EVALUATING INFLUENTIAL FACTORS OF

CUSTOMERS DECISION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY

ON LAPTOP USERS IN SOUTH DHAKA CITY

Under the Supervision of:

Ms. Asif-Un-Nahar
Assistant Professor
Department of Business Administration
Central Women’s University

Prepared by:
Umme Hani
ID: 2014-1-16-001
Major in Marketing
Department of Business Administration
Central Women's University
 Preface

Thesis reflects the quality of learning we have acquired in our undergraduateyears. It is

imperative that we consider thesis writing as one of the most significant stage in our learning
curve and an opportunity for personal and professional development.

Therefore, as a graduating student, we are expected to have achieved the competencies required
in thesis writing. These sets of competencies should equip our applying theories in practical and
professional business settings such as decision- making skills, managerial and organizational
skills, critical thinking, etc. We are also expected to develop and demonstrate further such
competence through an integrated approach during the research and the writing stages.

As a student of Department of Business Administration, Central Women's University, I have

been assigned to prepare a project report on “Evaluating Influential Factor of Customers
Decision Making Process – A case study on Laptop users in South Dhaka city.”

I have tried my best with all my aptitude to complete this report with aptness.
 Letter of Transmittal

April 15, 2019

Ms. Asif-Un-Nahar

Assistant Professor

Department of Business Administration

Central Women’s University

Subject: Submission of Project Report on “Factors Affecting Customers Decision Making

Process – A case study on Laptop buyers in South Dhaka city.”

Dear Madam,

I have prepared my project report on the topic of “Factors Affecting Customers Decision Making
Process.” under your kind supervision as a requirement of completing the degree of BBA
program. I have tried my best to prepare the report in consistence with the optimal standard
under your valuable direction.

I made every effort to reveal greater insight in this report. I hope that this will meet the standard
of your judgment.

Thanking you for your kind supervision.

Sincerely yours

(Umme Hani)

ID No: 2014-1-16-001

Department of Business Administration

Central Women’s University

 Acknowledgment

My sincere thanks go to my supervisor Ms. Asif-Un-Nahar (Assistant Professor, Department of

Business Administration, Central Women's University) for letting me choose this topic and

Providing with her guidance and support which bring out an outcome of this report. I appreciate

her co-operation and sacrifice of valuable time.

I would like to thank Mr. Hasan Shirazi (Associate Professor & Chairperson, Department of

Business Administration, Central Women's University) for furnishing me with the updated news

and support to finish my internship program.

I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me and encouraging me in every possible

way from the very beginning till the end of my work. Last but not the least, I thank the Almighty

for keeping me healthy and fit and enabling me to complete my report on time.
 Executive Summary

Business firms should have an eye to the satisfaction level of their customer because it is easier

to retain the present customer than to gain the new customers. When a customer is getting

satisfied he or she will be the loyal one for the business organization. That means customer

satisfaction and loyalty is correlated. If the customers are dissatisfied they will never be the loyal

one of that business and can easily switch to other brand. That’s why business organizations are

very conscious about this. In Bangladesh, there are several brand of cellphone, all of them are

emphasizing on the good value. That’s why this market is competitive. For this emphasizing on

the most desired factors are really necessary for users’ loyalty. So I tried to know Factors
affecting customers decision making process

Chapter 1 is the introductory part. Here I have discussed about the objectives (Broad Objective &

Specific Objectives), Limitations of the study. The main objective of the study is to know the
Users’ loyalty level and to find the factors influencing the customer s loyalty towards the Brands
they use. Except the broad objective there are some other objectives which will discuss later. The
data presented in this internship report are collected from various sources (Primary Data Source
& Secondary Data Source).

Chapter 2 is about the Literature Review. Here discussed Buying Decision Making, Models of
Buying Decision Process, Laptop Characteristics, Factors affecting purchase decision for
Laptops, impact of brand on Buying Decision Process for Laptops, Brand equity, Brand
awareness, customer Brand engagement, Brand Loyalty, Brand association.

Chapter 3 covers the project analysis. This chapter focuses on the methodology of the study,

dependent variable, independent variable, questionnaire development & scaling techniques used,

sampling method and findings of the survey.

For this research a sample of 50 respondents is planned to be taken on the basis of convenient

sampling method. The questionnaire has 10 separate questions one for the dependent variable

and other for the independent variables.

From research it is found that, Trustworthiness, outlook of the Laptop, other relevant services,
sufficient information and engagement programs have liner relationship with the brand loyalty.

In chapter 4 some personal recommendations are given and also it concludes the study. And in

chapter 5 the references and appendix are given.

