Group 14 Section C BRM Surf Excel - Final

SURF EXCEL – REGAINING LOST MARKET SHARE
Market Research
Course: Business Research Methods
Instructor: Prof. Arvind Sahay
Academic Associate: Nivedita Sharma
GROUP 14, SECTION C
HEM DHOLAKIA
KUMAR RAHUL
NAYAK AVINASH MADHAV
RAGHAV YADAV
ROHAN ANAND
SUDARSHAN SESHADRI
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DATE OF SUBMISSION: 4/17/10
CONTENT
CONTENT.......................................................................................................................................1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................4
STAGES 0, 1 and 2.........................................................................................................................5
BACKGROUND.........................................................................................................................5
PROBLEM DEFINITION...........................................................................................................6
APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM.............................................................................................6
ANALYTICAL MODELS..........................................................................................................6
RESEARCH MATRIX................................................................................................................8
RESEARCH DESIGN.................................................................................................................8
CONSUMER AND DEALER STUDY..................................................................................8
DATA ANALYSIS PLAN..........................................................................................................9
STAGE 3.......................................................................................................................................11
STEP 1: CLUSTERING VARIOUS ATTRIBUTES............................................................11
STEP 2: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEEDED..........................................................13
STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES......................................................................................13
STAGE 4.......................................................................................................................................14
OBJECTIVES............................................................................................................................14
STRUCTURE OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES..........................................................................14
PRETESTING...........................................................................................................................18
ADMINISTERING THE QUESTIONNAIRE..........................................................................19
DATA ANALYSIS PLAN............................................................................................................23
Categorization of Consumers....................................................................................................23
Demand Potential of Surf..........................................................................................................24
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Key product concepts and segmentation...................................................................................25
STAGE 5 - DATA ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS..............................................................26
Demographic and psychographic segmentation........................................................................29
Clustering based segmentation analysis....................................................................................32
Retailer Questionnaire analysis.................................................................................................34
Market share and sales calculations...............................................................................................37
RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................................38
LEARNINGS FROM THE PROJECT..........................................................................................39
APPENDICES...............................................................................................................................40
Exhibit I – Research Matrix.......................................................................................................40
Exhibit II: Market share variation in the 2001-08 period..........................................................42
Exhibit III - Depth interview responses....................................................................................43
Exhibit IV: Quantitative structured Consumer survey form......................................................59
Exhibit V: Quantitative structured Retail survey form..............................................................64
Exhibit VI: Codebook for Consumer Questionnaire.................................................................67
Exhibit VII: Codebook for Retailer Questionnaire....................................................................72
Exhibit VIII: Kruskel Wallis tests based on demographic data.................................................75
Exhibit IX: K-means Cluster Analysis: Wash clothes, Current Bran, Variety of p...............80
Exhibit X: K-means Cluster Analysis: Preferred sm, Currently pa, Willing to P, If current....84
SOURCES.....................................................................................................................................85
SOURCES
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Table 1: SWOT analysis of the HUL laundry care division............................................................7
Table 2: Buyer Stimulus-Response model , Source: Kotler, 2000 (KKKJ)....................................7
Table 3: Consumer decision making process flow..........................................................................8
Table 4: Consumer questionnaire design, purpose and the research category of each question.. .14
Table 5: Retailer questionnaire design, purpose and research category........................................17
Table 6: Kruskal Wallis analysis of attributes with Age...............................................................29
Table 7: %age statistics based on age for high relevance factors..................................................30
Table 8: Kruskal Wallis analysis of attributes with Gender..........................................................30
Table 9: %age distribution based on gender for high relevance factors........................................30
Table 10: Kruskal Wallis analysis of attributes with Geographic location...................................31
Table 11:%age distribution on geographic location for high relevance factors............................31
Table 12: K means Cluster based analysis....................................................................................32
Table 12: K means Cluster based analysis
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: diagram based on the responses from the depth interviews..........................................12

Figure 2: Respondent breakup via Age groups..............................................................................20
Figure 3: Respondents break up - % wise.....................................................................................21
Figure 4: Respondent break up by gender.....................................................................................21
Figure 5: Respondent breakup by geographic location.................................................................22
Figure 6: A consumer buying behavior map.................................................................................25
Figure 7: Number of respondents using various detergent brands................................................26
Figure 8: The preference of medium of detergent.........................................................................27
Figure 9: Preference of various promotional schemes..................................................................27
Figure 10: Perceptual mapping of detergents based on consumer response.................................28
Figure 11: No. of shops the brand was being sold (out of 15 responses)......................................34
Figure 12: Percentage distribution of shop space for detergents...................................................35
Figure 13: Percentage of space allocated to Surf of the total detergents space.............................35
Figure 14: Value for money on a scale of 1-10 (10 is highest) by retailers..................................36
Figure 15: Percentage distribution of different size packets being sold........................................36
Figure 15: Percentage distribution of different size packets being sold
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report contains stages II and III of the entire project. The second stage deals with the
development of a complete research proposal. This includes the background, problem definition,
approach to the problem, analytical models to understand the current situation, the research
matrix, the research design and the data analysis plan. From analysis of secondary sources it has
been observed that HUL has not been able to capitalize on the strong brand positioning in the
laundry care segment and losing market share to national competitors like P&G and other local
players. With the help of a research matrix, a research design has been developed where a
qualitative depth interview was conducted to understand the consumer preferences and look into
the factors that HUL must focus on in order to regain lost market share. An LP diagram has been
developed to gain a clear understanding of the situation, and with the guidance of this outcome
two structured questionnaires have been developed, one for the consumers and one for the
retailers in order to get a holistic view of the current situation and the factors leading to declining
market share of HUL detergent line Surf Excel. With the aid of advanced quantitative tools for
demographic segmentation analysis, cluster analysis and retailer-consumer comparison, the main
conclusions that can be drawn is that Surf has to drop its price, while reducing its product
portfolio and promote aggressively the new portfolio by continuing the current theme of
advertisements and encourage more retailer benefits.
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STAGES 0, 1 and 2
BACKGROUND
Hindustan Unilevel Ltd. (HUL) has been the market leader in various segments like detergents,
personal wash, laundry and ice-creams. Formerly known as Hindustan Level Ltd., it was formed
by the merger of 3 Unilever subsidiaries in 1956. Unilever entered the Indian market as early as
1888 with the export of Sunlight soap. It set up its first Indian subsidiary in 1931. The launch of
block-buster products like Lifebuoy, Pears and Vim helped HUL dominated the targeted markets
for many decades. In order to grow into other markets such as tea and ice-creams, it bought out
successful and promising companies.
As of Nov 2009, it has lost its top position in 4 out of 10 categories. One of the key areas where
HUL has found it difficult to maintain its market share is the detergents segment. From over 40%
market share in 2005, it has been steadily going down, reaching a low of 35% in June 2007.
Various strategies like price reduction, brand mergers and promotional schemes have been used
to boost up the sales which have led the market share to increase to 37.5% in the third quarter for
2009.
In the same period P&G’s market share increased to 16.5% up from 11.6% in the previous
quarter. The role of small companies and unorganized players cannot be ignored as they have
cumulative share of over 45%. HUL’s focus has been on customers’ wallet share rather than
volumes. Though the detergent segment has seen a small increase, the volumes have been
decreasing. This trend might not been an immediate worry since the current profit margins are
high. But with the current trend continuing, margins are bound to shrink.
Surf Excel has been the leading detergent brand for HUL since 1959 and the first FMCG
detergent. Currently there are 6 variants of this product namely (i) Quick Wash Detergent
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Powder, (ii) Blue detergent powder, (iii) Detergent Bar, (iv) Gentle wash, (v) Matic Top Load
and (vi) Quick Wash Detergent Powder. HUL has tried to cover the entire washing segment by
launching these variants. Surf Excel is positioned as Care Line (one stop solution). It is available
from 25gm sachets to 2kgs packs with an average profit margin of 5%. A cost plus mark-up
policy has been used to price Surf Excel.
PROBLEM DEFINITION
Management Decision Problem
How should surf excel recover HUL’s lost market share in the laundry care market?
Market Research Problem

Broad Statement: To determine the impact of changes in the product portfolio, pricing and
positioning of Surf Excel on sales, profits and market share at various levels of the changes.
APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM

Surf Excel has been the leading premium laundry care brand in India for many years now. The
target segment has been the housewives and young independent people. An attempt to build a
one stop solution has been made. Since laundry care is a highly fragmented market, with many
small regional players eating into the market share of the large national brands.
In order to understand this complex market where certain small changes have led to significant
increase in sales while some major innovations have failed to attract much attention, we would
focus our interviews such that an understanding as to why Surf Excel has not been able to
capitalize on its various strengths and what can HUL do to set things in the right direction.
Statistics by Euromonitor (http://www.euromonitor.com) show fractured market and variation

over the last eight years. There has been a drop of close to 3% in the Surf market share since
2001 [Exhibit 2]. Other secondary sources also indicate a similar trend.
ANALYTICAL MODELS
Before the research design is formulated, it is essential to understand the manufacturer and
customer behavior. We have used the stimulus response model. While price may be one of the
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major criteria for both buying and brand positioning, there are other factors such as marketing,
packaging and promotional offers. A SWOT analysis of HUL laundry care division has been
done to identify key pointers to further guide the research design.
Table 1: SWOT analysis of the HUL laundry care division

Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/9823405/SWOT-Analysis-of-the-Detergent-Powder-Surf-
Excel
From the S-R model shown in table 2 we can create a flow of questions starting with the 4 Ps of
marketing stimuli and other stimuli which help identify their impact on the buyer’s
characteristics and the decision process of buying, which together comprise of the Buyer’s black
box. Once the black box has been studied, we get a significant insight into the buyer’s responses
in making choice of brand and product, timing of purchase etc. Hence it is important to focus on
buyers as well as sellers in order to understand the final outcome of the concept under study.
Buyer’s
Marketing
Buyer’s
responses
Black
Other
box
Product
StimulichoiceStimuli
Brand
Product
BuyerchoiceEconomic
Buyer
Purchase
Price
character-
timing
Technological
decision
Purchase
Place
istics amount
Political
process
Promotion Cultural
Table 2: Buyer Stimulus-Response model , Source: Kotler, 2000 (KKKJ)
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Repeat
Purchase
Attitude
Understanding
Interest
Awareness
Purchase
A further analysis which shows the decision process of the customer is depicted in Table 3.
Factors like price, product packaging, advertisements and promotional schemes determine the
recall factor of a brand and the likelihood of purchase.
Table 3: Consumer decision making process flow
RESEARCH MATRIX
The research matrix shows a sequential flow of data starting which is built on the management
decision problem. The matrix is broken down into the marketing decision problems which are
used to develop further marketing questions to elicit the desired information. A detailed
Research Matrix is given in Exhibit 1. The Research Design is developed below.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The initial data collected would be using depth interviews (DI). This approach has been adopted
to get a holistic view of the opinions of people with diverse background.
The following details give more light on the research approach:
CONSUMER AND DEALER STUDY

• Kind of information to be obtained – An in-depth interrogation on what are the
strengths and drawbacks of the product. Based on the qualitative responses obtained
in the first round of interviews, an objective questionnaire is to be developed to give a
clear understanding of the current brand perception and its drawbacks and scope for
improvement.
• Method of administering questions – The qualitative questionnaire will be
conducted personally or via telephone so as to record real time responses and ask
pertinent questions based on the responses. The objective (structured) questionnaire
will be administered electronically and on paper in the form of survey.
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• Scaling techniques – A combination of scaling techniques would be used in order to
develop an objective research analysis. These would include comparative scales such
as nominal, ordinal and interval scales. Non comparative scales used would be Likert
scale and Semantic Differential scale. Validity and reliability tests would be done
based on the results of different scales.
• Nature of questionnaire – The unstructured part would typically run for 30 minutes,
where detailed responses are expected and questions are designed to elicit the same.
Each question has a typical answer span of around 1 minute. The structured
questionnaire contains around 30 questions with the response time expected to be 10
minutes. The retailers will be given a structured survey of 10-15 questions, total
response time being less than 10 minutes per survery.
• Sampling plan and sample size – The unstructured questionnaire will be
administered to 6 people and the structured questionnaire to 50 people. People with
diverse backgrounds, regions and different walks of life would be selected as Surf
excel as a brand is trying to be a one stop solution to all washing needs. 10 retailers
will be given a separate structured questionnaire.
DATA ANALYSIS PLAN
Unstructured Questionnaire
This was taken for the consumers only. The data will be primarily analyzed using language
processing. First, a comprehensive list of the key attributes will be filtered from the responses.
After generating a list of attributes, key words from the response will be mapped together to
form clusters and sub clusters. The entire mapping, known as the Language Processing diagram
will be thus generated. This would help us understand the main focus areas that need to be
worked on to improve the sales of Surf as well help us in identifying the key aspects of
improvement in each of the focus areas, as well as identify the relevant target segment, designing
the problem statement more accurately and gain additional insights into the research that is
needed.
Structured Questionnaire
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For structured questionnaire, statistical tools like Frequency Distribution, Hypothesis Testing
and Cross Tabulation would be used. Frequency distribution will help in finding the number of
people and the proportion that are interested in Surf Excel. Hypothesis testing would help in
identifying whether the values or proportions or percentages found via Frequency Distribution
are statistically significant or not. In addition, tests like the Chi-square test, Phi Distribution test,
F-Distribution test etc can also be used for Cross-tabulation, i.e., knowing the linkage or
relationship of one variable with other variables. This may help in establishing the accuracy of
our predictions for demand of merchandise.
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STAGE 3
The objectives of this stage are –
1) Assess the current brand perception and positioning of Surf Excel

2) Impact of price changes on demand
3) Bring out any attributes that are crucial for the brand’s success
STEP 1: CLUSTERING VARIOUS ATTRIBUTES
The detailed in-depth interviews are given in Exhibit 3(a) to 3(f). The purpose of this
unstructured qualitative approach was to extract various attributes and group them in obvious
clusters to generate product concepts, concepts which must be focused on by HUL in order to
regain their lost market share and reach a more commanding position in the laundry care market.
Key product attributes have been identified below.
1) Surf excel is a high quality brand

2) Surf excel can improve its image by reducing the price
3) I am loyal to surf excel
4) Surf excel is the image of reliability and fights stains/ clean well
5) I would like a one stop solution for all my washing needs
6) I am not as willing to switch to another brand even though they may have promotions
7) I would like to hear about my ideal detergent through television
8) The ideal detergent should be fragrant and fresh to smell
9) I wish to take special care of branded and more expensive clothes.
10) I take more care of woolens as compared to summer wear.
11) Ideally I would wash with care and caution using a good detergent.
12) Always, I grew up watching this brand (surf) - it has always been used by my family
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13) I guess, it was do with the price - I found Surf pretty expensive
14) Powder is the preferred medium of washing clothes
15) Gentle on clothes, no color fading, good to skin, work equally well in washing machine
16) I buy detergent in Kirana stores.
17) Promotion from other brands would not affect me since I am quite loyal to surf excel.
However I would welcome any promotion by surf excel.
18) I know they have 2 -3 different products - but am not exactly sure what they are
19) Just know about normal surf excel
20) If new features appear on the advertisement, then will try to use it. Identify with the ad
promising good stain removal and whitening
LP diagram follows from grouping of these product concepts. Three major groups have been
identified under the following headings (in particular order)
1) Brand perceptions – Though there is a strong local presence in this highly fragmented
market, people would prefer buying the more well known brands if priced competitively.
2) Communication – Respondents were of the opinion that clear communication of the
entire product range must be there so that they are aware of their presence.
Communication, say ads must innovative and something that they can relate to.
3) Quality of detergent – factors like fragrance, lather and color are important in making
the decision.
Figure 1: diagram based on the responses from the depth interviews.

STEP 2: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NEEDED
Information from the supplier side is also very essential in understanding the market trends.
Information regarding the sales and distribution network, market penetration and the relative
presence that Surf gets over other brands in departmental stores and super markets needs to be
collected. A structured survey will be used to get information in this regard.
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Also the demographic perceptions will need to be factored while carrying out the analysis.
Ahmedabad is a city with a population of 5 million, roughly translating to 1.2 million
households. There are 919 females to every 1000 males with a cumulative literacy rate of 79.8%.
With the completion and analysis of the LP diagram, a preliminary structured questionnaire has
been developed.
STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES
With the completion of the depth interview and framing of the LP diagram, we are now in a
position to develop a structured quantitative questionnaire. A preliminary attempt has been made
to develop a survey for both consumers and retailers so as to identify where all improvements
can be made. The consumer survey would be given to people from diverse backgrounds as well
as from different parts of India. This would ensure a more objective analysis of the report. The
retailer survey would be conducted in Kirana stores across Ahmedabad so not to limit to the
trends of one particular locality. Exhibit IV contains the consumer survey form while Exhibit V
contains the retailer survey form. Both are in the preliminary stage and need further refinement.
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STAGE 4
OBJECTIVES
• Instrument preparation
• Pre test
• Data collection and
• Sample analysis
STRUCTURE OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES

With the understanding and insights obtained through the qualitative questionnaire and its
analysis, we developed a preliminary structured questionnaire. This was done in two stages
i. Consumer survey – To understand the trends and preferences of people from various
backgrounds
ii. Retailer survey – This was conducted as covering even one store would help us get an
aggregated data of a lot of consumers. Our survey was restricted to Ahmedabad city. It
gave us an understanding to how the preferences change with locality and the nature of
the store.
In the following sub section, we have discussed both the questionnaires in terms of the purpose
and the broad categories to which each of these questions fall. Through this approach, we were
able to devise a balanced questionnaire which aimed to cover all aspects of consumer behavior.
The consumer questionnaire floated consisted of 25 questions. The questionnaire helps address 4
main issues: - Segmentation, Attributes, Brand marketing and Price elasticity.
Table 4: Consumer questionnaire design, purpose and the research category of each question.
Serial Question Purpose Category
No.
1 How do you wash your clothes? General perception of • Segmentation
quality is obtained
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2 What is the current brand of detergent Identifying the current • Segmentation
you are using? users • Demand
3 Which detergents have you used in the Identifying market • Segmentation
past? potential • Demand
• Competitor analysis
4 Which product variety of Surf would Nature of the product • Demand
you like to use? • Attributes
5 What kind of smell would you like in Features of the product • Attributes
your detergent? • Demand
6 What packet sizes of detergents do Number of SKUs • Demand
you generally use? • Attributes
7 How much you are currently paying Price elasticity and • Price elasticity
for ½ Kg pack of washing detergent? positioning of detergents. •
Develop pricing strategy.
8 How much you are willing to pay for Upper price limit for the • Price elasticity
½ Kg pack of washing detergent? best quality detergent.
Develop pricing strategy.
9 Which following packaging mediums Aesthetics, presentation • Attributes
would you like to have for your most and easy of portability and
commonly bought quantity of storing of product
powder?
10 In a detergent could you please Understand the key • Attributes
indicate key features features as perceived by •
consumers
11 Why do you use the current brand? Understanding the market • Competitive
maturity and analysis
•
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12 If your brand is not available at the Brand loyalty, preference • Segmentation
store where you usually make of consumer and product
purchases, most probably what will be perception
your response?
13 What is your most preferred Which is the most • Brand marketing
promotional scheme? preferred promotional
scheme
14 Which brand has the most influential To understand if any • Brand marketing
ads? change in ad theme is
required or not
15 Through which medium of promotion The best way to reach out • Brand marketing
you are more likely influenced? to consumers
16 Does your consumption of washing Nature of powder used • Seasonality
powder vary seasonally?
17 How loyal are you to your current Direct question on brand • Segmentation
brand of detergent? loyalty. To check
consistency with Q16
18 Please choose the most appropriate To understand if a focused • Attributes
option for the basic detergent quality product is preferred or a • Segmentation
generic one
19 Do technological innovations in The influence of R&D on • Attributes
detergents influence your decision to buying behavior • Brand marketing
buy the detergent?
20 If Yes, then which detergent brand to Quality and performance of • Brand marketing
you find to be the most brand
technologically advanced
21 Name Demographic data on • Segmentation
consumer segmentation
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22 Age Demographic data on • Segmentation
23 Occupation Demographic data on • Segmentation

