PROJECT REPORT

ON

“A STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF

DELL LAPTOP.”

Submitted in the partial fulfillment for the award of Degree of Bachelor in Commerce
2016-2019

UNDER THE GUIDANCE:

SUBMITTED BY:
DR. SHIPRA SINGH
GOPAL AGGARWAL
ENROLLMENT NO.
43012588816

BATCH NO. 2016-2019

Delhi School of Professional Studies and Research

(Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi)
 STUDENT DECLARATION

I GOPAL AGGARWAL, a bonafide student of B.COM (H) hereby declare that the project report titled
“CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF DELL LAPTOP” is my original piece of research work carried
out by me and all the data presented is true to the best of my knowledge which is fully and specially
acknowledge.

I proclaim that the information provided in the Project Report is authentic and not copied from anywhere
and neither submitted in any other degree / diploma programme.

SIGNATURE OF STUDENT

(GOPAL AGGARWAL)

APPROVED BY

DR. SHIPRA SINGH

(ASSISSTANT PROFESSOR)
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report “CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF DELL LAPTOP” has been
prepared by GOPAL AGGARWAL under my supervision and guidance. The research report is submitted
towards the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree B.COM (H) University, Dwarka,
Delhi is a record of the candidate’s own work carried out by her under my supervision. The matter
embodied in this report is original and has not been submitted for the award of any other degree.

DATE:
SUPERVISOR SIGNATURE
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I offer my sincere thanks and humble regards to Delhi School of Professional Studies and Research ,
GGSIPU University, New Delhi for imparting us very valuable professional training in B.COM(H)

Any accomplishment requires the effort of many people and this work is no exception. I would like to
thank DR. SHIPRA SINGH for providing me all the necessary guidance for carrying out this
research report. Her valuable guidance and encouragement have really led me to the path of
completion of this report. I am thankful to her as she has been a constant source of advice, motivation
and inspiration. I am also thankful to her for giving her suggestion and encouragement throughout the
project work.

I am also thankful to my family and friends for constantly motivating me to complete the project and
providing me and environment which enhanced my knowledge.

These words of thanks are just a token of my true appreciation for all who have supported me to give this
report its shape.
Executive Summary

Laptops are an integral part of today’s student’s study kit. And with a plethora of brands inundating the
market, each trying to differentiate itself from the other in terms of features, style, etc .The very nature of
the product encourages the prospective buyer to go through all the stages of a typical buying process. That
is the reason that I have taken up to study the consumer buying behavior for laptop buying.

A primary research based on questionnaires and analytical processing of the response will be conducted to
fulfill the research objectives

This study was undertaken in order to find out the factors influencing consumer’s purchase decision of
laptop.

The emphasis will be on brand field. The effect of brand on consumer behavior will be discussed.
 CONTENTS

S. No. Topic Page No

1 Student Declaration -

2 Certificate -

3 Acknowledgement -

4 Executive Summary

5 Chapter-1: Introduction

 Overview of dell

 Swot analysis

 Product range

 Consumer behaviour

 Brand awareness & effect

6 Chapter-2: Literature Review

7 Chapter-3: Research Methodology

8 Chapter-4: Data Interpretation & Analysis

9 Chapter-5: Findings & Suggestions

 Findings

 Suggestions

10 Conclusion

11 Bibliography
11 Annexure

 (Questionnaire)
CHAPTER – 1
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Computer hardware, as we use the term, means central processing units (CPUs), including memory and
storage-in other words, the machine on which you run an operating system and application software and to
which you attach peripherals (keyboards, mice, printers, etc.). Also included in our definition are the
servers, electronic security, and storage devices used in the data centers of many corporations.
Computer hardware and software are useless without each other. But working together they store, modify,
and exchange data: words, pictures, and numbers-everything from correspondence to news photos, from
drawings of jet aircraft to shipping manifests, from news releases to financial reports, from census
statistics to stock quotes, from maps to email.

The competition among computer hardware companies is particularly intense. On the one hand, in the
traditional PC market, companies' products have largely become commodified, with constant downward
price pressure (and narrowing profit margins) being the result. On the other hand, there are markets for
innovative new products, like tablet PCs and ultra-minimal desktops, that are not yet fully commodified.
Here, the race is on to develop products at breakneck speed so you can be first to market. And if a
company falters, it instantly becomes a target for larger companies looking to acquire new businesses. No
doubt about it: Computer hardware is a cutthroat business.
There are definite geographic concentrations in the hardware industry despite its worldwide reach. It's
often noted that high-tech companies are usually located near colleges and universities, and there's a good
deal of truth to that, as many companies come out of research done at such institutions. Silicon Valley is
near San Jose State, the University of California at Berkeley, and Stanford University. Route 128 is near
the educational mecca of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Research Triangle in North Carolina and the area
around Austin, Texas, are also good examples. Still, there are other places within North America where
you'll find major hardware companies; for example, Gateway is in North Dakota.

Most major corporations in computer hardware reach across national borders. International sales normally
account for a large percentage of most hardware companies' bottom lines, and India, Japan, China, and
other Asian locations are hotbeds of hardware manufacture and design.
SMALLER AND SMALLER

As advancing technology makes it cost-effective to make more complex chips in increasingly compact
sizes, computer hardware makers can bring smaller and smaller devices to market. Think flat computer
display screens. Think ever-thinner, ever-lighter laptop computers. And so on.

NEW GAMING PLATFORMS

The big three in gaming hardware-Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo-all either have recently launched their
latest-generation gaming consoles or are planning their imminent release. This situation comes around
every five years or so. The new consoles feature high-def graphics, speedy performance, and enhanced
audio. Microsoft's Xbox 360, which was launched late in 2005, is at press time the most advanced console
on the market. Sony's PS3 console, due out later in 2006 or early in 2007, is projected to be technically
more advanced than the Xbox 360, but will cost significantly more. Nintendo's Wii console, also due out
later in 2006, is so far taking a back seat to the Sony and Microsoft console offerings in terms of
marketplace buzz.

CONVERGENCE

Is it a DVD player? A stereo system? A photo scrapbook? A film editing station? A telephone? No, it's
today's PC or laptop. These days, personal computers are able to do more and more different things. This
means plenty of work for computer hardware professionals, as they make and market hardware products
with new and varied capabilities. On the other hand, it also means new sources of competition-such as
telecom companies making newfangled cell phones that allow users to watch videos and surf the Internet,
and consumer electronics companies making personal entertainment systems and the likes.

OUTSOURCING

In the hardware world as elsewhere in business, an increasing number of manufacturers are outsourcing
product and component development and manufacturing overseas. Some companies are only doing top-
level design in the United States, leaving production and more basic design tasks to cheaper labor in the
Philippines, China, and elsewhere. What this means is that product managers and project heads may have
to travel a lot more than in previous generations; it also means that many North America-based jobs are
being lost. Increasingly, the task of American PC companies is to be expert in marketing and distribution
while simply outsourcing manufacturing and portions of the design work. Still, observers point out that
there should continue to be plenty of jobs in this sector in the U.S. for techies with top-notch skills.

CONSOLIDATION

Related to outsourcing and commodification, consolidation of the industry makes sense as computers
become familiar products that require fewer very different design and manufacturing approaches. Let a
few giant companies manufacture more units at lower cost while sharing marketing and distribution costs
across a larger organization. Hewlett-Packard came home with Compaq for billions, and rumor has it that
Gateway is a prime takeover target.

LINUX

This cheap, open-source operating system software (read: Linux code is available for free on the Web) is
moving into the mainstream. Pushed by the desire to lower costs, companies of many stripes have taken a
new interest in Linux instead of more expensive operating systems such as Windows or Unix. At the same
time, Intel has begun optimizing its chips for Linux in addition to Windows. The result: Hardware
manufacturers such as IBM, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard have begun optimizing their PC and server
products for Linux.