 Table of Content
1. Introduction……………………………………………………………….10
1.1 Consumer Behavior………………………………………………………….10
1.2 Factors………………………………………………………………………..10
1.2.1 Purchasing Power……………………………………………10
1.2.2 Group Influence………………………………………………11
1.2.3 Personal Preferences…………………………………………11
1.2.4 Economic Conditions…………………………………………11
1.2.5 Marketing Campaigns……………………………………….11
1.3 Consumer or Buying Decision Process…………………………………….12
1.4 Stages of Consumer Decision Process……………………………………13-14
1.5 Objectives of the Study………………………………………………………15
1.6 Limitation of the Study……………………………………………………15-16
2 Literature Review……………………………………………………………18
2.1 Consumer Behavior…………………………………………………………18
2.2 Buying Decision Making…………………………………………………..18-19
2.3 Models of Buying Decision Making………………………………………..19
2.4 Laptop Characteristics…………………………………………………..19-20
2.5 Factors Affecting Purchase Decision for Laptop………………………….20
2.6 Impact of Brand on Buying Decision Process for Laptop…………………21
2.7 Brand Equity…………………………………………………………………..21
2.8 Brand Awareness…………………………………………………………21-22
2.9 Customer Brand Engagement……………………………………………...22-23
2.10 Brand Loyalty………………………………………………………..24
2.11 Brand Association…………………………………………………….25
3. Methodology…………………………………………………………………26
3.1 Nature of Research Design & Information Used………………………………26
3.2 Theoretical Foundation for Guiding the Research……………………………...26
3.3 Dependent Variable………………………………………………………………26
3.4 Independent Variable……………………………………………………………26
 3.5 Sources of Data…………………………………………………………………..27
3.6 Questionnaire Development & Scaling Techniques used……………………..27
3.7 Sampling Method………………………………………………………………...27
3.8 Survey Findings………………………………………………………………...28
3.8.1 Demographics………………………………………………………………28
3.8.2 Variable Based…………………………………………………………29-32

4. Recommendation & Conclusion ……………………………………………33

5. Reference…………………………………………………………………………….34
5.1 Website Reference………………………………………………………………….34

Questionnaire ……………………………………………………………35-37
 Chapter One
Introductory Part
 1. Introduction

1.1 Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior is the study of how individual customers, groups or organizations select,
buy, use, and dispose ideas, goods, and services to satisfy their needs and wants. It refers to the
actions of the consumers in the marketplace and the underlying motives for those actions.
Marketers expect that by understanding what causes the consumers to buy particular goods and
services, they will be able to determine—which products are needed in the marketplace, which
are obsolete, and how best to present the goods to the consumers.

1.2 Factors

Consumer behavior can be broadly classified as the decisions and actions that influence the
purchasing behavior of a consumer. What drives consumers to choose a particular product with
respect to others is a question which is often analyzed and studied by marketers. Most of the
selection process involved in purchasing is based on emotions and reasoning.

The study of consumer behavior not only helps to understand the past but even predict the
future. The below underlined factors pertaining to the tendencies, attitude and priorities of
people must be given due importance to have a fairly good understanding of the purchasing
patterns of consumers

1.2.1 Purchasing Power

Purchasing power of a consumer plays an important role in influencing the consumer behavior.
The consumers generally analyze their purchasing capacity before making a decision to buy
and products or services. The product may be excellent, but if it fails to meet the buyers
purchasing ability, it will have high impact on it its sales. Segmenting consumers based on
their buying capacity would help in determining eligible consumers to achieve better results.
 1.2.2 Group Influence

Group influence is also seen to affect the decisions made by a consumer. The primary
influential group consisting of family members, classmates, immediate relatives and the
secondary influential group consisting of neighbors and acquaintances are seen have greater
influence on the purchasing decisions of a consumer. Say for instance, the mass liking for fast
food over home cooked food or the craze for the SUV’s against small utility vehicle are glaring
examples of the same.

1.2.3. Personal Preferences

At the personal level, consumer behavior is influenced by various shades of likes, dislikes,
priorities, morals and values. In certain dynamic industries such as fashion, food and personal
care, the personal view and opinion of the consumer pertaining to style and fun can become the
dominant influencing factor. Though advertisement can help in influencing these factors to
some extent, the personal consumer likes and dislikes exert greater influence on the end
purchase made by a consumer.

1.2.4. Economic Conditions

Consumer spending decisions are known to be greatly influenced by the economic situation
prevailing in the market. This holds true especially for purchases made of vehicles, houses
and other household appliances. A positive economic environment is known to make
consumers more confident and willing to indulge in purchases irrespective of their personal
financial liabilities.

