any interest on beyond LPG products. This is because they are satisfied with the products which they purchase from their retailers. 10. D) IF SMALL SERVICE CHARGE IS IMPOSED ON THE DELIVERY FOR THE PRODUCTS WITHIN TIME, WILL YOU BUY? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 39 65% NO 21 35% TABLE 14: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 39(65%) customers are ready to buy if small service charge is imposed for quick delivering the products within given time, and 21(35%) customers are not ready to buy if JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 275

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

small service charge is imposed for quick delivery. Most of the Bharatgas customers are ready to buy the products even if small service charge is imposed for quick delivery within given time. After the customers got to know about the products of beyond LPG and their features, many customers accepted to pay small service charge for the delivery of products, which is made as per the customers urgent need or as per customers given time for delivering the products. The customers who told YES are ready to pay small service charge if delivery is made as per their need time. The customers who told NO are not ready to pay the extra service charge even if the delivery is made as per their need time. The customers, who said NO will go and buy at their retailers shop if they are having any urgency. 10 .E) DO YOU THINK BEYOND LPG PRODUCTS ARE BRANDED? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 29 48% NO 31 52% TABLE 15: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 29(48%) customers have perception that beyond LPG products are branded and remaining 31(52%) have perception that beyond LPG products are not branded. Most of the Bharatgas customers have perception that Beyond LPG products are not branded. The customers who said YES are new customers who have already purchased some products and some (old) have seen the display of the products at their distributors shop and hence they told that the products are branded. But majority of the customers are old and some of them go occasionally and some, even though they visit regularly, will just book the LPG and come back. Hence they told that products are not branded. 10. F) DO YOU THINK BEYOND LPG PRODUCTS ARE AFFORDABLE? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 41 68% NO 19 32% TABLE16: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 41(68%) customers tell that Beyond LPG products are affordable, and remaining 19(32%) customers tell that Beyond LPG products are not affordable. After knowing about Beyond LPG, most of the Bharatgas customers tell that Beyond LPG products are affordable. The customers after getting the complete information (concession, home delivery and good branded) of the products of Beyond LPG and whose monthly expenditure on groceries are above 2000/-, many customers told YES that the products are affordable. But the customers, who are spending less than 2000 /- per month on groceries, told that products are not affordable. Hence they responded NO.

10. G) WILL YOU BECOME REGULAR CUSTOMER, IF THE PRODUCTS ARE DELIVERED WITHIN TIME, AT CONCESSIONAL PRICES AND ALONG WITH SOME OFFERS ON CERTAIN EVENTS AND OCCASIONS? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 58 96% NO 2 4% JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 276

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

TABLE 17: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 58(96%) customers are ready to become the regular customers of Bharatgas to buy Beyond LPG products. Remaining 2(4%) customers are not interested to become regular customers to buy Beyond LPG products. Majority of the Bharatgas customers are ready to buy Beyond LPG products regularly. The customers were ready to buy the products of Beyond LPG and become regular customers if the products are home delivered along with the concession and also giving offers at the time of festivals and on certain events and occasions. The customers said YES who want to buy regularly and the customers who do not want to buy regularly said NO. 11. Do You Have Computer With Internet Connection? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 11 18% NO 49 88% TABLE 18: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 11(18%) customers are having computer with internet connection, and 49(88%) customers are not having computer with internet connection. Majority of Bharatgas customers are not having computer with an internet connection. The customers who said YES were having the computer with an internet connection. The customers who said NO were not having computer with an internet connection. The customers who were having an internet connection told that they want to know the products of Beyond LPG very well regarding their features, concession price, availability, brand, quantity, etc. and then will go for booking the products online.