For job seekers, one way to segment the industry is by the type of computer hardware the company makes.
Other differentiating factors include industry and application focus and sales-and-distribution
methodology: mail order, Internet, or retail.

PCS (DESKTOP AND LAPTOP)

The PC market is perhaps the most visible segment of the high-tech hardware market, with computers
becoming more and more common at work, home, labs, and school. Established players here include
Dell,
Hewlett-Packard, and Apple, which make desktop and portable computers, many of which are powerful
enough to replace high-end specialized workstations and to use for 3-D rendering, molecular modeling,
computer-aided design (CAD), and video editing. Portable computers represent a growing overall share of
the personal computer market.

PERIPHERALS

A peripheral is usually understood to be an external product added to a computer, such as a new mouse,
speakers, or memory stick (think manufacturers like Kensington, Logitech, and KeyTronic), all the way
up to monitors, scanners, and printers. However, a peripheral can also be something added into a
computer, such as a 3-D video card or an internal modem.

SERVERS

There are many types of servers-those big boxes that, among other things, are the glue that holds the
Internet together. In addition to Web servers, which pass back and forth all of the HTML and image files
that end up on your screen, there are local area network (LAN) servers, wide area network (WAN) servers,
file servers, mail servers, database servers, and more. Every time two computers (termed "clients" in this
context) connect over a network, a server is involved.

Opportunities in the computer hardware industry exist not only for engineers, computer scientists, and
others with technical skills, but also for people with financial, marketing, sales, and product management
backgrounds. Job seekers with technical expertise and a computer science degree attract the most
opportunities and the sweetest compensation packages, whether they work as engineers, product
managers, or in marketing. Opportunities in fields such as sales, customer support, and technical writing
go to individuals with good people skills, a strong customer-service bias, and the ability to communicate
complex ideas in plain English, respectively. If any of these sounds like you, give computer hardware a
close look-but be prepared to get up to speed on the technical side.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the growth in the United States in jobs in this sector will drop
between 2004 and 2014, compared to an increase in jobs overall of about 14 percent. You can thank the
increasing automation of manufacturing processes, as well as the trend toward moving computer
hardware-production jobs overseas, for the bleak outlook. Still, this is a big, growing industry, and there
will always be business and techie jobs available in this sector for people at the top of their game.

A WORLDWIDE MARKET

With technology reaching most of the way across the world, products are sold and talent is recruited from
around the globe. As a result, a job in the software or hardware industry could include travel, either for
months or for a day. And even if you don't go, you'll probably meet people who do and might invite you,
if you're nice, for a visit.

DIVERSITY

The culture of the hardware industry tends to be more socially liberal than those of more traditional
industries. That plus the above-mentioned worldwide market adds up to a workforce that is not only a
good mix of male and female but is also composed of a wide variety of nationalities and colors.

FLEX, NOT FACE, TIME

The important thing is that the job gets done and done on time. When it gets worked on is not always
management's top concern, so most high-tech companies offer options such as flex time, telecommuting,
and the like.

LOST IN THE SHUFFLE

For many people, this will be their first serious job out of college or graduate school, and the switch from
being a student to being just another worker in a corporation of hundreds of thousands may come as a
shock. It's true that there may be more opportunities for both advancement and important work at a larger
company, but along with that often comes the loss of a sense of place or perspective.

TAKING OUT A CONTRACT

One way corporations are cutting their expenses is to move what used to be in-house jobs to contract
positions-this means, on the one hand, that it might be easier to get into a desirable company as a
contractor, but these positions often lack benefits and any sense of security. Also, the general trend means
that companies are looking to get rid of people rather than hire.

LEARNING TO LOVE CPU CYCLES

Although we're going through an exciting time in terms of the way we use computers, the computer
hardware industry is (and has always been) a highly quantitative field primarily concerned with an endless
array of specifications. If you aren't fascinated with how these machines work, the work can seem rather
dry-not just for technical staff, but also for marketing professionals, whose work partly involves
translating specs and other technical data into more accessible language.

JUNIOR ENGINEER

This entry-level position is the foot soldier of engineering. You're not so much coming up with ideas as
implementing solutions developed by your superiors. Still, this is an important first rung to a more
specialized, higher-paying engineering position. This job category can also include software
programming, which involves writing the code built into the hardware system. Salary range: $40,000 to
$55,000.

ENGINEER

The middle ground between junior engineer and system architect, this position encompasses about 95
percent of the engineering workforce. Salary range: $55,000 to $85,000.

SYSTEMS ENGINEER

This position typically is filled by an engineer who combines technical expertise and strong people skills.
A systems engineer, who must know the technology inside out, assists the sales staff in managing the
relationship with the potential buyer. An SE is sometimes paired with an individual salesperson,
sometimes with a team of salespeople. Salary range: $75,000 to $105,000.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
The technical support staff fields the never-ending barrage of questions from businesses or consumers
who recently purchased a product. With computer companies trying to use top-flight customer service to
set themselves apart from the pack, tech-support positions are becoming increasingly important. A
technical background helps in this position but is not a prerequisite for employment. Patience, and the
ability to soothe the confused and frustrated, matter far more. Salary range: $25,000 to $65,000.

TECHNICAL WRITER

This is an excellent way for those of you with non-tech backgrounds to break into the computer industry.
A technical writer is responsible for translating technical concepts into readable prose for user manuals
and other types of documentation. Salary range: $35,000 to $85,000.

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

This position is suitable for those with strong writing, communication, and people skills. You'll help with
events, public relations tasks, and press conferences and coordinate the publicity materials in various
media including online and print. After gaining a few years' experience, you might move on to a sales or
marketing associate position. Salary range: $30,000 to $65,000.

PRODUCT MANAGER

As a product manager, you're a key player in coming up with product ideas and working with engineers to
make them a reality. This position requires some grasp of technical matters, the ability to build consensus
and teamwork, and a knack for spotting-and anticipating-market trends. Most of these jobs require an
MBA or comparable experience. Salary range: $80,000 to $130,000.

FINANCIAL ANALYST
Financial analysis in computer hardware companies can take many forms: numerical analysis for
production planning, industrial operations management, or general finance and accounting. In some cases,
an analyst evaluates other companies as potential merger or acquisition targets. Depending on how the
analyst position is defined, an MBA may be necessary. Salary range: $35,000 to $90,000.

SALES

The demands of this job vary widely depending on whether you sell PCs, large servers, or mainframes,
and on which markets you're selling to. In some instances, significant travel is required; in others,
comparatively little. You'll always have to learn, quickly and completely, your product's technical
specifications, but training and support are usually provided. Salary range: $25,000 to $80,000 or more,
depending on commissions.

Your job search in the computer hardware industry will vary widely depending on the type of technical
expertise you have. There are basically two types of job seekers in high tech-technical people and
everybody else (or, depending on whom you ask, marketing people and everybody else).

 If you want to be a marketer, you'll have to present yourself as a quick thinker, a good
communicator, and someone who has a true affinity for or interest in the technology world. An
ability to translate technospeak into English may also be a real plus, depending on the position.
 For technical people, employers want to see tangible related experience (or, for recent grads, a
degree or relevant coursework in computer science or electrical engineering), strong analytical
skills, and some affinity for the rigid structure of most computer companies.
 Whatever avenue you take into the world of computer hardware, you'll do well to come across
as someone who is excited and energized by change. Employers also look for self-starters with
the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Despite the rigidity of computer hardware
companies' management structures, you're not going to get a lot of handholding on the job.
You'll need to impress upon your potential employer that you can take a project and run with it.

COMPANY PROFILE
 DELL

Fig 1.1 logo of dell

DELL Inc. is an American privately owned multinational computer technology company based in Round
Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells, repairs and supports computers and related products and
services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest technological
corporations in the world, employing more than 103,300 people worldwide.

