packaged atta

A PROJECT REPORT ON “PACKAGED ATTA INDUSTRY”

INDEX:

SR.NO.

PARTICULARS

PG.NO.

1.

Objective

5

2.

Methodology

6.

3.

Analysis of Data

7.

4.

Primary Data Analysis

9.

5.

Analysis of Packaged Atta Users

15.

6.

Analysis of Chacki Atta Users

18.

7.

Analysis of Home Flour Mill Atta Users

21.

8.

Conclusion

22.

9.

Analysis

23

10.

Suggestions

31.

11.

Questionnaire

32.

12.

Bibliography

35.

2

OBJECTIVE:

India has always been an attractive market because of its size; several factors have fuelled the Big guns enthusiasm to enter the food industry now. The developments on the foreign direct investment front allowing companies to own 100 per cent in the food processing sector, the removal of the dividend balancing norms, the reservation of select segments in the food processing sector, has made a presence in the Indian market a feasible proposition. The basic objective of this project is to have an insight of the Branded Atta Industry and to see what drives the big guns in such an industry which has gone untapped since years. An attempt is made to understand the consumer preference in such a product and what companies can do to get the desirable market share because the key here is volume.

3

METHODOLOGY: Methodology: The survey was conducted in Mumbai and the respondents were selected carefully so that the diverse culture of the town would help us to study the consumption of atta by different religion in different forms. Sampling: Judgment Sampling was selected for the purpose of sampling. Sample size Due to time constraint the sample size was restricted to 150 respondents but a diverse sample was targeted. Method of Collection: The project demanded an extensive first hand data collection so primary data was major source of information but even secondary data through reliable sources played an important part in the completion of the project Tools for Survey: A structured questionnaire was administered to collect data so that it would help in getting the best inputs in the project and formulate an strategy based on the database.

4

ANALYSIS OF DATA: FEEL OF THE INDUSTRY: While India has always been an attractive market because of its size, several factors have fuelled the MNC’s' enthusiasm to enter the food industry now. INDIA is one of the world's largest food producers, yet branded foods account for an inconsequential proportion. Among the various food industry segments, the largest is wheat. Estimates of the industry's size vary, but it is generally put at around Rs. 80,000 crores. This estimate may be far off the mark, but there is no disputing the Indian market's vastness for mass-consumption items such as wheat products. Considering the industry's size and low brand penetration, international giants have set their sights on the nascent Indian market for branded wheat products -- biscuits, breads, packaged atta and innovations such as chapattis. Obstacles still exist However, to ensure a full-fledged presence, companies still have to overcome huge obstacles. One, imports are unviable in the long-run. Indian food products are one of the cheapest in the world and competing with them based on a strategy of imports is an unviable proposition. The cost of labour is very low and even with a gradual decline in customs duties; imports of even the high-priced varieties are likely to remain out of the market's reach. There are constraints on having a manufacturing presence as well. With control still on raw materials, such as wheat and sugar, and a high import tariff regime, it would not be easy for manufacturing companies to control costs. Both these factors appear to give entrenched players an advantage. As for packaged atta, the idea of paying a price for hygiene has still to sink in the urban and rural markets.

5

Its not cell phones or Viagra that surprise Sukhvir Singh of Rohtak when he holds forth on the new world. "Who ever thought we would have names for our atta," he says. Singh is a casual witness to a silent bruising brand battle for the most traditional of Indian tastes, the flour. Same is the case with all of us who would have ever thought that we would one day start consuming branded atta and an unknown industry would attract the biggies and allow all of them to share a bite of the pie. The demand explosion in India is predicated on the assumption that the customer mindset has to change. This will happen only when the price is right. In the last few years, customers worldwide have favored value-for-money options, resulting in a noticeable decline in the premium commanded by brands. The Indian consumer has always been price-conscious. Against this backdrop, pricing is the key issue to be resolved by these companies. This means companies have to investment substantially to absorb the losses initially. And the extent of these investments, by both established and new entrants, is likely to shape the future of the Indian wheat products business. The domestic branded atta market, estimated at 35,000-40,000 tonnes per month, is currently growing by around 25 per cent annually. The packaged and branded segment is largely dominated by multinationals, although there are also a few big domestic brands such as Shaktibhog, Lal Qila and Rose. Wheat constitute a predominant part of staple food in India. Historically, there had been no branding of these cereals. A few players have started packaging and branding wheat flour and salt in the last few years. Although the relative share of branded vs. unbranded sales is currently minuscule, the sheer size of the market offers tremendous opportunity for growth.

