Thursday 17 November 2011

BUYER BEHAVIOR AND POSITIONING. Study Material.


BUYER BEHAVIOR  AND POSITIONING
1.        Consumer behavior is the study of how individuals, groups and organizations select, buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants.Eg. In order to overcome the problem of low involvement of the end customers in the purchase process of steel, Tata Steel launched an organized retail store “steel junction” in Kolkata.Houses a wide variety of products made from steel and has for distinct departments.Home construction and solution department – bathroom and door fittings, hardware items, lightings, locks, garden tools etc. A furniture department includes indigenous and imported steel furniture and kitchenware and lifestyle departments that have items like cutlery, jewelry and decorative pieces.Ambience of the shop encourages families and women to step in. Presence of a cafeteria and books, journals and magazines on various grades of steel and their usage.Success of this unique initiative reflects the company’s ability to anticipate and respond to the changing preferences and lifestyles of customers.
2.         Subcultures – Subcultures include nationalities, religions, racial groups and geographical regions. Multicultural marketing reveals that different ethnic and demographic niches did not always respond favorably to mass – market advertising. * Culture – Fundamental determinant of a person’s wants and behavior. The growing child acquires a set of values, perceptions, preferences and behaviors through his/her family and other key institutions.A child growing up in a traditional middle class family in India is exposed to the following values – respect and care for elders, honesty and integrity, hard work, achievement and success,and sacrifice. * FACTORS AFFECTING BUYER BEHAVIORCultural Factors – Culture, subculture and social class are particularly important influences on consumer buying behavior.
3.         Social class – Relatively homogeneous divisions in a society, which are hierarchically ordered and whose members share similar values, interests and behavior.Socioeconomic classification uses a combination of the education and occupation of the chief wage earner of the household to classify buyers into 8 categories – A1, A2,B1, B2, C, D, E1, E2, with A1 signifying the highest purchase potential and E2 signifying the lowest. Social classes have several characteristics –o Those within each class tend to behave more alike than persons from two different social classes. Social class differ in dress, speech patterns, recreational preferences and media preferences. Upper class preferring magazines and books and lower class preferring television.In TV, upper class tend to prefer dramas and news and lower class prefer soap operas and sports program.o Persons are perceived as occupying superior and inferior positions according to social class.o Indicated by a cluster of variables – occupation, income, wealth, education and value orientation.o Individuals can move up or down the social class ladder during their lifetimes. *
4.         Reference groups – All the groups that have a direct or indirect influence on their attitudes or behavior.Groups having a direct influence are called membership groups.o Primary Groups – Person interacts fairly continuously and informally, such as family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.o Secondary Groups – More formal and require less continuous interaction, such as religious, professional and trade union groups.o Aspirational groups – those a person hopes to join.o Dissociative groups – those whose values or behavior an individual rejects.Reference groups influence members in at least three ways –• Expose an individual to new behaviors and lifestyles.• Influence attitudes and self concept.• Create pressures for conformity that may affect product and brand choices.An op * Social Factors – Reference groups, family and social role and statuses.inion leader is the person who offers informal advice or information about a specific product or product category, such as which of several brands is best.
5.         Roles and Status – A role consists of the activities a person is expected to perform. Each role carries a status. People choose products that reflect and communicate their role and actual or desired status in society. * Family – Most important consumer buying organization in society, and family members constitute the most influential primary reference group. Two categories of families –o Family of orientation – consists of parents and siblings.From parents a person acquires an orientation toward religion, politics, and economics, and a sense of personal ambition, self worth and love.o Family of procreation – One’s spouse and children.More direct influence on everyday buying behavior. *
6.         Occupation and economic circumstances – A blue collar worker will buy work clothes, work shoes and lunch boxes. A company president will buy dress suits, air travel and country club memberships.Product choice is greatly affected by economic circumstances : spendable income, savings and assets, debts, borrowing power and attitudes toward spending and saving. Luxury goods makers such as Gucci, Prada can be vulnerable to an economic downturn. If economic indicators point to a recession, marketers should reprice their products or increase the emphasis on discount brands. * Age and Stage in the life cycle – Taste in food, clothes, furniture and recreation is often age-related.Consumption is shaped by the family life cycle.Trends like delayed marriages, children migrating to distant cities or abroad for work leaving parents behind,tendency of working couple to acquire assets such as a house or an automobile in the early stages of career, has resulted in different opportunities for marketers at different stages in the consumer life cycle. Marketers should also consider life events like marriage, childbirth, illness, relocation, divorce, career change, widowhood as giving rise to new needs. * Personal Factors
7.         Personality and Self-concept –Personality is a set of distinguishing human psychological traits that lead to relatively consistent and enduring responses to environmental stimuli.Brands also have personalities and consumers are likely to choose brands whose personalities match their own.Brand personality is the specific mix of human traits that we can attribute to a particular brand. Brand personalities has the following traits –• Sincerity – (down to earth, honest , wholesome and cheerful)• Excitement – (daring, spirited, imaginative and up-to-date)• Competence – (reliable, intelligent and successful)• Sophistication – (upper-class and charming)• Ruggedness – (outdoorsy and tough)Levi’s – ruggedness, MTV – excitement, CNN – competence.Consumers often choose and use brands that have a brand personality consistent with their own actual self concept(how we view ourselves), or customer’s ideal self-concept( how we would like to view ourselves)or on other’s self concept (how we think others see us). More pronounced for publicly consumed products than for privately consumed products. *
8.         Lifestyle and values – A lifestyle is a person’s pattern of living in the world as expressed in activities , interests and opinions. LOHAS – lifestyle of health and sustainability. Worry about the environment, wants products to be producesd on a sustainable basis and spend money to advance their personal health like organic food, energy efficient appliances, solar panels, alternative medicines, yoga tapes, and ecotourism.Consumers can be –• Money constrained – Create low cost products and services.Eg . Walmart – Everyday low prices• Time constrained – Convenient products.Consumer decisions are also influenced by core values, the belief systems that underlie attitudes and beliefs. *
9.         BUYING BEHAVIORConsumer decision making varies with the type of buying decision.Complex and expensive purchases are likely to involve more buyer deliberations and more participants. Henry Assael distinguished four types of consumer buying behavior based on the degree of buyer involvement and the degree of differences among brands.Complex buying behavior – Consumers engage in complex buying behavior when they are highly involved in a purchase and aware of significant differences among brands.This is usually the case when the product is expensive, bought infrequently, risky and highly self- expressive. Involves a three step process – First the buyer develops beliefs about the product, second develops attitude about the product and third makes a thoughtful purchase choice. The marketer needs to differentiate the brand’s features, use print media to describe the brand’s benefits and motivate store sales personnel and the buyer’s acquaintances to influence the final brand choice.For eg. Automobile, two-wheeler, consumer durable.
