Page 55 - DMGT510_SERVICES_MARKETING

Services Marketing

Notes 2. Washing machines were the most desirable consumer durable products, followed
by cars and desktop computers.
3. Forty-two per cent of the respondents owned a mobile phone, of which 52 per cent
had a Nokia, and 42 per cent of these subscribed to AirTel cellular service.

4. For example, more than half of the people surveyed (56 per cent) felt that it was all
right to give or take bribes to get their work done. A slightly smaller number
(40 per cent) thought it perfectly acceptable ’to make money through underhand
means/deals.’
Who decides?

Self Spouse Joint Family Elders Children
Buying a house 25% 5.8% 20.8% 30.1% 14% 0.4%
Child’s marriage 7.7% 5.9% 21.8% 18.7% 11.5% 4%
Own marriage 20.4% 2.5% 6.2% 22.4% 29.7% 0.9%
Child’s education 15.1% 6.6% 34% 12.5% 5.6% 4.6%
Taking a loan 31.4% 5% 24.3% 18.1% 9.2% 0.6%
Fixing monthly budget 24.2% 10.3% 33.3% 18.5% 11.2% 0.6%

Buying entertainment durables, like 21.4% 8.2% 33.4% 26.7% 7.4% 1.6%
TVs
Buying durables like washing 19.3% 10.7% 33.3% 26.2% 8.2% 1%
machines
Deciding on holiday destinations 20.6% 6.1% 28.4% 31.8% 4.5% 5.6%

“It is very difficult to survey this group by using traditional methods,” says Jeremy Nye,
BBC World’s head of research, in the study. “However, it is important to know the tastes
of these professionals who will be shaping India’s destiny.”

Adds Dezma De Mello, research manager, BBC World: “All the individuals in this class are
rather alike. They have similar opinions, attitudes and beliefs.”
The study showed the emergence of certain definite trends in the area of just who decides
what. For example, the person in question seemed to play a major role in deciding the
monthly budget or whether to take a loan, but when it came to deciding whom he should
marry, it was still the older people in the family who played a key role.
Both the husband and the wife jointly decided on issues like the marriage of progeny. In
a majority of cases, the whole family got together to decide what kind of house to buy and
where to go for a holiday.
Alcohol consumption habits indicated that 25 per cent drank alcohol, of which 72 per cent
were beer drinkers. Most executives drank at bars and pubs, while self-employed
professionals drank at friends’ homes. Businessmen preferred parties to have a drink or
two at.
The research has an entire section focusing on travellers as a separate target audience. This
is the first time that anyone has studied consumer behaviour in this area in such depth.
The study tries to understand the travelling habits — such as the mode of transport, kind
of holidays, choice of place, and media consumption while travelling — which will be
different from normal household viewer-ship. Contd...

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