12. HOW DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THE ORDER FOR PRODUCTS OF BEYOND LPG? Mode of placing an order Number of customers Percentage Direct coming to the shop 40 67% Telephone 14 23% computer 5 8% Not interested 1 2% TABLE 19: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 40(67%) customers want to place the order for Beyond LPG products by directly coming to the shop, 14(23%) customers through telephone, 5(8%) customers through computer, and only 1(2%) customer is not at all interested for placing order. Majority of the Bharatgas customers prefer to place the order for Beyond LPG products by directly coming to the distributors shop. Maximum customers preferred directly coming to the shop and placing the orders for products to be purchased. This is because the customers can get know what all the products are available in the shop. Some preferred telephone for placing the orders and some preferred online booking to save the time and extra expenses.

JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 277

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

13. WHEN DO YOU WANT YOUR PRODUCTS TO BE DELIVERED AFTER PLACING AN ORDER? Delivery time Number of customers Percentage Within 4 hours 8 13% Within 6 hours 3 5% Within a day 48 80% Not interested 1 2% TABLE 20: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 48(80%) customers want the delivery of products within a day, 8(13%) customers want the products to be delivered within 4 hours, 3(5%) customers want the products to be delivered within 6 hours, and 1(2%) customer is not interested in Beyond LPG. Most of the customers want the delivery of products to be made within a day. Maximum customers told that the delivery of products should be made within a day. This is because they told that the products have to be delivered easily and comfortably without any damage and also it is not good to pressurize the distributors to give quick delivery. But some told that the delivery should be made within 4hours or 6hours as they cant wait for whole day long to receive the products. 14. ARE YOU READY TO BOOK THE ORDER ONE DAY BEFORE SO THAT PRODUCTS ARE DELIVERED COMFORTABLY AND EASILY WITHIN SPECIFIED TIME? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 57 95% NO 3 5% TABLE 21: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 57(95%) customers are ready to place the order for Beyond LPG one day before the delivery, and remaining 3(5%) customers are not ready to place the order one day before. Majority of Bharatgas customers are ready to place the order for Beyond LPG products one day before the delivery. Almost all the customer got ready to make the order for the products of Beyond LPG one day before. This is because they wanted the products to be delivered easily and comfortably at their door steps without any problem or damage. Hence they said YES. But the customers who said NO were not ready to make the order one day before. This is because they were not interested in waiting to buy the products. 15. WILL YOU WAIT FOR ONE OR TWO DAYS TO BUY THE PRODUCTS IF THE STOCK IS OVER AT THE DISTRIBUTORS SHOP? OPINION NO. OF CUSTOMERS PERCENTAGE YES 39 65% NO 21 35% TABLE 22: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 60 customers, 39(65%) customers are ready to wait for one or two days if the stock is over at their distributor, and remaining 21(35%) customers are not ready to wait for one or two days if the stock is over at their distributor. Most of the Bharatgas customers are ready to wait for one or two days if the stock is over at their distributor. The customer who told YES, are ready to wait JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 278

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

for one or two days to buy the products if the stock is over at their distributors shop. This is because of the quality, quantity, good brand, concession, and also home delivery. But the customers who said NO are not ready to wait even for one day if the stock is over at their distributors shop. This is because they are not sure when the stock will come at their distributor shop. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DEALERS SURVEY 1. ARE YOU SELLING THE PRODUCTS OF BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 10 100% NO 0 0% TABLE 23: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, all 10(100%) are selling Beyond LPG products. All the distributors of Bharatgas are selling the products of Beyond LPG to their customers. All the distributors have responded positively and said YES that they are selling Beyond LPG products to their customers. It is also visible that the distributors are selling products like stove, suraksha rubber tubes, frying pans, lamps, geysers, detergents, soaps, and other grocery items. Some of the distributors have kept the display of Beyond LPG products in their shops so that their customers can know what all products are available. Some of distributors are selling only selected items and hence they have kept only those items for display. 2. HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN SELLING BEYOND LPG PRODUCTS TO YOUR CUSTOMERS? Number of years Number of distributors Percentage 1 1 10% 2 0 0% 3 0 0% 4 9 90% TABLE 24: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, 1(10%) is dealing with Beyond LPG products from 1 year, and remaining 9(90%) distributors are dealing with Beyond LPG from 4 years. Majority of Bharatgas distributors are dealing with Beyond LPG products from 4 years. All the distributors are dealing with Beyond LPG products. The distributors who are old are dealing with Beyond LPG products from the day of its introduction in to the market. So, most of them are dealing with Beyond LPG products from 4 years. Only the dealers who are new (only 1 from 10) are dealing with Beyond LPG from the day they have entered in to the business. But it is important that they have started dealing with Beyond LPG in the early stage itself. 3. ARE YOU GETTING THE CIRCULARS AND NOTIFICATIONS FROM THE COMPANY REGULARLY REGARDING THE PRODUCTS BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 10 100% NO 0 0% TABLE 25: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 279