10.     High   Low Involvement involvementSignificant Complex Buying Variety-seeking buyingdifferences behavior behavior between Eg. Automobile,Two- Eg. Chocolates, brands wheeler, consumer cookies Few durablesdifferences Dissonance-reducing Habitual buying behavior between buying behavior Eg. Salt brands Eg. Carpet Dissonance-reducing buying behavior – Sometimes the consumer is highly involved in a purchase but sees little difference in the brands. The high involvement is based on the fact that the purchase is expensive, infrequent and risky. In this case, the buyer will shop around to learn what is available but will buy fairly quickly, perhaps responding primarily to a good price or to purchase convenience. For example, carpet buying. After the purchase, the consumer might experience dissonance that stems from noticing certain disquieting features of the carpet or hearing favorable things about other carpets. In this eg. The consumer first acted, then acquired new beliefs, then ended up with a set of attitudes. Thus marketing communication should aim at supplying beliefs and evaluations that help the consumer feel good about his or her brand choice.
11.      Habitual Buying Behavior – Many products are bought under conditions of low consumer involvement and the absence of significant brand differences.Consider salt.Consumers have little involvement in the product category . They go to the store and reach for the brand.If they keep reaching for the same brand, it is out of habit, not strong brand loyalty.It happens with most low-cost, frequently purchased products.Marketers find it effective to use ad repetition, price and sales promotion to stimulate product trial.Variety-seeking buying behavior – Some buying situations are characterised by low consumer involvement but significant brand differences. Here consumers often do a lot of brand switching. Think about cookies. The consumer has some beliefs about cookies, chooses a brand of cookies without much evaluation, and evaluates the product during consumption. But next time, the consumer may reach for another brand out of boredom or a wish for a different taste.The marketer will try to encourage habitual buying behavior by dominating the shelf space, avoiding out of stock conditions, sponsoring frequent reminder advertising, offering lower prices, deals, coupons and free samples.
12.      STAGES IN BUYING DECISION PROCESS Problem Recognition Problem Recognition – The buying process starts when the buyer recognises a problem or need. The need can b triggered by internal or external stimuli. In the former case, one of the person’s normal needs – hunger, thirst Information search rises to a threshold level and becomes a drive. In the latter case, a need is aroused by external stimulus. A person passing through a bakery and sees a freshly baked cake which stimulates her hunger. Marketer Evaluation of needs to identify the circumstances that trigger a alternatives particular need. Information search - Two levels of involvement Purchase decision with search. The milder search state is called heightened attention. At this level person simply becomes more receptive to information about product.At the next level is active information Post-purchase behavior search. The person looks for reading material, phones friends and engages in other activities to learn more about the product.
13.      Experiential sources – Handling, examining, using the product.The consumer receives the most information about a product from commercial sources. But the most effective information comes from personal sources.Commercial information normally performs an informing function and personal sources perform an evaluation function * Public sources – Mass media, consumer-rating organizations. * Commercial sources – Advertising, salespersons, dealers, packaging, displays. * Personal sources – Family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances. * Consumer information sources fall into four groups :
14.      The consumer sees each product as a bundle of attributes with varying abilities of delivering the benefits sought to satisfy this need.Attributes of interest to buyers vary by product :Hotels – location, cleanliness, atmosphere, price.Mouthwash – Color, effectiveness, taste, germ killing capacity. * The consumer is looking for certain benefits from the product solution. * The consumer is trying to satisfy a need. * Search Dynamics – (Total set) of (Awareness set) (Consideratio (Choice set)brands available Consumer will n set) Brands Strongto the consumer come to know meeting initial contenders only a subset of buying criteria these brands DecisionIII. Evaluation of alternatives – There is no simple and single evaluation process used by all consumers or by one consumer in all buying situations.Basic concepts to understand consumer evaluation process –
15.      Beliefs and Attitudes -The consumer develops a set of brand beliefs about where each brand stands on each attribute. The set of beliefs about a brand make up the brand image.Through experience and learning, people acquire beliefs and attitudes which influence buying behavior.A belief is a descriptive thought that a person holds about something.Attitudes are person’s favorable on unfavorable evaluations, emotional feelings and action tendencies toward some object or idea.Consumer’s liking or disliking an object is directed by attitude.For eg, NECC through its “ SUNDAY HO YA MONDAY, ROZ KHAO ANDE changed the belief of the consumer towards egg consumption on a daily basis.Expectancy Value Model – It can be calculated by multiplying the weight attached to each of the shortlisted attribute (in percentage) by beliefs about each brand’s attributes.Customer’s perceived value for each brand = Weight of the attribute x Beliefs about each brand’s attribute IV. Purchase Decision – The consumer forms preferences among the brands in the choice set. The consumer may also form an intention to buy the most preferred brand. Two factors can intervene between the purchase intention and the purchase decision. Attitudes ofEvaluation of Purchase others Purchasealternatives intention Unanticipated decision situational
16.      Unanticipated situational factors – Accidents, illness, losing a job, some other purchase might becomes important. * Anticipated situational factors – Expected family income, expected total cost of the product, expected benefits of the product. * Role of infomediaries – Like product testing report, reviews of movies, books, chat rooms, letter to editors etc. * Intensity of other person’s negative attitude towards our preferred alternative Attitudes of others Our motivation to comply with the person’s wishes * Intervening Factors –
17.      Postpurchase satisfaction – The buyer’s satisfaction is a function of the closeness between the buyer’s product expectations and the product’s perceived performance.If the product’s performance falls short of customer expectations, the customer is disappointed; if it meets expectations, the customer is satisfied; if it exceeds expectations, the customer is delighted. * Payment method decisionV. Post purchase behavior – The marketer’s job does not end when the product is bought but continues into the postpurchase period. * Timing decision * Quantity decision * Vendor decision * Brand decision * Five purchase subdecisions –
18.      Postpurchase use and disposal – Marketers should study the product consumption rate- the more quickly buyers consume the product, the sooner they will repurchase it.Consumers overestimate product’s life and fail to replace products soon.Tie the act of replacing to a certain event.Provide customers with better information about either – i) when they first use the product or need to replace it. Ii) its current level of performance.Batteries have built-in gauges to show how much power is left.Brushes have color indicators to indicate when the bristles are worn. * Postpurchase actions – The consumer’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the product will influence subsequent behavior.If the consumer is satisfied, he or she will exhibit a higher probability of purchasing the product again.The satisfied customer will also tend to say good things about the brand to others.Marketers say: “ Our best advertisement is a satisfied customer.” Dissatisfied customers may return the product or ,may seek information that confirms its high value.They may take public action such as by complaining to the company, going to a lawyer or by complaining to govt. agencies.Companies should undertake CRM programs to build a long term brand loyalty. *
19.      User – who consumes or uses the product or service. * Buyer – who makes the actual purchase. * Decider – Decides on any component of a buying decision – whether to buy, what to buy, how to buy and where to buy. * Influencer – Person whose view or advice influences the decision. * Initiator – A person who first suggests or thinks of the idea of buying the product.