6

PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS: The primary data collection is one of the major source of information in such an industry because of diverse culture of respondents. The data collected through structured questionnaire reflects various facts regarding consumer behavior in relation to branded atta.

MARKET BREAKUP: Out of the total sample of 150 respondents from various locations all over the city and belonging to different communities 80% of respondent used chacki atta, 5% used home floor mill and remaining 15% used packaged atta.

15% 5%

80%

P ac k aged A tta Hom e Floor M ill Chaki A tta

7

BRAND PREFERENCE: The data reflects that among the respondents using packaged atta Annapurna led the race with Pillsbury with a equal preference of 35% each whereas Aashirwad , Shakti bhog, Nature fresh and some others like Roshan Atta finding their niches.

Brand Preference

Annapurna Pillsbury Aashirwad Captain cook others

A glance couple of years ago and it clearly showed that Pillsbury was an dominant player but the advantage of coming from the No 1 family of FMCG has led the Annapurna to do a lot of catching. Due to its sheer strength of understanding the market and already established distribution network has given Pillsbury and Captain cook a run for its money. Same threat now exist to others because Aashirwad a relative new player comes with a strong backing of ITC.

Consumption pattern of atta:

8

Though atta can be consumed in any way therefore the questionnaire was designed to study the overall average consumption of atta and the average stood at almost 3 ½ kg per person per month. The main consumption of atta was during the lunch hours and 60% of the respondents consumed atta during lunch, 25% occasionally consumed atta during lunch hours & remaining 15% never consumed atta during lunch.

Consumption during lunch 15% Frequently 25%

60%

Occasionaly Never

60% of the respondents consumed atta frequently during dinners also reflecting the penetration of the product in the Indian market and also proving the fact why all the biggies are eyeing this industry. The consumption of atta during breakfast stood nominal with only 35% of respondents consuming frequently, 15% occasionally and 50% never consuming atta in breakfast.

REASONS FOR USING CHACKI ATTA: 9

This finding is a classification of different reasons given by respondents for using chacki atta which is a major threat to anyone eyeing the branded atta segment. The survey reflects the major perception of respondent regarding chacki atta and what is it that is restricting branded atta from penetrating the market. SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6

REASONS

PERCEPTION ABOUT

QUALITY PRICE TASTE FRESHNESS ROLLABILITY CONVENIENCE

CHACKI ATTA VERY GOOD ECONOMICAL GOOD EXTREMELY GOOD GOOD GOOD

As the table reflects chacki atta carries a very strong perception regarding quality because here the consumer goes through a psychological process wherein he himself selects the wheat and is mentally satisfied because this has been in his tradition. The other major reason here is the price. The consumer in the whole chacki system has thorough control over price because depending on his financial position he selects the wheat and so controls the whole process whereas this liberty is not available to him in branded atta. The other reason are the freshness and the taste. In the chacki system the whole control here is in the hand of the consumer because he has liberty of going to the chacki whenever he wants and thus controls the freshness and the taste of the atta but the general perception about the packaged atta is that it is a long process of manufacturing and distribution and so the freshness of the atta may be at a risk. Convenience and roll ability are among the other reasons given by respondents in support of their using chacki atta. Hence the data reveals that it is very difficult to change the mindset of the customers regarding chacki atta.

REASONS FOR USING PACKAGED ATTA: The findings is a classification of the different reasons given by consumers for using Packaged atta and their support for different qualities. The data reflects the various perceptions that the packaged atta users carry. 10

SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6

REASONS

PERCEPTION ABOUT

QUALITY PRICE TASTE FRESHNESS ROLLABILITY CONVENIENCE

PACKAGED ATTA FAIR HIGH FAIR FAIR FAIR GOOD

As the data reveals that the packaged atta uses main reason for using it is the convenience part. As the country gets more and more modernized the penetration of women employment in the country is on the higher side and this is the reason where all time saving products will get the edge and so will branded atta. The general perception of packaged atta is that it is not of good quality because the consumer does not get an choice to select the wheat which he is addicted to do since decades. The price is also perceived to be on the higher side and so it is not an major incentive to attract consumers. The freshness and taste is also a matter of concern because the consumer does not know about the cycle of manufacturing and distribution

REASONS FOR USING HOME FLOOR MILL ATTA: The penetration of home floor mill is negligible because of high cost involvement of home floor machines but the consumers persisting on quality and who can afford such an investment are very difficult to be switched. The table shows various advantages that a consumer perceives in home flour mill atta. SR.NO.