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

From 10 distributors, all 10(100%) are getting circular and notifications from the company regularly. All the distributors of Bharatgas are getting the circular and notifications regularly from the company for the products of Beyond LPG. All the dealers have responded positively and told YES that the company is sending the circular and notifications regularly regarding Beyond LPG products. The company is conducting regular conferences by calling all its distributors from different parts of districts. In the conference, matters related to Beyond LPG products are discussed. The distributors accepted that the company is putting lot of efforts for promoting Beyond LPG. 4. DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SURVIVE IN OPEN MARKET WITH CURRENT LEVELS OF SERVICE IN MARKET? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 7 70% NO 3 30% TABLE 26: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, 7(70%) distributors agree that they are able to survive in the open market with current levels of services they are giving and remaining 3(30%) distributors are telling that they are not able to survive in open market with current levels of services they are giving. Majority of Bharatgas distributors agree that they are able to survive in the open market with the current level of services they are giving to their customers. The distributors who said YES, according to them they are able to survive in open market with the current level of services that are given to their customers. But the distributors who have responded NO told that they have to improve their current level of services. They told that they should deliver LPG and its products in time to their customers, and also told that they should satisfy the customers need in time. Further they told that they should put lot of efforts in convincing the customers with their good quality of services. 5. DO YOU FIND DIFFICULTY IN SELLING THE PRODUCTS OF BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 4 40% NO 6 60% TABLE 27: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, 4(40%) distributors are finding difficulty in selling Beyond LPG products and remaining 6(60%) distributors are comfortable in selling Beyond LPG products. Most of the Bharatgas distributors are comfortable with the selling of Beyond LPG products. The distributors who have responded NO are not finding any difficulty in selling the products of Beyond LPG. This is because they are selling some selected items to their customers. But the distributors, who have said YES, are finding difficulty in selling Beyond LPG products. This is because of lack of brand awareness, promotion, high price, and difficulty in convincing customers. Another reason may be the customers are not getting good exposure to the products of Beyond LPG. 6. DO YOU THINK YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE AWARE OF BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 8 80% NO 2 20% JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 280

