Changing Customer Behavior - Research Paper Example

Inspiration Paints Changing Customer Behavior Data analysis The survey indicated that among the people interviewed 53% of the men did the painting themselves whereas the remaining 47% were women. The percentage in men is a bit high due to the fact that most men have acquired the art of painting in their high school education so that they are capable of doing most of the procedures involved in painting such as mixing of the paints, aligning the layers properly and most of them have adequate knowledge concerning the best paints there are in the market. It was also evident that these men whose age ranges between 45-54 preferred doing the painting themselves since they found it a bit intruding for hired painter to enter private rooms such as the bedrooms. Though majority of them do not read magazines such as grand design and location location, they once in a while peruse through the home section of the Sun Herald. A large percentage had much interest in the T.V. shows like “Better Homes and Gardens” and in many cases they wanted to put into practice what they read and watched rather than having a professional painter do it for them. The margin between the men and women who painted their houses themselves was rather small with the percentage difference of only 6%. This could be attributed by the fact that most of the women are fond of buying monthly issues of Better Homes and Gardens magazines hence have acquired adequate skills in the art of painting. In many cases, women will invite family and friends at least once in a month to share food and other entertainments and therefore they mind a lot about the appearance of their house. In this case then, some women will fix peeled off paints inside and outside the house as well as make decorative paintings whenever they are expecting visitors. Many said that it was extremely important to have a house that looks presentable and they would go to any length in ensuring that their houses were presentable at any given time. Walls that have peeled off paints or covered with mould are not only embarrassing but also look unhygienic, unpleasant and disgusting. About 0.45% of the people who did the painting themselves, were in the age limit of between 45 and 54. These interviewees owned their own houses in comparison with those in the age bracket of 35-44 who mainly live in rental houses. At the age of 45-54 most people are headed towards retirement and are not too tired up in their work places. They gave painting the least priority in terms of allocation of their finances since majority have children in higher institutions of learning which takes away a large proportion of their salaries. The survey indicated that these people would rather do the final touches of the house during renovation than have it done by a professional. This does not only creates a sense of achievement but also shortens the period of finishing renovation since professionals take longer due to application of many procedures (Smith, 2003). Majority of interviewees over the age of 55 years also preferred to do painting for themselves. This is mainly because of the fact that majority have retired from their employments hence engage in painting of the house as a pass time. On the contrary, people at the age of 35-44 had the least experience in painting their own houses. The main cause of this is because they comprise the active employment groups who have limited time to spend on other activities besides their work schedules. It was evident that majority live in rented houses and would not paint such houses unless with consent from owners. They also prefer to have professional work done in their houses to fit in a class of their peers and also not to seem left out by technological revolution (Sen et al, 2006.). Most of the respondents said that painting involved a lot of planning for instance moving things around, going to shop for the best paints and choosing colors and making multiple coats. This response came from those below 35 year who felt that they could be spared the trouble by simply hiring a trade painter. According to them, professional work is presentable and worthwhile and cost effective in the sense that they will not spend time and money going to shop for the paints and the only thing required of them is to identify a paint industry that offers a complete package of providing quality paints and painting services. Based on the monthly income of the interviewees, the highest percentage of those who engaged professionals in painting their houses were those earning $60001-$80000. Majority of them are full time employees and cannot have time to do painting on themselves. They seemed to have extra money to spend on other things since their children are still in low levels of education. Above $80000, involvement of a professional painter is reduced. The main cause of this is age factor. Many of them are above 55years and manage their own businesses since they have gone into retirement. Those earning below $20000 cannot afford to hire professional painters hence they prefer to it on their own. Besides this, most have time to do the painting since they are part timers working for half day. This is one of the main reasons why the percentage of full time employees who hire painters (76%) is quiet high compared to that of part timers (24%). The survey indicated that most people go for quality paints but also consider their cost effectiveness in comparison with others in the market. Going by this consideration, Bunnings has managed to dominate the market. Most people in both groups, those who hire professionals and those who don’t, expressed much appreciations for Bunnings firstly for its high quality in the sense that it does not peel off easily and secondly its low price in comparison with other paints with even lower quality. Mitre 10 follows bunnings closely in terms of popularity and this can be attributed to its price. The people who use it said that the results of mitre 10 are appealing, easy to spread and is highly resistant to rain water and sunlight so that it gets spoilt after a very long time. Low quality paints are not popular though some people buy them due to lack of adequate knowledge about the existence of better paints in the market and to some it is lack of enough money. Inspiration has been an average scorer in the market. Majority of the interviewees expressed their concerns about the high cost of inspiration paints. In as much as many would like to use the paint, its cost is way too high for their affordability. There were varied answers on the sources of information for the best paint manufacturers. A big percentage search the internet followed by a relatively large percentage of others who are advised directly by word of mouth from sales persons and hardware shops. Only a few will make errands to a store recommended