24 Which part of the country do you Demographic data on • Segmentation

originally belong to? consumer segmentation
25 What is you education level? Demographic data on • Segmentation

The retailers’ survey also attempts to address issues similar to the above survey, but at a more
holistic and aggregated level.
Table 5: Retailer questionnaire design, purpose and research category

Serial Question Purpose
No.
1 What is the frequency of detergent orders? Understanding ordering
characteristics
2 What are the brands that you order? Understanding ordering
characteristics
3 What is the most selling brand? The most preferred brand sold by
the store
4 How often does the Surf salesman visit your shop? To check consistency with Q1
5 On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being very poor and 10 being Understand the service quality
very good) please rate the quality of service provided perceived by the retailers
to you by HUL
6 On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being very poor and 10 being To dig deeper into Q5
very good) please rate the promptness of delivery
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7 On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being very poor and 10 being Another depth question of Q5. Q6
very good) please rate the incentive schemes and Q7 together would be used to
provided by HUL for Surf see if sum of parts equals the whole
8 What types of detergents give more profit margins? The more preferred type of
detergent of the retailer
9 Which is the brand that offers maximum offers? To know which brand in the market
(price discounts, extra quantity etc.) is being aggressive in its
promotions
10 How much Shop space is allocated to detergents? The importance of
11 What proportion of the allocated space is allotted to The preference of surf over other
Surf? detergents
12 What brand according to you rates highest in terms of This will depict how the salesmen
quality? of different brands have been able
to promote their products
13 Which brand according to you rates highest when it how the salesmen of different
comes to value for money? brands have been able to promote
their products
14 Are there any seasonal variations in demand for To understand if there is any
detergent? seasonality factor in the detergent
market
15 If yes, then how high/low are the sales of Surf in To know the extent of the
summer as compared to winter? seasonality
16 What is the most frequently purchased quantity of Most commonly sold detergent
powder detergents? pack size
17 Name of store Demographic information
18 Location Demographic information
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PRETESTING
The consumer questionnaire was administered to 5 people and retailers questionnaire to two
retailers. The objective of the pretesting was to judge the following:
1) Ease of completion of the survey

2) Clarity and lucidity of language
3) Clarity of the context of which the survey is being filled up
The following are the outcomes of the pre-testing
Consumers’ Questionnaire
➢ Language of Q9 is not clear. It was rephrased to make it grammatically right

➢ Q10 is very subjective and needs to be broken down ask people to rate key features
identified in the depth interview. This was broken down into 5 sub questions asking users
to choose a particular value in a range.
➢ Gender and marital status were to be added to get a more detailed demographic
information
The survey updated questionnaire can be found as Exhibit IV.
Retailers’ Questionnaire
➢ Name of the store did not hold much significance, and was hence removed.
➢ The average quantity of detergents sold by the store
The final structured questionnaire is shown in Exhibit V.
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ADMINISTERING THE QUESTIONNAIRE
The consumer questionnaire was floated as an online survey which was individually mailed to all
the respondents. To capture as diversified people as possible, it was sent to people outside
Ahmedabad, basically people with diversified demographic details.
A total of 60 responses were obtained out of with 10 were not very usable and they were
discarded. Hence we have performed our analysis based on 50 consumer responses.
The retailer questionnaire was administered personally by going to their shops. A total of 15
unique responses were recorded, with all of them usable. The retailers belonged to different
localities in Ahmedabad.
The breakup of the respondents based on various demographic information is given in the below
figures.
Figure 2: Respondent breakup via Age groups
Figure 3: Respondents break up - % wise
Figure 4: Respondent break up by gender
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Figure 5: Respondent breakup by geographic location
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DATA ANALYSIS PLAN
We now revisit the data analysis plan mentioned in the Stage 2 of the report to refine it based on
the data available with us.
Categorization of Consumers
a) Exploring Segments: Based on the category that we have put each of the questions in the
structured questionnaire, we try to explore some of the segmentation possibilities based
on the demographic information such as age, gender, geographic location etc. We will
employ Kruskal Wallis test to see if variable means across segments are consistent or not.
The variables to be taken will be from questions 10, since they are ordinal data, and this
is one of the best methods to perform a non-parametric test.
b) Clustering of Attributes: This method will be used to cross- verify the results obtained
by Kruskal Wallis test. Any inconsistency in the results of the two methods could reveal
some insights into the differences and also provide scope for further refinement of the
data analysis plan.
c) Correlation between consumer and retailer information: We would also like to
correlate the results obtained by analysis of the two data to check consistency of results
and the possible causes for differences that have arisen.
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Demand Potential of Surf
The diagram below shows the consumer buying behavior.
There are broadly two categories:

(i) People sure about what to buy
(ii) People who are unsure of what to buy
The diagram along with the data from the survey would explain some characteristics.
Availability
What
What
Potentially
Are
ifdo
the
you
of
you
IsVery
quality
right
Surf
sure
Market
Low
ask
loyal
loyal
you
mix
about
for
you
loyalty
customers/market
in
Quality
Any
YN
Buy
Lookmatters
preferred
are
the
a store
looking
detergent
anything – about
lowfor
loyalty
brand
a is notyou are
customers
there?
detergent?
potential
product?
Customer
Potential
customers
centric buying?
detergent
es
osomewhere
available
else
25
Figure 6: A consumer buying behavior map
The above figure gives us an understanding of the buying behavior and the target segment we
need to focus on. From the above analysis we need to primarily target people who have a clear
idea about the quality they want but are not too brand centric.
Further analysis in the following sections would reveal more quantitative data that would be
coupled with this figure to generate suitable conclusions.
Key product concepts and segmentation
a) Cross Tabulation: We carry out cross tabulation of questions belonging to the same
categories which would help understand the differentiating factors and qualities required
in a product.
Cross tabulation of responses to similar questions from consumer and retailer survey will
be created to obtain a logically consistent data. The questions are primarily used to
determine the product quality and the pricing required to make Surf successful.
b) Frequency distribution: this would help gauge the extent to which a particular response
or buying behavior is prevalent among the consumers. This would also reveal the
quantity of sales actually occurring from the retailer’s point of view and the benefits that
the retailers receive for promoting that product.
c) Choosing the target segment: Based on the demographic variations to responses and the
buying behavior, a suitable target segment and suitable targeting plans for the same
would be developed.
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STAGE 5 - DATA ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS
The data analysis would begin with the frequency distribution of responses based on various
categories such as demographic segmentation, attributes and demand. This preliminary data
analysis would help reveal in some cases, the highly preferred choice of one group as compared
to the other groups.
Figure 7: Number of respondents using various detergent brands
Figure 8: The preference of medium of detergent
Figure 9: Preference of various promotional schemes
Some other important trends through scanning of consolidated surveys:
Current Surf users
➢ Nearly none of the current Surf users are from South India -2 out of 22 respondents
➢ People are generally loyal to their brand – 20 out of 22 respondents
➢ Most of the current Surf users are below the age of 25 – 18 out of 22 respondents
Current Non-Surf users
➢ People are sensitive to prices and buy detergents priced between Rs.30 and Rs.50 – all 28
respondents
➢ Most of them use the current brand because it is a force of habit.
➢ Majority of the respondents are from either South or North India
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Figure 10: Perceptual mapping of detergents based on consumer response
Figure 9 shows the perceptual mapping of various leading brands present in India. Surf leads the
pack both in terms of price and quality.
Demographic and psychographic segmentation
We first perform non parametric Kruskal Wallis tests across the following segmentations:
a) Age: We tested age with attributes described in Q10 (which cover key product features)
to determine if the trends are same across all the clusters or not. The level of significance
was calculated with the null hypothesis being that the responses depend on the age.
Exhibit VIII shows the results of the statistics.
b) Gender: We tested gender with attributes described in Q10 (which cover key product
features) to determine if the trends are same across all the clusters or not. The level of
significance was calculated with the null hypothesis being that the responses depend on
the age. Exhibit VIII shows the results of the statistics.
c) Geographic location: We tested the geographic location with attributes described in Q10
(which cover key product features) to determine if the trends are same across all the
clusters or not. The level of significance was calculated with the null hypothesis being
that the responses depend on the age. Exhibit VIII shows the results of the statistics.
The results of the analyses are as follows:
There are some attributes that show a definitive variation with the demographic segmentations.
This is based on the ‘P’ values obtained after adjusting for the ties (redundant responses). The
following tables summarize the observations based on the Kruskal Wallis analysis.
Attribute Correlation
Removes tough stains Good correlation
Gentle on hands No relation
Smells Fresh Good correlation
28
Color Good correlation
Price Average correlation
Table 6: Kruskal Wallis analysis of attributes with Age
AGE <25 years 25-35 years >35 years
(44%) (28%) (28%)

Removes tough stains 95.4 % have high 85.7% have low or 100% have high
preference neutral preference preference
Smells Fresh 81.8% have high 100% have low or 100% have high
preference neutral preference preference
Color 81.8% have low or 85.7% have low or 85.7% have low or
neutral preference neutral preference neutral preference
Low Price 78% have high 100% have high 50% have low or
preference preference neutral preference
Table 7: %age statistics based on age for high relevance factors
Removes tough stains High correlation
Gentle on hands Small relation
Smells Fresh High correlation
Color High correlation
Price High correlation
Table 8: Kruskal Wallis analysis of attributes with Gender
GENDER Male Female
29
(46%) (54%)
Removes tough stains 73% have low or 95.4 % have high
neutral preference preference
Smells Fresh 81.8% have low or 91.4% have high
Color 81.8% have low or 85% have high
Low Price 75% have high 86.3% have high
preference preference
Table 9: %age distribution based on gender for high relevance factors
Removes tough stains Average correlation
Gentle on hands Average relation
Smells Fresh Small correlation
Color High correlation
Price High correlation
Table 10: Kruskal Wallis analysis of attributes with Geographic location
GEOGRAPHIC North South East West

