~ Table of Contents Introduction and theoretical background... 1.1 Automotive battery: How it works? 1.2 Current scenario of the automotive battery industry .... Research Methodology .. 2.1 Objectives 2.2 Key Variables To Be Considered Are: 2.3 Methodology: 2.4 Data Analysis Procedure: 2.5 Limitations:...... Profiles. 3.1 Industry Profile. 3.2 Company Profile... 3.3 Product profile.. Analysis and interpretation .. 4.1 Brief Introduction... 4.2 Distributor & dealer perception regarding the products of Tudor India It... 4.3 To identify potentiai customers and their requirements 4.4 To analyze pricing strategy of the company. Finding and conclusions ..sssssssseee 5.1 Findings 5.2 Conclusion ‘ons and recommendations SuggestiList of Tables Table - Page Title of the table No. | | No. 4.2.1 | Awareness about prestolite | 25 4.2.2 | Interest in prestolite 26 4.2.3. | Reason for lack of interest [27 4.2.4 | Reason for selling a brand ‘| 29 4.3.1 | Influencer for customer v/s area 30 4.3.2 | Areas of improvement 34 | 4.4.1 | Areas better than competition 35 4.4.2 Influencer for customer 37List of Figures JPeieeeresr UPPED “Page | Title of the figure No. No. 4.2.1 | Awareness about prestolite ; “| 26 | 4.2.2 [Interestinprestolite 27 | 4.2.3 [Reason for lack of interest 28 | 4.2.4 [Reason for selling 2 brand [30 | 4.3. Influencer for customer v/s area 31 | 4.3.2 Areas of improvement 35 | 4.4.1 "Areas better than competition 36 [4.42 Influencer for customer 38Executive summary Product and pricing are one of the most important features of a brand which determine its performancein the market. This project tries to find out if the ricing strategi product and p 's are responsible for the poor performance of the brand byanalysing distributor & dealer perception regarding the products of Tudor India Itd “The project also tries to identify the potential customers’ requirementsand analyses pricing strategy of the company. The information was gathered from various dealers, distributors & garages spread out across different locations of Ernakulam, Kottayam, Thiruvalla. In this survey simple random sampling method was used to select sample units and a total of 100 samples were collected. There is a high level of awareness among the battery dealers and garages about the brand prestolite but majority of the respondents are not interested in Prestolite battery because of the lack of marketing and poor distribution. Exide and Amaron are the two most popular brands. Brand image, product quality and warranty/service are the most important factors for the battery shop dealers and garage personal for choosing a brand. ‘The battery shop dealers and garage personals seem to be satisfied with the product quality of the products of the company. The pricing of the Tudor products are very competitive and majority of the dealers and mechanics who deal or have dealt with Prestolite batteries believe that the pricing is better than that of the competition, It was also found by the researcher that price is a factor that users are least bothered; the company may charge higher than its current pricing and use this extra funds to inereas: its marketing.Chapt 4: TINT RODU CTION Introduction and theoretical background The_storage Batteries Industry consists of two segments - automotive and industrial. The major players in this industry include Exide Industries, Amara Raja Industries, Amcoand Tudor India. _Astomotive batteries: Growth in the automotive battery segment is driven by vehicle rollout and replacement demand. The OEM business is driven by fresh vehicle (4-wheelers and 2-wheelers) demand. Aftermarket sales are influenced by the number of vehicles in use, average battery life, average vehicle age and population growth. In the aftermarket small unorganised manufacturers, whosell low-cost unbranded products, capture sizeable market share, especially when catering to commercial vehicles and tractors. However, the share of unorganised manufacturers declined in recent years owing to productunreliability, rising disposable income: ing quality consciousness, environmental restrictions, technology advancements in the automotive industry and organised players inereasing their presence outside major cities. The replacement cycle of an automotive battery is determined by battery usage and other factors like charge balance, cumulative distance clocked by automobile, among others. On an average, a 4-wheeler battery life expectancy is about th years, while for the 2-wheeler battery life expectancy i is around two years. across Industrial batteries: Industrial_basteries have a wide range of us infrastructure and other sectors — railway: ei ex_uninterrupted power supply (UPS), inverters, electric fork lifts, among others. Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) batteri being completely sealed, maintenanee- free and reliable, are the most widely used in critical, remote andunmannedapplications (telecom and UPS s The Indian telecom sector ems remained the largest customer of industrial batteries even as competitive pressures and change in business dynamics forced telecom service providers to reduce capital expenditure. On the other hand, extensive computerisation of banking and government departments and persistent power shortage resulted in robust demand for UPS batteries with a growth of about 15% CAGR across five years The industrial battery segment is less volatile compared to the automotive ctor, The telecom s gment is the largest consumer of industrial batteries followed by the railways. ‘The power and UPS industries are other key user segments. ‘The automotive battery business includes the OE (original equipment) and ounts for after-market or replacement market segments. The OE market ai nearly 70 per cent of the automotive battery business. The unorganized sector comprises the small-scale assemblers and rebuilders, it is a major segment of the replacement market. This sector largely dominates the tractor and commercial vehicle s -gments although in some areas of the country they have a significant presence in the car and multi-utility segments too. In India, the lead acid battery segment is witnessing 15% a year growth due to demand for automotive batteries. Further, thrust on infrastructure sectors such as telecom and power have given an additional boost to the lead acid batteries sector. Lately, India has seen a sharp increase in sales of passenger cars which has increased overall sales of batteries. 1.1 Automotive battery: How it works? A lead-acid battery is electrical storage device that uses a reversible chemical reaction to store energy. It uses a combination of lead plates or grids and an electrolyte consisting of a diluted sulphuric acid to convert electrical energy into potential chemical energy and back again. The present construction of thiseof battery consists of positive electrode made up of leap peroxide, negative electrodes of lead in highly active metallic sponge. The insulating layers are made of hard rubber, PVC etc. The electrolyte is a dilute aqueous and conta solution of sulphuric aci ner is made of plastic, glass, rubber or polypropylene. Automobile Battery is primarily responsible for electrical energy to the electric motor and the ignition system of an automobile. They are mainly the lead-acid accumulators and are known to provide a potential difference of 12.6 Volts. Mostly these Automobile Batteries do not require any form of maintenance much unlike other car accessories. The most essential aspect of any automobile battery is its CCA ratings. It is the load which is discharged which a fully charged car battery is capable of delivering for 30 seconds when the voltage is strictly maintained above 7.2 Volts.In a temperature of eighty degree Fahrenheit, the available power from an automobile battery is presumed to be 100%. In terms of importance, next comes the Reserve Capacity Rating of the battery.Popularly referred to as the RC, it gives a measure of the time in minutes in which a fully charged car automobile battery can discharge 25 amperes of current at 80 degree Fahrenheit. It has been seen that the battery having greater RC weighs more than its lighter counterpart. Automobile Batteries are generally of two types. One is the non-sealed product which requires low maintenance, while the other is the maintenance free version and can be non-sealed as well as sealed. However, from the consumer's perspective, it is always advantageous to use a maintenance free battery since it has greater longevity, faster re-charging options, larger shelf life and most importantly, less terminal corrosion. ‘The shelf life of an automobile battery is more than six not more than six months old. When an automobile battery months old, the process of Sulfation gets initiated inside it.1.2 Current scenario of the automotive battery industry Most of the lead-acid battery manufacturers have vast presence in semi-urban and rural areas and also cater to the battery replacement market for old cars, tractors, agricultural equipment, commercial