Research Articles Base: Consumers Purchasing Behavior

Consumer Behavior: The Case of Maladep

Consumer Behavior: The Case of Maladep                 Table of Contents TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………………………………………………….1 TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………………………….2 I. Market Overview 1.1  Market Trend ……………………………………………………………………………3 1.2  Competition with Related Products/Services………………………………….3 1.3  Consumer Behavior on Shaving and Depilation……………………………..7 II. Analysis of Product Launch             2.1 Introduction, Adoption and Diffusion in the Market………………………….7             2.2 Characteristics of Consumers who adopted the product………………..12             2.3 Marketing Techniques to Stimulate Adoption………………………………..13 III. Analysis of Product Failure             3.1 Psychological Motivations………………………………………………………….17 3.2 Existing Depilatory Products in the Market…………………………………..19             3.3 Role of Peer Pressure and Behavioral Rituals………………………………20 IV. Research Reasons for Failure             4.1 Focus Group as Participative Technique……………………………………..21 4.2 Sample and Questionnaire…………………………………………………………22 V. Recommendations             5.1 Possible Re-launch…………………………………………………………………..23             5.2 Attitude Change……………………………………………………………………….24   I.  Market Overview 1.1 Market Trend             Having a hair free body is essential for many women and also for men. Summer means less clothing, bikini clad bodies and ultra smooth limbs, so the demand for hair removing treatments becomes high. Fashion also dictates the type of hair removal treatments and clients. Currently, men are moving into bare skin. They are increasingly seeking the services of salons to have smooth, hair free chest and back (2004 ). Such practice is a new cultural phenomenon in the United States and in the Europe. Given the historical emphasis on the relationship between masculinity and the presence of hair, such shift indicates the changing ideals of attractiveness for men. Industry types says that the growing interest of men in skin care and healthy living along with the quest for youthful look has been the trend. In the case of male body hair, women are helping the trend. There are a lot of women who do not like hair on men and men listen to them. According to the Nair Company, a survey of 1000 women found out that 90 percent of women from ages 18 to 44 find back hair unattractive among men. The company has released its roll on version of Nair for Men, a male depilatory cream. During the last five years, male grooming products and fashion magazines has awaken the sensibility in men (2003). 1.2. Competition with Related Products/Services             Depilation is a temporary hair removal which may include waxing, sugaring, tweezing, shaving and depilatory creams. Among beauty salons, waxing is the most commonly used method. It involves hot and cool waxing. The hot wax depilation method has long been established and was superseded by the cool wax method which is now used more extensively and there are many waxing systems available to provide this form of service to the clients (2004).             The oldest form of hair removal which has been passed down from generations to generations is sugaring. It is a mixture of sugar, water and lemon juice boiled to form sticky paste. Manufacturers have developed products similar to the process and safer to use. This sugar paste is thought to be gentler to the skin than other waxing methods because it can be used at a low temperature and natural ingredients do not cause much irritation to the skin (2004). Plucking is used in salons but only for the eye brows. There is also a depilation machine available to the general public allowing the mass plucking of the hair that can be used in the legs and the arms. Perhaps the most prevalent form of male depilation is through shaving. With this method, an electrical shaver or a wet razor is used with soap or a cream. The hair itself is cut off at the skin level and then grows apparently within 24-48 hours (2004). In the study by  (2005), the most frequently reported methods for reducing and removing body hair were: regular razor, electric razor and electric clippers. Many also reported the used of shaving creams mainly with razor.   According to Euromonitor, the UK market for men’s shaving products reached EUR 134.6 million in retail value in 2004.    Figure 1. Sales of Shaving products in the UK in 2003-2004 At the world level pre and post shaving products accounted for EUR 2203 million in 2004.    Figure 2. Sales of Shaving products worldwide in 2003-2004 With the bulk of men’s grooming products, 42% of sales are razors and blades. This can be explained by the custom of shaving which men had over the years. The sales of men’s grooming products are expected to grow to an average annual rate of 4% to 2009 according to the Euromonitor. The growth is even fuelled by the increased penetration, new retail concepts and high value product launches. The strongest potential for growth is in the U.K., France, U.S. and South Korea ( 2005). Shaving and the basics remain to dominate the market for men’s grooming. However, the offer in shaving products is getting more sophisticated and is shifting from simple shaving to skin care. The market is being transformed by new entrants and new offerings. More and more offerings are made in the retail markets. Nivea, Gillette, Mennen and L’Oreal are dominating the mass market. In the prestige channel, Biotherm and Nickel pioneered the market which was followed by global brands such as Clarins, Decleor and Clinique(2005). The increased sophistication does not guarantee that the conventional basic shaving products will be abandoned. Sophisticated products provide more comfort and ease to users but it does impact on the price. Traditional brands are thus expected to continue offering their successful basic products but new developments in their products are likely to be done. Post shaving products and skin care products are also widely marketed. For instance, L’Oreal penetrated the men’s grooming market with the ‘L’Oreal Men Expert’ range which featured shaving products with an after shave representing skin care(2005). 