LOCATION
(32%) (24%) (10%) (34%)
Smells Fresh 62.5% have high 64% have high 100% have high 64.7% have
preference preference preference high preference
Color 70% have low or 85.7% have low 85.7% have low 94.11% have
neutral preference or neutral or neutral low or neutral
30
preference preference preference
Low Price 87.5% have high 67% have high 50% have low or 58.9% % have
preference preference neutral high preference
preference
Table 11:%age distribution on geographic location for high relevance factors
31
Clustering based segmentation analysis
We would now do a cluster based segmentation to validate and compare the results obtained by
the demographic based segmentation.
We would be using the K-means clustering to generate 3 main clusters and study the behavioral
pattern of each cluster. Exhibits IX and X have detailed computational results. The summary of
the outputs is that we have come up with 3 main clusters with the following characteristics:-
Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

Number 12 22 17
Percentage people 24 % 43 % 33%
Preferred Smell Regular aroma Flower scented No aroma

Price sensitivity Not price sensitive Most price sensitive Fairly price
sensitive
Willingness to Low High High
switch
Promotions Not affected Influenced Influenced
Innovation Important Important Not important
Loyalists Highly Price Value for money
sensitive
Table 12: K means Cluster based analysis
Cluster 1
➢ This cluster contains those people who are extremely loyal to a brand.
➢ They are not very sensitive to price changes.
➢ While it is difficult to change their mindset to buy another brand, factors like innovation
and no-frills is the key to them being loyal.
32
➢ A very small number of respondents out of this cluster said they were affected by
promotions. By and large, there is not much influence on them.
➢ Most of the respondents belonging to this category chose Surf as their current brand.
Cluster 2
➢ This is where the bulk of the respondents belonged to. A highly price sensitive segment, a
lot of factors account to them buying a particular brand of detergent
➢ The preferred smell is flower scented. This has been observed in Ariel and Tide, while
Surf does not offer this.
➢ They are highly willing to switch, but technological innovations and ad-promotions play
a key role in them buying a particular brand
➢ While this segment found Surf to have very influential ads and also a majority of them
found the Surf to be technologically advanced and superior, the price factor and smell
outweighed their benefits.
➢ Majority of the respondents did not choose Surf as their current brand.
Cluster 3
The second largest cluster, it contains those people who look for products having a good value
for money.
➢ This group is fairly sensitive to price, but the willingness to switch is high.
➢ While they are influenced by promotions, technological advancements do not affect their
buying decisions.
➢ This current brand response of this group was equally divided.
A cross reference with the Kruskal Wallis results shows that price sensitivity is similar in both
the analyses (around 75% are sensitive). A look up on the fields having low price sensitivity and
more stress on washing quality showed Surf users (current) as a vast majority. This is in parallel
with the characteristics of the “Loyalists” obtained from the K mean clustering, indicating a
further consistency between the two methods.
33
Retailer Questionnaire analysis
The following are the graphs from the survey of retailers.
➢ There is incentive incompatibility for the retailers through the salesmen channel
○ Even though the salesmen are regular in their visit and prompt in their delivery,
the discounts and promotional schemes offered to the retailers is the least for Surf.
○ The profit margins are less as compared to other detergents. Hence the incentive
to push Surf is low
○ There is cannibalization by Wheel to an extent, since a lot of promotional
schemes are offered with it.
➢ While many consumers responded by saying that there was a difference in detergent
consumption based on the season, none of the retailers found this to be true.
➢ Surf rates very high in terms of value for money when the quality of the product is in
question
Figures 11 to 15 are graphs showing some statistics of the retailers’ survey.
Figure 11: No. of shops the brand was being sold (out of 15 responses)
Figure 12: Percentage distribution of shop space for detergents
34
Figure 13: Percentage of space allocated to Surf of the total detergents space
Figure 14: Value for money on a scale of 1-10 (10 is highest) by retailers
Figure 15: Percentage distribution of different size packets being sold

Correlating the data with the consumer survey, we found that the problems are similar in some
cases and interdependent in others. Incentive incompatibility leads to lower sales per shop, and
higher prices with low margins discourages both consumers and retailers from buying it. 500gm
packs are most preferred as well as sold in shops; hence they must be promoted the most.
Market share and sales calculations
Currently, Surf enjoys an average of 20% shop space available for all detergents. The current
price of Surf Excel Stain remover is Rs 72 per 0.5 kgs. Tide costs Rs. 43 for the same quantity.
Ariel, its closest competitor in terms of price and quality is around 10% cheaper. Currently Surf
has around 20% market share.
The current detergent market is valued at Rs. 9000 crores. Thus Surf earns revenue of Rs. 1800
crores in sales. In order to boost this number, say there is a 5% drop in price (including a 2.5%
discount to retailers). From the structured questionnaires, 22.5% of the non users are willing to
use Surf for a drop in prices. This means around 17% of the total market share. There would be
incentive for the retailers to promote Surf as well owning to greater profit margins. Taking a
conservative 10% increase in its consumers (or an increase of 2% in market share), total revenue
from sales is Rs. 1881 crores.
The operating profits on the other hand will drop from Rs. 540 crores to Rs. 495 crores (at 70%
expenses before interest and tax).
35
Thus a conservative numerical work indicates that even a 5% drop in prices, which includes
incentives for retailers as well, will significantly boost the sales and the market share of Surf. But
this is at the cost of profits. In a fragmented and a highly mature market like this one with 98%
penetration, it becomes very difficult to induce change, and some compromises are essential to
achieve the set targets.
36
RECOMMENDATIONS
Most of cluster 1 respondents are Surf users. Cluster 2 and 3 contained respondents mostly
buying other brands of detergents. As mentioned before, the current marketing strategy is to
place Surf in a premium segment. While the brand as a whole tried to provide a one stop solution
to its consumers, a total of 6 sub-brands make it difficult for consumers to choose. Despite being
the market leader, the current strategy has led to a gradual downfall in market share, with brands
from rival firms gaining ground.
Below are our recommendations which we felt most pertinent in order to regain the lost market
share and gain more ground than ever before:-
1) Product portfolio: While the more loyal consumers of Surf preferred a separate
detergent for each type of washing need, most of the consumers felt that a one-stop
solution within the product is more preferable. The retailers’ survey revealed that very
few actually hold stock of more than 3 products of the Surf brand. The awareness drops
even further when we interviewed the consumers. Hence, a more streamlined approach
by restricting products to 3 must be taken in order to ensure there is more understanding
and acceptability by all consumers.
2) Pricing: Surf is currently perceived as a high price detergent. The perceptual map
showed that while it rates highly in quality, it leads the pack in terms of price as well.
This should be reduced, as a majority of the consumers (mostly Cluster 2 and Cluster 3
respondents) are price sensitive and are not using Surf, the primary reason being the
price.
3) Positioning: Based on the responses, we find that Surf is regarded as a top quality,
premium brand. This positioning should be maintained, but priced such that it should be
treated as a premium brand available at a reasonable price. The current innovative ad
campaign theme must continue as most users perceive it to have one of the best impacts.
37
4) Incentives: More incentives need to be given to the retailers to promote the product.
Incentives like additional discounts or bonus coupons to retailers will encourage them to
not only allocate more shop space, but also promote them over other brands.
38
5)
LEARNINGS FROM THE PROJECT
The objective of the project was to explore and interact with the real world people and analyze a
situation to have some potentially real impact. It was also guided to develop a sense of
methodical and quantitative approach to marketing problems and develop a keen sense of
consumer preferences.
Narrowing down on the management decision problem involved focusing on how best to capture
the market share. Once it was decided that an existing brand is to be promoted for the purpose,
the flagship brand of HUL was chosen to lead the way. This gave an opportunity to reverse the
downward market trends that Surf has seen in the last few years.
Exploratory depth interviews were conducted to get some key insights to consumer behavior and
choices. Once sufficient data was collected, an LP diagram was constructed which helped us in
picking up some key words and concepts. These were then used to develop a structured objective
questionnaire which was administered to both consumers and retailers. This gave us a holistic
view of the current situation.
Asking retailers served one another purpose. We were not able to cover the local people since
most of them refused to fill in the surveys. So, we targeted those retail shops where the local and
poor people generally buy. This way, we were able to get aggregated information from these
places.
A rigorous quantitative analysis of the questionnaire led a logical and a coherent conclusion
which catered to the management decision problem as well the marketing research problem.
39
APPENDICES
Exhibit I – Research Matrix
Research Research Information needed Source of Analysis Plan
Problem Questions Informatio
n
What are the Where do you The quality of clothes Primary – The data
criterions that the generally shop generally used. depth obtained through
customer for clothes? Are interview primary research
segment uses to there any will be used
buy a detergent? specific/brands
you purchase?
How do you care The extent to which Primary – The data
for your clothes? the clothes are taken depth obtained through
care of interview primary research
will be used
What is the To understand the Primary – The data
feeling that you level of care that the depth obtained through
want while respondent is willing interview primary research
washing clothes to take and the extent will be used
to which he wants his
clothes to be clean
and the kind of
feeling and
confidence the
detergent gives
What is the To understand how Primary – The data

significance of the detergent works depth obtained through
clean and well in terms of strength interview primary research
maintained and harshness. This will be used
clothes also should give a
relation between the
price elasticity and
quality.
40
How does price This gives a direct Primary – The data
pay a role in relation with the price quantitative obtained through
selecting your being paid with the interview primary research
detergent quality of care of the will be used
clothes taken
How to increase If certain brands This gives an Primary- The data
the switching of have promotions indication of the Depth obtained through
customers from how willing are sensitivity of interview primary research
other brands to you to switch to customers and will be used
HLL the brand? whether promotion
may increase the
sales
How much do This gives an Primary- The data
you relate with indication of scope of Depth obtained through
surf excel improvement of Interview primary research
advertisement? advertisements to will be used
increase the decibel
level and quality of
the ads.
How to improve This gives a feedback Primary- The data
the image of Surf from the customers Depth obtained through
Excel and Rin? themselves on their Interview primary research
perception of the will be used
image and ways to
improve according to
them.
How would you This gives the Primary- The data
like to hear about possible medium of Depth obtained through
the detergent? communications on Interview primary research
which the customer will be used
relies?
41
What range of To gauge the level of Primary- The data
HUL laundry the awareness to the Depth obtained through
care products are product portfolio of Interview primary research
you aware of? HLL in the detergent will be used
market.
To understand How do you This gives an Primary- The data