vehicles, heavy vehicles, etc India today represents about 14 major automakers, and they are all growing rapidly, and also looking to make India their home for exports which is further expected to strengthen the OEM market batteries. Booming economy is creating opportunities. for the supply of industrial batteries in telecommunications towers, the use of railways and the energy sector. With the country short of power in many pockets, the use of inverters has also increased significantly. The major factors which drive the automotive battery industry are the growth of the automobile industry and the price of lead. The explosion in car sales over the last 5 years has pushed sales of the market for replacement batteries. The growth rate of the automotive industry which was bulging at 30 per cent last year has fell considerably since then . The growth rate of automotive industry fell to 20 per cent in January 2011 and is currently hanging at 10 to 12 per cent. Car sales in Asia's third largest economy, which in June saw their slowest pace of growth since March 2009, are driven by a burgeoning middle class that relies on bank loans for purchases. But India's central bank has raised interest rates 10 times since March last year in an effort to battle stubbornly high inflation, a move that has hurt credit-based purchases. Another important factor effecting the profitability of automotive batteries is the price of lead. It is mai ly driven by the prices of lead in international market and directly affects the profit margins of manufacturers._ Bera: Reseancit METHe Do LOky ResearchMethodology This study will aid the company to better understand the perception of various customers and users of the prestolite battery. It will help to analyze customer req irements & expectations from the product. The project will help in assessing the positioning of the product in the market with respect to other competitors. 2.1 Objectives To analyze distributor & dealer perception regarding the products of Tudor India Itd . + To identify potential customers and their requirements. * To analyze pricing strategy of the company. 2.2 Key Var Awareness about the products of Tudor among the dealers & sellers in ables To Be Considered Are: Emakulam, Kottayam&Thiruvalla. * The importance of pricing of the product for the dealers, sellers & customers. & Brand preference among the various dealers and sellers of the product.- 2.3 Methodology: Type of Research Descriptive research is done in order to collect data to determine the perception and attitude of the dealers distributors & garages.This will therefore help in describing the situation as observed or surveyed. Sampling Plan ‘The information was gathered from various dealers distributors & garages.spread out across different locations of ernakulam, Kottayam, thiruvalla In this survey simple random sampling method was used to select sample units and a total of 100 samples were collected. Data Collection Study mainly used primary data and the data was collected from garages and battery shops in Kochi, Kottayam and Thiruvalla. Questionnaire and interview method was used to collect primary data from the respondents 2.4 Data Analysis Procedure: Microsoft excel and IBM SPSS were used to analyze the data collected through questionnaire and interviews. Pie-charts, bar diagrams and flow charts are used to explain the collected data. Cross-tabulation of data was done for high level analysis.ae Chapton, = PROFILES Profiles 3.1 Industry Profile ‘The size of the Indian lead acid storage battery industry (including inverter and motive power batteries) as on March 2011, at a lead base of USD 2,500/MT, is estimated to be about *130 billion, comprising the industrial batteries (48 billion) and automotive batteries (82 billion). Noyce) 1 Nels Cyvmtay Tyee AUTOMOTIVE rasa} PT cm (yatta Co) CIA EQUIPMENT ZrO} TSE itagw tao The overall size of the unorganised sector is estimated at about °35 billion. The automotive battery business accouzits for nearly 63%, while the industrial4 gment accounts for the rest. The automotive SLI (Starting, Lighting and Ignition) battery segment can be divided into the OEM (~25%) and aftermarket segments (~75%). Demand for automotive batteries is divided among different segments, with cars and utility vehicles constituting the largest share of 36%, followed by commercial vehicles at about 28%, 2-wheelers at about 21% and tractors at 15%, Demand for automotive batteries largely relies on the growth of the automobile OEMs and the