1.3 Consumer Behavior on Shaving and Depilation             Body image issues were the key factors for body hair reduction and removal. The most significant reasons include cleanliness, sex appeal and body definition/muscularity. Males indicate that they feel cleaner and looked more refined or masculine after shaving or trimming their body hair. It has also been found that body depilation among males were tried on their own accord. It is interesting that men reported no external influences in their choice to shave which suggest that the idea was spontaneous in nature. Other factors include talking to someone about the experience, influenced by media and saw other people engage in the practice. Factors such as relationship status, off season of a sport and climactic differences are also likely to curtail shaving behaviors. Shaving and trimming become less important when males are not in romantic relationships. It also becomes less important during the off season of a sport and climactic off season (2005). II. Analysis of Product Launch 2.1 Introduction, Adoption and Diffusion in the Market In the process of developing new products, test marketing and commercialization are considered to be the final stages. Test marketing involves a set of commercial experiments to test the acceptability of the product and the appropriateness of the proposed marketing strategy. Such studies are conducted in one or more isolated geographic markets. The accumulated data is used to refine the marketing strategy and is necessary, the product itself. If the sales of the product have been adequate in the test market, commercialization follows. Commercialization follows the full scale production and the implementation of a marketing plan (2004). This stage marks the introductory stage of the life cycle of the product. The timing of the new product introduction plays an essential role in determining its success and failure. Because of this, it becomes critical tom plan the commercialization of the products whilst the new product is being developed. The timely release of the new products must be carefully planned before its release. Effective market research can also be sued to develop messages that will create awareness among consumers and convince them about the effectiveness of the product. On the other hand, targeting must be more than advertising campaigns. It must establish closeness to the consumers as they consider the possibility of buying the product. Targeting the new product will entail attention to the competitive strategy of the firm which includes pricing, customer education, distribution and service. The extent in which each of these variables is addresses depends on the market, the availability of substitutes and the product itself (1993). After the introduction of the product, the next objective is to acquire consumer acceptance. The process of product adoption requires the stages where the consumers learn about new products. Upon the awareness of the product, the consumer exhibits interest. If such attitude is sustained, the consumer is more likely to buy the product which may be considered to be the initial trial of the product. Such trial will either reinforce or reverse the initial impression of the consumer towards the product. Hence, product adoption takes place when the consumer decides to continue to purchase and use the product in a regular basis (2004). Despite such decision, the consumer will seek regular confirmation that the decision to adopt was correct.             The consumer adoption process can be classified as follows: <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Awareness. Individuals first learn about the new product but they lack the information about the product</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Interest. Potential buyers start to look for information about the product</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Evaluation. Potential buyers consider the benefits that can be taken from buying the product</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Trial. Potential buyers makes their initial purchase to test whether the product is useful or not </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Adoption/Rejection. Based on the product trial, the consumer will decide whether or not they will continue buying the product </li> Diffusion is the process that describes the rate of adoption made by the consumers as a response to the new products. There are typically five categories of adopters: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and the laggards (2004). <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Innovators are likely to become the first buyers of the new product. An approximate of two to three percent of the relevant market is compromised by this group. They are likely to belong in the younger, more affluent and more cosmopolitan group.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Early Adopters are next to the innovators to try the product. They constitute at least 13 percent of the consumers. This group tends to be more locally oriented than the first group and is well respected within their communities. They are opinion leaders and are very influential in the buying pattern of other consumers </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> The Early Majority constitute 34 percent of the target market. They are either slightly above the average in terms of social and economic status. This group is influenced by advertising activities and sales people as well as the Early Adopters. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> The Late Majority also constitute 34 percent of the target market. This group exhibit moiré resistance to change and risk taking as compared to previous groups. They tend to belong to the middle and older age group and are well off than average in terms of socio economic status. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Laggards constitute the remaining 16 percent of the market and are the last to buy new products. This group is price conscious and low income. By the time they decided to buy the product, it has already reached its maturity. </li> </ul> Figure 3. Model of Product Adopters Possible Reasons for Product Failure Most product projects fail. An estimated 46 percent of the resources which a firm uses to conceptualize, develop and launch new products are spent on products that either fail commercially in the market or never make it to the market. For every four projects that enter the development process, only one becomes commercially successful (1993). There are many reasons why products fail. Poor Marketing Research: the insufficient or faulty marketing research has been cited by mangers frequently as the number one cause of new product failure. This is brought about by the lack of thoroughness in identifying the real needs of the marketplace or in identifying the early signs of competitors taking the offensive. Managers are likely to misread the consumers needs, do little field testing and overly optimistic forecasts of market needs and acceptance. Another common mistake is to think that the products will be adequate to the consumer because it is perceived as such by the designers or the R&D department. The important thing here is to determine the real needs of the marketplace through market surveys and interpret them for product development (1993). Bad Timing: The mistake of moving too slow or too fast stems from flawed planning, organization or control. Many failures of new products resulted from not moving quickly in a limited narrow window of opportunity. At some cases, there is a shift in the preferences of the consumers during the developmental cycle.  The competitor may move more quickly to the new products and seize the market opportunity. The need to move quickly also creates problems. Rushing the development of new products leads to short cuts which when taken may result to disasters. As such, key steps and procedures are overlooked such as market studies and field trials (1993). 2.2 Characteristics of Consumers who adopted the product             One possibility for the apparent adoption is the cultural phenomenon known as the Metro sexual. This term has invented by Mark Simpson in 1994 as he described a narcissist in love not only with himself but also to his urban lifestyle; a straight man in touch with his feminine side.  It can be referred to the fashion-conscious urban heterosexual man with a strong aesthetic sense. Mainly, he was addressing a man who has a higher rate of consumption. Until recently, the grooming needs of men are limited to products such as shampoo, soap, shaving and after shaving products. The evolution of social positions started the evolution of other needs (‘Understanding the Male Cosmetics Market’, 2005). Thus, fashion and cosmetic brands capitalized on metro sexuality to develop the market. This heterosexual spends a great deal of time and money to improve and maintain his appearance and lifestyle. Other possibility may include the sales strategies adopted by companies to gain profit from untapped market segment. Heterosexual and gay men like women are subjected to the effects of media on their body image. The shift in the economic affluence of people also produces an increased equality between men and women. Pressure increases on men to take care of themselves better and do something to look more attractive to the audience (2005). 2.3 Marketing Techniques to Stimulate Adoption For a specific product to be sold, the consumer has to know it exists. In this sense, the marketer has to communicate or promote the product in order to achieve a degree of awareness. The media is used as an effective tool to tell the consumers of the new product and perhaps about its trial incentives. For marketers, the introductory year is often an investment against the future profit potentials of the product. To promote the product, the company can incorporate the use of conventional media tools to technology advancements. In this way, the communication strategy will be able to meet the needs of a wide range of consumers. The media choices are also a significant factor in the introduction of a new product in the market. This is simply because they serve as the key tool for conveying the message to the consumers. Thus, the effectiveness of the promotional campaign lies on the form of media chosen. Similarly, the message conveyed through the advertisement is greatly important for the simple reason that it creates a lasting impression on the consumer. Advertising plays a pivotal role in the marketing communication activities of the company. It is the primary means by which the consumers are informed about a new or improved product. Most economies rely on the ability of advertising to produce and market products to the consumers. This can be done by communicating with the consumers of the latest products and be able to persuade them of the value associated with them (2004). For ad agencies that plan and implement ad campaigns, it is greatly important to know how advertising will work in order to be more efficient stewards of the various resources of the clients.             Advertisers and ad agencies continue to strive for creative advertising. Primarily, their work focuses on the developing a winning ad campaign that is at the same time revolutionary. However, despite the enormous effort they put in, only few ads become successful. Many of the ads remain modestly effective while others are ineffective at all. One of the reasons for this is the inattention to advertising (2004). Advertising images are useful in drawing the attention to the ad. Another role of these visual cues is to elicit certain emotion on whatever product the ad is selling. A simple example of drawing attention through images is an ad image in which someone looks directly on the spectator. This kind of ubiquitous device used by endorsers in TV commercials and magazine ads draws attention as to our real life tendencies of looking back when we are being looked at (1996). Indeed, ads can serve as devices for attention getting and emotion eliciting According to  (1993), one of the central characteristics of persuasive communication is that it is unwanted communication (1996). People do not usually seek extensive exposure to a multitude of advertisements. For this simple reason, advertisers may find it difficult to catch the viewer’s eyes through their intrinsic qualities.  