the impact of perceive the new indication of customer Depth obtained through
technology and technology in the awareness about the Interview primary research
new innovations market? new technology in the will be used
on the customer market and their
purchasing effect on the
decision. purchasing decision.
Should the It illustrates the The data
detergent be a reaction of the obtained through
one stop solution customer to a new primary research
for all the needs? possible product. will be used
Role of sales How effective is How happy are the Primary – The data
department on the sales force in dealers and retailers quantitative obtained through
the penetration reaching the with the sales survey primary and
in the market market and department and secondary
and store maximizing shop distribution network. research will be
presence space visibility. used
42
Exhibit II: Market share variation in the 2001-08 period
Product Company 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Surf Unilever Group 22.8 22.6 21.2 21.1 20.4 20.7 20.1 19.9
Wheel Unilever Group 17.8 19.4 19.9 19.1 19.3 19.4 19.7 20.2
Nirma Nirma Ltd 14.6 13.6 13.5 13.8 13.9 13.8 12.9 12.1
Ghari Ghari Industries Pvt Ltd 10.6 10.7 10.9 11.2 11.5 11.9 12.1 12.3
Ariel Procter & Gamble Co, The 5.8 5.1 4.7 3.7 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2
Ujala Supreme Jyothy Laboratories Ltd 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.1
Fena Fena Ltd 2.5 2.6 3.5 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.9
Henko Henkel KGaA 2.1 2 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.9
Nima Nirma Ltd 2 2 2.1 1.9 1.5 1.5 1.3 1
Sunlight Unilever Group 1.5 1.5 1.1 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7
Robin Reckitt Benckiser Plc 1 1.1 1 1.1 1 1 1 0.9
Tide Procter & Gamble Co, The 0.9 1 1.3 2.4 3.1 3.4 3.8 3.9
Mr White Henkel KGaA 0.8 0.8 0.7 1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
Chek Henkel KGaA 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9
Amway Amway Corp 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4
Ezee Godrej Group 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Ala Unilever Group 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
Revive Marico Industries Ltd 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 - - - -
Ranipal Pidilite Industries Ltd 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2
Vanish Reckitt Benckiser Plc - - - - - 0.2 0.3 0.5
Revive Marico Ltd - - - - 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Private label Private Label 1.3 1.3 1.4 1 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.4
Others Others 10.8 10.8 11.2 13.1 12.8 11.8 11.8 12.5
Total Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
43
Exhibit III - Depth interview responses
Exhibit III (a)
Mr. Sailesh Pati, Male, 24 years, Student
Where do you shop for clothes?

Normal standalone shops
Are there any specific/brands you purchase?

No
How do you care for your clothes and how are they washed?
I wash the clothes myself in the washing machine. I don’t believe the dhobi can do a better job.
How often do you wash your clothes?

Once a week
Do you distinguish between the care of branded and unbranded clothes

No, I don’t make such a distinction. Given the time constraint, I put all of them for washing
together
Are there any differences between the way you care for clothes in general.. say between winter
and summer clothes
No, I can’t say that I care for them differently
What is your perception of washing very expensive clothes by yourself (or dhobi)?
I give them to a laundry rather than put them in the washing machine
How would you ideally want to care for your clothes?

I am happy with the way I currently care for my clothes - I don’t think there is an ideal way
good detergent, nice soft brush, and a good conditioner (e.g. Bambi)
What is your preferred detergent brand

Tide
Has this always been your favourite brand?

No, I cant say I have a favourite brand as such - I started with Ariel, then went on to surf and
now use Tide.
If not, what prompted you to switch?

I guess, it was do with the price - I found Surf pretty expensive
44
How loyal are you to your current brand, some pointers being price fluctuation, quality of
product etc
I am not very loyal to my current brand - if I get better value for my money, I will switch
What is your preferred medium of washing clothes? (cakes/ powder/liquid)

Powder
What do you look for in a detergent?

Does a good job of cleaning more than anything else
What is the ideal detergent for you?

Through cleaning of clothes
How should it look?
How should it smell?

I would prefer it to be odorless
How should the packing look like and what quantity would you prefer?
The packaging should not look too gaudy, simple is better
What other qualities you look for in the detergent?

Nothing besides the ones, I have already mentioned
What factors affect your purchasing decision for a detergent?

I don’t think too much besides a good price and good washing quality
How would you like to hear about your ideal detergent?

Television
Where do you shop for detergents?

Convenience stores
With whom do you shop (especially while shopping) detergents?

Nobody
To what extent does this person influence the kind of detergent you purchase?
Not applicable
If certain brands have promotions, how willing are you to switch to that brand?
Yes, I will try the brand out at least once. If I find it good enough, I might consider switching
How do you perceive the ‘new technology’ which is used in today’s detergents, as in stain
removal, quick-wash etc?
45
I am not convinced that you can have 'new technology' in these detergents. Its more of a
marketing gimmick.
Should the detergent be a one stop solution for all needs – or should different problems be
addressed by different detergents? (Softening/ whitening/ stain removal)
I would prefer a one stop solution for all my clothes
What does Surf excel as a brand mean to you?

Good brand, it is well known. It is old, has been around for a while. It’s the top brand comes first
to mind when I think of detergents
How can surf excel improve its image?

It has a good image. I don’t use it because of the high price
Do you know the range of Surf excel products?

I know they have 2 -3 different products - but am not exactly sure what they are
How much do you relate with the Surf Excel Advertisement?

The advertisements are good.
Exhibit III (b)
Radhe Shyam, Male 29 years, Working Professional

Usually Malls

No, I am not too brand conscious, what matters for me is comfort.
I give the clothes to the dhobi to wash. I am happy with the work he does and am also aware of
the detergent he uses. The reason I give my clothes to the dhobi is convenience

Everyday
Do you distinguish between the care of branded and unbranded clothes?
46
Yes
and summer clothes?
Yes, I wash and iron my summer clothes regularly. All my winter clothes are dry cleaned.
I give them to the laundry

No proper response
What is your preferred detergent brand?

Surf Excel
Yes, this has always been my favourite brand

Not applicable
product etc?
I am loyal to surf, but may not be if the price increases
What is your preferred medium of washing clothes? (Cakes/ powder/liquid)

Powder

Clean clothes well, not too much of soda

Clean clothes well, not too much soda
How should it look?

Should look like a powder

Smell nice, shoud have a pleasant smell (fragrance)
47
Attractive, good quality packing, 1kg

Nothing

Should wash clothes well, should be recommended by others

Television

Kirana store

No one
Not applicable
No, I will not switch
They do not live up to their names
addressed by different detergents? (Softening/ whitening/ stain removal
Ideally yes, may not be possible
Washes clothes clean

By being less pricey

Just know about normal surf excel
48
I relate quite a lot with the advertisements
Exhibit III (c )
Ms. Deepti Yadav, Female 23 years, Software Engineer

Malls and stores

Yes, I am fond of Pepe Jeans, W, Wills, Levi's and Gap
I care for my clothes, and prefer to wash them myself

I wash my clothes on a weekly basis

I care more for my branded clothes. I tend to wash them less often so that they don’t wear our
faster
and summer clothes?
Yes, I wash and iron my summer clothes regularly. All my winter clothes are dry cleaned.
All expensive clothes, I either wash by myself or give to the laundry. I never give it to my
servant or put them in the washing machine

Self was with extreme care and caution

Surf Excel

Always, I grew up watching this brand - it has always been used by my family
49
Not applicable
product etc?
Extremely loyal irrespective of price and quality

Powder

Stain removal, mild on skin

Good stain removal, mild on skin, Whitening
How should it look?

It should not have big globules

Should be nice ( eg. floral)
Colourful packing (easy to tear and convenient to extract)

1 Kg packets

Easy foam creation and good quality

Television

Local Store

Previously mother, now self
50
Big influence in early years
No, will change brand only if the promised quality is actually good.
Unaffected, because stain removal capacity remains the same
Yes, there should be minimal hassles

Reliable, High Quality

Reduce price, celebrity to do advertisements

Know about surf excel blue and gentle wash

If new features are shown in the advertisement then will try to use it. Identify with the ad
promising good stain removal and whitening
Exhibit III (d)
Satyendra Mehra, Male 24 years, Student

Malls

Westside is my preferred brand
The dhobi washes the clothes and I am satisfied with the quality. I am not aware of the
51
Weekly

Yes, very much. I take more care of my branded clothes
and summer clothes?
Definitely, I take more care of my woollens.
Dhobi, they are generally good, he is experienced

Dhobis should care about the clothes the same way one handles his/her own clothes

Ariel

No, surf excel is my favourite brand. However, I don’t use it given its high price.

However, I don’t use it given its high price.
product etc?
Very less loyal, will change if same quality at lesser price is provided I will buy the new brand

Powder

Qualities shown in Advertisement

Good stain fighting qualities and a low price.
52
How should it look?
Coloured granules mixed in white

Smell should be nice since the clothes will radiate the smell afterwards.
1 kg, plastic jar with spoon

Not much really

Advertisement, word of mouth, price, availability, prior experience

Best in terms of quality, not necessarily has to be the best seller

Kirana store

Alone usually
Not applicable
If similar quality (as said by others) given at discounted rate, I may be willing to buy
They are meaningless, don’t matter much
It can’t be possible
53
Remember RIN which merged with Excel recently, not really good quality

Reduce price, celebrity to do advertisements

Only two - surf excel blue and surf excel automatic

Hard to remember, some ads are senseless (like the one in which the dog of the teacher dies)
Exhibit III (e)
Mrs. Yadav
Female, 45, Homemaker

Generally shop for clothes in stores where I used to shop in the past and have the relevant brands

Yes. I generally shop for specific brands .since they can be more trusted and since I buy from the
stores where i have developed relations, it is easy for me to return the clothes in case of any
problem
I give the clothes to dhobi on a weekly basis and wash myself also. Dhobi uses Surf excel and
have asked him to use it. Generally because of busy schedule, have to give it to dhobi. Otherwise
washes the clothes myself.