aftermarket. Growth in the industrial batteries segment is driven by infrastructure and technology related industries such as tions. power, UPS and telecommuni In the past decade the major players in the battery industry have been trying to alter the perception of the battery as a commodity tothe battery as a brand. Factors di ing this change could include the entry of new battery manuf cturers into the market and the increased knowledge base among the users. This revolution is led by Amara Raja Batteries Ltd., a relatively new entrant to the automotive battery segment which has a Joint Venture (JV)with the leader in the automotive battery industry, i.e. Johnson Controls Inc. USA. Interestingly, the lead taken by this relatively unknown company of the industry has been lapped by all so as to capture a sizable share of thelucrative replacement market due to the margins and the visibility of the brand. Historically, the Indian automotive battery market was original equipment (OE)driven by one dominant player. i.e., Exide Industries Ltd,, in the organized segment followed by many manufacturers from the unorganized segment especially in the light and heavy commercial vehicle segment. Exide at a point of time controlled nearly 100 percent of the Indian auto OE market and was the biggest name in the Indian automotive battery industry,was changed in the late 1990s with the entry of battery manufacturers like Amara Raja Batteries Ltd. (ARBL) (JV with Johnson Controls Inc. USA) and Tudor India Ltd. (the Indian arm of Exide Technologies). Both entered the market with technologically advanced products and ARBL became the firstcompany to launch the Zero Maintenance Free Batteries for the automotive segment. ARBL completely repositioned the product with innovative marketing and distribution strategies that have taken the industry by storm and are credited with creating a separate category for the product. This initiative of educating the consumer was quickl grasped by the other manufacturers and a very aggressive marketing program was unleashed. This move saw the otherwise dull industry flush with a lot of action and enthusiasm that generated a lot of interest among the consumers and the dealer distributor network which is an important link in the chain.Today, the battery isbeing spoken of in the industry in the same breath as the passenger car which exhibits the visibility and awareness thatthe strategy has created. Role of Technology With the advent of newer more advanced technologies, the consumer is geiting the best of both worlds; a superior product at an affordable price. ARBL sells its automotive battery under the brand name Amaron which is the country's first Zero Maintenance Free Automotive battery while the competitors had only maintenance free batteries that needed topping up of distilled water. Today, all the leading manufacturersare also offering a similar product with focus shifting towards offering a technologically superior product. Amaron wasalso the first to talk about what goes into making a great product. It spoke of having silver inside which is used as an alloy mix that actually increases the batterylife and this was the first attempt by any battery manufacturer to educate the consumers.a Distribution For the success of any aftermarket product, availability of the same is as important as the product quality and competitive pricing which go a long way in increasing the visibility and creating a network across markets. Here again, the leading automotive battery manufacturers became aggressive in extending their reach to the nooks and comers of the country and also moved away from the traditional distribution network and instead appointed dealers and distributors who were the first timers to the battery business. Warranty Support The consumer has always been familiar with the usual 12 month warranty on the automotive batteries, extended either by the automotive OE or the battery dealer down the road. Today, the scenario is not the sameas battery majors have realized the potential of the aftermarket and are offering pro rata warrantiesof up to 3 years which has been the normal life of any lead acid automotive battery. All these strategies have only ulied in the consumer becoming educated enough to make intelligent comparisons among products to get a better bargain which inturn,has led to the erosion in the market share of the unorganized sector and cheaper imports. This move towards branding a low interest product, will go a long way in setting some standards for the industry, increasing the entry barriers and making quality products available at affordable prices.Tudor India Li nited engages in the manufacture and distribution of lead acid storage batteries for automotive and non-automotive applications. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of CMP Batteries, UK, which in turn is the British arm of the world’s largest battery manufacturing group based in Pennsylvania, USA. The US-based group has operations in 89 countries and markets products under brand names like Exide. It is a pioneer of sealed maintenance-free batteries and has manufactured batteries that have powered the U! Navy’s first submarine, gone to the moon with the NASA space shuttle, and taken part in Operation Desert Storm. Tudor India Ltd wi ba the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat with an i incorporated in the year 1986 as a public limited company and is based in Gandhi Nagar. The manufacturing unit is located at Prantij in stalled capacity of 600,000 storage bate ‘The company was established with the object of setting up a plant for manufacturing storage batteries in India in collaboration with Sociedad Espanola Del Acumulador Tudor $ A, Spain. In the year 1989, they entered into a collaboration agreement and acquired the land for setting up the plant. In June 1994, the company came out with a public issue to part-finance the project. They started their commercial production in May 1995. In the year 1997, they launched Prestolite, an internationally renowned brand of storage batteries in India. In 1998-99, the company expanded their product portfolio by introducing industrial batteries and motorcycle batteries. They also entered into technical assistance agreement with CMP Batteries, UK for acquiring technology and technical know-how for manufacturing traction batteries. During the year 2001-02, Prestolite Leader was launched in the Indian market, During the year 2002-03, E V India Ltd ceased to be a subsidiary of the company. During the year 2006-07, the company increased their capacity by 120,000 standard units per annum, which became operational from October 2006. During the year 2008-09, the company increased their2 annual production capacity to 1 million batteries at a total outlay ofRs. 112 million. 3.3 Product profile The lead acid storage batteries are of three types - stationary, traction and automotive. Stationary batteries find applications in telecommunication sector, emergency lighting, ete. whereas traction batteries find applications. is propulsion of electric vehicles, mining locomotives, alarm systems, etc. Automotive batteries commonly referred to as SLI batteries are used for starting, lighting and ignition of internal combustion engine vehicles of all kinds. An automotive battery is a matured product in a product life cycle, The Company manufactures a full range of automotive batteries in polypropylene containers and lids from 32 AH to 210 AH for use in four wheelers, light and heavy commercial vehicl Classic gold, Fulmen, Copper line series are for the passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. Krishak series is for the tractors and heatguard series is for the three wheelers.The best-selling products of prestolite are - “ Classic gold Set X Battery type AH capacity | Price EURO 74 (DIN) 74 9.278 * Classic Silver ay Battery type | ‘AH capacity Price | PS180 | 180 13,073“+ Copperline cue [ Battery type AH capacity ] Price eed | CS38B20L 35 3,618 ** Mega Cycle | Battery type ] ‘AH capacity Pri | F-190WET 190 14,576 “+ Heat guard Battery type AH capacity L PriPHGSO 50 “ Krishak — 3,613 Battery type ‘AH capacity Price PK 100T 100 [6-485 *» Presto Master Battery type ‘AU capacity Price PM20000 190 13,925Fulmen tery type ‘AH capacity Pi et eee eee Pee | PFMF40L 35 "| Price 3775 feeAVAL YSIS &TLNTRERPRETATION Analysis and interpretation 1.1 Brief Introduction ‘This chapter gives an insight into the analysis of the data collected from 100 samples which include various garages and battery shops in kochi, kottayam and thiruvalla, The data was collected with the help of questionnaire method and is analyzed using tools such MS Excel and IBM SPSS. The analysi: therefore helps in order to find out the various factors that are responsible for the formation of dealer perception and attitude towards tudor products. 