This task can be accomplished by the advertisers though the iconicity of visual images (1996). The source communicator is also part of the properties of the message and is an important factor in attracting the attention of the consumers. Because of this, celebrities as endorsers have become a common choice among advertisers. In Great Britain, the number of celebrity endorsements has also increased in recent years.  Research shows that one in five marketing communication campaigns in the United Kingdom features celebrities. The extensive use of celebrities for various product endorsements is practiced to help the ad stand out from other media clutter which in turn improves their communicative ability. Another advantage that is attributed to celebrity endorsements is the production of extensive PR leverage for brands/products. Aside from the promotion of already established brands, they can publicize new brand images, reposition brands or introduce new ones ( Sales promotion can also be used along with the advertising activities. In the United Kingdom, Sales promotion has become a big business as compared to advertising.  Basically, it is the concept of adding value to the product or service to make that product stand out in the mind of the consumer. By this, the concept of incentivization can be introduced to the consumers allowing them to buy the product for a special reason. Like all marketing communication functions, the purpose of the sales promotion is to get the desired and the measurable objectives (2001). Public Relations (PR) is another practice in the area of marketing communications. The Institute of Public Relations in UK defined public relation as the discipline that looks after reputation which aims to earn understanding and support and to influence the consumers’ opinion and behavior. PR differs in advertising in some respects. While the advertising is aimed to bring the product to the customer, PR aims to bring the customer to the product (2001).           Public Relations as well as other communication programs contribute to the strategic goal of the firm to reach out to consumers. These reach out efforts increases the understanding of the group as well as their commitment, preference and loyalty to the product/service offered by the firm (1997). Clearly, there is the need to understand the motivations of consumers in designing the program to persuasively and effectively connect to them. The programs created will be effective at influencing, persuading and motivating if they are constructed with the wants, needs and motivations of the audience Aside from the TV commercials and ads, the internet can also be used to cater to both advertising and marketing. Unlike the traditional advertisements, it can provide an advertising message which is more content-rich in terms of product information. Additionally, the maintenance of an online ad is less costly and is easily changed and updated (1999).The significance of the internet lies on the ability to be used as a communication device as well as a market, an information system and a manufacturing tool. The increase in productivity and reduction of costs can be considered its most attractive feature. Since the internet give rise to a wider marketplace, equal access to the marketing material of the company is given to consumers of different locations (2001). The web site can serve as an informational and promotional campaign at the same time. It will provide a venue for advertising the product whilst offering other promotions of the company. III. Analysis of Product Failure 3.1 Psychological Motivations that hindered the acceptability in the market             Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggested that humans satisfy the most basic objectives of their needs before they move to higher levels. Thus, an individual must satisfy psychological needs such as food before he/she will spend energy on less fundamental objectives. This hierarchy of needs is useful in understanding the needs of the consumers across cultures. However, it must not be taken literally since people frequently swing between their needs.             The buyer needs serves as the primary motivation for the thoughts, predispositions and actions that defines the potential buying process and the decision of whether or not to buy a new product. At any given point, a need is the difference between the present and the desired state of some focal aspect of humans. To the extent, that a potential satisfier or product fits a need, then it must be purchased. Beyond the biological and physiological system, individual needs can be cultural, social, psychological or a combination of any of this (1993). As a rule, the less frequent, less urgent and shorter the duration of a need, the greater the likelihood that a buyer can postpone satisfying it. On the other hand, if the need becomes more frequent, more urgent and the duration becomes longer, the less it can be postponed. Moreover, the frequency of the occurrence of the need may not be so clear to the potential buyers. Thus, they can be expected to postpone it unless there is substantial enticement to try the product is established (1993).             Health and beauty care for men has not been a primary need until the recent years. Grooming products are limited to a few and shaving is the most widely used form of hair depilatory. Thus, the absence of the perceived need and inducement to try a new product could have hindered the acceptability of Maladep in the market. Aside from this, not all men are keen to hair depilation. With respect to body image, research in the area of clinical and counseling psychology found that men reported distress to their hair removal. Extreme anxiety related to hair removal might conceivably lead to social avoidance.  