Daily

Yes. If it is branded clothes then i try to take more care by washing them together since there is a
very high chance of colour stripping from unbranded clothes. I don’t wash the unbranded clothes
with Surf Excel and prefers to use Rin advanced surf for them. I use surf excel for all other
clothes.
yes. Special fabric cleansers are used for good clothes and for normal cheap detergents suffice.
54
and summer clothes?
Yes, I wash winter clothes with Ezee. Since surf excel results in contraction of winter clothes , it
is preferable to was the winter clothes with Ezee
I prefer to wash expensive clothes only by dry cleaning and wash clothes which are in middle
range by me

With care - the way I am doing now

Surf Excel quick-wash

Surf excel has always been my favourite brand and even though the price has increased and
cheaper options are available, i prefer to use since it has a high quality.

Not applicable
product etc?
In fact I have stuck to this brand for quite long even though the price has rocketed. However If
the price goes any further, I would switch to any other brand like Tide

Well liquid is generally the best medium since it dissolves in the water better and thus able to
wash the clothes properly. However there are no liquid options for surf excel available in the
market so I use powder only

High quality of washing, gentle on hands, reasonable price

Gentle on clothes, no colour fading, good to skin, work equally well in washing machine
55
How should it look?
White

It should give a feeling of freshness
Packing should be of ½ Kg since I don’t want to go back to shop every now and then to shop for
the detergent. But at the same time, I don’t want the price of the ½ kg packet to be high
(preferably less than 100) 100 is a mental block

Nothing

Generally I purchase the detergent powder once a fortnight or so; and I am quite happy with surf
excel, so I do not really consult anybody regarding the detergents

Television

Kirana, grocery stores, big bazaar if nearby

Myself
Not applicable
Well, promotions for other brands would not affect me since I am quite loyal to surf excel.
However I would welcome any promotion by surf excel.
Quick-wash has very good technology. It has become my favourite once I have started to use
quite willing if the quality is good, extra quantity in same price, some relevant gifts like soft
bristle brushes, clothe whitener
56
Why not, however price should be optimum for me to afford

Well I have bought surf excel since quite long and am a loyal buyer of HLL as such. Even after
increase in the price I have stick to it and I like the brand very much

Well reduce the price right way and you would see a lot of buyers flocking to buy the surf excel
Improving quality of products, price seems reasonable for its quality

No

The advertisements are good
Well ads are really nice ...however the whole portfolio of products is not known to me through
the ads....and in fact I don’t find any in my Kirana store either....however ads are a real treat to
watch.. and get the message across
Exhibit III (f)
Ms. Anshita Gairola, Female, 26 years, Student

Malls

Fab India, Indian terrain, levis, lee
Dhobi, for white clothes ala and tender wash ezy. I have no time to wash them myself

Every alternate day given for a wash

Yes. Special fabric cleansers are used for good clothes and for normal cheap detergents suffice.
57
and summer clothes?
Do not use brush for winter clothes, detergent should not be harsh but at the same time should
remove all the stains and dirt.
I wash it by myself or dry cleaning (for coat, jacket, silk etc), never give it to dhobi

Good detergent, nice soft brush, and a good conditioner (eg. Bambi)

Tide

Surf excel is my favourite

Affordable price, not much difference in quality of wash especially for coloured clothes
product etc?
With increase in income, I would switch to surf excel because I feel it gives the best wash

Powder
Powder as it seems gentler and more efficient in cleaning; use of brush is minimal while cleaning
is very high

Strong cleansing action for greasy dirt, very good lather and tender on clothes

Fresh and good stain fighter with a reasonable price
How should it look?

Plain white
58
Sweet fragrance like lavender
Sachets and 0.5 kg packs are most preferred. Sachets remove the worry of how much quantity to
be used for one wash. It should be in a container rather than a polythene or paper bag because
hands are generally wet while using them.

Detergents should have conditioners with them clubbed

Budget, fragrance, cleaning action

Billboards and TV ads

Foodworld

Alone
With friends
No influence at all
I think it makes a difference – the new products are better than the older ones
addressed by different detergents? (softening/ whitening/ stain removal)
Willing to try new products which have innovative features.

Best in class, high priced
59
Improving quality of products, price seems reasonable for its quality

No I am not aware

The advertisements are good
The ads are good and they have a significant impact in my buying decision.
60
Exhibit IV: Quantitative structured Consumer survey form
How do you wash your clothes?
• Washing machine
• Domestic help
• Other:
What is the current brand of detergent you are using?
• Surf
• Henko
• Tide
• Ariel
• Wheel
• Other:
Which detergents have you used in the past?
• Surf
• Henko
• Tide
• Ariel
• Wheel
• Other:
Which product variety of Surf would you like to use?
61
• Liquid
• Powder
• Soap cakes
What kind of smell would you like in your detergent?
• No perfumes
• Flower scented
• Something similar to deodorants
• Regular aroma
• Other:
What packet sizes of detergents do you generally use?
• Sachets
• 100gm
• 250gm
• 500gm
• 1kg
• Other:
How much you are currently paying for ½ Kg pack of washing detergent?
• < Rs. 30
• Between 30 and 50
62
• > Rs. 70
How much you are willing to pay for ½ Kg pack of washing detergent?
• < Rs. 30
• > Rs. 70
• Price does not matter, quality does
Which following packaging mediums would you like to have for your most commonly bought quantity of
powder?
• Plastic container (hardbound)
• Cardboard container
• Plastic bag (softbound)
• Other:
In a detergent could you please indicate how important each of these features is to you1 is Highest
preference and 5 is lowest preference
Extremely Extremely
High Neutral Low
high low
Remove tough
stains
Easy and gentle on

hands/machine
Smells fresh
Color
63
Extremely Extremely
High Neutral Low
high low
Price
Why do you use the current brand?
• This is exactly the brand you have wanted to use
• It is the best brand available
• It is a force of habit
• There is really no choice
If your brand is not available at the store where you usually make purchases, most probably what will be
your response?
• I will look at other stores until I find the brand
• I will wait till this brand comes to my store
• I will look at one or two stores and buy the available one
• I will buy another brand from the same store
What is your most preferred promotional scheme?
• Extra quantity at same price
• Price discounts
• Bundling of other similar products like bathing soaps
• No schemes would be better
Which brand has the most influential ads?Choose answer in terms of impact , relevance
• Surf
64
• Henko
• Tide
• Ariel
• Wheel
• Other:
Through which medium of promotion you are more likely influenced?You can have more than one answer
• TV
• Radio
• Billboards
• In the Shops
• Word of mouth
• Other:
Does your consumption of washing powder vary seasonally?(The consumption in summer might be
different as compared to autumn or winter etc)
• Yes
• No
How loyal are you to your current brand of detergent?
• Extremely loyal
• Loyal
• Neutral
65
• Not loyal
• Not concerned about brands
Please choose the most appropriate option for the basic detergent qualityLike separate detergents for
woolens, washing machines etc
• Prefer detergent to be a one stop solution to all kinds of clothes
• Prefer separate detergents for specific needs
• Indifferent
• Other:
Do technological innovations in detergents influence your decision to buy the detergent?
• Yes
• No
If Yes, then which detergent brand to you find to be the most technologically advanced
• Surf
• Ariel
• Tide
• Henko
• Wheel
• Other:
Name
Age
66
• <25 years
• Between 25 and 35 years
• > 35 years
Occupation
• Student
• Faculty
• Working professional
• Homemaker
• Self employed
• Other:
Which part of the country to you originally belong to?
• North
• South
• East
• West
• Central
What is you education level?
• High school and below
• Graduation
• Post graduation
67
• Refuse to answer
• Other:
68
Exhibit V: Quantitative structured Retail survey form
1) What is the frequency of detergents orders?
a. Daily
b. Weekly
c. Monthly
d. Other _____________ (please specify)
2) What all the detergent brands that you order (please tick the appropriate options)
a. Surf
b. Wheel
c. Tide
d. Ariel
e. Henko
f. Ujala
g. Nirma
h. Others ______________ (please specify)
3) Which is the most selling detergent brand in your store?(tick one)

a. Surf
b. Wheel
c. Tide
d. Ariel
e. Henko
f. Ujala
g. Nirma
h. Others ______________ (please specify)
4) How often does the Surf sales and distribution network supply the detergents?
a. Daily
b. Weekly
c. By-Weekly
d. Monthly
e. Other____________ (Please specify)
5) On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being extremely poor and 10 being extremely good) please rate
the quality of service provided to you by the salesmen for Surf detergents
____________________
69
the distribution system of Surf (w.r.t. promptness of delivery)
____________________
the incentives schemes provided by HUL of Surf detergents
____________________
8) How do you rate the promptness in delivery by the salesmen of Surf

a. Extremely good
b. Good
c. Neutral
d. Bad
e. Extremely bad
9) What types of detergents give more profit margins?

a. Local brands detergents
b. National brands detergents
10) Which is the brand that offers maximum offers (price discounts, extra quantity etc)?
a. Surf
b. Wheel
c. Tide
d. Ariel
e. Henko
f. Ujala
g. Nirma
h. Others _____________(please specify)
11) How much shop space is allocated to detergents?

a. <1%
b. 1-3%
c. 3-5%
d. 5-10%
e. >10%
12) How much of detergent shop space is allocated to Surf?

a. <10%
b. 10-20%
c. 20-40%
70
d. 40-60%
e. >60%
13) Which brand according to you rates highest in terms of quality?
a. Surf
b. Wheel
c. Tide
d. Ariel
e. Henko
f. Ujala
g. Nirma
14) Which brand according to you rates highest in terms of value for money?
a. Surf
b. Wheel
c. Tide
d. Ariel
e. Henko
f. Ujala
g. Nirma
15) Is there any seasonal variation in demand for determination detergents?

a. Yes
b. No
(If yes then fill 15)

16) How high are the sales of Surf in summer as compared to sales in winter?
a. Very high
b. Slightly high
c. About the same
d. Slightly lower
e. Very low
17) What is the most frequently bought quantity of powder detergents?

a. Sachets
b. 200 gm
c. 500 gm
d. 1 kg
71
e. 2 kg
72
Exhibit VI: Codebook for Consumer Questionnaire
Va Q. Scale Value
r# # Description Type Range Codes
Method of washing
1 1 clothes Nominal 1 to 3 1. Domestic help
2. Hand wash
3. Washing
machine
2 2 Current brand used Nominal 1 to 8 1. 555