20.     * BUYING ROLES
21.      Larger buyers – Many business markets are characterised by a high buyer concentration ratio. A few large buyers do most of the purchasing in such industries as aircraft engines and defense weapons. * Fewer buyers – The business market normally deals with far fewer and much larger buyers. MRF, Bridgestone tire company’s fate depends on handful of major automobile manufacturing companies.
22.      * ORGANIZATIONAL BUYING
23.     Decision making process by which formal organizations establish the need for purchased products and services and identify, evaluate and choose among alternative brands and suppliers.Organizational buying Vs. Household BuyingThe business market consists of all the organizations that acquire goods and services used in the production of other products and services that are sold, rented or supplied to others. Major industries are agriculture, forestry and fisheries, mining, manufacturing, transportation, communication, banking, insurance, finance and distribution.Business markets have several characteristics that contrast sharply with consumer markets.
24.      Multiple sales calls – It is being observed that almost four to four and a half sales calls are there to close an average industrial deal. * Multiple buying influences – More people typically influence business buying decisions. Buying committees consisting of technical experts and senior management are common in the purchase of major goods. Business marketers have to send well-trained sales representatives to deal with the well trained buyers. * Professional purchasing – Business goods are purchased by trained purchasing agents who must follow the organization’s purchasing policies, constraints and requirements. They want more technical data and product’s advantages over competitor’s products. Requests for quotations, proposals and purchase contracts are not seen in consumer buying. * Close supplier-customer relationship –Because of the smaller customer base and the importance and power of the large customers, we observe close relationships between customers and suppliers in business markets. Suppliers are frequently expected to customize their offerings to individual business customer needs. For eg. Honda developed a mini-reengineering program aimed at strengthening its suppliers.Hotel Le Meridien offers special discounted price for its business clients. *
25.      Derived Demand – The demand for business goods is ultimately derived from the demand for consumer goods. Thus animal hides are purchased because consumers want t *  Direct Purchasing – Business buyer often buy directly from manufacturers rather than through intermediaries. * Geographically concentrated buyers – Most of the business buyers are concentrated in specific regions of different states. Hosiery industry in and around Coimbatore, Diamond cutting and polishing ind. In Surat, Automobile in Pune and Chennai, Pharmaceutical near Ahemdabad. It helps to reduce selling cost. * Fluctuating Demand – The demand for business goods and services tends to be more volatile than the demand for consumer goods and services. A given percentage increase in consumer demand can lead to a much larger percentage increase in the demand for plant and equipment necessary to manufacture. * Inelastic demand – The total demand for many business goods and services is inelastic – that is, not much affected by price changes. Shoe manufacturers are not going to buy much more leather if the price of leather falls. Nor are they going to buy much less leather if the price of leather rises.It is also inelastic for business goods that represent a small percentage of the item’s total cost. For eg. Shoe laces. *o buy shoes, purses and other leather goods. Boom in construction industry due to investments in housing sector lead to drive the demand for cement and steel.
26.      Gatekeepers – People who have the power to prevent sellers or information from reaching members of the buying centre.eg. Receptionists and Telephone operators * Users * Buyers * Approvers – People who authorize the proposed actions of buyers or deciders. * Deciders * Influencers * Initiator
27.     * PARTICIPANTS IN THE BUYING PROCESS
28.      Supplier selection – Before selecting a supplier, the buyer centre will specify desired supplier attributes and indicate their relative importance. To rate and identify the most attractive suppliers, buying centers often use a supplier –evaluation model. * Proposal solicitation – Buyer next invites qualified suppliers to submit proposals. If the item is complex or expensive, the buyer will require a detailed written proposals from each qualified supplier. After evaluating the proposals , the buyer will invite a few suppliers to make formal presentations. * Supplier search – Buyer next tries to identify the most appropriate suppliers through trade directories, contacts with other companies, trade advertisements, trade shows and the internet. * General need description and product specifications – The buyer determines the needed item’s general characteristics and required quantity. * Problem Recognition – Triggered by external or internal stimuli.Internal stimuli – Machine breakdown and needs new parts, develop a new product and new equipment and materials.Externally the buyer may get new ideas at a trade show, see an ad or receive a call from a sales representative.
29.     * STAGES IN THE BUSINESS BUYING PROCESS
30.      Performance Review – Buyer periodically reviews the performance of the chosen supplier using one of the methods. The buyer may contact the end users and ask for their evaluations,the buyer may rate the supplier on several criteria using a weighted score method. * Order- Routine specification – After selecting suppliers, the buyer negotiates the final order, listing the technical specifications, the quantity needed, the expected time of delivery, return policies, warranties and so on. *
31.      MODEL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Buying Consumer DecisionMarketing stimuli Other stimuli Psychology Process Product Economic Motivation Problem Price Technological Perception Recognitio Distribution Political Learning n Communication Cultural Memory Information Consumer search characteristics Evaluation of Purchase decision Cultural alternatives Social Purchase Product choice Personal decision Brand choice Post Dealer choice, Purchase purchase amount, Purchase timing, decision Payment method
32.      KEY PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES(PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS)Four psychological processes – Motivation, Perception, Learning and Memory fundamentally influence consumer responses.Motivation – Freud’s Theory of MotivationFreud assumed that the real psychological forces shaping people’s behavior are largely unconscious. Thus a person cannot fully understand his or her own motivations. If a person wants to purchase a laptop, she may describe her motive as wanting to work more efficiently when travelling. At a deeper level she may be purchasing a laptop to impress others.At a still deeper level, she may be buying the laptop because it helps her feel smart and sophisticated.Buyer reacts not only to the product’s stated capabilities but also to less conscious cues. Each computer’s shape,size, weight, material, color and brand name can all trigger certain associations and emotions that could stimulate or inhibit purchase.
33.      MASLOW’S THEORY OF MOTIVATIONAbraham Maslow sought to explain why people are driven by particular needs at particular times. According to Maslow, human needs are arranged in a hierarchy, from the most pressing to the least pressing. In their order of importance, they are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self actualization needs. People will try to satisfy their most important needs first. When a person succeeds in satisfying an important need, that need will cease being a current motivator, and the person will try to satisfy the next-most important need. For example, a starving man (need 1) will not take an interest in Yoga, Meditation (need 5), nor in how he is viewed by others (need 3 or 4), nor even in whether he is breathing clean air (need 2), But when he has enough food and water, the next most important need will become salient.