4.2 Distributor & dealer perception regarding the products of Tudor India Cumulative valid Percent |__ Percent Valid YES 89.0 890 890 No 110 110 100.0 109.0| Awareness about prestolite @ | yes = NO From the above pie-chart it can be interpreted that there is a high level of awareness among the battery dealers and garages about the brand prestolite. Out of the 100 samples surveyed 89 were aware about the brand prestolite and only 11 were unaware about the brand. |_| cane | ii rau vatspocen | “Pane Valid YES 24 24.0 21.0 210 No 79) 79.0 79.0 1000 100] 100.0 100.0Interested in prestolite ‘The above analysis shows that even though a huge majority of the sample are aware about the brand only 21 per cent were interested in the brand, Prestolite has been in the Indian market for more than a decade now and this general lack of interest is because of the past record of the company. Reason for lack of intorost PRODUCT QUALITY SATISFIED WITH CURRENT BRAND, LACK OF MARKETING PAST RECORD Total system| Reason for not dealing with prestolite | ' | | Low mancerns REET 20 | f= SATISFIED WITH PRESENT DISTRIBUTION 4 BRAND. | | PRODUCT QUALITY | | | proouctauaury fs DISTRIBUTION | SATSFIED WITH PRESENT mmm 5, | | BRAND | | | | LOW MARKETING. | From the above analysis it is possible to interpret that major reasons for lack of interest in the market for the lack of interest in the market is the low marketing and the inefficient distribution of the product. Only 4 per cent of the sample believe that the service is not upto the mark and only 6 per cent believe that the product is not good enough.Count Reasons for selling a brand sRAND | PRODUCT | WARRANTYI/SERVICE iace_| QUALITY LeveL Favourite EXIDE 19 13) brand AMARON 5 14 1“ TATA 2 4 2 GREEN SF 2 8 7 PRESTOLITE ° 2 1 Bosh 4 4 1 OTHERS. 2 2 ° Total 25 a7} 23 PROFIT MARGINBar Chart 6 Reasons for selling 3 brand BREN NAGE PRODUCT GUALITY IWARRANTYISERVICE Eve. PROFIT MARGIN Count oo aunois3e Hse eau i Q6 Favourite brand The above cross tabulati n was done between favourite brand of the samples and the reasons for selecting the brand using spsssoftware. The idea behind doing this cross tabulation is to find out what features of a brand make it a favourite for the battery dealers and garages. From above bar diagram it can be seen that Exide, Amaron and SF are by far the most popular brands among the battery dealers and garages. The reasons why people prefer these brands are — © Exide ~ Mainly because of the product quality and brand image. It is the oldest and most reputed brand in the market. © Amaron~ The product quality and service are the deciding factors © Sf [visa flanker brand of Exide and is one of the major competitors of amaron. The reason why people prefer sf is product quality and service, similar to amaron. © Prestolite~The main reason why people prefer prestolite is the product quality and service. One thing to be noted here is that prestolite lacks4 any brand image, mainly due to the lack of marketing and its past record, 4.37 potential customers and their requirements. Influencer(customer) erano | oc | GARAGE imaceiaware | Frm | RECOMMENDA| PRI | WARRANTYISE | OTH Ness wt tion | ce! rice | ER | Total Addie KOTTAY Count s} 10 a] 3 3} 2) 82 AM %* 173%] 192% 40.1%] 58) 5.%| 3.6%] 100 within % 0% Acre KOCH! Count nfs 6] 1 a} of 26 % 423%| 19.2% 2.1%] 38 118%] 0%] 100 wii % o% dre THIRUVA Count nl 6 alo i uA 273% 182%] 0% 45%| 0%] 100 Oo” a as) 4 7| 2) 100 21.0% 3s0%| 40 7.0%] 2.0%| 100 % omoe Bar Chart 2s Inluencer(customer) eran, WBiiaceawareness JOE Firmen IGARAGE RECOMMENDA TION 2 Price WARRANTY SERVICE Jone 4 é hs 5 ° | C1 KOTTAYAM oor THRUVALLA Address ‘The above bar diagram is the cross tabulation of the three places where the survey was conducted and the main factor which influences the buying decision of the customer. It is found that the customers at different places consider different factors while buying a battery — © Kottayam — The major influencer for the customers of kottayam are garage mechanics and owners. The other major factor which influences the buying decision of the customers in kottayam is the brand image of the company and the OE fitment. © Kochi ~The main influencer for the customers of kochi is the brand image and the other important factors is the garage recommendation and oe fitment.i wv © Thiruvalla- The customers of thiruvalla have a similar view as that of kochi except that they give more importance to o¢ fitment than garage recommendation Keeping these different requirements of the customers at different places the company needs to plan its marketing strategies. Places were garage recommendation is most important factor for the customers the company can