Dell sells personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches, software,
computer peripherals, HDTVs, cameras, printers, MP3 players and also electronics built by other
manufacturers. The company is well known for its innovations in supply chain management and electronic
commerce, particularly its direct-sales model and its "build-to-order" or "configure to order" approach to
manufacturing—delivering individual PCs configured to customer specifications. Dell was a pure
hardware vendor for much of its existence, but with the acquisition in 2009 of Perot Systems, Dell entered
the market for IT services. The company has since made additional acquisitions in storage and networking
systems, with the aim of expanding their portfolio from offering computers only to delivering complete
solutions for enterprise customers.

Dell was listed at number 51 in the Fortune 500 list, until 2014. After going private in 2013, the newly
confidential nature of its financial information prevents the company from being ranked by Fortune. In
2013 it was the third largest PC vendor in the world after Lenovo and HP. Dell is currently the #1 shipper
of PC monitors in the world. Dell is the sixth largest company in Texas by total revenue, according
to Fortune magazine.
 Fig 1.2 dell laptop’s features & characteristics

Organization/company:
Type Private

Industry Computer, hardware, Computer software, IT

services

Founded February 1, 1984

Headquarters Round Rock, Texas,

U.S.

Area served Worldwide

Key people Michael Dell

(Founder, Chairman & CEO)

Website www.dell.com
 SWOT ANALYSIS OF DELL

Fig 1.3 SWOT analysis of dell

STRENGTHS

 World’s largest PC maker.

 One of the best known brands in the world.
 First PC maker to offer next-day, on-site product service.
 Direct to customer business model. Uses latest technology.
 Dell has remarkably low operating cost relative to revenue because it cuts out the retailer and supplies
directly to the customers.
 Dell’s Direct Model approach enables the company to offer direct relationships with customers such as
corporate and institutional customers.
 Each Dell system is built to order to meet each customer’s specifications. Reliability, Service and Support.
 Dell is able to introduce the latest relevant technology compared to companies using the indirect
distribution channels.
 Dell is not a manufacturer; Components are made by the suppliers and Dell assembles the computers
using relatively cheap labor. The finished goods are then dropped off with the customer by courier. Dell
has total command of the supply chain.

WEAKNESS:
 A huge range of products and components from many suppliers from various countries.
 Computer maker and not the computer manufacturer, making DELL unable to switch supply.
 Dell lacked solid dealer / retailer relationships.
 Not attracting the college student segment of the market. Dell’s sales revenue from educational institutions
such as colleges only accounts for a merely 5% of the total.
 Dell’s focus on the corporate and government institutional customers somehow affected its ability to form
relationships with educational institutions.
 For home users, Dell’s direct method and customization approach posed problems. For one, customers
cannot go to retailers because Dell does not use distribution channels.

OPPORTUNITIES:
 Diversification strategy by introducing many new products to its range.
 Personal computers are becoming a necessity now more than ever. Customers are getting more and more
educated about computers. Second-time buyers would most likely avail of Dell’s custom-built computers
because as their knowledge grows, so do their need to experiment or use some additional computer
features.
 Since Dell does not have retail stores, the online stores would surely make up for its absence. It is also
more convenient for customers to shop online than to actually drive and do purchase at a physical store.
THREATS:
 Competitive rivalry that exists in the PC market globally.
 New entrants to the market pose potential threats.
 Price difference among brands is getting smaller.
 Dell’s Direct Model attracts customers because it saves cost. Since other companies are able to offer
computers at low costs, this could threaten Dell’s price-conscious growing customer base.
 With almost identical prices, price difference is no longer an issue for a customer. They might choose
other brands instead of waiting for Dell’s customized computers.
 The growth rate of the computer industry is also slowing down. Today, Dell has the biggest share of the
market. If the demand slows down, the competition will become stiffer in the process. Dell has to work
doubly hard to differentiate itself from its substitutes to be able to continue holding a significant market
share.
Product range:
Fig 1.4 product range of dell laptops
 Fig 1.5
product range of dell laptops
Fig 1.6 product range of dell laptops
Fig 1.7 product range of dell laptops
Fig 1.8 product range of dell laptops
Fig 1.9 product range of dell laptops
Fig 1.10 product range of dell laptops
Theoretical Description

The topic of the project is study on Key Factors influencing Consumer Behavior while buying Laptop
with special reference to Dell. So, in order to carry out a detailed study of the project we should first
understand some of the basic terms or key words such as customer, perception, and so on.

Customer

A customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product,
or idea, which is obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier for a monetary or other valuable consideration.
Customers are generally categorized into two types:

(i) An intermediate customer or trade customer (more informally: "the trade") who is a
dealer that purchases goods for re-sale.
(ii) (ii) An ultimate customer who does not in turn re-sell the things bought but either
passes them to the consumer or actually is the consumer.

A customer may or may not always be a consumer, but the two notions are distinct, even though the terms
are commonly confused. A customer purchases goods; a consumer uses them. An ultimate customer may
be a consumer as well, but just as equally may have purchased items for someone else to consume. An
intermediate customer is not a consumer at all. The situation is somewhat complicated in the case of
ultimate customers of the industrial goods and services (who are entities such as government bodies,
manufacturers, and educational and medical institutions) as they either themselves use up the goods and
services that they buy, or incorporate them into other finished products, and so are technically consumers,
too. However, they are rarely called that, but are rather called industrial customers or business-to-business
customers. Similarly, customers who buy services rather than goods are rarely called consumers.

Anticipating customer needs:

Anticipating a customer's needs is an important part of most retail and wholesale businesses, especially in
a more challenging retail environment. Anticipating needs so provides opportunities for personal and
professional growth. A business that takes the extra step of anticipating and providing for an obvious
corollary need can generate loyal and repeat customers. While much of this may involve remembering or
noting the desires of the individual customer, it also largely means putting yourself in a customer's place,
which takes a little practice.
Perception

Individuals are exposed to varieties of stimuli of the environment. They process these stimuli and interpret
them. The process of receiving information and making sense is known as perception. It refers to the way
the world sounds, looks, feels, smells and tastes to the individual. The individual’s behaviour is
determined to a large extent by the way the environment is perceived by him/her. Therefore, the
conducive organisational environment must be created for favourable perception. The persons who
perceive the environment in a favourable way may contribute their best to the organisation.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

There is no doubt that the customer is essential for the firm in the marketing field. “Consumer behavior is
the mental, emotional, and physical activities that people engage in when selecting, purchasing, using, and
disposing of products and services so as to satisfy needs and desires”.

“Consumer behavior as those acts of individuals directly involved in obtaining and using economic goods
and services including the decision process that precedes and determine these acts”. That is to say,
consumers behavior involve with the mental procedure and physical acts towards the multiply goods and
services.
 Fig 1.11 consumer behavior

THE MAJOR INFLUENCE FACTORS ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

According to Kotler’s (2003) model, consumer purchases are influenced strongly by cultural, social,
personal and psychological characteristics. Generally speaking, marketers cannot control such factors, but
they must take them into account because these factors affect how individual consumers react to the
different stimuli that firms send out through their communication. The marketer’s task is to understand
what happens in the buyer’s consciousness and the buyer’s decision making process.

CULTURAL FACTORS

Cultural factors exert deep influence on consumer behavior. Culture is the basis for a person’s wants and
behavior (Kotler, 2003). Culture refers to “a set of values, ideas, artifacts and other meaning symbols that
help individuals communicate, interpret and evaluate as members of society. It affects the consumers
shaping the attitudes, feelings, biases, and opinions, which enable marketers to interpret or even predict
the reaction of consumers to specific marketing strategies. Thus, it is vital for firms to be aware of culture,
even its trends and changes and gives rise to new marketing opportunities and threats.