34.      MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 5. Self – actualization needs (self-development and realization) 4. Esteem needs (self- esteem, recognitio n, status 3. Social needs (sense of belonging, love) 2. Safety needs 11 (security, protection) 1. Physiological needs (food, water, shelter)
35.      Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation – Developed a two factor theory of motivation that distinguishes dissatisfiers (factors that cause dissatisfaction) and satisfiers (factors that cause satisfaction).Absence of dissatisfiers is not enough, rather satisfiers must be actively present to motivate a purchase.Laptop that does not come with warranty would be a dissatisfier. But the presence of warranty would not act as a satisfier as it is not a source of intrinsic satisfaction. Ease of use would be a satisfier.Absence of dissatisfiers will not sell the product but easily unsell it. Presence of satisfiers will make major difference as to which product the customer buy.
36.      PERCEPTIONA motivated person is ready to act. How he or she acts is influenced by his or her view of the situation.Perception is the process by which we select, organize and interpret information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world.Perception depends not only on the physical stimuli but also on the stimuli’s relationship to the surrounding field and on conditions within the individual. Perception affects consumer’s actual behavior.Selective Attention – People exposed to 150 ads a day. Screen most stimuli out and pay attention to only few – selective attention. Marketers must work hard to attract consumer’s notice.Selective Distortion – Tendency to interpret information in a way that fits our preconceptions. Often distorts information to be consistent with prior brand and product beliefs and expectations. Work to the advantage of strong brands when consumers distort neutral/ambiguous brand information to make it more positive.Selective Retention – Don’t remember much of the information to which we are exposed , but do retain information that supports our attitudes and beliefs . Likely to remember good points about a product we like and forget good points about competitor’s products. Advantage to strong brands.
37.      A new company appealing to the same drives that competitors use and proviide similar cues.(Generalization) or design its brands to appeal to a different set of drives and offer strong cue inducements to switch. (Discrimination.) * But if she buys IBM printer, assuming that it is light weight, then is discrimination. Discrimination means learning to recognize differences in sets of similar stimuli and adjusting our responses accordingly. * A person buys HP computer and her experience is rewarding. Later on when she buys a printer, she purchases NP printer only assuming that as HP makes good computers. It also makes good printers also.( Generalize the response to similar stimuli.) * A drive is a strong internal stimulus impelling action. Cues are minor stimuli that determine when, where and how a person responds. * Learning involves changes in our behavior arising from experience.Most human behavior is learned, much learning is incidental. Learning is produced through the interplay of drives, stimuli, cues, responses and reinforcement. * When we act, we learn.
38.     * LEARNING
39.      MEMORYAll the information and experiences we encounter, as we go through life can end up in our long term memory.Short term memory – Temporary and Limited repository of information.Long Term memory – Permanent, unlimited repository of information.Associative network Memory Model views LTM as a set of nodes and links. Nodes are stored information connected by links. Any type of information can be stored including verbal, visual, abstract and contextual.Consumer brand knowledge stores as a node in memory with a variety of linked associations. Brand information consists of all brand related thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, experiences, beliefs, attitudes that become linked to the brand node.
40.      Strategy of segmentation allows companies to avoid head-on competition in the market by differentiating their product offering, not only on the basis of price but also through styling, packaging, promotional appeal, distribution methods and superior service.Eg. Coca Cola – Bottles of various sizes and cans and with different ingredients like Diet coke.Air Deccan..Initially Indian Airlines had a monopoly in Airlines industry. But low cost airlines like Air Deccan, GoAir, Indigo revolutionized the sector. 30-70% lower than full fare airlines and marginally higher than second class AC train fares. Train passengers upgraded to Air Decc * Consumers are too numerous, too widely scattered and too varied in their needs and buying practices. Companies vary widely in their abilities to serve different segments of the market. * Companies cannot appeal to all buyers in the market or at least not to all buyers in the same way. * SEGMENTATIONSegmentation is the process of dividing a market into distinct subgroups of consumers with distinct needs, characteristics or behavior, who might require separate products or marketing mixes.Need for SegmentationIf all consumers were alike and had the same education, background and experience, mass marketing would be a logical strategy.an.No longer the luxury of business executives. No frills service. Save on ticketing cost- only through Internet, avoids commission. Focus on price sensitive and less service sensitive customers.
41.      LEVELS OF MARKET SEGMENTATION Mass Local Niche MarketingMarketing Marketing Individual Segment Marketing More Tailored to the marketing Seller narrowly engages needs and Consists of defined wants of local Designing in mass customer the product a group of customerproduction group and service customers groups in , mass seeking a offerings of who share a trading areas,distributio distinctive individual similar set neighbourhood n, and mix of choices. of needs s and even mass benefits. Eg. Eg. Asian and wants. individualpromotion Nisha under Paints-Mix Can offer stores. of one the brand desired better price, Eg. Bharatproduct for name quantities design and Matrimony 15 all Revolution and colors can fine regionalbuyers.eg introduced of their own tune the websites such – Coca trendya nd choice as marketing as Cola – fashionable per the activities. bengalimatrimCoke – 6- clothes for requirement Eg. Air ony.com, 5 ounce oversized s. Deccan punjabimatrim bottle women..
42.      Geographic Segmentation –Dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, states,regions, countries, cities or neighborhoods. Rural and urban markets – Difference in literacy levels, income, spending power and availability of infrastructure such as electricity, telephone network and roads. Product requirements – Arid regions – Desert coolers, Humid regions – Air Conditioners. Food Habits – South India freshly brewed coffee. Other states – Tea.Countries – Asian, Asia Pacific, Europeon, AmericanRegion – South India, Western Region, North East.City – Class I, Class II, MetroClimate – Arid, Humid.Rural and semi urban areas.
43.     * BASES FOR SEGMENTATION
44.      Social Class – Lower, Upper – lower, Middle class, Upper Middle Class, Lower upper class, High upper class. * Occupation – Farmers, Salaried class, Businessman, Retired, Students, Unemployed and professionals. * Income – upto 40000 pm, 40-80000, 80-120000, 120000-160000, above 160000. * Nationalty – Indian, American, Pakistani. * Religion – Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians. * Education – Illiterates, high school dropouts, high school passouts, degree holders, professional degree holders. * Gender – Male, Female. * Family Life Cycle – Bachelorhood, Young Married couple, Grown up children not living with parents, Grown up children dependent upon parents, Older and single people. * Family Size – Young, Single, Two Member family, Married no children, Married two children. * Age – Under 6, 6-11, 12-19, 20-34, 35-49,50-60, 60+.
45.      * DEMOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION
46.      Gender – Men – Read product information, Women – Relate product on a personal level. Eg Park Avenue – Men’s apparel (Masculine Brand) launched women’s apparel under a separate brand name Be. Emami – Fair and Handsome (Men) Women – Food , groceries, Household items. Men – Electronic items * Life stage – Getting married – Furniture, Kitchen appliances, cooking gas connection. Savings cum Insurance schemes – Young parents planning for the education of their children. * Age and life cycle HUL – Pink Pears for childrenMagazine Magic Pot – for children(joining dots, finding hidden animal by coloring picture.)Just Another Magazine – Young adults(Music, Bollywood films, lifestyle activities.Aastha, Sanskar Channel – old generationCartoon Network, POGO – ChildrenMTV – Youngsters.