introduce schemes and offers for motivating the garage owners and employees to promote prestolite. In other places were brand image is the deciding factor the company can improve the im of the company by following various marketing campaigns Count ‘Areas of improvement PRODUC | PRICING oF + | strucTuR | Servic | PROMOTIONMARKETI | DEALER | CANNO | Tola QUALITY E E NG. s_|rsay| i Intereste YES | 4 1 1 12 1 din No | 19 ai 7 2 10 19] 79 prestolte Total a. 3 34 4 21] 100"| Reems PRODUCT QUALITY PRICNIG STRUCTURE a ISERVICE PROMOTIONRAARKETNG 20 LACK OF DEALERS JCarmioT Say | | Count ves no Interested in prestolite The cross tabulation of whether a person is interested in prestolite or not and the areas of improvement is shown in the above bar diagram. From the above diagram is possible to interpret that among those who are interested in prestolite the major areas of improvement are promotion and marketing and secondly it is product quality. As far as the people who are not interested in prestolite are concerned they too believe that promotion and marketing is the area of improvement and secondly it’s the product quality . This shows that the dealers of batteries and garage people believe that there is a strong need for promotion and marketing activitiesicing y of “ie company. ‘Areas better than com; PRODUCT QUALITY PRICING SERVICE CANNOT SAY Total Better than competition connor sar “ senvee 7 enooucr avai PRICING Bu mScKvICe rroouerauaum ll »SO When asked about which feature of prestolitewhich they liked more than its competitor's majority of the samples were unable to answer the question because they were not dealing with prestolite. But most of the people who have been dealing with prestolite recently are of the strong opinion that the pricing of prestolite is better than its competitors. Thus it can be concluded that prestolite pricing is beyond the expectations of the market. Cumulative Freques Percent_| Valid Percent |__ Perc 31.0 BRAND 3 31.0 IMAGE/AWARENESS: OE FITMENT GARAGE RECOMMENDATION PRICE WARRANTYISERVICE oTHER Total 1 BRAND IMAGE/AWARENESS OF FITMENT GARAGE RECOMMENDATION PRICE = WARRANTY/SERVICE 1 | | @ OTHER | | | |- The above pie chart depicts the various factors that influence a customer’ decision to buy a particular brand. It is quite clear from the pie chart that garage recommendation, brand image and OE fitment are the factors that mostly affect the customers buying decision. Only a small minority of 4 per cent are of the view that price is the deciding factor.Ss! euttass fee tau Finding and conclusions 5.1 Findings + There is a high level of awareness among the battery dealers and garages about the brand prestolite, Out of the 100 samples surveyed 89% were aware about the brand prestolite and only 11% were unaware about the brand. + Majority of the respondents are not interested in Prestolite battery because of the lack of marketing and poor distribution + Exide and Amaron are the two most popular brands and brand image,product quality and warranty/service are the most important factors for the battery shop dealers and garage personal. + A large partof the respondents are of the view that advertising is important factor in the buying decision of the customers. + The respondents give importance to brand for any purchase. + That majority of the respondents have given opinion to promote a brand through TV, radio, ete. + ‘The respondent wants some gifts for them to recommend the product. The company needs to improve the offers and schemes it provides for the dealers and distributers. + Prestolite is not available in every segment of the market easily.5.2 Conclus The battery shop dealers and garage personals seem to be satisfied with the product quality of the products of the company. The pricing of the tudor produets are very competitive and majority of the dealers and mechanics who deal or have dealt with prestolite batteries believe that the pricing is better than that of the competition. However prestolite needs to seriously rethink its marketing strategy inorder to gain market share. It was also found by the researcher that price is a factor that users are least bothered; the company may charge higher than its current pricing and use this extra funds to increase its marketing.Che plor & ° SOWMMeAPLONS | RECOMMENDATION & Suggestions and recommendations ‘* Promotion is the major and primary requirement for Prestolite. Print and Visual ads could be preferable options for this. Authorized dealers should be increased. © Promotional