1.2.5. Marketing Campaigns

Advertisement plays a greater role in influencing the purchasing decisions made by consumers.
They are even known to bring about a great shift in market shares of competitive industries by
influencing the purchasing decisions of consumers. The Marketing campaigns done on regular
basis can influence the consumer purchasing decision to such an extent that they may opt for
one brand over another or indulge in indulgent or frivolous shopping. Marketing campaigns if
undertaken at regular intervals even help to remind consumers to shop for not so exciting
products such as health products or insurance policies.

1.3Consumer or Buying Decision Process

The customer buying process (also called a buying decision process) describes the journey your
customer goes through before they buy your product. Understanding your customer’s buying
process is not only very important for your salespeople, it will also enable you to align your
sales strategy accordingly.

The buying decision process is the decision-making process used by consumers regarding
market transactions before, during, and after the purchase of a good or service. It can be seen as
a particular form of a cost–benefit analysis in the presence of multiple alternatives.

Common examples include shopping and deciding what to eat. Decision-making is a

psychological construct. This means that although a decision can not be "seen", we can infer
from observable behavior that a decision has been made. Therefore, we conclude that a
psychological "decision-making" event has occurred. It is a construction that imputes
commitment to action. That is, based on observable actions, we assume that people have made a
commitment to effect the action.

Nobel laureate Herbert A. Simon sees economic decision-making as a vain attempt to be

rational. He claims (in 1947 and 1957) that if a complete analysis is to be done, a decision will
be immensely complex. He also says that peoples' information processing ability is limited. The
assumption of a perfectly rational economic actor is unrealistic. Consumers are influenced by
emotional and non-rational considerations making attempts to be rational only partially
successful.

The decision process and psychosocial activity involve while evaluating, acquiring, consuming
or ordering of goods and services. The increasing numbers of Buying facing the issue of
‘confusion by over- choice’ and disbelieving the claims of the product, cutting through
advertising “clutter” with the message has never been more important.(Loudon & Della Bitta,
1994)

1.4. Stages of Consumer Decision Process

The five stages framework remains a good way to evaluate the customer’s buying process. John
Dewey first introduced the following five stages in 1910:

Stage 1 – Problem Recognition

The first stage of the process is working out what exactly you or the customer needs. The
customer feels like something is missing and needs to address it to get back to feeling normal. If
you can determine when your target demographic develops these needs or wants, it would be an
ideal time to advertise to them.

In our case we noticed our running trainers were looking a little worse for wear and we
acknowledged the need for a new pair.

Stage 2 – Information search

This is the search stage of the process. One that is continually changing from old fashioned
shopping around to the new shop front which is Google (other search engines are available -
apparently). Information is not only gathered about stuff and on things but from people via
recommendations and through previous experiences we may have had with various products.

In this stage a customer is beginning to think about risk management. A customer might make a
pro’s vs. con’s list to help make their decision. People often don’t want to regret making a
decision so extra time being put into managing risk may be worth it.

In our case we googled trainer reviews, and searches such as “what is the best trainer for dirt
running?” among other searches as well as remembering that we didn’t like Gola or Dunlop
shoes and had a nasty experience with a pair of Filas in the 90’s.

Stage 3 - Evaluation of Alternatives

This is the time when questions start being asked. Is this really the right product for me do? Do I
need a different product? If the answers are either “No it’s not right” or “yes I need a different
product” then stage 2 may recommence. The stage 3 to 2 transition may happen several times
before stage 4 has been reached.

Once the customer has determined what will satisfy their want or need they will begin to seek
out the best deal. This may be based on price, quality, or other factors that are important to them.
Customers read many reviews and compare prices, ultimately choosing the one that satisfies
most of their parameters.

In line with our example we started questioning if we actually needed running shoes: are there
alternatives out there? Were our original trainers that bad? The answers were Yes/Yes but none I
liked/Yes they really were. So the process was able to continue.

Stage 4 – Purchase Decision

The customer has now decided based on the knowledge gathered what to purchase and where to
purchase what they desire.

At this stage a customer has either assessed all the facts and come to a logical conclusion, made a
decision based on emotional connections/experiences or succumbed to advertising/marketing
campaigns, or most likely a combination of all of these has occurred.

In our customer journey we purchased some rather nice Asics runners as we had a wonderful
experience with them previously, they were well priced on the market and the marketing around
Asics trainers has always linked them to being the best option for “real athletic trainers”. The
positioning of the product also lent itself to where they were purchased, a sport shop rather than a
shoe shop.