to them by a friend or a colleague at work. This is so because of limitation of time hence they prefer to undertake internet search or peruse yellow pages during free time at work (Mohr et al, 1998). The findings of the survey showed that only very few people had good experience in painting. Many had little experience in painting mainly from skills acquired from watching T.V. shows and reading magazines. Those who had much experience were earning low incomes therefore could not afford professional painters. They were either self employed or part timers and so they could squeeze time in their schedules to do painting. Among them were also the old people who are quiet conservative on matters pertaining to painting. Traditions such as painting could only be done by the husband of the house deterred them from seeking professional and quality services from outsiders. This had therefore earned them much experience in painting over the years. To some, religious beliefs blocked them from having professionals paint their houses. This group of people felt that having outsiders enter private rooms like bedrooms was ungodly so painting could only be done by the owners of the house (Carrigan & Attalla, 2001). About 0.42% of the interviewees find painting as a disruption to daily activities since it involved a lot of procedures. Besides having to take errands paint to shops to buy quality paint and look for good painters, it also required one to move stuff around the house and cover them with sheets to avoid messing up. Response on whether painting was tiresome was a 50/50 situation with some saying it is enjoyable and a good diversion from office work and some saying it is quite hectic and not enjoyable at all. Recommendations Noting that inspiration paints is quite unpopular from the data collected, it is advisable that the company comes up with strategies to popularizes in a manner that will attract buyers and enable the company realize its objectives at the same time. It was evident that most people go quality yet relatively cheap paints. In this case, it would be appropriate for inspiration to venture into intensive research that will see the company produce highly competitive paints; that meets the customer’s needs and at a reduced price. I would recommend that the company introduces an exterior paint that will absorb less heat from the sun and keep the house cooler than when other paints are used. Painting services should be offered at reduced costs so that the target population can afford it. Clearly, majority of the people who prefer to paint houses themselves are those above the age of 55 years. The company should therefore focus on targeting this group of the population in its strategy of changing consumer behavior. In many instances, invest into business since they have gone into retirement. It is therefore a common thing to find them searching the internet on business sites for the best business deals. Placing advertisements on such website will be the most appropriate thing to do in order to target this people. Registering on social networks such as Facebook and tweeter will go a long way in attracting young up coming home owners to buy the products as well as the services (Masnick, 2009). To a great extent, people tend to trust sales persons and so the company should engage more sales persons to do shop to shop and door to door awareness. Since the woman of the house makes decisions on painting, advertising should focus on women a lot through popular magazines and T.V. shows (Friestad & Wright, 1994.). Promotions are also a good way to winning the purchasing power of the customers. The company could incorporate promotions at least three times in a year in its annual program. During such promotions, customers can be given offers such as buy three cans of paint get one free or get free painting. For a nominal fee, a professional can photograph a customer’s house and show them how the house, would look like at different shades of color. This will help to build customers confidence on the company (Gaski et al, 1986). Ideally, the company can produce a variety of paints such that all people with different levels of income can be accommodated. Most people seemed not to be aware of existence of painting services therefore it is advisable that in their advertisement, they make it known that they offer such services. To target part time employees and the low earners, the company should establish training programs for free or at a reduced fee in a given time interval. In this case the company stands to benefit since these people will become full time customers of inspiration paints (Dean, 2004). Conclusion Inspiration paints has been in the market for a long time although it has not succeeded in dominating the market. This research that has been undertaken should be a stepping stone towards attainment of the company aims and objectives. A move to redefining and reviewing the company policy begins by identifying where the problem lies and seeking for solutions for the same (Diorio S. 2001). References Smith, N., 2003. Corporate Social Responsibility: Whether or how? California Management Review, 45(4). Sen, S., Bhattacharya, C. and Korschun, D., 2006. The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Strengthening Multiple Stakeholder Relationships: A Field Experiment. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(2), 158-166. Mohr,L., Erolu, D., and Ellen,S., 1998. The Development and Testing of a Measure of Scepticism Toward Environmental Claims in Marketers’ Communications. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 32(1), 30-54. Gaski, J. and Etzel, M. 1986. The index of consumer sentiment toward marketing. Journal of Marketing, 50, 71-81. Friestad, M. and Wright, P. 1994. The Persuasion Knowledge Model: How People Cope with Persuasion Attempts. Journal of Consumer Research 21(1), 1–31. Dean, D. 2004. Consumer Reaction to Negative Publicity: Effects of Corporate Reputation, Response and Responsibility for a Crisis Event. Journal of Business Communication , 41(2), 192–211. Carrigan, M. and Attalla, A. 2001. The Myth of the Ethical Consumer – Do Ethics Matter in Purchase Behaviour?’. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(7), 560–577 Masnick, M. 2009.We Need To Change Customer Behavior, Not Our Business Model. Viewed on 25th May 2011 from http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091030/1624136747.shtml Diorio S. 2001.The Importance of Changing Customer Buying Behavior.Viewed on 25th May 2011 from http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1694939/the-importance-changing-customer-buying-behavior Nakano, C. 2010. #scon10: Social Media's Impact On Customer Behavior. Viewed on 25th May 2011 from http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-engagement/scon10-social-medias-impact-on-customer-behavior-007247.php Read More