2. Anyone
3. Ariel
4. Henko
5. Rin
6. Surf
7. Tide
8 Wheel
Brands used
2 2 previously Nominal 1 to 8 1. 555
2. Anyone
3. Ariel
4. Henko
5. Rin
6. Surf
7. Tide
8 Wheel
Awareness about
4 4 Surf Excel Nominal 1 to 2 1. Yes
2. No
Preferred Product
5 5 variety for use Nominal 1 to 3 1. Liquid
2. Powder
3. Soap cakes
6 6 Product variety used Nominal 1 to 3 1. Liquid

2. Powder
73
3. Soap cakes
7 7 Smell of detergent Nominal 1 to 5 1. Flower scented

2. No perfumes
3. Rainbow
4. Regular aroma
5. Something
similar to
deodorants
8 8 Packet size bought Nominal 1 to 5 1. Sachets

2. 250 gms
3. 500 gms pack
4. 1 kg pack
5. > 1kg packs
Current price paid for

9 9 500 gms Nominal 1 to 4 1. <Rs.30
2. More than 30
and less than 50
3. More than 50
and less than 70
4. >70
Maximum price
willing to pay for 500
10 10 gms Nominal 1 to 4 1. <Rs.30
2. More than 30
and less than 50
3. More than 50
and less than 70
4. >70
Preferred packing 1. Cardboard

11 11 medium Nominal 1 to 3 container
2. Plastic bag
(softbound)
3. Plastic
container
(hardbound)
74
12 Remove tough stains Ordinal 1 to 5 1. Extermely high
Easy on the hands/
13 machine 2. High
14 12 Smells fresh 3. Neutral
15 Colour 4. Low
16 Price 5. Extremely low
Why current brand is 1. It is a force of

17 13 used Nominal 1 to 4 habit
2 It is the best
brand available
3. There is really
no choice
4. This is exactly
the brand you
have wanted to
use
1. I will buy
another brand
Response in case of from the same
18 14 unavailibility Nominal 1 to 4 store
2. I will look at
one or two stores
and buy the
available one
3. I will look at
other stores until I
find the brand
4. I will wait till
this brand comes
to my store
1. Bundling of
other similar
Preferred products like
19 15 promotional scheme Nominal 1 to 4 bathing soaps
2. Extra quantity
at same price
75
3. No schemes
would be better
4. Price discounts
Most influential
20 16 advertisements Nominal 1 to 8 1. 555
2. Anyone
3. Ariel
4. Henko
5. Rin
6. Surf
7. Tide
8 Wheel
Preferred method of
21 17 promotion Nominal 1 to 4 1. Television
2. Billboards
3. Word of mouth
4. Other
Seasonality in
22 18 consumption Nominal 1 to 2 1. Yes
2. No
Loyalty to current
23 19 brand Nominal 1 to 4 1. Extremely loyal
2. Loyal
3. Neutral
4. Not loyal
1. Detergent
should be able to
Basic quailty of wash the floor as
24 20 detergent Nominal 1 to 4 well
2. Indifferent
3. Prefer
detergent to be a
one stop solution
to all kinds of
clothes
76
4. Prefer separate
detergents for
specific needs
Influence of
25 21 innovations Nominal 1 to 2 1. Yes
2. No
26 22 Age Nominal 1 to 3 1. <25 year

2. Between 25
and 35 years
3. > 35 years
27 23 Occupation Nominal 1 to 5 1. Homemaker

2. Retired Banker
3. Self employed
4. Student
5. Working
professional
28 24 Demography Nominal 1 to 5 1. Central

2. East
3. North
4. South
5. West
29 25 Education Nominal 1 to 5 1. School

2. College
3. Graduation
4. Post graduation
5. Refuse to
answer
30 26 Gender Nominal 1 to 2 1.Male

2.Female
77
Exhibit VII: Codebook for Retailer Questionnaire
Var Q. Scale Value
# # Description Type Range Codes
Nomina
1 1 Frequency of orders l 1 to 4 1. Daily
2. Weekly
3. Monthly
4. Other
Nomina
2 2 Brands ordered l 1 to 8 1 Surf
2. Wheel
3. Tide
4. Ariel
5. Henko
6. Ujala
7. Nirma
8. Others
Nomina
3 3 Most selling brand l 1 to 8 1 Surf
2. Wheel
3. Tide
4. Ariel
5. Henko
6. Ujala
7. Nirma
8. Others
Nomina
4 4 Supply of Surf by HUL l 1 to 5 1. Daily
2. Weekly
3. Monthly
4. Other
5 5 Service quality Ordinal 0 to 10 0 to 10 - Ranking
6 6 Promptness of delivery Ordinal 0 to 10 0 to 10 - Ranking
7 7 Incentive schemes Ordinal 0 to 10 0 to 10 - Ranking
78
offered
Nomina 1. Local brands

8 8 Profit margins l 1 to 2 detergents
2. National brands
detergents
Maximum offers Nomina

9 9 provided by brand l 1 to 8 1 Surf
2. Wheel
3. Tide
4. Ariel
5. Henko
6. Ujala
7. Nirma
8. Others
Shop space allocated Nomina

10 10 for detergents l 1 to 5 1. <1%
2. 1-3%
3. 3-5%
4. 5-10%
5. >10%
Of the allocated area, Nomina

11 11 space given to Surf l 1 to 5 1. <10%
2. 10-20%
3. 20-40%
4. 40-60%
5. >60%
Nomina
12 12 Brand rating for quality l 1 to 8 1 Surf
2. Wheel
3. Tide
4. Ariel
5. Henko
6. Ujala
7. Nirma
8. Others
13 13 Brand providing value Nomina 1 to 8 1 Surf
79
for money l
2. Wheel
3. Tide
4. Ariel
5. Henko
6. Ujala
7. Nirma
8. Others
Seasonal variation in Nomina

14 14 demand l 1 to 2 1. Yes
2. No
Comparison of winter Nomina

15 15 and summer sales l 1 to 5 1. Very high
2. Slightly high
3. About the same
4. Slightly lower
5. Very low
Most freqently Nomina

16 16 purchased quanity l 1 to 5 1. Sachets
2. 200 gm
3. 500 gm
4. 1 kg
5. 2 kg
Number of variants
17 17 stocked Ordinal 0 to 6 0 to 6 - Ranking
Highest selling Surf Nomina 1. Surf Excel Top

18 18 product l 1 to 6 Matic
2. Surf Excel Front
Matic
3. Surf Blue
4. Surf Quickwash
5. Surf Gentle wash
6. Surf Bar
80
Exhibit VIII: Kruskel Wallis tests based on demographic data
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Removes tough stains versus Age
Kruskal-Wallis Test on Removes tough stains
Age N Median Ave Rank Z

1 36 1.000 25.6 -0.31
2 7 2.000 31.3 1.01
3 8 1.000 23.3 -0.57
Overall 51 26.0
H = 1.19 DF = 2 P = 0.552
H = 1.71 DF = 2 P = 0.424 (adjusted for ties)
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Easy on hands versus Age

Kruskal-Wallis Test on Easy on hands

1 36 2.000 23.6 -1.78
2 7 3.000 44.1 3.48
3 8 2.000 20.9 -1.06
Overall 51 26.0
H = 12.31 DF = 2 P = 0.002
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Smells Fresh versus Age

49 cases were used
2 cases contained missing values
Kruskal-Wallis Test on Smells Fresh

1 34 2.000 23.6 -1.02
2 7 2.000 30.4 1.09
3 8 2.000 26.1 0.24
Overall 49 25.0
H = 1.38 DF = 2 P = 0.502
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Colour versus Age
81
Kruskal-Wallis Test on Colour

1 36 4.000 27.3 0.95
2 7 3.000 25.4 -0.12
3 8 3.000 20.8 -1.07
Overall 51 26.0
H = 1.25 DF = 2 P = 0.534
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Price versus Age

Kruskal-Wallis Test on Price

1 36 2.000 26.9 0.66
2 7 2.000 18.4 -1.46
3 8 2.500 28.7 0.56
Overall 51 26.0
H = 2.24 DF = 2 P = 0.326
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Removes tough stains versus Geographical region

Geographical
region N Median Ave Rank Z
1 1 1.000 17.0 -0.61
2 2 2.000 42.0 1.55
3 20 1.000 23.7 -0.89
4 11 2.000 30.6 1.17
5 17 1.000 24.4 -0.56
Overall 51 26.0
H = 4.44 DF = 4 P = 0.350
* NOTE * One or more small samples
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Easy on hands versus Geographical region

Geographical
1 1 4.000 49.0 1.56
82
2 2 3.000 40.5 1.41
3 20 2.000 25.7 -0.13
4 11 1.000 21.6 -1.10
5 17 2.000 26.1 0.05
Overall 51 26.0
H = 5.26 DF = 4 P = 0.262
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Smells Fresh versus Geographical region

49 cases were used
Geographical
1 1 2.000 20.5 -0.32
2 2 2.000 20.5 -0.45
3 20 2.000 22.5 -1.01
4 9 2.000 27.8 0.65
5 17 2.000 27.2 0.80
Overall 49 25.0
H = 1.65 DF = 4 P = 0.799
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Colour versus Geographical region

Geographical
1 1 4.000 35.5 0.65
2 2 2.000 5.5 -1.99
3 20 3.000 25.4 -0.24
4 11 4.000 34.0 2.00
5 17 3.000 23.4 -0.87
Overall 51 26.0
H = 7.90 DF = 4 P = 0.095
83
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Price versus Geographical region
Geographical
1 1 3.000 36.0 0.68
2 2 1.000 5.5 -1.99
3 20 2.000 26.3 0.12
4 11 2.000 27.1 0.29
5 17 2.000 26.7 0.25
Overall 51 26.0
H = 4.37 DF = 4 P = 0.358
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Removes tough stains versus Gender

Gender N Median Ave Rank Z

1 24 1.000 26.4 0.17
2 27 1.000 25.7 -0.17
Overall 51 26.0
H = 0.03 DF = 1 P = 0.865
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Easy on hands versus Gender


1 24 2.000 22.4 -1.62
2 27 2.000 29.2 1.62
Overall 51 26.0
H = 2.63 DF = 1 P = 0.105
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Smells Fresh versus Gender