Stage 5 – Post Purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction

The review stage is a key stage for the company and for the customer likewise. Did the product
deliver on the promises of the marketing/advertising campaigns? Did the product match or
exceed expectations?

If a customer finds that the product has matched or exceeded the promises made and their own
expectations they will potentially become a brand ambassador influencing other potential
customers in their stage 2 of their next customer journey, boosting the chances of your product
being purchased again. The same can be said for negative feedback which, if inserted at stage 2,
can halt a potential customer’s journey towards your product.

1.5 Objectives of the Study:

Broad objective:

 To identify to what extent evaluation of outcomes and beliefs affect buying attitudes an
intention to purchase in the Laptop market in Bangladesh.

Specific Objectives:

 To examine impacting effects marketing on individuals buying decision.

 To know which is more important factor that helps to customers for buying decisions.

 To check whether buyers have switching tendency or not?

 To know whether consumer have influence on these factors or not?
 To analyze what are the factors which influence and eventually motivate the customer to
buy Laptop in Bangladesh market.
 To develop a framework on the effects of external influence and internal influence which
affect self-concept and life style of the Buying which result in purchasing decision
making process.

1.6 Limitations of the Study:

While conduction the research time management can be a limitation as this was an analysis of
the Laptop market. It is a vast sector and the Bangladesh market is very huge so, in order to
complete the research on schedule time management was very important. The time taken to
conduct the paper including preparation, research, analyzing findings and drawing conclusions
was excessive.

The questionnaire part was also challenging as selecting a group of 250+ people with different
background was essential for the research and analyzing the market from different viewpoints. It
was felt that the sample size was needed in order to get a broad understanding of the area would
be 250+ , if this was not achieved the sample may become insufficient.

There was some difficulties because of the language barrier but as most of the Bangladesh
people understand and speaks English language that was not that difficult.
\

Chapter Two
Literature Review
 2. Literature Review

2.1 Consumer behavior

 According to Engel, Blackwell, and Mansard, ‘consumer behavior is the actions and decision
processes of people who purchase goods and services for personal consumption’.

According to Louden and Bitta, ‘consumer behavior is the decision process and physical activity,
which individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and
services’.

2.2 Buying Decision Making

One of the fundamental issues in Buying Decision Process is the way Buying develop, adapt
and use decision-making strategies (Moon, 2004). Buying decision making could be defined as
the “Decision Process patterns of Buying, that precede, determine and follow on the decision
process for the acquisition of need satisfying products, ideas or services” (Du Plessis et
al.,1991).

Buying decision making has long been of great interest to researchers. Early decision making
studies concentrated on the purchase action (Loudon and Bitta, 1993). It was only after the
1950’s that modern concepts of marketing were incorporated into studies of Buying decision
making, including a wider range of activities (Engel, Blackwell and Miniard, 1995). The
contemporary research indicates that more activities are involved than the purchase itself. Many
other factors influence the Buying decision making than the final outcome. Vast numbers of
studies have investigated this issue and many models have been developed accordingly. Models
aim to depict the purchase decision-making process and its influential factors.
Buying Decision Process is a wide range of study about the decision making processes that a
Buying make at the time of making a purchase. According to Kotler (2009) “Buying Decision
Process is the study of how individuals or groups buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas
or experience to satisfy their needs or wants”. In the early stages, Buying Decision Process was
taken as buyer Decision Process that reflects the interaction between Buying and produces at the
time of purchase but now marketers recognize Buying Decision Process as an ongoing process
not only what happens at the time when Buying gives money and gains some goods or services.
Usually a buyer passes through five stages to reach his buying decision. First the buyer notices
the difference between his current state and ideal state and recognizes his want and need for
something. A need can also be aroused by external stimuli. He/she starts searching the
information for his/her desired product through different channels like family, friends,
advertisement or mass media. After sufficient information is gathered, the buyer processes the
information to evaluate the alternatives brands in the choice set. Finally he purchases the product
which he assumes to be the best for him. After purchasing the product, the buyer will take further
action to the marketer based on his satisfaction or dissatisfaction (Kotler, 2009). For purchasing a
Laptop a buyer goes to these five stages. These stages help the buyer to evaluate his/her needs,
choose the best Laptop according to his/ her need and budget and purchase it.