SOCIAL FACTORS

A consumer’s behavior is also influenced by social factors, such as reference group, family, and social

roles and status (Kotler, 2003). Because these social factors can strongly affect consumer response, firms

must take them into account when designing their marketing strategies.

For another thing, family members can strongly influence buyer behaviour. “Family influences one’s

orientations toward politics and economics and a sense of personal ambition, self-worth and love”. Even if

the buyer no longer interacts very much with his or her parents, the family can still significantly influence

the buyer’s behavior.

What is more, the person’s position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and status. A role

consists of the activities that people are expected to perform according to the persons around them, which

influence the person’s buying behavior. Each role carries a status reflecting the general esteem given to it

by society. People often choose products that show their status in society. For example, the role of a

manager has more statues than the role of student, as a manager, the person will buy the kind of product

that reflects her of his role and status.

PERSONAL FACTORS

A buyer’s decision is also influenced by personal characteristics such as the buyer’s age, occupation,

economic situation, lifestyle and personality and self-concept. The age of the buyer is one of the major

factors influencing individual’s purchases. People in the different ages have different needs. A brand must

be understandable to the age group to which the product or service is targeted and should be delivered

through a medium used by members of that group.

For example, computer software firms will design different products for brand managers, accountants,

engineers, lawyers and doctors.

Moreover, “lifestyle is a person’s pattern of living as expressed in his or her activities, interests and

opinions”. People coming from the same subculture, social class and occupation may have quite different

lifestyles and it can vary significantly in different countries. By knowing the target consumers’ lifestyle

will help in product development and advertising.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

A number of complex behavior factors lie in psychological factors including perception, motivations,

attitudes and learning. “A motive is a learned need that is sufficiently pressing to direct the person to seek
satisfaction”. In other words, it leads consumers to pursue particular goals because they are socially

valued. Therefore, motivation is the condition of being motivated . Thus, Marketers need to identify what

needs the consumer is trying to satisfy. Here we introduce one motivation theory in order to understand

human motivation, which is often used by marketers.

Maslow’s theory: Maslow (1970) illustrated that people are driven by particular needs at particular times.

The key point is that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy. He classified the human’s needs to five

levels, which are psychological needs, safety needs, social needs, self-esteem needs and self-actualization.

Maslow argues that the lower down the needs lie, the more basic they are and the basic physical needs

have to be satisfied, at least to minimum level, before the next level of needs becomes important. This

theory helps marketers understand how various products and brands fit into the plans, goals and lives of

potential consumers.

BRAND AWARENESS AND ITS EFFECT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

WHAT IS BRAND AWARENESS?

Brand awareness is “the ability of a potential buyer to recognize or recall that a brand is a member of a

certain product category”. That is to say, brand awareness is the capability of knowledge and identification

of certain brand retrieved under some situations. “Brand recognition refers to the consumer’s ability to

recall previous exposure or experience with the brand, brand recall refers to the consumer’s ability to

retrieve the brand from memory when given the product category as a cue”. In other words, the brand

awareness is how much consumer’s familiar with the brand. It may to some extent refers to the customers’

knowledge about the certain brand such as name, logo as well as its association.
Brand awareness effect on consumer behavior. Firstly, a high level of awareness of a brand that

consumers have, the high level the brand will be considered when they choose to buy. It is because in

relation to the consumer buying process, brand awareness plays an important role when have intention to

buy something for needs

Therefore, the brand awareness will lead them to choose most familiar brand that they have knowledge of;

on the other hand, in fact, in the consumer decision making process, consumers always have many

alternatives to be considered. Because recall determines which alternatives are generated, those not

recalled cannot be part of the consideration set of products, thus, the recalled brand will have the

advantage to be the opportunity last choice. Thus, brand awareness is crucial to getting into this

consideration set as the brand lacks of the awareness may not has

the opportunity to be considered for buying.

For example, if a consumer wants to buy a laptop, the first brands that come up to the consumer’s mind

will have an advantage, which will be considered to buy, that is a high level of brand awareness might

affect consumer choices among brands in the consideration set and the product category, even if there are

no other associations linked to those brands. That is to say, brand awareness is sufficient to result in more

favorable consumer response, for example, consumers are more likely to base their choices merely on

familiar brands.

Second, brand awareness provides a brand with a sense of familiarity, which is brand recognition and

people like the familiar. In other words, the consumers will be stimulated by the familiarity of such brand

when they want to purchase something

Fig 1.12 brand effect on choices
 CHAPTER – 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Beales et al (1981) suggest that when making a purchasing decision, consumers generally seek two types
of information sources: internal and external. Internal sources generally refer to consumers using past
experience when encountering a product or service. After a problem is recognized, consumers will engage
in internal search prior to external search. Consumers rely on any attitudes, information or past
experiences that have been stored in long-term memory and recall them for application to the problem.

In a comparative study of consumer information sources, Tan & Dolich (1983) found that both the United
States and Singapore respondents frequently use personal sources. Both groups also rate the information
received from personal sources as more useful than other sources.
In addition, Price & Feick (1984) in a study on the role of interpersonal sources in external search found
that the use of such sources of information is widespread and there is an extensive number of roles played
by interpersonal sources in the decision making process.

External sources refer to the acquisition of information from outside sources, such as friends,
advertisements, sales personnel and retail displays. When the need for information arises, consumers can
gain information from three major areas: marketing sources, personal sources and neutral sources(Kiel &
Layton 1981; Tan & Dolich 1983). Marketing sources are the entirepackage of marketing tools that a
marketer uses to communicate product information. These sources include the product itself, packaging,
salespeople, display, promotion, advertising and other sources under the control of the
marketers (Hawkins et al 1995). Personal sources include all forms of interpersonal communication
covering products not under the control of marketers. In one's daily interaction with people, various
aspects about products are communicated and exchanged. These sources include family
influence, friend's recommendation, word-of-mouth communication and personal observation (Tan &
Dolich 1983). Neutral sources include a portion of the mass media, government reports, consumer
oriented reports and publication from independent product-testing agencies. They are independent
assessments of the products and often provide objective evaluations of product characteristics. These
sources are typically not directly influenced by either marketers or buyers (Loudon & Della 1993).

The attributes of a personal computer considered by a consumer before purchasing could range from price,
expendability, appearance, compatibility, ease of usage, software availability, warranty length, reputable
brand name, reputable distributor, credit facilities, back-up services and resale value (Ng 1984).
Consumers, sometimes, associate themselves to a given brand when they make brand choice, and also
make their brand choice based on associations with manufacturer’s brand name (Aaker 1997; Fugale
1986). Denis Lee (1986) investigated the usage pattern and sources of assistance for personal computer
(PC) users in twelve organizations and found that PCs attract new computer users and the extent of PC
usage was correlated with prior computer knowledge. The most important reason for using PCs was 55 for
specific professional work. Overall, users were satisfied with their PCs, but not with the information they
obtained from the written sources. The study found that the best sources of information for PC users were
their own colleagues.
Raut (1987) in his study on consumer attitudes towards advertising pointed out that 89 percent of the
respondents believed that advertising was useful to the consumers for giving convenient information
about the products and to increase consumer awareness. It also provided an opportunity to make
comparison, and to make shopping easier to the consumers.

William Dutton & Everett Rogers (1987), in their study on personal computers in American households,
examined factors related to the adoption of computing, how personal computers are used in households,
and the social implications that extend from these patterns of adoption and use of computing in the
household. They found that formal education was a strong factor in explaining the adoption and use of
home computers and instrumental uses of home computers were increasing more rapidly than are
entertainment uses. Changes in leisure-time activities, such as decreased television viewing, were
found in adopting households.
Consumers’ external factors also affect purchase decisions. The external factors include culture, family
size, members (Assael 1987), peer reference groups and economic conditions of the consumers like
monthly income and earning members in family. Above mentioned factors will influence consumers’
decisions (Kotler 2000).
Skinner (1990) notes that when a consumer purchases an unfamiliar expensive product he/she uses a large
number of criteria to evaluate alternative brands and spends a great deal of time seeking information and
56 deciding on the purchase. The type of decision making used varied from person to person and from
product to product.