REASONS

PERCEPTION ABOUT HOME FLOUR MILL

1

QUALITY

ATTA HIGH QUALITY 11

2 3 4 5 6

PRICE TASTE FRESHNESS ROLLABILITY CONVENIENCE

ECONOMICAL GOOD GOOD GOOD LOW

As the table shows that except the convenience part of it in each and every aspect the home flour mill gets an edge over packaged and chacki atta. The home flour mill atta consumers are very difficult to get switched because of the investment and perceptions of their users. Quality is the main reason for the users of home flour mill because the whole process of the atta manufacturing is in their own presence and the question of adulteration and malpractices does not arise. After having a look at the various reasons which induce the consumers to choose among the 3 alternatives i.e. chacki atta, packaged atta, and home flour mill atta lets have a look at various other facts that were reflected through questionnaire. Decision maker: As the data reflected it is the housewife in family who decides between the alternatives of the atta i.e. chacki atta, packaged atta, and home flour mill atta. 85% of times it is the housewife who decides between the various alternatives of atta.

Decision maker 15% Housewife Others 85%

12

ANALYSIS OF PACKAGED ATTA USERS: Packaged atta users as already discussed earlier are the consumers who have shifted from chacki atta. There are rarely any cases wherein one will find a shift of consumer from home flour mills to packaged atta. Reasons of shifting from chacki atta to packaged atta Reasons for shifting 13% 10% 7% 70%

convinience

quality

brand loyalty

cost

As the graph represents the major reasons for shifting from chacki atta to packaged atta is convenience. A house where almost both husband and wife are earners there is very less time for activities like selecting quality of wheat, going to the chacki and getting it grilled even there is the problem of storage of wheat. This are some of the major cause of inconvenience which leads to shift of consumer from chacki atta to branded atta.

13

Quality of branded atta is perceived not as good as chacki atta because still the brands are not able to communicate trust to the user and until and unless this trust is achieved it would be very difficult for anyone to penetrate this market.

Some other facts came out that the mere switching is out of the brand loyalty held in some other products . for e.g. the HLL brand Annapurna is doing well because of the family it comes from. Same is the case with Captain Cook whose brand loyalty is from the salt it manufactures and the trust it is able to build in other brands. Almost 10% of the respondents felt that the cost of branded atta was economical and hence they were induced to switch from chacki atta to branded atta. The other reason here is that the cost of branded atta remained stable throughout the year whereas the cost of the wheat depended on season and therefore was highly flexible. As already Annapurna and Pillsbury remained market leader with major respondents using them. The following graph represents usage of various brands. Brand Preference

Annapurna Pillsbury Aashirwad Captain cook others

14

Top of mind recall. Top of mind recall

Annapurna Pillsbury Aashirwad Captain cook others

As the graph represents the top of the mind recall for various brands Annapurna, Pillsbury, & Captain cook almost share equal recall in the minds of the respondents. Whereas Aashirwad is doing a lot of catching up by advertising a lot in TV commercials and also various radio channels.

Brand Switching: A fact which would motivate any company to get into the kitchens of the consumers as fast as it could. Brand switching is very low incase of packaged atta user. Almost 70% did not switch or even have tasted other brand and they remained loyal to already using brand. The rest 30% did switch their brand incase of unavailability of their demanded brand.

Advantage over chacki:

15

The only advantage that the branded atta carried over chacki atta was that it has very high convenience factor and is a time saving product.

Changes demanded in brand. The changes demanded by consumers in their existing branded atta is they wanted the cost to be reduced and they wanted the atta to remain fresh for more longer time.

Important of packaging: Off late packaging has made its way to make it 5 P’s of Marketing and branded atta is no exemption. Almost 60% of the respondents felt that it is of utmost important and it did induce their buying decision. The main reason for laying importance to packaging is because it is a daily use product and no one would like to risk their family health due to negligence in packaging.