2.3 Models of Buying Decision Process :

Companies use various marketing efforts to influence the decision of Buying but it is difficult to
know how Buying respond to them. Marketing stimuli comprises the Four Ps which are product,
price, place and promotion. Laptop companies use these marketing stimuli to influence the
Buying to buy new Laptop or replace old one. Besides these there are other stimuli that act as the
major forces in the buyer’s environment which are economic factor which is country’s market
condition and its economic condition, the next stimuli is the technological factor which is the
R&D sector which analysis the usages and needs and develop Laptop according to it and the next
is the cultural factor which is cultural impact of the country

All these stimuli enter into the buyer black box and depending upon the influence of buyers
characteristics, the buyer come up with the observable buyer response: product choice, brand
choice, dealer choice, purchase timing and purchase amount.

2.4 Laptop Characteristics

The primary function of a laptop is to be a computer that is capable of easily changing locations.
Traditional desktop computers contain a great multitude of fragile parts which can be easily
damaged when attempting to move the computer, especially if movement is frequent and
lengthy. In addition to this, desktops take a considerable amount of setup time, and once in place
they cannot be quickly moved. Laptops solve this problem by compacting the parts of a
computer into a smaller package which is designed to protect the computer parts. Laptops are
usually foldable and made of only two pieces -- the laptop itself and the laptop charger, which is
detachable.

Directly related to a laptop's portability are its dimensions and weight. As laptops have
progressed and become more advanced, dimension and weight have changed from being simple
physical facts into major selling points for laptops. Dimension-wise, most laptops boast screens
around 15 inches across diagonally, with the largest currently sitting around 20 inches and the
smallest going as low as 5.6 inches across. When looking at weight, the difference between the
lightest and heaviest is even greater, with the lightest laptops weighing less than two pounds and
the heaviest being around 11 lbs.

Laptops combine all the input/output components and capabilities of a desktop computer,

including the display screen, small speakers, a keyboard, hard disk drive, optical disc drive,
pointing devices (such as a touchpad or trackpad), a processor, and memory into a single unit.
Most modern laptops feature integrated webcams and built-in microphones, while many also
have touchscreens. Laptops can be powered either from an internal battery or by an
external power supply from an AC adapter. Hardware specifications, such as the processor speed
and memory capacity, significantly vary between different types, makes, models and price
points.

2.5 Factors affecting Purchase Decision for Laptop

One of the most important factors which affect a costumer selection is his or her feeling of
getting benefit. For example, if a customer believes that there is a real discount on price of the
product, they certainly will buy it to make a profit on their purchase. Buying can base their
Laptop purchase decisions on a range of product attributes, such as price, Laptop functions,
Laptop design, brand, usage, Laptop size, durability, carrier flexibility and purchase location.
Customers make their decisions mostly by doing a comparison between the differences of two
products not with their similarities. For instance, when the customer encounters two products
with the same price which have various sizes, say two televisions with same prices but various
screen sizes, the larger one is most likely to be selected by the customer.

Most of the time customers do not accept new changes and they insist on their beliefs about the
products. People are faithful about some product that they used and were satisfied with them.
Moreover they may have outdated feeling against the nature of new models. The perception of
famous marks, labels and logos have a significant impact on customer who is on the computers
markets. In some cases, people cannot recognize some benefits of various options, so they are
interested to buy production which they used before or a product that they prefer in some way.

2.6 Impact of Brand on Buying Decision Process for Laptop

This section will introduce to the reader the models that support the underlying drivers to
consumer choice and the attributes that act as influencers to enable purchase decisions. It will
answer the questions: what drives consumer choice and what attributes from those drivers
influence purchase? The reader will understand how the consumer approaches the concept of
making a decision and the internal, processes and tools he uses to arrive at that decision. For the
purposes of this discussion, the scope of attributes influencing purchase as they relate to
consumer choice will be bound to the area of technology adoption. Choice can be a double-edged
sword. When not faced with it, one feels mandated. When faces with its entirety, one feels
overwhelmed. In between exists a delicate balance, once where the decision-maker believes
enough in the way of resources has been allocated to enable him to generate a high quality
decision. In the context of consumer choice, the process an individual assumes to ensure the
quality is driven by the individual, similar in methodology to all but unique in deployment.

2.7 Brand Equity

Brand building is an activity that takes some to build and often even longer time before yielding
any results. From a managerial perspective, brand equity provides a strong platform when
introducing new products and could shield towards competing attacks (Aaker, 1996). However,
ultimately and most importantly, the brand has to carry meaning for the Buying (Cobb-Walgren
et al., 1995; Farquhar 1989; Crimmins 1992). Brand equity can be defined from various
perspectives, yet for the purpose of this dissertation is to analyse Buying’s perception toward
brand of Cellphone i.e. how customers perceive a product or service (Hong-bumm et al., 2003;
Capon, 2008). Various researchers have chosen different strategies in the operationalization of
Buying based brand equity and these can be divided into two groups (Aaker, 1996):
  Buying Perceptions: covering brand awareness, brand association, and perceived quality

 Buying Decision Process: including brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price.