47.      * EXAMPLES OF BUYING BEHAVIOR OF DIFFERENTSEGMENTS stage – Johnsons and Johnsons Baby soap and Talcum Powder.
48.      Social class - Different social classes have different purchase preferences in cars, clothing, home furnishings, leisure activities, reading habits and retailers. * Generation – Share same major cultural, political, and economic experiences and have similar outlooks and values. Younger generation – Initiator and Influencer not as consumers. Children are major target audience for marketer’s communication efforts. * Income – Nirma Washing Powder – Lowest priced Detergent targeted at the middle income segment. Value for money, focus on middle class family. Detergents, shampoo, hair oil in sachets with low unit prices for one time consumption in rural areas.
49.      Time constrained – Maggi, Top Ramen (Fast to cook) * Money – constrained – Low cost Airlines * Science of using psychology and demographics to better understand consumers.In psychographic segmentation, buyers are divided into different groups on the basis of lifestyle and/or personality.Common lifestyle dimensions are Activities, Interests and Opinions
50.      * PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION
51.      METHOD OF PSYCHOGRAPHIC STUDY (AIOFRAMEWORK) Activites Interests Opinions Work Family Themselves Hobbies Home Social Issues Social Events Job Politics Vacations Community Business Entertainment Recreation Economics Clubs Fashion Education Community Food Products Shopping Media Future Sports Achievements Culture
52.      VALS (VALUES AND LIFESTYLE MODEL FORPSYCHOGRAPHIC STUDY) FRAMEWORKClassifies adults into 8 typologies based on their resources –People with higher resources :1. Innovators – Successful, sophisticated, active, high self esteem. Buy relatively upmarket and niche products as they have plenty of resources and accept new innovations faster.eg. Ferrari2. Thinkers – Mature, satisfied and are often motivated by values, ideals. Choose durable and functional products.eg. Honda City3. Achievers – Successful and are always goal oriented. Focus on career and family. Favor premium and high priced products. Eg. Volkswagen Beetle4. Experiencers – Young, enthusiastic, impulsive, look for excitement and variety in life. Eg. Volkswagen Polo.
53.      VALS FRAMEWORK Actualizer High s Resources Fulfilleds Achiever Experiencer s s Believer Striver Makers s s Struggler Low Resources s
54.      Survivors – Elderly, passive and concerned about change. Loyal to age old brands. Eg. Ambassador * Makers – Political, down to earth and self sufficient. Nationalistc. Eg. Indica * Strivers – Trendy and fun loving. Limited resources and favor stylish products. Eg. Nano * Believers – Conservative, conventional and Traditional. Favor popular and familiar products and are loyal to many brands.eg. Maruti * Groups with low resources –
55.      Behavioral Variables-1. Occasions – Buyers can be distinguished according to the occasions they develop a need, purchase a product or use a product.For eg. Air travel is triggered by occasions related to business, vacation or family.Archies and Hallmark make cards for different occasions.2. Benefits – Classifying buyers according to the benefits they seek from the product. For eg. Benefits derived from the travel uncovered three major market segments; those who travel to get away and be with family, those who travel for adventure and educational purposes, and people who enjoy the gambling and fun aspects of travelling. Shampoo – cleansing of hair, conditioning effects, medicinal properties and suitability to hair types. * Buying roles- At the time of purchasing medicines, patient is the initiator, doctor is influencer, pharmacist is the decider, patient’s relative is the buyer and patient is the user.Therefore, medical representatives target only doctors and pharmacists.
56.      * BEHAVIORAL SEGMANTATION
57.      Switchers – Consumers who show no loyalty to any brand.6. Buyer-Readiness stage – A market consists of people in different stages of readiness to buy a product. Some are unaware of the product, some are aware, some are informed, some are interested, some desire the product and some intend to buy.7. Attitude – Five attitude groups can be found in a market – enthusiastic, positive, indifferent, negative and hostile. * Shifting loyals – Consumers who shift from favoring one brand to another. * Split loyals – Consumers who are loyal to two or three brands. * Hard –core loyals – Consumers who buy one brand all the time. * 3. User status – Market can be segmented into group of nonusers, ex-users, potential users, first-time users and regular users of a product.4. Usage rate – Markets can be segmented into light, medium and heavy product users. Heavy users are often a small percentage of the market but account for a high percentage of total consumption.5. Loyalty status – A market can be segmented by consumer loyalty patterns.
58.      EXAMPLE OF MARKET SEGMENTATIONRefrigerator –Geographical – South India, North , East ,WestSize – 65 Lts, 90, 165, 280, 300.Nature – Household, Industrial.Degree of Aggregation of Segments :Segment the market at different market levels :Corporate Level ABC LtdDivision Level Tools ElectronicsTerritory Level North SouthMarket Level Calculators Home ComputersProduct Level Business ScientificCustomer Level Wholesaler RetailerSize of order Large Small
59.      BASES FOR SEGMENTING BUSINESS MARKETS Major segmentation variables for business markets-Demographic1. Industry – Which industry should we serve?2. Company size – What size companies should we serve?3. Location – Which geographical areas should we serve?Operating Variables4. Technology – What consumer technologies should we focus on?5. User or non user status – Should we serve heavy users, medium users, light users or non users?6. Customer capabilities – Should we serve customers needing many or few services?Purchasing Approaches7. Power structure – Should we serve companies that are engineering dominated, financially dominated and so forth?
60.      8. Nature of existing relationships – Should we serve companeswith which we have strong relationships or simply go after the most desirable companies?9. General purchase policies – Should we serve companies that prefer leasing/service contracts/systems purchases or bidding?10. Purchasing criteria –Should we serve companies that are seeking quality or service or price?Situational factors11. Urgency – Should we serve companies that need quick and sudden delivery or service?12. Specific applications – Should we focus on certain applications of our product rather than all applications?13. Size of order – Should we focus on large or small orders?Personal Characteristics14. Buyer-seller similarity – Should we serve companies whose people and value are similar to ours?15. Attitudes toward risk – Should we serve risk taking or risk-avoiding customers?16. Loyalty – Should we serve companies that show high loyalty to their suppliers?
61.      Business segments based on their stage in the purchase decision process –1. First time prospects – Customers who have not yet purchased. They want to buy from a salesperson or vendor who understands their business, who explains things well and whom they can trust.2. Novices – Customers who have already purchased the product. They want easy-to-read manuals, hot lines, a high level of training and knowledgeable sales reps.3. Sophisticates – Customers who want speed in maintenance and repair, product customization and high technical support.