ANALYSIS OF CHACKI ATTA USERS: The chacki atta users make up the chunk of the population. They should be the target of the packaged atta industry and so it is necessary to understands their habits and perception and design the whole manufacturing, marketing and other activities to suit them the best. The analysis of data of the chacki atta users is done below. Price of wheat.

16

percentage

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 10--13

13--15

15--18

18--22

Rs per kg

As the above graph indicates that the general price at which wheat is brought is between 15-18 and they should be the main target of the companies because it is

between this price range that the packaged atta falls. The other price range which also has major users are the 13-15 category whereas the category of

10-13 & 18-22 has

marginal users.

Awareness of packaged atta: The awareness of packaged atta does exist among the chacki atta users. Although the awareness is minimal but the consumers do know that there exist a branded atta segment and the major recall is of Captain cook, Pillsbury & Annapurna brand. Over the years due to advertising these brands have made a mark in the packaged atta industry. Advantages of Chacki atta over branded atta.

17

Advantages over chacki atta

convinience quality hygenic cost

As the above diagram reflects chacki atta does score very high above branded atta in various aspects, but among the various aspects quality is the factor where chacki atta is very much ahead in the minds of the consumer. The other major factor’s are the hygienic and the cost factors where consumer feel that they stand at an advantage over packaged atta.

The other fact that reflected in the data was that when asked if given cost or quality advantage would you mind switching from chacki atta to branded atta. The following were the results. cost advantage shift

yes no

18

Only 40% agreed to switch from chacki atta to packaged atta if given cost advantage whereas 60% would still stick to chacki atta provided they get the same quality which they are using at present. Another finding that revealed in the data was that out of 40% of respondents who decide to switch to branded atta from chacki atta almost 75% were from the respondents who used Rs13-15 per kg wheat whereas the other category would not like to switch if given cost advantage. quality advantage shift

yes no

As far as the quality advantage shift is concerned 65% of the respondents would not mind switching from chacki atta to packaged to branded atta if given good quality.

ANALYSIS OF HOME FLOUR MILL USERS. At this stage the home flour mill users are very nominal. This are some of the very quality conscious users who prefer seeing is believing and so control the whole process at home.

19

Reason for usage of home flour mill atta

convenience quality cost malpractices

As the above graph indicates the main reason for using home flour mill atta is quality, backed by malpractices. Malpractices is one of the main reason because the chacki mill people are apt do a such things. Almost a kg or 750gms are lost when we give 10kg wheat to grind. To avoid such malpractices some consumer switch to home flour mill. The negative sides of home flour mill are the high cost and inconvenience. A capital investment of almost 8000 to 10000Rs is required when one decides to buy a home flour mill. Also there is a lot of inconvenience attached to home flour mill like maintenance, electricity cost, noise pollution etc which restricts mass switch over to home flour mill. The home flour mill atta users are very satisfied with the performance of their flour mill and at no point planning to switch to packaged atta even if given high quality or lower cost advantage. The satisfaction level of home flour mill is very high because of service level provided by this mill companies like 5star and Navdeep.

CONCLUSIONS The next logical step after having seen the findings is to analyse the findings to lead us to some concrete steps to be taken to build the brand, but even before that, just by looking at the findings, some conclusions can clearly be made. 20

1. The market is heavily loaded in the favour of ‘chacki atta’. chacki atta is atleast perceived to be the best atta as far as quality is concerned. 2. We will have to provide the consumer ‘chacki ka atta’ only and the big grinding mill ground atta will not do well. This is because even the miniscule percentage of people using packaged atta want their atta to be as close to the chacki atta as possible. 3. The colour and the texture of the atta play a major role in the purchase decision. 4. The packaged atta users are dissatisfied with the high prices and are looking forward to packaged atta convenience at chacki atta prices.

ANALYSIS After having seen the findings in detail we can now move on to analyse the findings and use them in the manner in which they can help us. The entire reason of undertaking this project was to understand the dynamics of the market which would help successfully launch a new brand of atta or reposition already existing atta with 21

some additional features. When one is launching a new brand in any product category, the major emphasis is on ensuring that the newly launched brand enjoys some amount of ‘brand equity’. Thus we shall analyse the findings and suggest actions that need to be taken in order to build a strong brand.