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

TABLE 28: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, 8(80%) distributors tell that their customers are aware of Beyond LPG products and remaining 2(20%) distributors tell that their customers are unaware of Beyond LPG. Majority of Bharatgas distributors find that their customers are aware of Beyond LPG products. The distributors, who have responded YES, told that their customers are aware of Beyond LPG. This is because their customers can see the products that are sold at their shop. Also they told that their customers are getting enough information about Beyond LPG from them. But the distributors, who have responded NO, told that their customers are not completely aware of Beyond LPG. Their customers are exposed to only those products that are being sold by them. They also told that their customers are not aware of promotional activities of Beyond LPG. 7. ARE YOU GIVING THE FACILITY OF DIRECT TO HOME DELIVERY FOR BEYOND LPG TO YOUR CUSTOMERS? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 4 40% NO 6 60% TABLE 29: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, 4(40%) distributors are giving home delivery to their customers for Beyond LPG products and remaining 6(60%) distributors are not giving home delivery to their customers. Most of the Bharatgas distributors are not giving home delivery for Beyond LPG products to their customers. The distributors, who have responded YES, told that they are giving direct to home delivery to their customers. They clearly mentioned that they are giving home delivery only on customers demand. The distributors who have responded NO are not giving direct to home delivery at all to their customers. This is the matter that has to be concerned a lot by all the distributors. As it is the main feature of Beyond LPG of giving home delivery to the customers even if they dont demand. 8. DO YOU GIVE CONCESSION FOR THE PRODUCTS BEYOND LPG TO YOUR CUSTOMERS? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 10 100% NO 0 0% TABLE 30: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, all 10(100%) are giving concession for Beyond LPG products. All the distributors of Bharatgas are giving concession for the products of Beyond LPG to their customers. All the distributors have responded positively and said YES that they are giving concession for Beyond LPG products to their customers. The distributors said that they have got information from the company to give concession for their customers because, concession along with home delivery are the main features of Beyond LPG concept. Some times, if concession is not there then any complimentary products are given along with main products.

JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 281

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

9. DO YOU CARRY OUT PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR PRODUCTS BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 9 90% NO 1 10%

TABLE 31: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From10 distributors, 9(90%) distributors are carrying promotional activities for beyond LPG and only one distributor is not carrying promotional activities for Beyond LPG. Majority of Bharatgas dealers are involved in carrying out the promotional activities for Beyond LPG products. Almost all the distributors told that they are carrying the promotional activities for Beyond LPG. Promotional activities as such, keeping the products for display during festival seasons like navratri, diwali, fairs, and participating in exhibitions in local melas, etc. Also some of the distributors told that they promote the products at the time of conducting safety clinic program for their customers. Hence these distributors responded YES. The distributors, who have responded NO, told that they are planning to conduct the promotional activities. This is because they told that most of their time goes in supplying LPG to their customers. Hence they are not getting enough time to carry promotion for Beyond LPG. 10. DO YOU WANT THE COMPANYS INVOLVEMENT INDIRECTLY IN THE PROMOTION OF BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 9 90% NO 1 10% TABLE 32: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, 9(90%) distributors need the involvement of company in promotion of Beyond LPG and only 1(10%) distributor does not want the company to involve in the promotion of Beyond LPG. Majority of Bharatgas dealers want the companys involvement in the promotion of Beyond LPG products. Almost all the distributors have responded YES, and told that they need companys assistance for promoting Beyond LPG products. The distributors told that the customers are thinking that the products are not sold by the company; it is the distributors who are selling the products in the name of the company to make profits. The distributors told that if company helps to make understand the customers that the products are from company side, then most of the things are done. Only one among the 10 distributors responded NO. That means he does not want companys involvement in promotion of Beyond LPG. 11. WHETHER BEYOND LPG IS PROFITABLE TO YOU? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 10 100% NO 0 0% TABLE 33: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, all 10(100%) are getting profit by selling Beyond LPG products. All Bharatgas dealers have found that Beyond LPG is profitable to them. All the distributors have JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 282

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

responded YES and told that they are making profits by selling the products of Beyond LPG. This is because most of the distributors are selling only some selected items of Beyond LPG to their customers and they have succeeded in selling so. Hence they are finding Beyond LPG as profitable to them. 12. ARE YOU GETTING THE PRODUCTS OF BEYOND LPG FROM THE COMPANY AS PER YOUR ORDERS? OPINION YES NO NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS 10 0 PERCENTAGE 100% 0%

TABLE 34: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, all 10(100%) distributors are getting products of Beyond LPG as per their orders. All the distributors of Bharatgas are getting the products of Beyond LPG as per their orders from the company. All the distributors have responded positively and told that they are getting the delivery of Beyond LPG products from the company as per their orders. Hence the distributors accepted that the company is supplying the products as per their orders without making any problem. This shows that the company is putting efforts to make Beyond LPG a successful concept, so that their customers should get maximum benefit.