62.      Based on price and service sensitivity, organizational buyers can be divided into four segments –1. Programmed buyers – Buyers who view the product as not very important to their operation. They buy it as a routine purchase tem, usually paying full price and receiving below-average service.2. Relationship buyers – Buyers who regard the product as moderately important and are knowledgeable about company offerings. They get a small discount and a modest amount of service.3. Transaction buyers – Buyers who see the product as very important to their operations. They are price and service-sensitive.They receive about a 10% discount and above-average service. Ready to switch for a better price.4. Bargain hunters – Buyers who see the product as very important and demand the deepest discounts and the highest service.They know the alternative suppliers, bargain hard, and are ready to switch at the slightest dissatisfaction.
63.       APPROACHES TO MARKET SEGMENTATION Segmentation Analysis Consumer Characteristics Consumer Responses (Personal segment basis) (Product related basis) Demograp BenefitGeographic hic Psychogr (Quality. Usage, aphic Service, Occasion Loyalty Socio economic Economy, Speed)
64.      Actionable – Effective program can be formulated for attracting and serving the segments. * Differentiable – Conceptually distinguishable and respond differently to different marketing mix elements and programs. * Accessible – Effectively reached and served. * Substantial – Large and potential enough to serve. * Measurable – Size, Purchasing power and characteristics of the segments can be measured.
65.     * EFFECTIVE SEGMENTATION CRITERIA
66.      Select Target Market – The most profitable target market is then selected. * Evaluate the segment – Evaluate profit contribution expected from each segment. Profit = Demand of each customer x No. of customers * Profile segments – Obtains detailed buyer profile information for each segment of interest. * Form the segments – Two approaches are being used :1. Build-up approach – Several small similar segments are built up to form a single segment.2. Break-down approach – One large segment is broken down into several small segments.
67.     * STEPS IN SEGMENTATON PROCESS
68.      Company’s objectives and resources – Investing in the firm makes sense given the firm’s objectives and resources. Some attractive segments could be dismissed because they do not mesh with the company’s long run objectives.Even if the segment fits the company’s objectives, the company must consider whether it possesses the skills and resources it needs to succeed in that segment. * Segment’s overall attractiveness – A potential segment should have the characteristics that make it generally attractive such as size, growth, profitability, scale economies, low risk and so on.
69.     * BASIS FOR IDENTIFYING TARGET MARKETS
70.      Single-segment concentration – The company selects a single segment and manufactures single product for it.eg. Mahindra and Mahindra manufactures tractors for agricultural market segment. Zodiac manufactures formal shirts for executives andM1 M2 P1 professionals. M3 P2 P3 * TARGET MARKET STRATEGIES
71.      Selective specialization *  – Here the firm selects a number of segments, each objectively attractive and appropriate, given the firm’s objectives and resources. Eg. Nike manufactures shoes for running, cycling,golf aerobics etc. Radio broadcasters by having two different stations in the same market.Radio Mirchi 94.3 and 98.3. M2M2M2 P1 M1 MMM3 P2 P3
72.      Market specialization – Concentrate on serving many needs of a particular customer group.An example would be a firm that sells an assortment of stationary products for university like markers, papers, white boards, pens etc. M1 P1 M2 M3 P2 P3 *
73.      Product Specialization – Here the firm concentrates on making a certain product that it sells to several segments.An example would be a microscope manufacturer that sells microscopes to university laboratories, government laboratories and commercial laboratories. P1 M1 M2 M3 P2 P3 *
74.      Full Market coverage – Here a firm attempts to serve all customer groups with all the products that they might need. Undifferentiated Marketing – The firm ignores market segment differences and goes after the whole market with one market offer. Eg. Coca cola’s early marketing of only one drink in one bottle size in one taste to suit everyone. Differentiated Marketing – The firm operates in several market segments and designs different products for each segment. Eg. GM produces a car for every purse, purpose and personality. P1 M1 M2 M3 P2 P3 *
75.      Points of Difference – Attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate and believe they could not find to the same extent with a competitive brand. Eg. Apple – Design Nike – PerformancePoints of Parity – Associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but may in fact be shared with other brands. Eg. All the travel agents are supposed to make air and hotel reservations, provide advice about leisure packages and offer various ticket payment and delivery options.
76.      Performance – Level at which the product’s primary characteristics operate.High quality leads to high profitability due to repeat purchasing, consumer loyalty and positive word of mouth publicity.eg. P * Features – Characteristics that supplement the product’s basic function.Companies can create additional versions by adding extra features. Success of Japanese companies is due to continuous enhancement of the features in their watches, cameras, automobiles calculators and VCRs.
77.     * PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION& Durability – Measure of the product’s expected operating life under natural or stressful conditions Buyers pay more for durable products. Product must not be subject to obsolescence like wrist watches. Durability is not to be seen in PCs or clothes. * Conformace Quality – Degree to which all the produced units are identical and meet the promised target specifications.Japanese manufacturers are known for high quality reputation due to products have high conformance quality.Low conformance quality – Fail to deliver its promise to many buyers who will be disappointed. *G is known for high quality products.
78.      Design – Totality of features that affect how a product looks and functions in terms of customer requirements. Eg. Tupperware. * Style – Product’s looks and feel to the buyer. Eg. Packaging of food products, cosmetics and small consumer appliances. * Repairability – Measure of the ease of fixing a product that malfunctions or fails. Eg. Tata Indicom tries to solve the problem over phone before sending service technician. * Reliability – Measure of the probability that a product will not malfunction or fail within a specified time period.eg. Kitchen appliances and electronic appliances. *
79.      Image Differentiation * Channel Differentiation –Fiama di- Wills Dell Computers, Avon Cosmetics (Direct Marketing channel) * Personnel Differentiation – IBM – Professional, McDonalds – courteous * Service Differentiation – Dominos 30 minutes *
80.      Profitable * Affordable * Preemptive – Cannot be copied easily. * Communicable * Superior * Distinctive * Important – Highly, valued benefit to consumers
81.     * SUCCESSFUL POSITIONING CRITERIA
82.       Overpositioning – Buyers may have too narrow an image of the brand. For eg. Consumer might think that diamond rings at NAKSHATRA start at Rs. 20000 when in fact NAKSHATRA now offers affordable diamond rings starting at Rs. 5000. * Underpositioning – Buyers have only a vague idea of the brand. Buyers don’t really sense anything special about it. For eg. Pepsi was positioned as Clear Crystal Pepsi but buyers didn’t see clarity as an important benefit in a soft drink.
83.      *ERRORS IN POSITIONING
84.      Doubtful Positioning – Buyers find it hard to believe the brand claims in view of the product’s features , price or manufacturer.For eg. GM’s Cadillac positioned as luxury competitor with Mercedes but the car featured leather seats, a luggage rack and logo stamped on chassis, thus failed in positioning. * Next desktop –positioned first for students, then for engineers and then for business people.É Confused positioning – Confused image of the brand resulting from the company making too many claims or changing the brand’s positioning too frequently.  