‘Brand equity’ is a set of assets (and liabilities) linked to a brand’s name and symbol that adds to (or subtracts form) the value provided by a product or service to a firm and \ or that firm’s customers. The major asset categories are: 1.Brand awareness 2.Brand loyalty 3.Perceived quality 4.Brand associations Thus, the management of brand equity involves investment to create and enhance these assets. In order to manage brand equity effectively and to make informed decisions about brand building activities, it is important to be sensitive to ways in which strong brands create value.

But when we consider the four brand equity assets, two fact come to the fore: Brand awareness will come with time and will infact be partly a result of successful endeavors in the requisite assets. Apart from that brand awareness will have to be established with constant advertising. In any case that is something which takes secondary priority as of now. Nevertheless some actions will have to be taken during 22

(and even before) the product launch to create brand awareness, but these will not be a result of any analysis. Rather these will be more of common steps to be taken and some of them are suggested in the chapter titled ‘suggestions’. Similarly, brand loyalty will come (or may not come) after trial and consequent satisfaction of the product by the consumer. In short these two assets do not require to be dealt with in the form of analysis of findings. Thus our focus will have to be on perceived quality and brand associations.

Perceived quality Perceived quality can be defined as the customer’s perception of the overall quality or superiority of the product or service with respect to its intended purpose, relative to alternatives. Perceived quality is, first, a perception by customers. It thus differs from several related concepts, such as: Actual or objective quality Product based quality Manufacturing quality

Perceived quality provides value in several ways they are: Reason to buy Differentiate/position Price premium Channel member interest Brand extensions Even when we consider the case of our atta, each of the values will be provided to the atta by the perception of quality. And hence it becomes important for us to see ways in which we can build this perception of quality.

23

Achieving perceptions of quality is usually impossible unless the quality claim has substance. Generating high quality requires an understanding of what quality means to customer segments. Now this where our findings will come in handy. But before dwelling into that it is necessary to consider what influences quality. Why do some customers believe that the quality is high or low? What attributes do customers use to make overall quality judgments? Thus we need to study the dimensions that underlie a perceived quality judgement. Harvard’s David a. Garvin suggests seven product quality dimensions. These are: 1. Performance: how well does our ‘atta’ makes rotis? 2. Features: does the ‘atta’ have additional desirable features? 3. Conformance with specifications: what is the incidence of defects? 4. Reliability: will the ‘atta’ make good rotis every time it is used? 5. Durability: how long will the ‘atta’ last? 6. Serviceability: is the service system efficient, competent, and convenient? 7. Fit and finish: does the product look and feel like a quality product? Thus we shall use our findings to ascertain each of the above dimensions by answering these questions. Performance: now the primary function of an atta is to make good soft rotis and as we know that most of the chacki atta users give priority to quality of atta and also to the hygienic part of chacki atta. Also this bit of good rotis is not the reason for packaged atta users. Thus we will have to give them good soft atta which makes good rotis. The fact that such atta will have to be chacki made atta is another interesting fact. Conformance with specifications and reliability: in our case these mean that our atta will have to consistently prove to be as good as chacki atta.

Serviceability: In our case this would at best transform as availability i.e. strong distribution. Fit & Finish: For this we need to look at the changes that the packaged atta users desired. 24

Another variable that can be an important quality cue is price. A high priced item is almost always associated with good quality. So this brings us to the important topic of Pricing. Though a high price can translate into good quality we need to keep in mind the following facts: •

It is an entirely new brand

•

It comes from a company which is relatively unknown

•

And finally & importantly, most of the packaged atta users & satisfied chacki atta users want a reduction in price.

At the same time a lesser price than competitors would translate as ‘cheap quality’. Thus it will be advisable to go for Competitive Pricing. After discussing Perceived Quality at length we shall shift our focus to the other asset of brand equity i.e. Brand Association.

BRAND ASSOCIATION Brand Equity is supported in great part by the associations that consumers make with a brand. These associations might include product attributes, a celebrity spokesperson or a particular symbol. Brand associations wants the brand to stand for in the customer’s mind. A key to building strong brands, then, is to develop & implement a brand identity. Brand identity is a unique set of brand associations that a brand strategist aspires to create or maintain. These associations represent what the brand stands for & imply a promise to customers from the organization members.