2.8 Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is a brand's ability to be recognized or recalled as a member of a certain

product category or service (Aaker, 1991). Rossiter & Percy (1987) relates it to the strength of
the brand node or trance in memory as reflected by Buying’ ability to identify the brand in
different situations.

Brand awareness plays an important role in Buying decision-making process for Laptop
purchase. Firstly, it increases the likelihood of a brand being a member of the consideration set.
Secondly, it has been shown that Buying adopt a decision rule to buy familiar brands. Brand
awareness can therefore be seen to affect decisions about brands in the consideration set. Lastly,
it influences the formation and strength of brand associations. Fundamentally, high levels of
brand awareness should increase the probability of brand choice, produce greater Buying and
retailer loyalty, and decrease vulnerability to competitive marketing actions (Keller, 1993).
Laptop marketers use marketing tools and social media to reach to various Buying in the market.

2.9 Customer Brand Engagement

Customer brand engagement is the total level of a customer’s intellectual, emotional, and
Decision Processal activities as a result of brand interactions. It is the level of an individual
customer’s motivational, brand related, and context dependent state of mind (Hollebeek, 2011).
Interactivity between the Buying and a brand is considered not only a distinct concept, but is
viewed as an antecedent required for engagement to occur. Co-created value is defined as the
perceived level of value created in the mind of the Buying through interactions with the brand of
Laptop. Similarly, customer brand experience is conceptually related engagement to be
momentary yet to have strong personal meaning which may illicit cognitive or Decision
Processal responses.

Mollen and Wilson (2010) argued that engagement is the outcome of continual interaction
between the Buying and the brand that reinforces the emotional, psychological, or physical
commitment to the brand. Furthermore, manifestations of engagement are described in the
literature as a dynamic concept that may vary from short-term, highly volatile, to long-term,
relatively stable processes. Closely related to brand loyalty (Bowden, 2009), engagement
describes the strength of the relationship between a Buying and a brand. Laptop marketers
influence Buying at emotional level and psychological level in engaging with their brand. They
use emails and interactive application which connects Buying directly to brand to interact with
Buying and influencing them in purchasing Laptop. Marketers also organize promotional events
and activities which engages Buying to the brand.

2.10 Brand Loyalty

Smith and Wright (2004) investigated the customer loyalty for and found out that product value
attributes directly impact the levels of loyalty. In their analysis, they concluded that brand image,
firm viability, product quality and post sales service quality significantly affect repeat sales.
Punniyamoorthy and Mohan (2007) investigated the antecedents of brand loyalty and found out
that involvement, functional value, price worthiness, emotional value, social value; brand trust,
satisfaction, commitment and repeat purchase are having positive relationship with brand loyalty.
Marketers in Laptop industry influence Buying with high quality of product and brand
engagement to make sure that Buying be loyal to the brand. In summary, loyalty had been
investigated to been formed through the following antecedents such as brand trust, commitment,
satisfaction, perceived value, image, association, quality and others. Likewise, the consequences
of brand loyalty are related to their relationship with repeat purchase, purchase intention, word of
mouth, preference, price premium, brand equity, variety seeking, performance, resistance to
competitor and brand switching. Loyalty can be hard to define as it can be formed from
attitudinal or Decision Processal dimensions. One of the attitudinal loyalties is attitude towards
brand. Attitude toward brand is an attitudinal measure for loyalty as attitude toward the brand is
a relatively enduring, one-dimensional summary evaluation of the brand that presumably
energizes Decision Process. This study encompasses the dimensions of appealing, good,
pleasant, favourable and likeable as found in Spears and Singh (2004) as the measurement for the
construct of attitude toward brand. Thus, brand loyalty is defined as the attitude toward brand.
2.11 Brand Association

Buying’ favourable brand beliefs will influence their purchase intentions and choice of the brand.
For Laptop, brand associations can be represented by the functional and experiential attributes
offered by the specific brand. Buying associate the brand with, such as dynamism, high
technology, innovativeness, sophistication, distinctiveness, excellence and prestige (Norjaya et
al. 2007). The combination of tangible and intangible attributes creates a brand identity, that is “a
unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain,” which
drives brand associations (Aaker, 1996). Therefore, the identity of the specific brand may impact
brand associations and ultimately sales. In short, brand association is defined as the strength of
functional and experiential attributes perceived by the Buying.
 Chapter Three
Project Analysis
 3. Methodology

3.1 Nature of research design & information used

An extensive study has been done regarding this research project. The survey was conducted
among the laptop users among the South Dhaka city. Users were collected randomly.
Basically descriptive research design was adopted. Survey method was used to collect the data.
Face to face interview technique was also used to conduct the survey. Information on Brand,
Price, Performance, Quality, Design, Operating System, Value, Reputation, Services of mobile
phones will be required for this research.

