ISSN (Print) : 0974-6846

Indian Journal of Science and Technology, Vol 9(40), DOI: 10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i40/103296, October 2016 ISSN (Online) : 0974-5645

Analysis of Dealer Perception and Promotional

Measures of Rubber Products
C. T. Nisha* and P. Biju Augustine
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mahatma Gandhi University, India; nishact17@gmail.com

Abstract
An enterprise can remain in a business and make profit over the long term only by satisfying the needs of its customers
and dealers. Dealers’ satisfaction plays an important role in sustaining his behavior to repeat purchases or in further
­association with the brand. Perception of dealers may widely vary in terms of price, quality, service, commission etc. The
objective of the study was to know the dealer perception of rubber products, to understand the dealer’s satisfaction level in
the sale of rubber products in relation to others. To know whether advertisement and promotional activities now provided
by company is sufficient and to know whether the dealers are satisfied with the services of distributers and to know the
suggestions of dealer about the improvement of rubber products.

Keywords: Capacity Utilization, Dealer, Perception

1.  Introduction 2.  Research Methodology

Dealer is a person or firm engaged in commercial ­purchase
and sale. Dealer may signify firms that buy or resell prod-
ucts at retail or wholesale basis. A producer cannot sell all
his products directly to consumer; he has to depend upon
intermediaries to push, off, his products. A dealer is an
intermediary who helps to market a product. A dealer is
one who purchase and sells products. A dealer may be a
wholesaler or a retailer or a distributor or any agents.
The perception of dealers towards a rubber mat
­production firm may widely vary from that of other
rubber products in terms of price, quality, service, com-
mission etc. The installed capacity of the rubber mat
production firm is 400 metric tons per annum. Company
can’t achieve the actual production .The marketing of the
product is depend on the demand of the product or it is
done through the order from the customers. Thus the
study focuses on the formulation of a marketing survey
among the dealers of the company to make improvements
in the marketing efforts.
The production capacity and capacity utilization for the
last few years of the company is studied. Only 50% of the
capacity is utilized there. This is due to order from the
customers is decreased in various years because demand
of the product is less. A detailed literature survey was car-
ried out and developed a questionnaire and also different
factors affecting demand of the product are identified.
Questionnaire had a total 27 question for measuring
the perception and its determined factors. The question
included in the questionnaire had 3 and 5 points and both
closed and open ended questions. A questionnaire sur-
vey conducted among the dealers the collected data from
the respondents was subjected to editing and coding.
The classification of data was done and the frequency of
each class was determined by using SPSS software. Thus
the data was further tabulated and analyzed by applying
appropriate mathematical and statistical technique.
3.  Data Collection
The details regarding the production capacity utilization
of the company is shown in Table 1 given below and the

*Author for correspondence

 Analysis of Dealer Perception and Promotional Measures of Rubber Products

Table 1.  Percentage capacity utilization and

production for last few years 56
54
Production
Year Capacity utilization (%) 52
(metric tons) 50
48
2009-2010 217 54.25
46
2010-2011 200 50 44
2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015
2011-2012 195 48
2012-2013 200 50 Figure 1.  Capacity utilization chart.
2013-2014 215 53.75
2014-2015 217 54.25
208
206
204
graph is shown in Figure 1 and demand of the product is 202
200
shown in Figure 2. From Figure 2 demand of the product 198 order from
customers
is varying every year because order from the customers is 196
194
less. In my study focus on how to increase the order from 192

the customer. 190

188
2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015

4. Data Analysis and Figure 2.  Demand of the product.

Interpretation
Out of the complete questionnaire filled in 78% dealers 7 0 15 highly
are satisfied in service of the distributers and 83% dealers satisfied
satisfied
viewed the company’s response to the complaint is good.
neutral
Price of the product is relatively high and 80% dealers 78
selling product regularly. About 82% of dealers respond
that their sale of MRP without discount will affect their
business adversely. Absence of credit facility will partly Figure 3.  Services.
affect the business of dealers and advertisement and sales
promotional activity provided by the company is inad-
equate. Dealers are dissatisfied with the margin given by
11 0 6
company in sales. From Figure 11 and Figure 12 news- very good
paper is the most popular media for advertisement and good
cash discount is the most effective sales promotional 83 satisfied
technique. bad