13. IS THE COMPANY DELIVERING THE PRODUCTS IN TIME FROM THE DATE OF ORDER? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 10 100% NO 0 0% TABLE 35: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, all 10(100%) are getting the products of Beyond LPG in time from company. All the distributors of Bharatgas are getting the products of Beyond LPG from the company in time. All the distributors have responded positively and said YES that they are getting the delivery of Beyond LPG products from the company in time. The distributors accepted that the company is supplying the products in time without making any problem. This shows that the company is putting efforts to make Beyond LPG a successful concept, so that their customers should get maximum benefit. The company is making no mistake either in late supply or in not sending the products as per the orders. The company is doing everything to see Beyond LPG as a successful concept.

JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 283

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

14. HAVE YOU GOT ANY COMPLAINTS FROM THE CUSTOMERS ABOUT PRODUCTS BEYOND LPG? OPINION NO. OF DISTRIBUTORS PERCENTAGE YES 6 60% NO 4 40% TABLE 36: DATA COMPILED FROM FIELD SURVEY From 10 distributors, 6(60%) distributors have got complaints from the customers regarding the products of Beyond LPG and 4(40%) distributors have not got complaints. Most of Bharatgas dealers have got complaints from their customers regarding the products of Beyond LPG. The distributors, who have responded NO, have not got any complaints from their customers regarding Beyond LPG products. This is because the customers are satisfied with the products that are available with their distributors. But the customers who have got a little more exposure to Beyond LPG products have complained to their distributors. Hence distributors have responded YES those who have got complaints. The complaints that these distributors got are lack of variety in products, price parity, quality, quantity, etc. The major complaint about Beyond LPG from the customers is the price parity compared to the open market. FINDINGS FROM CUSTOMER SURVEY 1. About 65% of old customers are still with the Bharatgas because of its quality of service and many new people have become the customers of Bharatgas because of the suggestions from the old customers. 2. About 87% of the customers are satisfied with the services given by the distributors of Bharatgas. 3. About 40% of the customers spend 2001/- to 3000/- per month on groceries for their daily activities. 4. About 70% of Bharatgas customers visit regularly to the distributors shop at least once in a month. 5. About 60% of the Bharatgas customers are not aware of Beyond LPG, and remaining 40% of customers are partially aware. 6. About 83% of the Bharatgas customers are unaware of promotional activities carried out by distributors for Beyond LPG. 7. About 65% of the Bharatgas customers have not got any information from their distributors regarding Beyond LPG, and remaining 35% have got only some information at the time of getting new connection. 8. About 65% of the Bharatgas customers know that their distributors sell some products at their shop, and remaining 35% of customers dont know at all. 9. After knowing what Beyond LPG is, about 95% of the customers of Bharatgas shown lot of interest in Beyond LPG. 10. Almost all 100% of the Bharatgas customers dont know that the products are given at lower prices and also about their home delivery. 11. About 95% of the Bharatgas customers are ready to buy the products if they are home delivered. 12. Almost 98% of the customers of Bharatgas are ready to buy the products of Beyond LPG if concession is given on them.

JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 284

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

13. About 65% of the Bharatgas customers are ready to buy the products even if small service charge is imposed for quick delivery within given time. 14. About 52% of the Bharatgas customers have perception that Beyond LPG products are not branded. 15. About 96% of the Bharatgas customers are ready to buy Beyond LPG products regularly if they are delivered in time at concessional prices and also with some offers during festival seasons. 16. About 88% of Bharatgas customers are not having computer with an internet connection. 17. About 67% of the Bharatgas customers prefer to place the order for Beyond LPG products by directly coming to the distributors shop, some of them about 23% prefer telephone and very less customers of about 8% prefer online for placing the order for Beyond LPG products. 18. About 80% of the customers want the delivery of products to be made within a day; some of them about 13% want the delivery within 4 hours and very less customers of about 5% want the delivery to be made within 6 hours from the time of booking. 19. About 95% of Bharatgas customers are ready to place the order for Beyond LPG products one day before the delivery. 20. About 65% of the Bharatgas customers are ready to wait for one or two days if the stock is over at their distributor. FINDINGS FROM DISTRIBUTOR SURVEY 1. All the distributors of Bharatgas, are selling the products of Beyond LPG. About 90% of Bharatgas distributors are dealing with Beyond LPG products from 4 years and only one distributor is new and has been dealing it from one year. 2. About 60% of distributors have not kept the display of Beyond LPG products at their shop. All the distributors of Bharatgas are getting the circular and notifications regularly from the company for the products of Beyond LPG. 3. About 70% of Bharatgas distributors agree that they are able to survive in the open market with the current level of services they are giving to their customers and 30% said that some extra effort is needed to survive. 4. About 60% of the Bharatgas distributors are comfortable with the selling of Beyond LPG products and remaining 40% distributors find it difficult to sell the products because of high price of the products. About 80% of Bharatgas distributors find that their customers are aware of Beyond LPG products. 5. About 60% of the Bharatgas distributors are not giving home delivery for Beyond LPG products to their customers and remaining 40% distributors give home delivery on customers demand. All the distributors of Bharatgas are giving concession for the products of Beyond LPG to their customers. 6. About 90% of Bharatgas dealers are involved in carrying out the promotional activities for Beyond LPG products. And they need the companys involvement in the promotion of Beyond LPG products. All Bharatgas dealers have found that Beyond LPG is profitable to them. All the distributors of Bharatgas are getting the products of Beyond LPG as per their orders from the company. And they are getting the products of Beyond LPG from the company in time. 7. About 60% of Bharatgas dealers have got complaints from their customers regarding the products of Beyond LPG. BOTTLE NECKS IN BEYOND LPG After conducting the survey of both customers and distributors of Bharatgas, lots of bottlenecks are seen. In order to make beyond LPG successful in the open market, it is very important to JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 285

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

overcome the bottle necks. The bottle necks that are seen between the customers and distributors are as follows: 1. The products which are used by the customers are not available at their distributors shop. 2. Even after 4 years of introduction of beyond LPG in the market, the distributors are not able to capture the market share. This is because the main business of the distributors is the delivery of LPG to the customers. 3. Each distributor is having more than 10,000 customers, so the distributors are showing lesser involvement in beyond LPG because their main business is delivery of LPG to their customers. 4. Some of the customers (OLD) havent got any information about beyond LPG products from their distributors. Some customers (NEW) had to take the products against their will or interest at the time of getting new connection. 5. The customers clearly mentioned that they are not at all aware of such a facility is available for them from the company. The reasons they mentioned were no promotional activities, and no information is given either in shop or in phone. 6. The customers who visit the distributor shop occasionally (once in 4 months or in 6 months) dont know about the concept at all. 7. Some of the distributors told that they carry promotional activities, but the customers are not getting much exposure to these promotional activities. 8. The major issue is display of the beyond LPG products at distributors shop. The distributors except few have not focused on the display of beyond LPG products. 9. The major features like availability of good branded and quality products, concession, home delivery, and other important features are not known to the customers at all. 10. The distributors (some) have got smaller shops and hence there is no enough space for keeping the display of the products. 11. The distributors who have kept the display of beyond LPG products are not a complete display. It is almost like a partial display. Except some selected items they have not kept other products like FMCG and other daily usable items. 12. The distributors are unable to give much information about beyond LPG products to their customers because the man power that they are having is very limited. 13. One more reason is the profit margin. While interaction with distributors, it was found from their expressions that they were very much focused on profit margin. 14. The customers have got feeling whether the products will be delivered in time or not. STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED TO IMPROVE BEYOND LPG 1. The distributors should increase the shop area or they should make enough space in their shop for keeping the display of all the products of beyond LPG. This helps the customers to know what all the products are available for them. 2. Keeping the display of beyond LPG products in the shop is useful only when all its features are clearly explained to the customers. The features like the quality, quantity, good brand products, concession, home delivery, and other offers. Then only the customers will buy the products. 3. There are two types of customers i.e. customers before the introduction of beyond LPG in to the market and the customers who have got new connection after the introduction of beyond LPG in to the market. So the new connection customers have got the products, whereas the old customers remained unaware. So it is very important to create awareness to the old customers. 4. The new customers play very important role in promotion of beyond LPG products. If they are well satisfied by making them understand about the products and selling them with concession JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 286