3.2 Theoretical foundation for guiding the research

Data analysis through Microsoft Word graphical presentation was selected to identify the
influencing factors for the brand loyalty level.

3.3 Dependent Variable

 Customers’ decision making on Laptop purchase

3.4 Independent Variable

 Specifications of the Laptop

 Color and style
 Favorite brand for buying laptop
 Budget and availability
 Quality of laptop
 Social branding and distribution
 Service and support for device
 Durability
 Warranty
 Customers feedback/review.
3.5 Sources of data
Sources of data of this report can be divided into two categories.

Primary Sources
 Through questionnaire survey.
 Direct observation &
 Face to face conversation.

Secondary Sources
 Different text books.
 Various reports and articles related to study.
 Web base support from the Internet.

3.6 Questionnaire Development & Scaling Techniques Used

A questionnaire was being developed by using close ended questions with Likert scales and open
ended questions both. The independent and dependent variables was identified and there is one
question for each of the variables. The independent and dependent variables based on the type of
questions have been assigned with different values to the Likert scale from 1 to 5. For a positive
statement highest number (5) is assigned for ‘Most important’ and lowest number (1) for ‘Least
important’ responses.

3.7 Sampling Method

• Population: In South Dhaka city laptop users.
• Sample Unit: 50 users based on different criteria and location in South Dhaka.
• Sample Elements: Laptop users.
• Sample Size: 50 respondents.
• Sampling Technique: Convenient Sampling.
• Data collection method: Survey method
3.8 Survey Findings

3.8.1 Demographics

Gender

In this graph it's shown that 64% respondents are female and 36% respondents are male.

Gender

36%
female
male

64%

Profession

This graph shows that 47% of the respondents are students, 51% are job holder, 2% are business
person.

student Job holder Business Person

2%

47%
52%
Age

In total 50 persons responded for this survey. In terms of age this graph shows that 60%
respondent are 20-24, 18% respondent are 25 – 29, 20% are 30 – 34, & 2% are 35 and above.

20 20 - 24 25 - 29
30 - 34 35 and above

12%

18%
54%

16%

3.8.2 Variable Based

1. Are you satisfied with your Laptop?

This question was to identify the satisfaction of respondents with their Laptop. According to
figure 90% said that they are satisfied with their Cellphone and 10% said that they are not
satisfied with their Laptop.

Satisfied
10%

Yes
No

90%
2.Which brand of Laptop did you purchase last time?

Apple HP ASUS LENOVO DELL ACER OTHER

2%
6%
14%

20%

6%
38%

14%

In this graphics its shows that most of the peoples 37% use HP, 21% use DELL, 14% use ASUS
14% use APPLE, 6% use LENOVO, 6% use ACER and others uses 2%.

3. How important do you think a brand is when you purchase a Laptop?

Unimportant Fair Important Very important

4%

96%

Here 4% peoples think brand s very important for them and 96% people think brand is important
for them.

4. While purchasing a Cellphone what are the important factors that help you in deciding?
1=least important, 5= most important

60

50

40

30
1
20 2
3
10
4
0 5

an
d ice ce ait
y
sig
n m on ice
Br Pr an ste ati rv
m Qu De sy t Se
r
ng pu
r fo Re
Pe ati
er
Op
 

In this chart its shows that when people purchase a Laptop most of the people focus on brand
and price then performance, quality, design, operating system, reputation and the service of
Laptops.

5. Is there any factors other than mentioned above factors, which influence you, most to
take decisions for purchasing cell phone? If Yes what

NO

6. Does "word of mouth" influence you to take decisions for purchasing cell phone?
Yes No No Comments

18%

52%
30%
This chart shows that for 18% people are not like to give any comments, 30% people say no. and
52% people say yes that they can get influence by word of mouth.