49 cases were used
84

1 23 2.000 25.5 0.22
2 26 2.000 24.6 -0.22
Overall 49 25.0
H = 0.05 DF = 1 P = 0.826
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Colour versus Gender


1 24 3.000 26.8 0.35
2 27 3.000 25.3 -0.35
Overall 51 26.0
H = 0.12 DF = 1 P = 0.727
Kruskal-Wallis Test: Price versus Gender


1 24 2.000 25.1 -0.39
2 27 2.000 26.8 0.39
Overall 51 26.0
H = 0.15 DF = 1 P = 0.699
85
Exhibit IX: K-means Cluster Analysis: Wash clothes, Current Bran, Variety of p
Final Partition
Number of clusters: 3
Within Average Maximum

cluster distance distance
Number of sum of from from
observations squares centroid centroid
Cluster1 16 79.063 2.021 4.227
Cluster2 22 96.364 1.924 3.462
Cluster3 13 38.923 1.710 2.466
Cluster Centroids
Grand
Variable Cluster1 Cluster2 Cluster3 centroid
Wash clothes 2.3750 1.8182 2.0000 2.0392
Current Brand 5.3125 5.8636 6.6923 5.9020
Variety of product 1.8750 2.0909 2.0000 2.0000
Preferred smell in detergent 4.3125 1.2273 4.6154 3.0588
Currently paying 3.0625 2.1818 2.4615 2.5294
Willing to Pay 3.5000 2.0455 1.9231 2.4706
Preferred packaging 1.8750 2.1364 2.0769 2.0392
Distances Between Cluster Centroids
Cluster1 Cluster2 Cluster3

Cluster1 0.0000 3.6247 2.2451
Cluster2 3.6247 0.0000 3.5077
Cluster3 2.2451 3.5077 0.0000
86
Cluster Analysis of Observations: Wash clothes, Current Bran, Variety of p
Standardized Variables, Euclidean Distance, Single Linkage

Amalgamation Steps
Number
of obs.
Number of Similarity Distance Clusters New in new
Step clusters level level joined cluster cluster
1 50 100.000 0.00000 32 51 32 2
2 49 100.000 0.00000 31 50 31 2
3 48 100.000 0.00000 37 49 37 2
4 47 100.000 0.00000 29 48 29 2
5 46 100.000 0.00000 28 47 28 2
6 45 100.000 0.00000 43 46 43 2
7 44 100.000 0.00000 14 45 14 2
8 43 100.000 0.00000 13 44 13 2
9 42 100.000 0.00000 18 43 18 3
10 41 100.000 0.00000 11 42 11 2
11 40 100.000 0.00000 10 41 10 2
12 39 100.000 0.00000 9 40 9 2
13 38 100.000 0.00000 30 37 30 3
14 37 100.000 0.00000 15 18 15 4
15 36 100.000 0.00000 12 15 12 5
16 35 91.066 0.59586 6 12 6 6
17 34 91.066 0.59586 30 35 30 4
18 33 91.066 0.59586 8 16 8 2
19 32 89.095 0.72736 6 31 6 8
20 31 82.133 1.19173 6 38 6 9
21 30 82.099 1.19398 6 11 6 11
22 29 81.451 1.23718 6 39 6 12
23 28 79.485 1.36830 8 23 8 3
87
24 27 78.324 1.44574 6 29 6 14
25 26 78.324 1.44574 10 27 10 3
26 25 78.324 1.44574 4 8 4 4
27 24 76.767 1.54961 6 21 6 15
28 23 75.109 1.66022 6 10 6 18
29 22 73.345 1.77783 9 30 9 6
30 21 73.345 1.77783 9 14 9 8
31 20 73.199 1.78759 4 26 4 5
32 19 73.199 1.78759 3 22 3 2
33 18 72.773 1.81599 4 9 4 13
34 17 72.064 1.86328 4 7 4 14
35 16 70.058 1.99711 4 20 4 15
36 15 69.991 2.00157 6 17 6 19
37 14 69.991 2.00157 1 4 1 16
38 13 69.847 2.01117 1 2 1 17
39 12 69.251 2.05094 1 36 1 18
40 11 68.975 2.06933 1 6 1 37
41 10 67.511 2.16696 1 25 1 38
42 9 65.689 2.28849 1 33 1 39
43 8 65.689 2.28849 1 3 1 41
44 7 65.559 2.29715 1 34 1 42
45 6 65.199 2.32121 1 24 1 43
46 5 62.707 2.48737 1 5 1 44
47 4 60.024 2.66635 1 32 1 46
48 3 59.038 2.73212 1 19 1 47
49 2 57.976 2.80293 1 13 1 49
50 1 55.591 2.96203 1 28 1 51
Final Partition
Average Maximum
Within distance distance
Number of cluster sum from from
observations of squares centroid centroid
88
Cluster1 47 296.742 2.43737 3.98204
Cluster2 2 0.000 0.00000 0.00000
Cluster3 2 0.000 0.00000 0.00000
Cluster Centroids
Grand
Wash clothes 0.0033401 0.96154 -1.04003 0.0000000
Current Brand 0.0867850 0.79866 -2.83811 0.0000000
Variety of product 0.0000000 2.04124 -2.04124 0.0000000
Preferred smell in detergent -0.0730847 1.15668 0.56081 0.0000000
Currently paying 0.0034250 0.64391 -0.72439 0.0000000
Willing to Pay 0.0414383 -0.48690 -0.48690 0.0000000
Preferred packaging 0.0048252 1.38904 -1.50244 0.0000000

Cluster1 0.00000 3.11598 4.15847
Cluster2 3.11598 0.00000 6.66986
Cluster3 4.15847 6.66986 0.00000
89
Exhibit X: K-means Cluster Analysis: Preferred sm, Currently pa, Willing to P, If
current
Final Partition
Average Maximum
Within distance distance
Number of cluster sum from from
observations of squares centroid centroid
Cluster1 12 41.750 1.741 3.205
Cluster2 22 138.364 2.356 4.367
Cluster3 17 58.824 1.792 2.778
Cluster Centroids
Grand
Preferred smell in detergent 4.2500 1.2273 4.5882 3.0588
Currently paying 3.2500 2.1818 2.4706 2.5294
Willing to Pay 3.8333 2.0455 2.0588 2.4706
If current brand unavilable 3.0000 1.9091 1.9412 2.1765
Why current brand 2.3333 1.9545 1.7647 1.9804
Influential advertisements 5.7500 5.9091 6.1765 5.9608
Role of technological innovatio 1.5000 1.5909 1.2941 1.4706
Preferred promotional scheme 2.1667 2.7273 2.7059 2.5882

Cluster1 0.0000 3.8930 2.4146
90
Cluster2 3.8930 0.0000 3.4025
Cluster3 2.4146 3.4025 0.0000
SOURCES
1. http://www.portal.euromonitor.com/PORTAL/Statistics.aspx
2. http://www.hul.co.in/brands/homecarebrands/
3. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/02/09/stories/2006020903260800.htm
4. http://www.scribd.com/doc/9823405/SWOT-Analysis-of-the-Detergent-Powder-Surf-
Excel
5. http://www.authorstream.com/presentation/hubertdsa-169078-surf-excel-final-ppt-
education-powerpoint/
6. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13297891/20684612-Surf-Excel
7. http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/nov/29hul.htm
91

Group 14 Section C BRM Surf Excel - Final

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Group 14 Section C BRM Surf Excel - Final

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SURF EXCEL – REGAINING LOST MARKET SHARE

Course: Business Research Methods

Instructor: Prof. Arvind Sahay

Academic Associate: Nivedita Sharma

GROUP 14, SECTION C

Figure 1: diagram based on the responses from the depth interviews..........................................12

Market Research Problem

APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM

Statistics by Euromonitor (http://www.euromonitor.com) show fractured market and variation

Table 1: SWOT analysis of the HUL laundry care division

Table 2: Buyer Stimulus-Response model , Source: Kotler, 2000 (KKKJ)

Table 3: Consumer decision making process flow

The following details give more light on the research approach:

CONSUMER AND DEALER STUDY

DATA ANALYSIS PLAN

The objectives of this stage are –

1) Assess the current brand perception and positioning of Surf Excel

STEP 1: CLUSTERING VARIOUS ATTRIBUTES

Key product attributes have been identified below.

1) Surf excel is a high quality brand

Figure 1: diagram based on the responses from the depth interviews.

STRUCTURE OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES

23 Occupation Demographic data on • Segmentation

24 Which part of the country do you Demographic data on • Segmentation

25 What is you education level? Demographic data on • Segmentation

Table 5: Retailer questionnaire design, purpose and research category

17 Name of store Demographic information

18 Location Demographic information

1) Ease of completion of the survey

The following are the outcomes of the pre-testing

➢ Language of Q9 is not clear. It was rephrased to make it grammatically right

The survey updated questionnaire can be found as Exhibit IV.

The final structured questionnaire is shown in Exhibit V.

Figure 2: Respondent breakup via Age groups

Figure 3: Respondents break up - % wise

Figure 4: Respondent break up by gender

The diagram below shows the consumer buying behavior.

There are broadly two categories:

Key product concepts and segmentation

Figure 7: Number of respondents using various detergent brands

Figure 8: The preference of medium of detergent

Figure 9: Preference of various promotional schemes

Some other important trends through scanning of consolidated surveys:

Current Surf users

Current Non-Surf users

Demographic and psychographic segmentation

The results of the analyses are as follows:

AGE <25 years 25-35 years >35 years

(44%) (28%) (28%)

GEOGRAPHIC North South East West

Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

Preferred Smell Regular aroma Flower scented No aroma

Figures 11 to 15 are graphs showing some statistics of the retailers’ survey.

Figure 12: Percentage distribution of shop space for detergents

Figure 15: Percentage distribution of different size packets being sold

Market share and sales calculations

LEARNINGS FROM THE PROJECT

What is the To understand how Primary – The data

To understand How do you This gives an Primary- The data

Mr. Sailesh Pati, Male, 24 years, Student

Where do you shop for clothes?

Are there any specific/brands you purchase?

How often do you wash your clothes?