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

and also giving home delivery if possible, they will create positive impact on the beyond LPG and they will go and tell to other Bharatgas customers in their area that such facility is available for them. 5. The distributors should not sell the products against the will of customers and also if concession is not given to the customers, they will create negative impact on beyond LPG. 6. The distributors who are finding difficulty in operating the beyond LPG products, they should go to other states and meet other distributors and learn how they are managing and operating beyond LPG products and making profits. 7. The bill slips have to be made larger instead of smaller slips. Through this the promotion can be carried out. The front of the bill will have bill amount and back side of bill should have the entire products list that are available with the distributor shop. 8. If possible the price should also be displayed in front of the products on the back side of the bill. 9. The distributors should have separate representatives specially to handle beyond LPG products if they are very busy in delivering the LPG to their customers. 10. When customers call for booking the LPG the receptionist should inform a little bit about beyond LPG or should give an invitation to come to the shop at the time of festivals and other occasions. 11. If any offers are given at the time of festivals, they should be informed to both new customers and old customers. 12. To attract old customers, some of them who are very old have to be selected and coupons have to be given to them to visit distributor shop and providing the facility to buy the products of their interests at lower rates. CONCLUSION No study is complete without a conclusion. From the findings of the study it is very much clear that the customers of Bharatgas are not completely aware of Beyond LPG. Some are partially aware and these are new customers. They know only that they will get some products when they get new gas connection. But the genuine features of Beyond LPG like home delivery, concession, reliability, etc. are not known to them. The old customers are far away from the reach of Beyond LPG. This is because they are not at all aware of promotional activities of Beyond LPG. Even though they visit the dealers shop regularly, but are not getting enough information of Beyond LPG. They have perception that the products they see over there are for new customers. Even though the distributors are selling Beyond LPG products, their effort will become effective only when they show involvement in Beyond LPG. It will not be very clear to the customers, if the distributors are selling some selected items as per their convenience. The promotional activities that are being carried out must be more effective and they should reach both old and upcoming customers. Most of the work will be done if all the features are correctly explained to the new customers by exploring them with all the genuine features of Beyond LPG. If the new customers are satisfied correctly, they will carry the message to the old customers who are dwelling in their areas. This will be more than the actual promotion. Finally from the study it can be concluded that even though the company BPCL holds the second place in the petroleum industry in INDIA, it has to focus on its innovative concept of Beyond LPG to make it success. If the company wants to see the progress in the Beyond LPG, it has to overcome the bottlenecks that are hindering its growth. No doubt the concept can enhance customer service standards & help the company to retain its customers in future. But to make this JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 287

AJRBEMVolume1,Issue3(December,2011)ISSN:22497307

possible, it has to make sure that the genuine features of Beyond LPG should reach all over the country to its customers.

WEBSITES 1. http://www.bharatpetroleum.com 1. http://anugrahabharatgas.com/products_lpg.asp 2. http://anmolbharatgas.webs.com/products.htm 3. http://www.ebharatgas.com/pages/index.html 4. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/losshit-bpcl-finds-solace-beyond-lpg/89586/ 5. http://shribalajiagencies.com/products.htm 6. http://www.google.com 7. http://www.wikipedia.com

JournalofAsianResearchConsortium http://www.aijsh.org 288