Chapter Four
Recommendation and
Conclusion
 Recommendation

This study was conducted with the objective of observing the effect of influencing factors on
customer buying behavior of Laptop. It is found that physical features of laptop like color
and model; comfort in portability attracts customers more than other reasons behind choosing
a portable computer. It is closely followed by brand image that focuses on how highly-valued
brands can attract customers than it’s competitors can with the offerings of same features and
relatively competitive price. The very next factor that influences the customers is the price;
because of technological development and mass marketing of IT products, it has become
cheaper to afford by all level customers. Due to the high competitiveness among the firms
operating in the industry, it has been obvious for them to provide superior physical features,
product quality and customer service to attract and retain market shares. Apart from these
discussed factors, different sources of information can make some positive and negative
influences on the customers while making the purchase of such items. Again it can vary from
person to person due to their necessity, affordability and interests in being attached with
update version of technology.

Conclusions

The use of a lease model for a laptop learning program provides a significant amount of
value to students but unfortunately this is challenging to clearly communicate. This lack of
understanding by students needs to be overcome through better marketing of the value of the
program, better integration of the technology into all aspects of the students educational
experience, and increased reliability of the laptop hardware or service levels. To better
understand the differences in value of a laptop learning program to students, further studies
into how students make use of a laptop need to be conducted. Even without this research it
appears that a single model for a laptop learning program will be ineffective as there are
significant difference in needs between technical and liberal arts types of programs.
Chapter Five
Reference and
Appendix
 5. References

5.1. Website Reference

 http://i-rep.emu.edu.tr:8080/jspui/bitstream/11129/2027/1/NiaGhazaleh.pdf
 https://www.aijsh.com/shop/articlepdf/2015/07/143571298710.pdf
 http://www.drjimmirabella.com/dissertations/dissertation-rachelmcclary.pdf
 http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/market-segmentation/consumer-behaviour-
meaningdefinition-and-nature-of-consumer-behaviour/32301
 https://www.iresearchservices.com/5-common-factors-influencing-consumer-behavior
 https://www.google.com/search?
q=consumer+behavior+definition&oq=consum&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j69i59l2j0l3.4393j0j8&s
ourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

5.2 Text Book Reference

 BHATTACHERJEE, A. and PREMKUMAR, G., 2004. Understanding changes in belief
and attitude toward information technology usage: a theoretical model and longitudinal
test. MIS Quarterly, 28(2), pp. 229-254.

 Berkman, H. W., & Gilson, C. G. (1978). Buying Decision Process : Concepts and
Strategies. California: Dickenson Publishing.
 Assael, H. (1992). Buying Decision Process  and Marketing Action. Cincinnati: South-
Western College Pub. Balter, D. (2004). Introduction to BzzAent: Word of Mouth.
Retrieved Jan 7, 2011, from
 Cassidy, S., 2004. Learning Styles: An overview of theories, models, and measures.
Educational Psychology: An International Journal of Experimental Educational
Psychology, 24(4), pp. 419-444.
 Marketing Management – Kotler Philip

 Strategic Brand Management – Kevin Lane Keller

  Churchill, G. A. 1979. A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing
constructs. Journal of Marketing Research 16, pp. 64-73.
 Brown, J. J., & Reingen, P. H. (1987). Social Ties and Word-of-Mouth Referral Decision
Process. Journal of Buying Research , 350-362.

Questionnaire On

Evaluating Influential Factors of Customers Decision Process: A Case Study

on Laptop Users in South Dhaka City.

This survey is being conducted to measure the FACTORS OF CUSTOMERS DECISION

PROCESS. Would you mind spending a few minutes to help me by completing this
questionnaire? The data collected through the survey will be used for only developing the
research methodology. I assure you that all the information of this survey will be protected by
the highest degree of privacy.

Part: A

1. Gender: a) Male b) Female

2. Profession: a) Student b) Job holder c) Business person d) Other
3. Age:
a) 20  b) 20 – 24 c) 25 – 29 d) 30 – 34 e) 35 and above.

Part B

1. Are you satisfied with your Laptop? Yes / No

2. Which brand of Laptop did you purchase last time?
APPLE ( )

HP          ( )

ASUS               ( )

 LENOVO            ( )

DELL                ( )

ACER ( )

Other ( )

3. How important do you think a brand is when you purchase a Laptop?

Unimportant ( )

Fair ( )

Important ( )

Very important ( )

4. While purchasing a Laptop what are the important factors that help you in
deciding? (1=least important, 5= most important)
1 2 3 4 5
1. Brand 2.
2. Price 3.
3. Performance 4.
4.Quality 5.
5.Design 6.
6.Operating System 7.

7.Reputation 8.
8.Service 9.

If any other, please specify below:

 5. Is there any factors other than mentioned above factors, which influence you, most
to take decisions for purchasing Laptop? if yes, what
…………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………….......

6. Does "word of mouth" influence you to take decisions for purchasing Laptop?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………

Thank You