According to the Brand identity planning model , the preliminary planning stage in brand identity planning is Strategic Brand Analysis which consists of Customer analysis, Competitor analysis & Self- analysis. And hence the Preliminary stage in our project was a consumer survey to undertake customer analysis. 25

After this we come to the Brand Identity system. To help ensure that the brand identity has texture & depth, a firm should consider its brand as: 1. A product 2. An organization 3. A person 4. A symbol The perspectives are very different. Now every brand identity needs to employ all or even several of these perspectives. The brand organization perspective focuses on attributes of the organization rather than those of the product or service. Such organizational attributes as innovation, a drive for quality and concern for the environment are created by the people, culture, values, & programs of the company. The brand as person perspective suggests a brand that is richer & more interesting than one based on product attributes. But here again the idea of finding a person to be associated for a brand that is yet unknown is not accepted. We should remember that we are in process of building a brand & as such the brand as person as well as the brand as symbol association are not the right approach. Thus it seems to be worthwhile to go for the perspective of the brand as a product. The product scope dimension says that the core element of a brands identity is usually its product thrust, which will affect the type of associations that are desirable & feasible. With what product or products is the brand associated? But herein lies the difficulty in our case. Since it is a new brand this dimension cannot be used.

The quality element is one product related attribute important enough to be considered separately. But the problem again is that there has not been any inducement to trial & we are still trying to build the Perceived Quality asset.

26

Similarly association with use, users & Country of origin are dimensions which are irrelevant in our case. This brings us to the product attributes dimension. Attributes directly related to the purchase or use of the product can provide functional benefits and sometimes emotional benefits to the customers a product related attribute could create a value proposition by offering something extra or by offering something better. Thus we will have build an association of the brand with the product ‘atta’ & further we will have a strive to associate our product with some attribute . This can be our brand identity. This brand identity will initially form the Core identity of our brand as being healthy & will eventually lead to some extended identities. After all this the bottom line is: The brand identity needs to provide a value proposition to the customer. Brands value proposition is a statement of the functional , emotional & self expressive benefits delivered by the brand that provide value to the customer. We can see that the functional benefits that our product will deliver will be: rich healthy atta, which is of the right colour & which, makes good soft rotis, which stay soft longer. The emotional benefit delivered will be of feeling safe with a healthier atta. The self expressive benefit will be delivered ton the housewife who will express her concern for her family by buying an atta, which is healthy & economical. Thus, finally with theses endeavors we can hope to achieve a Brand Customer relationship.

With an identity in place & a value proposition specified, implementation begins. Communication objectives need to be established & execution planned & implemented. The place to start is with the brand position statement the cornerstone 27

of the communications program. When a brand position exists, the brand identity & value propositions can be developed fully. Brand position is the part of the brand identity & value proposition that is to be actively communicated to the target audience & that demonstrates an advantage over competing brands. Brand Positioning, as described by Al Ries & Jack Trout, is a mind game. They describe positioning as a perception in the minds of the consumer about your product. Thus positioning is where in the consumer mind space does your brand figure. Now obviously while brand a unique & favourable position in the consumers mind space. Thus to do this we need to study the consumer mind space with respect to that product category. This is done through ‘ Perceptual Mapping’. We know from our Findings that the chacki atta users cite Quality of the atta as the main reason for using chacki atta & the packaged atta users cite convenience as the main reason. Thus we shall work our perceptual map around these two axes.

As can be seen Chacki atta takes a position of high on quality but low on convenience. Most of the packaged atta are clustered around the same place as seen in the perceptual map. Pillsbury atta due to its strong position as chacki atta goes higher in the quality axis. But the point to be noted is that on the convenience axis not much can be differentiated between the different brands. This means that we cannot play on the convenience position at all simply because all the packaged atta’s are convenient. Also we cannot immediately fight with the chacki atta on the quality position as the sit high up (not more than Pillsbury at least). Thus we realize the fallacy of this perceptual map. Since we are not contesting with the chacki class for space immediately we shall our focus to making a perceptual map for the different brands.

The most strategically logical position will not be worth implementing if a brilliant execution cannot be found. Thus the onus lies on the communication to carry the desired position across to the consumer. Whether this is done or not should be found 28

out regularly & this is called Tracking. But as is clear implementation & tracking is purely a communication domain & is out of the purview of this project. Thus we have worked through the entire gamut of activities needed to build brand equity & have decided on certain facts. Since it is yet not comprehensive we can only venture to make certain suggestions for the Brand.