events, awareness programs , retailer incentives could be a desired option. As in Exide they have foreign tour packages for the retailers who ever achieve the monthly target. Availability is also a factor 19 be considered. Number retailers could be increased by proper marketing. According to some Garage owners they believe Prestolite is a foreign brand. And it is not for Indian market. This type of positioning has to be removed. So for that proper marketing and customer awareness is required to reposition in the minds of customers. © Reducing the price alone will not do. As from the survey it was clear that customer is ready to pay more for a better product. So pricing should be done with a proper marketing strategy. © Good relationship and dealership with the retailers is also very much required for Prestolite. After sales service response time and service duration has to be managed p-operly 0A Srawk Onwtarcadst. teutd fe a Parerslrtie optiw Bh Provnsling the Dscarnrds1 5% APPENDIX Questionnaire Have you heard about the brand *PRESTOLITE? / dealt with the brand? a. Yes b. No If yes, what are the areas/aspects where ‘PRESTOLI than its competition? scores better a, Product range/Product Quality b. Pricing structure c. Service d. Any other aspect(please furnish details), If'no, why are you not dealing with the brand and what will make you do business with the brand? 4, gain more sales! market share? What are the areas/aspects where ‘PRESTOLITE’ needs to improve to a. Product range/Product Quality b. Pricing structure c. Service d, Any other aspect(please furnish details).5 What are the factors/parameters which influence your decision to promote/sell any particular brand? 6. why? a, Brand/Company image . Product Quality . Warranty/Service level es e |. Profit Margin . Any other (please specify) which brand you suggestsell/promote the most to your customers and a. Exide b. Amaron ©. SF d, Prestolite e. Any other brand Reason: 7. Whatis the average number of cars/customers visiting your garage with battery related problems per day? a. 1-5 b. 5-10 ©. 10-15 d. 15-20 e. more than 20 8. How many batteries are sold Sy you in a month? a, 10-20 b. 21-30 ©.31-40 d. 41-30 e. more than 50 9. What are the parameters which influence a customer decision to buy any particular brand? a, Brand/ Company Image and awarenessb. OF Fitment c. Garage recommendation d. Warranty period £ Any other(please specify)... 10. Now, after knowing about the company, its produet range and quality aspects, are you _willing to start association with PRESTOLITE? a. Yes (Please specify the models) b, Still No. Any other suggestions and recommendations for improvements in the products and services of the company. DATE:- NAME OF THE TRAINE!FK-2154 FebinCniso Faculty ~ Dr. K.R Nisha A Study on the product and pricing strategies of Tudor India Ltd Executive summary Product and pricing are one of the most important features of a brand which determine its performance in the market. This project tries to find out if the product and pricing strategies are responsible for the poor performance of the brand byanalysing distributor & dealer perception regarding the products of Tudor India Itd .The project also tries to identify the potential customers’ requirementsand analyses. pricing strategy of the company. The information was gathered from various dealers, distributors & garages spread out across different locations of Emakulam, Kottayam, ‘Thiruvalla. In this survey simple random sampling method was used to select sample units and a total of 100 samples were collected, There is a high level of awareness among the battery dealers and garages about the brand prestolite but majority of the respondents are not interested in Prestolite battery because of the lack of marketing and poor distribution. Exide and Amaron are the two most popular brands. Brand image, product quality and warranty/service are the most important factors for the battery shop dealers and garage personal for choosing a brand. ‘The battery shop dealers and garage personals seem to be satisfied with the product quality of the products of the company. The pricing of the Tudor products are very competitive and majority of the dealers and mechanics who deal or have dealt with Prestolite batteries believe that the pricing is better than that of the competition. It was also found by the researcher that price is a factor that users are least bothered; the company may charge higher than its current pricing and use this extra funds to increase its marketing.