4.1  Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Figure 4.  Response to complaint.
Determine the factor weight by using analytical hierarchy
process. A paired comparison on Likert scale formed. 1.
Highly satisfied, 2. Satisfied, 3. Neutral, 4. Dissatisfied, 5.
8.0 18.0
Highly dissatisfied. very high
high
average
4.2 Determination of Factor Weight for 74.0
low
Favorable Factor
If the attributes are 1. Quality, 2. No complaints, 3. Regular
selling, 4. Services, 5. Company response complaints Figure 5.  Price.

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 C. T. Nisha and P. Biju Augustine

10.0%
TV
20
reguler internet
29.0%
80 irregular
32.0% radio

29.0%
newspaper
Figure 6.  Regular selling.
0.0% magazine

12.0 Figure 11.  Media for advertisement.

6.0
yes

no
82.0 cashdiscount
partially

foregin visit
scheme
Figure 7.  Sale at MRP. 30.0%
gift scheme
50.0%

event
8.0 17.0 7.0% participation
10.0%
Not at all 3.0% scheme
product
partly promoter
75.0
badly
Figure 12.  Sales promotional activity.

Figure 8.  Absence of credit facility. Table 2.  Matrix from comparison of favorable
factors
No Regular Response to
9.0 Quality Service
6.0 complaints selling complaints
adequate
Quality 1 1/4.16 1/4.16 4.15 4.15
normal
85.0 inadequate No
1.9 1 1/2 1/2.05 1/2.6
complaints
Regular
2 2 1 1/2.05 1/2.6
selling
Figure 9.  Advertisement and sales promotion.
Service 2.05 2.05 2.05 1 1/2.6

Response to
10.0 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 1
complaints

satisfied Total 10.24 6.32 1.84 14.16 17.91

20.0
70.0 neutral
dissatisfied
We can make a matrix from the 10 comparisons
above. Because we have 10 comparisons [n (n-1)/2], thus
Figure 10.  Margin in sales. we have 5 by 5 matrix.

Vol 9 (40) | October 2016 | www.indjst.org Indian Journal of Science and Technology 3
 Analysis of Dealer Perception and Promotional Measures of Rubber Products

Table 3.  Factor weight calculation for favorable Table 4. Factor weight calculation for adverse factors
factors Advt and Sale at Absence of
Offers Margin Price
No Regular Response to Factor Prmtn MRP credit facility
Quality Service
complaints selling complaints weight
Offers 1 1.85 1.85 1.85 1/1.9 1/3.1
Quality 0.09 0.03 0.11 0.29 0.23 0.15
Advt and
1/1.85 1 1/1.5 1/1.8 1/1.9 1/3.1
No complaints 0.40 0.15 0.11 0.29 0.23 0.23 Prmtn

Sale at MRP 1/1.85 1.5 1 1/1.8 1/1.9 1/3.1

Regular selling 0.44 0.72 0.52 0.32 0.25 0.46

Margin 1/1.85 1.8 1.8 1 1/1.9 1/3.1

Service 0.02 0.09 0.11 0.07 0.22 0.10

Response to Price 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1 1/3.1

0.02 0.09 0.11 0.01 0.05 0.05
complaints
Absence of
3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 1
credit facility

Quality Total 7.62 11. 15 10.32 8.95 6.18 2.6

0.05
0.15 No complaints
0.1
Regular selling
0.23
Service
Table 5.  Factor weight calculation for adverse factors
0.46
Response to Advt Sale Absence
Factor
complaints Offers and at Margin Price of credit
weight
Prmtn MRP facility