85.     * ERRORS IN POSITIONING
86.    Eg. Walmart – Value for Money * Price positioning – Offering the best value. * Product category positioning – Leader in a certain category. Eg. Scorpio – Luxury of a car and thrill of SUV. * Competitive positioning – Better in some way than a named competitor.eg. Onida Mobile Phone better than Nokia. * User positioning – Best for some user group. Eg. Barista – for mature business executive people. * Use/Application Positioning – Best for some use. Eg. Levis – rough and tough jeans. * Benefit positioning – Leader in a certain benefit. Eg. Knorr Soupy Noodles(Benefit of soup and taste of Noodles) * Attribute positioning – Positions itself on an attribute, such as size, no. of years.Eg. Disney is the largest theme park in the world.

Sampling and Methodes. (Business Research) Study Material.


Business Research Methods Sampling
1.         Errors in Sampling Probability and Non probability Sampling Techniques Types of Sampling Sampling – Meaning, Steps in Sampling processTopics to be covered
2.         The process of selecting sample for the purpose of research study is called sampling. A sample is a subgroup of the population selected for participation in the study. Sample characteristics, called statistics, are then used to make inferences about the population parameters.Sampling - Meaning
3.         A census the elements of a population. A sample, on the other hand, is a subgroup of the population selected for participation in the study.When is a Census Appropriate ?1. A census is appropriate if the size of population is small. For eg. A researcher may be interested in contacting firms in iron and steel industry. These industries are limited in number, so a census will be suitable.2. Sometimes, the researcher is interested in gathering information from every individual. Eg. Quality of food served in a mess.Distinction between Census andSampling involves a complete enumeration of
4.        When is Sample Appropriate?1. When the size of population is large.2. When time and cost are the main considerations in research.3. If the population is homogeneous.4. Circumstances when a census is not possible. Eg. Reactions to global advertising by a company.
5.         A perfect mix of all the population elements. Sample should be chosen properly by appropriate sampling technique. Appropriate sample size True representative of the whole population.Characteristics of a good sampledesign
6.        Steps in Sampling DesignProcess Define the target population Determine the sampling frame Specify the sampling unit Selection of sampling method Determine the sample size Execute the sampling process
7.        Define the target population – The target population is the collection of elements or objects that possess the information sought by the researcher and about which inferences are to be made. The target population should be defined in terms of elements, sampling units, extent and time.An element is the object about which or from which the information is desired.A sampling unit is an element or a unit containing the element, that is available for selection at some stage of the sampling process. Suppose that Revlon wanted to assess consumer response to new line of lipsticks and wanted to sample females over 18 years of age.Here the sampling unit would be households and all females over 18 in each selected household would be population element.
8.        Extent refers to the geographical boundaries, and the time factor is the time period under consideration.For eg., For a study of Departmental Store:Elements : male or female head of the household responsible for most of the shopping at Departmental storesSampling units : householdsExtent : Bangalore CityTime : 2011
9.         Determine the Sampling Frame : A sampling frame is a representation of the elements of the target population. It consists of a list or set of directions for identifying the target population. Examples of a sampling frame include the telephone directory, an association directory listing the firms in an industry, a mailing list purchased from an organization, a city directory or a map. EG. You want to learn about scooter owners in a city. The RTO will be the frame which provides you names, addresses and the types of vehicles possessed.
10.      Selection of sampling method – The researcher must decide whether to use Bayesian or traditional sampling approach, to sample with or without replacement, and to use nonprobability or probability sampling.In the Bayesian approach, the elements are selected sequentially. After each element is added to the sample, the data are collected, sample statistics computed and sampling costs determined. In the traditional approach, the entire sample is selected before Specify the Sampling Unit – Individuals who are to be contacted are the sampling units. If retailers are to be contacted in a locality, they are the sampling units.
11.     In sampling with replacement, an element is selected from the sampling frame and appropriate data are obtained. Then the element is placed back in the sampling frame. In sampling without replacement, once an element is selected for inclusion in the sample, it is removed from the sampling frame and therefore cannot be selected again. In probability sampling technique, sampling units are selected by chance. There is no biasness involved at the time of selecting the sample and each element is getting a fair chance to be a part of the sample.In non probability sampling technique, the sample is selected based on personal judgment of the researcher and not chance. Thus some biasness is involved.
12.      Determine the sample size – Sample size refers to the number of elements to be included in the study. The sample size depends upon the type of study that is being conducted. If it is an exploratory research, the sample size will be generally small and for descriptive research, the sample size will be large. The sample size also depends on the resources available with the company. It depends on the accuracy required in the study and the permissible errors allowed.
13.      Execute the sampling process – A detailed specification of the sampling design decisions with respect to the population, sampling frame, sampling unit, sampling technique and sample size are to be implemented. If households are the sampling unit, an operational definition whether household includes husband or wife or both, and procedure should be specified if household is not available whether to call back or eliminate it from the sample.
14.      Non probability sampling – The units in the population have unequal or negligible chances for being selected as a sample unit. Sampling relies on the personal judgment of the researcher rather than chance to select sample elements. The researcher can arbitrarily or consciously decide what elements to include in the sample. Probability sampling – Every unit in the population has equal chances for being selected as a sample unit. The sampling units are selected by chance and no biasness is involved,Types of Sampling
15.     Classification of Sampling Techniques Sampling Techniques Probability Non ProbabilitySimple Systematic Area Stratified ClusterRando Sampling Sampling Sampling Sampling m &Sampli Multistage ng Sampling Disproportionat Proportionate e Snowbal Panel Convenience Judgmental Quota l Sampling Sampling Sampling Sampling Samplin g
16.      Simple Random Sampling – Each element in the population has a known and equal probability of selection. This implies that every element is selected independently of every other element. The sample is drawn by a random procedure from a sampling frame. This method is equivalent to a lottery system – Take a population containing four departmental stores: A,B, CProbability Sampling Techniques & D. Suppose we need to pick a sample of two stores from the population. We write down all possible combinations AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, CD on pieces of papers and fold the pieces. Put them in a box. Mix them
17.      Systematic Sampling – Sample is chosen by selecting a random starting point and then picking every Kth element in succession from the sampling frame. There are three steps:1. Sampling interval K is determined by the foll formula: K = No. of units in the population No. of units desired in the sample2. One unit between the first and Kth unit in the population list is randomly chosen.3. Add Kth unit to the randomly chosen number.Example – Consider 1000 households from which we want to select 50 units. Calculate K = 1000 = 20 50To select the first unit, we randomly pick one number between 1 to 20, say 17. So our sample begins with 17, 37, 57 …… Only the first item is randomly selected and rest are systematically selected.
18.      Stratified Random Sampling – It is a two step process:1. Population to be sampled is divided into groups or strata. The strata should be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, i.e. every population element should be assigned to assigned to one and only one stratum and no population elements should be omitted. Strata are more or less equal on some characteristics.2. Elements are selected from each stratum by a random procedure.Stratified sampling are of two types:1. Proportionate stratified Sampling – The number of sampling units drawn from each stratum is in proportion to the population size of that stratum.2. Disproportionate stratified Sampling – The number of sampling units drawn from each stratum is based on analytical consideration, but not in proportion to the size of the population of that stratum.