However, studies also reveal that, besides price and quality, other
cues that are also considered as more important to assess the product’s worth,
are attributes such as brand, store name, past experience, attitude and product
information. Brand name, for example, often signals as a cue or as a surrogate
of product quality use by consumers in their evaluation of goods or services
before they decide to purchase. Some researchers argue that the effect of price
tends to be stronger when it is presented alone as compared when it is
combined together with brand name (Dodds et al 1991).

Geisler & Hoang (1992) identified five steps in the decision process
to purchase IT products as establishing the need for IT, determining the unit
that will receive the new or modified IT, selecting the technology, selecting
the suppliers and authorizing the purchase, and signing the authorization to
commit the necessary funds.

Deborah & Christopher (1995) found that adopters and non-adopters

of home computers were contrasted in terms of their demographics,
psychographics, and experiences with technical consumer products.
Experiences with other computer-related products and services were found to
play a major role in movement toward purchase of a computer.

Cooper & Akihiro Inoue (1996) found that different purchase source
like past experience, recommendations from family and friends influence the
purchase decision on personal computers.

Kulkarni & Murali (1996) in the study on purchasing practices of

consumers of Parbhani town observed that majority of the household’s
purchases were done by the husband and wife jointly. Most of the consumers
57 preferred quality of the goods, while purchasing on cash payment
method; and brought the goods from retail outlets.

Jarvenpaa & Tedd (1997) identified the factors that affect a

consumer’s electronic shopping purchase decision as product understanding,
shopping experience, customer service, and consumer risk.

Depending upon the type of problem encountered, the degree of

internal search may vary (Mowen & Minor 1998). If the purchase process
involves extensive problem solving, consumers may actively search in the
long-term memory for information on brand alternatives. For lowinvolvement
purchase processes, internal search tends to be highly limited.

Williams & Veeck (1998) noted that no particular attitude or set of

attitudes uniquely determined for all products whether a mother would be
influenced by her child or not. Child-centered mothers were more likely to be
influenced by their children and family-oriented mothers or women with
close-knit families were more susceptible to children’s influence.
Components in computers like hardware and software are developing fast and
technology development made computers cheaper with increased
performance (Weiser 1999; Aaker 1998).

There are many internal factors that affect the consumer purchase
decision process, such as perception, motivation, attitude, age and gender
(Schaninger & Danko 1993; Oleson 2004).

Alan Ching (1999) examined how perceived product safety may be

affected by product-related factors such as price, brand name, store name,
promotion channels, source credibility, country of origin, nature of product
testing authority and warranty. His study shows that perceived product safety
was significantly affected by all of the variables mentioned above. This
58 implies that, by carefully manipulating these variables in formulating
marketing strategies, managers can attract the large and growing market of
safety-conscious consumers and gain a competitive edge that cannot possibly
be ignored.
Gupta & Verma (2000) examined the influence of husband, wife
and children and the interaction between them in the purchase decision
process. The study also focused on the influence of socio-economic variables
like age, education, income and employment in the decision dimensions and
found that income of the family and women employment were the major
factors influencing decision making.

Rodge (2001) in his study, “Influence of advertisement on

consumers of different age groups and areas” found that rural consumers
attached more importance to the advertisement and its impact, as compared to
urban consumers. He also point out that rural consumers are more influenced
by electronic media than print media.

Cuban (2001) found that students used computers in schools to

complete assignments, playing games, explore CD-ROMS to find
information, and conduct Internet searches. They rarely used computers for
primary instructional tasks such as participating in on-line curriculum and
creating multimedia projects.

Personal computers can also be assembled from consistent

components as per the consumer preference and price of the personal
computer can be reduced. Due to cheap assembled peripherals, many small
companies started making personal computers that carry out similar functions
as the consumers expected (Kozierok 2001).

In another research conducted by Kim et al (2002), it was found that

small-office/home-office professional (SOHO) procurement choices are
influenced by a number of salient dimensions namely income, performance,
price, inter-purchase time and network externalities. Furthermore, surveys
have continually identified performance and price as two of the most
important attributes in SOHOs' PC purchase decisions.
On the other hand, Bristow et al (2002), suggest that if consumers
believed that there are differences among brands, then the brand name
becomes the center piece of information in the purchase decision or
repurchase intention and the dependence on the usage of brand name in the
search information will likely increase.

Another branch of consumer behaviour research related to brand is

that, consumers use brands to create or communicate their self-image or status
(Cass & Frost 2002).

Besides, brand names contribute value to the consumer’s image, as

well as the economic success of the businesses, and it also can affect
preference, purchase intention and consequently, sales (Ataman & Ulengin
2003).

Thanaphat (2003) studied about the factor determining choice of

buying laptop. The finding indicates that the major factor stipulating
consumers to choose personal computers are gender, term of payment, price
of the computer, income and occupation.

Kumar (2003) revealed that the majority of the consumers were

highly enlightened and were concerned about the quality of the products. He
60 also revealed that the consumers, uniformly in urban and rural areas, desired
to have quality products at reasonable prices and trusted more on the advice
of the retailers.

Vikas Saraf (2003) in his study has found that brands are successful
because the people prefer branded products to ordinary products. In addition
to the psychological factors, brands give consumers the means whereby
they can make choice and judgements. Customers can then rely on chosen
brands
to guarantee standard quality and services. People believe that the brand itself
is something that changes consumer behaviour.

In a study, Dillon & Reif (2004) examined factors influencing consumers’

e-commerce commodity purchases and found that a history of
e-commerce purchasing has a more positive attitude towards on-line buying.

Prior to choice decision or repurchase intention, consumers place a

number of attributes in his or her choice sets, in order of importance and
relevance. Among these attributes are price and quality, and consumers tend
to use price as a proxy to quality (Ofir 2004).

According to What Laptop (2005), Dell was the number one choice
in worldwide with 7.9 million sales. It was followed respectively by HP
(7.4 million), Toshiba (5.8 million), IBM (4.3 million), and Acer (3.9 million)
in year 2004. Furthermore, revenue generated from notebooks has long
surpassed desktops, due to higher average selling prices for notebooks.

Narongchai Sutheeprasert (2005), in his study in Bangkok, found

that the students’ personal computer usage behaviors totally were at internal
shop, university and residence with the purpose of doing the report, for
entertainment and internet. The students’ behaviors in purchasing personal
computers were self assembly followed by domestic and foreign brand
computers. The factors affecting purchasing decisions on personal computers
were quality, after sales service and warranty.

According to CRN (2006) in June 2005, notebook sales accounted

for $216.1 million or $1,442.66 per notebook whereas desktops accounted for
$113.9 million, or $762.98 per unit. The average notebook price fell 11.8
percent from $1,635.07 in the year-ago month and in the same period, desktop
prices fell 5 percent from $803.38. In addition, new product launches to the
market, acquisitions and mergers in the sector, rapid developments in the
nano-technology, integrated wireless networking, and decreased prices make
it extremely vital for the companies to understand the factors underlying
consumers’ laptop purchase decisions.

The International Data Corporation (IDC 2006) report mentioned

that in 2005 consumers continued to respond very positively to very attractive
price points, but portable demand in the business space remained very strong
too.

Photjanaporn Wongwan (2007) found that most samples under her

study used PC for typing purpose, everyday, 2-4 hours per day, during
06.01-12.00 a.m., at the workplace or office, had one PC for use preferably
Acer brand, generally bought PC from computer shop in shopping center with
cash considered the usefulness and special features of PC when making
buying decision, and contemplated to get a new PC if the old one becomes
out-of-order or no longer in working life.
Most of the consumers purchase new computers or updating the
peripherals of their existing personal computers every two years as old
computers cannot hold good for new software (Shum et al 2008).