SUGGESTIONS

29

Finally, after having analyzed the findings in some detail, we are in a position to make a few suggestions as to the actions to be taken towards building the brand & successfully launching the new product & brand. First of all in the previous chapter we will have to take certain actions to create Brand Awareness which will consequently lead to Brand Loyalty. Suggestion 1. Organize housewives kitty parties & gatherings & ask them to use & try the product for the party. This will serve the dual purpose of trial & feedback & thus can be done even before the launch as a method of test launching. 2. Have test launch with various office canteens where the shift would be fast because the key attribute to them is the cost and if the response is positive then offer tie-ups wherein a contract can be signed which would be a win-win situation for both the canteen as well as the company. 3. Create more awareness among the public about the quality of the branded atta with the help of various tools of communication. 4. Create awareness about the various malpractices done by chacki operators and how adulteration is done by them. 5. Provide some more value to the product with giving some freebies and also sharing various recepies with consumer. 6. Communicate atta as a time saving product because time saving products are call for the day.

QUESTIONNAIRE THROUGH WHICH DATA WAS COLLECTED 30

Dear Sir/Madam, It is my pleasure to take this opportunity to reach you all through this questionnaire. I hope with the your expertise knowledge this project would be an success. Name: Age: Occupation: No of Members in Family: Monthly Consumption of Atta: Caste: Religion: No Of time Consumption of Atta ( in any form) in a day: (1) Breakfast

(2) Lunch

(3) Dinner frequently occasionally never

( tick wherever applicable) Current Usage: Packaged Atta [ ]

Chacki Atta [ ]

Home chacki Atta [ ]

If using Packaged Atta please answer the following questions. (1) Whose decision was it to go for packaged atta? (2) What were you using before using packaged atta? (3) Any major reason for switching to packaged atta? [ ] convenience [ ] quality [ ] brand loyalty [ ] cost [ ] others please specify ______________ (4) Which is your current brand? (5) Which other brand are you aware of? (6) Have you ever used any other branded atta? 31

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

(7) What advantage do you think does your brand give over any other brand of branded atta? [ ] convenience [ ] quality [ ] brand loyalty [ ] cost [ ] others please specify __________ (8) What advantage do you think does your brand give over chaki atta? [ ] convenience [ ] quality [ ] brand loyalty [ ] cost [ ] others please specify __________ (9) If asked as an expert what other changes would you suggest to your current brand? (10) If other brands implement the above changes would you switch your brand? (11) Do you give importance to the package designing of branded atta? [ ] Yes

[ ] No

If using Chaki Atta please answer the following questions (1) At what price do you buy wheat? [ ] 10-13

[ ] 13-15

[ ] 15-18

[ ]18-22

[ ]>22

(2) Are you aware of branded atta? [ ] Yes

[ ]No

(3) Which brand are you able to recollect if you are aware of branded atta? (4) According to you what advantage does chaki atta have above branded atta? [ ] convenience [ ] quality [ ] hygienic [ ] cost [ ] others please specify __________ (5) If given Cost Advantage would you switch from chaki atta to branded atta? [ ] Yes

[ ] No

(6) If given Quality Advantage would you switch from chaki atta to branded atta?

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

If using Personal floor mill please answer the following questions. 32

(1) Why did you go for Personal floor mill? [ ] convenience [ ] quality [ ] hygienic [ ] cost [ ] malpractices [ ] others please specify__________ (2) Are you aware of branded atta? [ ] Yes

[ ] No

(3) Which brand are you able to recollect if you are aware of branded atta? (4) If given Cost Advantage would you switch from Personal floor mill atta to branded atta? [ ] Yes

[ ] No

(5) If given Quality Advantage would you switch from Personal floor mill atta to branded atta? [ ] Yes

[ ] No

(7) Are you satisfied with performance of your personal floor mill? [ ] Yes

[ ] No

I thank you for sharing your valuable time and knowledge patiently.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 33

1. PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING: PHILIP KOTLER 2. POSITIONING: SUBROTO SEN GUPTA 3. INDIAINFOLINE.COM

34