19.     Example of Stratified SamplingSuppose a researcher wants to study the retail sales of tea in India of 1000 grocery stores. The researcher can first divide India into three strata based on the size of the store. Size of stores No. of stores Percentage of stores Large stores 2000 20 Medium stores 3000 30 Small stores 5000 50Suppose we need 12 stores, then choose four from each strata, at random. Or choose two large stores (20% of 12), four medium stores (30% of 12 and six small stores (50% of 12).
20.      Cluster Sampling – The following steps are followed:1. The population is divided into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive clusters.2. A simple random sample of few clusters is selected. For each selected cluster, either all the elements are included in the sample or a sample of elements is drawn probabilistically.3. All the units in the selected cluster are studied.If all the elements in each selected cluster are included in the sample, the procedure is called one-stage cluster sampling. If a sample of elements is drawn probabilistically from each selected cluster, the procedure is two-stage cluster sampling.
21.      Area Sampling – It is a form of cluster sampling, in which the clusters consist of geographic areas, such as counties, housing tracts or blocks. Area sampling is of two types : a) One-stage area sampling – If only one level of sampling takes place in selecting the basic elements (for eg. The researcher samples blocks and then all the households within the selected blocks are included in the sample), the design is called one-stage area sampling. If two or more levels of sampling take place before the basic elements are selected (the researcher samples blocks, and then samples households within selected blocks), the design is called two-stage area sampling.
22.      Study all the units in the sub area which has been selected. For eg. Retailers or wholesalers or households in a particular sub-area selected. Select sub areas randomly. Segmenting the total area (state or country) into sub areas.Area sampling involves the following procedure:
23.      An Illustration:The management of a newly-opened club solicits new membership. During the first rounds, all corporates were sent details so that those who are interested may enroll. The second round concentrates on how many are interested to enroll for various entertainment activities that club offers such as billiards, indoor sports, swimming and gym etc. After obtaining this information, you might stratify the interested repondents. This will also tell you the reaction of new members to various activities. Multistage Sampling – Sampling is done in several stages.
24.      More resources are required to design and execute than in non-probability design. It is costly. It takes time. Less knowledge of universe is sufficient.Disadvantages of Probability Sampling Quantification is possible in probability sampling. It is unbiased.Advantages of ProbabilitySampling
25.      Convenience Sampling – Attempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements. The selection of sampling units is left primarily to the interviewer. Often, respondents are selected because they happenNon-Probability SamplingTechniques  Least expensive and least time-consuming of all sampling techniques.to be in the right place at the right time. Examples of convenience sampling include: 1) use of students, church groups and members of social organizations, 2) mall intercept interviews without qualifying the respondents, 3) department stores, 4) tear- out questionnaires in a magazine, 5) people on the street interviews.
26.      Judgmental Sampling –It is a form of convenience sampling in which the population elements are selected based on the judgment of the researcher. The researcher exercising judgment or expertise, chooses the elements to be included in the sample, because he or she believes that they are representative of the population of interest or are otherwise appropriate. Common examples of judgmental sampling include 1) test markets selected to determine the potential of a new product, 2) purchase engineers selected in industrial marketing research because they are considered to be representative of the company, 3) expert witnesses used in court.
27.      Quota Sampling – It involves the fixation of certain quotas, which are to be fulfilled by the interviewers. It involves two stages:1. The first stage consists of developing control categories, or quotas of population elements. To develop these quotas, the researcher lists relevant control characteristics and determines the distribution of these characteristics in the target population. The control characteristics include sex, age and race.2. In the second stage, Sample elements are selected based on convenience or judgment.
28.      Suppose 200, 000 students are appearing for a competitive examination. We need to select 1% of them based on quota sampling. The classification of quota may be as follows: Category Quota General Merit 1000 Sport 600 NRI 100 SC/ST 300Example of Quota Sampling
29.      Snowball Sampling - An initial group of respondents is selected, usually at random. After being interviewed, these respondents are asked to identify others who belong to the target population of interest. Subsequent respondents are selected based on the opinion or referrals provided by the initial respondents. This process may be carried out in waves by obtaining referrals from referrals, thus leading to a snowballing effect. Examples include special census groups such as widowed males under 35 and members of a scattered minority population. College students bring in more students on the consumption of Pepsi.
30.      For eg. Suppose that one is interested in knowing the change in the consumption pattern of households. A sample of households are drawn. These households are contacted to gather information on the pattern of consumption. Subsequently, say after a period of six months, the same households are approached once again and the necessary information on their consumption is collected. Panel Sampling – A sampling technique where the same sample group is being contacted on a regular basis and the necessary information is gathered.
31.      Non-sampling error – Occurs in some systematic way, which is other than sampling. Sampling Error – Error due to inappropriate selection of sample size. It can be minimized by choosing the appropriate sample size. As the sample keeps on increasing, the sampling error decrease. Eg. If a study is done amongst Maruti-car owners in a city to find the average monthly expenditure on the maintenance of car, it can be done by including all Maruti-car owners.Errors in Sampling
32.     Sampling Frame Error – Errors in the specific list of population units, from which the sample for a study is being chosen.Eg. Assume that a bank wants to contact the people belonging to a particular profession over phone to market a home loan product. The sampling frame in this case is the telephone directory. This sampling frame may pose several problems:1) People might have migrated. 2) Numbers have changed. 3) Many numbers were not yet listed. Residents who are included in the directory likely to differ from those who are not included.
33.     Non-response error – The two major nonresponse issues in sampling are improving response rates and adjusting for nonresponse. Nonresponse error arises when some of the potential respondents included in the sample do not respond.The primary causes of low response rates are refusals and not-at-homes.Refusals, which result from the unwillingness or inability of people included in the sample to participate, result in lower response rates.
34.     Attempts to lower refusal rates:1. Prior notification – Potential respondents are sent a letter notifying them of the imminent mail, telephone, personal or internet survey.2. Motivating the respondents – The interviewer starts with a small request such as ‘Will you please take five minutes to answer five questions?’ which is followed by a larger request (foot-in-the-door strategies). In the reverse strategy, the initial request is relatively large, followed by a smaller request (door-in- the-face strategy).3. Incentives – Offering monetary as well as nonmonetary incentives to potential respondents.
35.      Data Error – This occurs during the data collection, analysis of data or interpretation. Respondents sometimes give distorted answers unintentionally for questions which are difficult, or if the question is exceptionally long and the respondent may not have answer.4.Questionnaire design and administration – A well designed questionnaire can decrease the overall refusal rate as well as refusals to specific questions.5.Follow-up – Contacting the non respondents periodically after the initial contact or by sending a letter to remind non respondents to complete and return the questionnaire.