Consumers have a preference/loyalty towards particular brand of

consumer durables and are not ready to buy any other type of brand available
in the market in the circumstances when their most preferred brand for which
they have already decided is not available or out of stock with the dealer. The
preference will not change with the non-availability of the brand which the
consumer has decided to purchase (Hundal 2008)

Aditya & Abhinav (2009), in their study, found that high speed
processor with low power usage, low cost and the consistency of windows are
some reasons for the lift in market share of the computer industry.
The social factors like educational qualification of the customers,
consumer preferences and income levels of the consumer affects personal
computers sales. All the social factors influence the different type and level of
demand for computers in the market. Differing consumer segments will
outlook different personal computer producers in a different way and vice
versa. Personal computer producers can use the above mentioned
demographic factors to segment the consumer market and decide which kind
of buyers they intended to sell their products (MacWilliams 2010).

It was found in a study conducted by Soni & Sagar (2010) that core
technical features, post purchase services, peripheral specifications, physical
appearance, value added features, and connectivity and mobility were the six
factors affecting consumers’ laptop purchases.

Annamalai Solayappan & Jothi Jayakrishnan (2010), in their

research , found that branded laptop plays a prestigious role in the consumer
segment and indicated that students’ preference for branded computers
depends upon major attributes such as: Product value, Money value, Service
value, Promotion value, Brand value and Time value. According to this
study, Quality, Specification / Configuration, Reasonable price, Credit,
Service, Experience person, Offers, Style, Guarantee, Warrantee and Product
availability are the inducing factors for the purchase of branded computers
among post graduate students of Chennai.

Mohamad et al (2010) conducted a study with a sample consisted of

300 respondents. The study found that almost two-thirds of the respondents
were first-time purchasers of personal computers. The findings indicated that
"friends or colleagues” were the most important source of information when
purchasing personal computers. When the importance of product features was
examined, the study found that the three most important features are quality,
CPU speed and warranty. The study also found that the majority of the
respondents bought personal computers, that were within the price range of
RM2,500 and RM3,500. When the purchasing behaviour of the three ethnic
groups with regard to these issues was examined, many significant differences
were found.

Sudhakar (2010) conducted a study on various factors influencing

students’ laptop purchases in Vellore, Tamilnadu and found that processor
speed and type, memory and hard disk capacity, technical support, guarantee
and warranty conditions, and display resolution quality were the top five
features influencing students’ laptop purchase decisions.

Rangsan Nochai & Titida Nochai (2011), in their study, revealed

that the sale promotion factors “Offer member card for discount” , “Extend
warranty period” , “Bundled with scanner” , “Billboard, radio, leaflet, and
magazine”, and “Able to pay by installments” were the important factors that
impact on consumers’ purchasing decision on Portable PCs.

Shamsunnahar (2012) found that the most preferred brand for the
university teachers was HP and about 70 percent of teachers use Laptops for
their academic purposes. The research also showed that satisfaction on laptop
performance greatly associated with brand, duration of use, age of the user
and his/her professional status. It was also found that branding, technical
features, special features, values, mobility are the five factors that influence
consumers’ laptop purchases. Moreover, male and female consumers
demonstrate a significant difference in two factors: branding and mobility.

Wahida Farzana (2012) explored how consumers’ psychological

factors (Motivation, perception, and attitude) are associated with brand equity
(brand loyalty, brand association, perceived quality, and brand awareness) of
laptop. The result revealed that consumers’ motivation to use laptop and
 brand association criteria work separately. They consider battery lifetime
(brand association) as important feature while satisfying those purposes.

Nandamuri & Gowthami (2012) found in their study that

demographic features of age, education, occupation and income play a vital
role in determining the attitudes towards different brands of consumer
durables category.

The Tablet Satisfaction Study (2012), which was based on

experiences reported by 1,985 tablet owners, found that tablet owners spent
hours per week browsing the Internet, watching videos, listening to music, and
reading books on their device, compared with spending 9.6 hours per week on a
personal computer for the same activities. Overall satisfaction was 857 (on a
1,000-point scale) among owners who viewed three or more hours of video per
week on their tablet, which was 45 points higher than among those who did not. In
addition, those who spent three or more hours viewing video content were more
likely to purchase another tablet from their current manufacturer in the future than
were those who did not watch as much video content (90 percent vs. 81percent,
respectively). The study measured tablet owner satisfaction among those who
owned their tablet for less than two years. Satisfaction was measured across five
key factors. In order of importance, they were: performance (26 percent), ease of
operation
(22 percent), styling and design (19 percent), features (17 percent), and price
(16 percent). Apple ranked highest, achieving a score of 848, and performed
well in four factors: performance; ease of operation; styling and design; and
features. Amazon (841) closely followed Apple in the rankings and performs
particularly well in the price factor. The study also found the following key
tablet usage patterns and purchase trends:

 Tablet owners who also had a smart phone spent 40 percent

more time browsing the Internet on their tablet than on their
smart phone. Similarly, they spent 56 percent more time using
gaming apps on their tablet than on their smart phone.
 One-fourth (25 percent) of owners indicated that they used
their tablet for business purposes.
 More than one-third (37 percent) of tablet owners said that they
were likely to buy a new tablet within the next 12 months.
 Among tablet owners who were highly satisfied (those rating
their device 10 on a 10-point scale), 90 percent said that they
were likely to purchase additional consumer electronic devices
from the same manufacturer.
 Three-fourths (75 percent) of tablet owners indicated that they
were the sole decision-maker in purchasing their device.
 More than one-half (61 percent) of owners shared their
device with at least one other person.

Prakash & Begum (2013) found that price, brand image and quality
were the prime factors affecting the purchase of consumer durables and
profession does not affect significantly on possession of consumer durable but
income do. They also found that the level of brand awareness is increasing
significantly in rural market.

Vijay Kulkarni (2013), in his study with the sample of 152 post
graduate students in Pune, found that brand, features, price, service center,
reliability and responsiveness, store atmospherics, assurance, warranty and
after sales service were the significant factors influencing consumer behavior
towards laptop purchases.

Nadiya Nisar (2014), in her study, found that laptops were highly
preferred based on its utilitarian value i.e. value based on its functionality.
According to data compiled and published by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (2014),
consumers were more satisfied with their
desktop computers than they were with laptops and tablets. Between tablets,
laptops, and desktop PCs, the latter was the only product type of the three to
enjoy a surge in consumer satisfaction between 2013 and 2014. The ACSI’s
findings indicated that consumers were three percent more satisfied with
desktop PCs this year than they were last year, bringing that rating up to 81.
That was one point higher than tablets and five points higher than laptops. Of
all the big-name computer manufacturers out there, Apple was number one in
the hearts of many, carrying a satisfaction rating of 84 in the
personal computing space. Cupertino was trailed by Acer (76), Dell (76),
Toshiba (75), and Hewlett-Packard (74). Interestingly, “All Others,” which
was made up of companies that included Samsung, Asus, and Lenovo, was
right behind Apple with a rating of 82.

Kanwal (2014), in his study, found that majority of the customers

purchase notebook computers with the price ranging from Rs.20,000 to
Rs.30,000. The statistics obtained about the market share of the various
Notebook brands in Punjab shows a stiff competition in the market with Sony
leading marginally followed closely by Lenovo. The Compaq was least
preferred in Punjab. It was seen that there was no significant difference in the
satisfaction level of respondents by different age groups. However it was seen
that as the age increases the respondents’ dissatisfaction towards their
computers decreases. This can be attributed to the fact that young customers
have more expectations and demands from their computers as compared to
older customers. It was seen that rural customers are more satisfied than the
urban customers. Price was considered to be the most significant factor in
influencing the purchase behavior of notebooks. There are respondents who
generally trust a branded company and like to purchase those Notebooks
without much enquiry. The trusted brands like Samsung and Sony have an
advantage over others when it comes to the brand recalling by the customers
while purchasing a notebook computer.

