Project Title

THE CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

(TOOTHPASTES)

Research Problem
To determine the consumer preferences while buying toothpastes in the age group 21-30.

Research Objective
 To determine the various factors affecting the purchase of toothpastes.
 To determine the brand preferences for toothpastes in the age group.
 To determine the type of toothpastes preferred by consumers in the age group.
 To determine the positioning of various brands in the minds of consumers in the age
group.
 To determine whether the various demographical factors affect the purchase of
toothpaste.
 To determine the relative importance of various functionalities attached to toothpaste by
youngsters (whiteness, freshness, protection).

Literature Review
Oral hygiene is sought to be one of the most necessary aspects to maintain good health since the
pre-modern era where natural products like Neem sticks were used to maintain good teeth. With
the advancement of technology in the modern era, products like toothpastes, mouth washes,
dental floss, and teeth whiteners have been introduced.
Realizing the importance of these products in consumers daily lives especially toothpastes, many
companies like P & G, Hindustan Unilever etc. are planning to launch products to fight for the
share of the existing market giants. Before launching a new product in the market, the companies
need to realize the factors affecting the buying behavior so as to design their marketing strategies
to cater to the correct consumer segment(s).
Past research indicates that consumers purchase and channel decisions might be influenced by
the type of product being investigated (Cox and Rich 1964; Lumpkin and Hawes 1985; Morrison
and Roberts 1998; Papadopoulos1980; Prasad 1975; Sheth 1983; Thompson 1971).
Initially, an exploratory research was conducted to figure out what brands of toothpastes the
consumers know about and what factors do the consumers consider while making their purchase
decision.
Then questionnaires will be administered through an online survey. Two questionnaires will be
administered where the first questionnaire have non-attribute based question while the second
have attribute based question; this being done for using multi-dimensional scaling. Other
approaches for analysis are chi-square, factor analysis, etc. These statistical tools will be used
with the help of MS-Excel and SPSS. The analysis from these tools will help to gather useful
insights upon what type of respondents we have, what attributes the consumers consider while
making the purchase decision, how the consumers perceive the various brands, etc.

Hypothesis Development
1. Type of Toothpaste V/S Age Group
Hypothesis:

H0: The type of the toothpaste does not have a significant impact on the buying
behavior of various age groups at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The type of the toothpaste has a significant impact on the buying behavior of
various age groups at confidence level of 80%
2. Place of Purchase V/S Age Group
Hypothesis:
H0: The place of purchase of the toothpaste does not have a significant impact on
the buying behavior of various age groups at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The place of purchase of the toothpaste has a significant impact on the buying
behavior of various age groups at confidence level of 80%
3. Brand V/S Age Group
Hypothesis:
H0: The Brand of the toothpaste does not have a significant impact on the
buying behavior of various age groups at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The Brand of the toothpaste has a significant impact on the buying
behavior of various age groups at confidence level of 80%
4. Brand V/S Region
Hypothesis:

H0: The Brand of the toothpaste does not have a significant impact on the
buying behavior of various regions at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The Brand of the toothpaste has a significant impact on the buying
behavior of various regions at confidence level of 80%
5. Brand V/S Occupation

Hypothesis:

H0: The Brand of the toothpaste does not have a significant impact on the
buying behavior of occupation groups at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The Brand of the toothpaste has a significant impact on the buying
behavior of occupation at confidence level of 80%
6. Age group V/S Usage Time
Hypothesis:
H0: The age group of the users does not have a significant impact on the
usage period of the same brand at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The age group of the users has a significant impact on the usage
period of the same brand at confidence level of 80%
7. Occupation V/S Frequency of Change
Hypothesis:
H0: The occupation of the users does not have a significant impact on the
frequency of change of brands at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The occupation of the users has a significant impact on the frequency of
change of brands at confidence level of 80%
8. Occupation V/S Point of Purchase
Hypothesis:
H0: The occupation of the users does not have a significant impact on the point of
purchase at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The occupation of the users has a significant impact on the point of purchase
at confidence level of 80%
9. Gender V/S Brand
Hypothesis:

H0: The gender of the respondents has a significant impact on the brand of
the toothpaste they use at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The gender of the respondents has a significant impact on the brand of
the toothpaste they use at confidence level of 80%
 10. Gender V/S Type
Hypothesis:

H0: The gender of the respondents has a significant impact on the type of the
toothpaste they use at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The gender of the respondents has a significant impact on the type of the
toothpaste they use at confidence level of 80%
11. Gender V/S Frequency of Change
Hypothesis:
H0: The gender of the respondents has a significant impact on the frequency at
which they change the toothpaste at confidence level of 80%
Ha: The gender of the respondents has a significant impact on the frequency at
which they change the toothpaste at confidence level of 80%

Data Collection Method:

 Primary Data:
An exploratory research will be conducted using the following techniques:
a) Open-ended questionnaire
These questions will be used to know what are the different attributes which a student
looks for while selecting toothpaste.
b) Focused group discussions
Here, a discussion among a group of students will be arranged to bring out the
attributes that are evaluated by the students while selecting toothpaste.
 Secondary Data:
The following sources will be used:
a) Websites of different toothpaste brands to know their unique selling propositions.
b) CMIE - Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy
c) Other journals and reports
Based on the attributes selected after exploratory research and the secondary research, the
information gap will be identified and primary research will be conducted to fill the gap. The
research will be conducted by administering questionnaire for the target age-group. For primary
data collection, Questionnaire administration will be done through online survey.