Figure 13.  Factor weight of favorable factor. Offers 0.13 0.16 0.18 0.20 0.08 0.12 0.14

Advt
and 0.07 0.08 0.06 0.06 0.08 0.12 0.08
4.3 Determination of Factor Weight for Prmtn
Favorable Factor Sale at
0.07 0.13 0.09 0.06 0.08 0.12 0.09
If the attributes are 1. Offers, 2. Advertisement and sales MRP
promotional activities, 3. Sale at MRP without discount 4. Margin 0.07 0.16 0.17 0.11 0.08 0.12 0.11
Margin sales, 5. Price, 6. Absence of credit facility. We can
make a matrix from the 15 comparisons above. Because Price 0.25 0.17 0.18 0.21 0.16 0.12 0.18
we have 15 comparisons (n(n-1)/2), thus we have 6 by 6
matrix. Absence
of credit 0.40 0.28 0.30 0.35 0.50 0.38 0.36
facility
5.  Result
Many of the dealers stocking not only one brand but also
many other brands because of the varying price, quality, 0.14 Offers
service, commission etc. Supply is regular and dealers 0.36 0.08
Advt &Prmtn
are satisfied with service of the company. Many of the 0.09
Sale at MRP
dealers, sale of product at MRP with discount and allow 0.18
0.11
Margin
credit facility to their customers. Dealer’s responds favor-
Price
ably about the company’s respond to the complaint. The
Absence of credit
features which attract most of the customer’s are quality.
According to dealers opinion the advertisement and sales
promotional activities provided by the company is not Figure 14.  Factor weight of adverse factor.

4 Vol 9 (40) | October 2016 | www.indjst.org Indian Journal of Science and Technology
 C. T. Nisha and P. Biju Augustine

Table 6.  Ranking of favorable factors 6.  Conclusion

Rank Particular Weightage % Factor weight
The dissertation was a study about the dealer perception
I Selling product regularly 92 0.46
of rubber mat production firm and the study was done
No complaints from
II 83.2 0.23 covering 100 dealers in Kerala. The dealers’ satisfaction
customers
was measured using a Likert scale. Ranking of favorable
III Quality 83 0.15
factor and adverse factor are found on the basis of the
Services provided by the weight age and also found the same ranking was obtained
IV 81 0.10
distributers
with AHP technique. Maximum factor weight is obtained
Company responds to the for the selling product regularly and the minimum factor
V 79 0.05
complaint
weight obtained for the advertisement and sales promo-
tional activity provided by the company’s.
Table 7.  Ranking of adverse factors
Rank Particular Weightage % Factor weight
7.  References
Advertisement and sales
I promotional technique 29 0.08 1. Bhore SB, Bhore JB, Gatkul BI. Dealers opinion and per-
are inadequate ception towards marketing activity of milk brands Sonai,
Rajhans, Amul, Chitale and Varna from Hadapsar.
Sale at MRP without
II discount affect business 30 0.09 International Indexed and Referred Research Journal. 2012
adversely Jul; 3(34).
2. Md. Moniruzzaman. A study on dealer’ preference towards
Margin given by the
III 37.4 0.11 water pumps with special reference to Chennai city.
company
Global Journal of Management and Business Research: E
IV Offer 37 0.14
Marketing. 2015; 15(1).
V Price 38 0.18 3. Wan YKP. Minding the gap in the gaming industry,
VI Credit facility 63 0.36 International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management. 2014; 26(1):130–15.
4. Holmlund M, Strandvik T. Perception configurations
satisfactorily. Many of the dealers are dissatisfied in sales in business relationships. Management Decision. 1999;
margin and dealers are not happy with offers given by the 37(9):686–96.
company. Most of the dealers prefer the media that suit 5. Kachersky L, Lerman D. Bridging marketing’s inten-
for the advertisement is newspaper and sales promotional tions and consumer perceptions. Journal of Consumer
technique is cash discount. Marketing. 2013; 30(7):544–52.

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