Santpal (2015), in his study, found that the major source of

information for purchasing personal computer was advertisement and
television was the most important media when purchasing personal
computers. He also found that the customers changed their computer because
of new models with new technology.

CHAPTER – 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Objectives of the Study

The basic and foremost objectives of the study are:

(a) To understand in detail about the dell laptop’s (Strength, Weakness etc).

(b) To study the customer’s perception regarding their preferences towards dell laptops.

(c) To understand the various factors influencing the brand awareness to the customers
(d) To analyze the relationship between a brand and its buying behavior

(e) To assess major influence on customer behavior

Scope of Study

In this report, basically the perception of customers towards dell laptops. In order to carry on the study, a

structured questionnaire was drafted which deals with various questions regarding the preferences of dell

laptops, and the factors influencing the customer’s decision. The study is done both on males and females.

While conducting the survey, the demographical outlook was considered, i.e, educated and uneducated

respondents were approached, and people within various age groups and income groups were considered.

Research Methodology is a way to systematically carry out the research. It may be understood as a

science of studying how research is done systematically. In order to study the customer perception

towards fairness cream, a field survey was conducted. The survey was carried out in various regions of

Delhi. Males and females, educated and uneducated people, and people within various age groups and

income groups were approached.

Random Sampling method has been adopted in the survey. The samples were drawn from 100

respondents. Questionnaires have been designed and distributed to the respondents to extract primary data.

(Refer APPENDIX 1 for QUESTIONNAIRE)

1. Sources of Data

Data are raw facts and figures. There are two types of data:

(i) Primary Data

Primary Data is defined as the data that is collected for a specific purpose from original sources.
(ii) Secondary Data

Secondary data refers to those data which is gathered for some other purpose and are already available in

the firm internal record or commercial, trade or government publications.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design is Descriptive studies. Descriptive studies are well structured, they tend to be rigid

and its approach cannot be changed every now and then.

Descriptive studies are undertaken in many circumstances. When the researcher is interested in knowing

the characteristics of certain groups such as age, profession. When the researcher is interested in knowing

the proportion of people in given population who have behaved in a particular manner, making projection

of certain things.

The objective of this kind of study is to answer the why, who, what, when and how of the subject under

consideration. I have taken descriptive because my research includes the knowing the behavior of

customer towards Laptop. I have analyzed how people respond towards laptop or their perception towards

laptop.

Research Sample

Sampling is simply the process of learning about the population on the basis of samples drawn from it.

Sampling may be defined as the selection of some parts of an aggregate or totality on the basis of which a

judgment or perception about the aggregate or totality is made.

There are two types of Sampling:

(i) Probability sampling

(ii) Non probability sampling

(i) Probability sampling method

The probability or the chance of every unit in the population being included in the

sample is known to us. These are further classified into:

(a) Simple random sampling- Random sampling is known as the probability sample. Under this method

the selections of items for a sample depends upon chance. Each and every item of population has an equal

chance of being included in the sample. As a result, the element of personal bias is all together avoided.

Following are few methods of simple random sampling.

(A)Lottery method- This is a common technique adopted for selecting simple random samples. All the

items in the universe are numbered on separate slips of same size. Such slips are then folded and mixed in

a box thoroughly and shaken up so that it is difficult to identify the units of universe. Then the selection is

made blindly and of the numbers of the slips that are required for the samples.

(B)Grid system- In this method the selection of sample is made from a particular area. A map of entire

area is prepared and the screen of square is placed on the map. The areas falling within the selected

squares are taken up for samples.

(b) Systematic sampling- This method is popularly used in the area where a complete list of population

from which the sample has to be drawn is available. For eg- if every tenth unit is selected the selection

would be as say seventh, seventeen, twenty seven and so on.

(c) Stratified random sampling- In this case the population is divided into various groups known as strata.

If the population from which the sample has to be drawn does not constitute a homogeneous group, then

stratified sampling technique can be applied so as to obtain the sample. In this technique, the population is

stratified into number of non overlapping sub population or strata and the sample item are selected.

(d) Cluster sampling- In this method the unit of sample close to each other are chosen as cluster. For eg-

Houses in the same street or successive items of production lines. The population is divided into the

cluster and some of them are chosen randomly. Then the cluster units are selected using simple random

sample.

(ii) Non probability sampling method

The section of units within a sample involves human judgment rather than a pure chance. These are further

classified into:

(a) Purposive sampling- This is also called as judgmental sampling. This type of sampling depends more

on deliberate choice of researchers. Thus, such a selection of samples defeat the purpose of research as the

sample selection is purposely carried on according to the researchers choice

(b) Quota sampling- In this method of sampling, the samples are given to the interviewer who has been

given quotas to fill from the specified sub groups of the population. Eg. An interviewer may be told to

interview 100 men between the age group of 40 to 50. This method is similar to stratified method of

sampling, but in quota sampling the selection of sampling is not random.

(c) Convenience sampling- A sample obtained from readily available list such as telephone directory or

any other prepared population statement is known as convenience sampling. Even if the random sampling

procedures are adopted, this technique cannot be considered as random sample, the reason being that the
basic list is not prepared keeping in view the purpose or the objective of the study. It is not advisable to

use as it does not help in achieving the objective.

Sampling Plan:

Since it is not possible to study the whole universe, it becomes necessary to take samples from the

universe to know about its characteristics.

 Primary data collected: Questionnaires

 Secondary data collected: Internet

SAMPLE DESIGN

 Sample size: 100

 Sampling type: For this purpose of research Convenient/ non probability sampling approach has

been used. Non probability sampling is arbitrary and subjective.

LIMITATIONS

In this research, there are some limitations caused by the following reasons.
 Firstly, the main limitation of the research is generated from the small size of the sample. Under

time, the study was performed only with a small portion of the population for the whole

population. This may influence the generalizability of the samples and may get the incorrect

results.

 Secondly, the selection of the survey location has limitation. Only IP UNIVERSITY students and

teachers is selected for conducting the survey. Therefore, the result would be representative of the

users of the specific area rather than of the target population as a whole because different cities

may reflect different consumer behavior.

 Moreover, questionnaire might limit the range of options. Closed questions could cause bias by

forcing respondents to choose between certain alternative corresponding to their personal views

on a particular subject.

 In addition, in this study, only quantitative method is used to do the research and examine the

topics. Thus, the result may be not depth enough.

 Finally, as the survey was conducted in a laptop market and the respondents were random

selected, thus, the respondents might, intentionally or unintentionally provide inaccurate answers

to the questions. Thus the findings may not be accurate.

 However, care was taken throughout the study to reduce the negative impact of these Limitations.
 CHAPTER – 4
DATA INTERPRETATION &
ANALYSIS
 QUESTIONNAIRE

 Consumer profile

 Male-

 Female-

56

54

52

50

48 54% Male
Female

46

44 46%
42
1

Fig 3.1 shows the profile of the respondent

As per the graph above,

The 46% of the population are Males and 54% are the females.
  Age

 18-25

 25-40

 Above 40

60

50

40

30 56%

20
28%
10
16%
0
18-25 25-40 Abv
40

Fig 3.2 shows the age of the respondents

As per the graph above,

The 56% of the population fall in 18-25 age groups, 28% of the population is falling in 25-40 age groups

and 16% of the population is falling in 40 & above age group.

  Indicate the courses

 BBA- 36%

 BCA- 14%

 B.COM-12%

 B.CAM- 8%

 MBA- 15%

 MCA-15%

 OTHER- 0

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
BBA BCA BCOM BCAM MBA MCA OTHER

Fig 3.3 shows the courses of the respondents

As per the graph above,

36% of students are from BBA, 14% from BCA, 12% from BCOM, 8% from BCAM, 15% from MBA,

15% from MCA and 0% are from other courses.

  Do you own a laptop?

 YES-

 NO-

90
80
70
60
50
84%
40
30
20
10 16%
0
YES NO

Fig 3.4 shows the average of the respondents having their own laptops

As per the graph above,

84% students have laptop and rests 16% are not having a laptop.
  What you think which brand provide number 1 laptop’s in the market with all

specification’s?

 DELL- 29%

 LENOVO- 5%

 HCL-11%

 HP-20%

 SONY-13%

 TOSHIBA-3%

 OTHER-19%

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
DELL LENOVO HCL HP SONY TOSHIBA OTHER

Fig 3.5 shows the number 1 brand in all specifications

As per the graph above,

29% respondents for dell, 5% respondents for Lenovo, 11% for hcl , 20% respondent for hp, 13% for

Sony, 3% for Toshiba and 19% respondent from other think these brand of laptop’s provide number 1

laptops in the market.

  Do you recognize the dell laptop brand in the market?

 YES-

 NO-

120

100

80

60
100%
40

20

0
yes no

Fig 3.6 shows all the respondents recognize dell laptops.

As per the graph above,

All the respondents are aware about Dell brand.

  In the case that there are many laptop brands in the market, you would prefer the one is

well-known?

 YES-

 NO-

80

70

60

50

40 75%
30

20
25 %
10

0
YES NO

Fig 3.7 shows the preference of well-known products by the respondents

As per the graph above,

75% respondents believe that they would prefer that brand which is well known and rest 25%

respondents disagree.
  Do you think a well-known’s image brand’s can somewhat reflect your own self image and

personality?

 AGREE-

 DISAGREE-

 NUTRAL-

70

60

50

40
65%
30

20

10 20%
15%
0
AGREE DISAGREE NUTRAL

Fig 3.8 shows in which % brand image reflects personality.

As per the graph above,

65% respondents agree with the question, 20% are disagreeing and 15% respondents are neutral.
  While purchasing laptop what is your first preference?

 LOW PRICE-15%

 QUALITY-25%

 BRAND NAME-27%

 INNOVATED-11%

 OUTLOOK-13%

 OTHER-9%

30

25

20

15

10

0
Low price Quality Brand name Innovated Outlook Other

Fig 3.9 shows the first preference of the respondents

As per the graph above,

Respondents preferences would be like this, 15% for low price, 25% for quality, 27% for brand name,

11% for innovated, 13% for outlook and 9% for other.

  Before purchasing, you search for various factors of laptop like attributes, price etc from

various sources like internet, friends etc?

 YES-

 NO-

100
90
80
70
60
50
90%
40
30
20
10
10%
0
YES NO

Fig 3.10 shows how many respondents surf internet, friends before purchasing

As per the graph above,

90% Respondents are in the favor of question and others 10% are none favored.
  Do you mind buying online without seeing the laptop in retail shops?

 YES-95%

 NO-5%

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
YES NO

Fig 3.11 shows how many respondents mind buying online

As per the graph above,

5% Respondents don’t have any problem in buying online but remaining 95% respondents have problem.
  You prefer to buy the laptop on special occasions?

 YES-

 NO-

80

70

60

50

40

30 68 %
20
32 %
10

0
YES NO

Fig 3.12 shows how many respondents prefer to buy online.

As per the graph above,

68% Respondents prefer to buy on special occasion and 32% respondent don’t wait for the occasions.
  You would buy the same brand of laptop when you consider purchasing a second laptop?

 YES-

 NO-

 NUTRAL-

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
YES NO NUTRAL

FIG 3.13 shows how many respondents consider same brand for second purchase.

As per the graph above,

40% respondent consider same brand for second purchase, while 22% respondents said no & 38%

remains nutral.
  You will recommend your friends Dell laptop brand when they consider purchasing a

laptop?

 YES-

 NO-

90
80
70
60
50
40
77 %
30
20 33 %
10
0
YES NO

Fig 3.14 shows how many respondents recommend dell to others

As per the graph above,

77% Respondents recommend dell laptop product to others while rest 33% respondent don’t.
 CHAPTER – 5
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
FINDINGS

The consumer decision-making process and resulting preferences and buying behavior are influenced by

internal– as well as external factors.

 The majority of respondents usually do not buy the same brands as their friends or family

members.

 Students search for information to obtain a better price and when they plan to buy expensive

products.

 The majority of respondent’s decision-making style is quality consciousness, followed by price

sensitiveness and services orientation.

 Students make use of the brand first in their decision making

 Majority of respondents remain neutral for the brand while doing second purchasing.

RECOMMENDATIONS

 Retailers should provide additional benefits to the college students, for example providing laptop

bag as a gift.

 make use of reference group influences by focusing on friends and family in their advertising

strategies, and personal selling strategies. For example: “Bring along a friend!”

 Retailers should focus on the individuality of students, which is typical of this age group

 Retailers need to supply the relevant price information for example, retailer price, discount or

payment options, about their products, especially if they are selling expensive products.

 Retailers should use weekends for new product launches, promotional campaigns in the college

campus so that more people get aware of the product.

CHAPTER-6
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION

Here, in this study mostly respondents are the students and some of them are teachers. The respondents

are 100 in which 46% are male and 54% are females. Most of the respondents fall in the 18-25 age

categories which is 56% and rest from 25-40 &40 above are having just 28-16%. Around all the

respondents are agreeing to their knowledge of brand awareness, in terms of perceived quality. There are

75% respondents who preferred well known brand for their purchases. 65% of respondents agreeing that

somehow brand represents their self image and personality.

The students prefer to buy the laptops when reach in the college or when there is a need for a laptop to

them. From the study I can say that mostly management students are having the need of laptop and rest of

them do have but not as much as compared to management.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Websites:

 Introduction of dell- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell viewed on 14th February 2015.

 SWOT analysis - http://www.marketingteacher.com/dell-swot/ viewed on 20th February 2015

 Product range of dell laptops- http://www.delllaptopprice.co.in/ viewed on 1st march 2015

ANNEXURES
1. Profile

 MALE-  FEMALE-

2. Age

 18- 25-  ABOVE 40-

 25-40-

3. Indicate the course you are in

 BBA-  MBA-
 BCA-  MCA-
 B.COM-  OTHER-
 B.CAM-

4. Do you own a laptop?

 YES-  NO-

5. What you think which brand provide number 1 laptop’s in the market with all specification’s?

 DELL-  SONY-
 LENOVO-  TOSHIBA-
 HCL-  OTHER-
 HP-

6. Do you recognize the dell laptop brand in the market?

 YES-  NO-

7. In the case that there are many laptop brands in the market, you would prefer the one is well-

known?

 YES-  NO-
8. Do you think a well-known’s image brand’s can somewhat reflect your own self image and

personality?

 AGREE-  NEUTRAL-

 DISAGREE-

9. While purchasing laptop what is your first preference?

 LOW PRICE-  INNOVATED-

 QUALITY-  OUTLOOK-
 BRAND NAME-  OTHER-

10. Before purchasing, you search for various factors of laptop like attributes, price etc from various

sources like internet, friends etc?

 YES-  NO

11. Do you mind buying online without seeing the laptop in retail shops?

 YES-  NO-

12. You prefer to buy the laptop on special occasions?

 YES-  NO-

13. You would buy the same brand of laptop when you consider purchasing a second laptop?

 YES-  NEUTRAL-
 NO-

14. You will recommend your friends Dell laptop brand when they consider purchasing a laptop?

 YES-

 No