Another area of concern was the injuries associated with the method of hair removal (2005). The popularity of depilatory creams is also challenged with the longer and lasting results of modern methods such as waxing. Familiarity to established products can also hinder acceptance of new products. When confronted by new brands, consumers are likely to judge its probable characteristics. They purchase a particular brand because it is familiar and the familiarity is accentuated by various advertising activities. Thus, the consumers need to be persuaded to switch in the competing brand/products. Trying out the new brand is the key for it follows the possibility that the behaviors of repeatedly buying the same brand will be transferred to the brand/new product. Pricing and value for money are considered to be the principal factors in the decision of the consumers to buy. Price and sales promotion are the marketing variables which can be used in such cases (2000). 3.2 Existing Depilatory Products in the Market             The Gillette Company is a world leader in the male grooming which include blades, razors and shaving preparations. It holds the number one position among shaving products. The slogan ‘the best a man can get’ is used by the company to make the consumers believe about their razors and shaving products and the men who used them. The advertisement of Gillette has always promoted masculine values. Gillette razors are not just for men, they define men.  In 1999, it found out that the UK hair-removing market was worth 0 m including disposable razors, creams and waxes and predicted a further increase of around 42% over the following years (2005). Indeed, Gillette managed to be on top of its competitors and has continuously dominated the market.   Figure 4. Gillette’s UK Market Share for Blades and Razors (1998)   3.3 Role of Peer Pressure and Behavioral Rituals             Men are found to actually enjoy shaving in part die to the belief that having facial hair is a sign of masculinity. For them, shaving seems to be a ritual of manhood rather than a chore. In this view, shaving proves that a man is indeed a man and good grooming proves that he is a respectable man. No matter what utensils are available, fashion trends and the perception of masculine power will continue to determine whether a man will shave.             Shaving is all about ritual. It is one of the few enduring ceremonies that continue to engage men no matter what society they live in. Anthropologists will argue that for every ritual to continue there are necessary elements: an artifact, a script and a ritual audience. Men shave with the knowledge they have acquired from their fathers and possibly form their grandfathers, brothers and uncles over the years. For most boys, the act is considered to be a masculine pursuit and an introduction to manhood (2001). Even now, a youth who shaves for the first time looks in the mirror and sees a man. The repeated use of shaving implements becomes part of the gender construction in addition to the prevailing professional, class and religious association. The shaving man uses man made tool to reveal his face and groom his body before dealing with the outside world. This ritual has grown universally and endured generations. IV. Research Reasons for Failure 4.1 Focus Group as a Participative Technique A qualitative research methodology using focus groups can be used to research the reasons for the product failure. Unlike trials, experiments and other methods, qualitative research does not provide hard quantitative data which are subjected to statistical analysis. The main strength of this approach is to gain an in depth understanding of the topic to be explored. It can easily deal with concepts that are rather difficult to be quantified. For instance in the case of maladep, the psychological, emotional and cultural relationship between the user and the product. This form of research will discover some of the reasons why people behaved towards the product as they do or less tangible issues such as why they feel a certain way towards the product (2003). The key benefit of this method is the ability of the marketing researcher to interact directly with the participants. The moderator can explore the responses and comments and further discover perceptions and views towards the product. The accuracy of comments can be probed by assessing non verbal cues and ask follow up questions to clarify responses. As such, there is a considerable amount of flexibility since questions may be added or modified in real time (2003). Participant scan also be motivated to give more responses as compared to typical surveys. In addition to this, group members can react and build on the responses of others. As a result, the synergy leads to the emergence of information and ideas. A great mount of information can be acquired as compared to individual interviews and postal or electronic surveys.  Focus groups can be used as an effective qualitative marketing research methodology. With this method, the researcher will be able to acquire the information as to how the people make decisions or what factors influence their use of products and services. It can be used to explore the new ideas for products and to differentiate between the perceived weaknesses and strengths of the competitors. This method can be useful because the interactive and the synergistic nature of group discussions allows for deeper insights into how and why people think and behave as they do (2003). By focus groups, small number of people will be gathered together to discuss the particular topic. Typically, it will include seven to ten people sharing the common characteristics and experiences related to the topic. They can be done as precursors to quantitative methods such as surveys. They can also be used after surveys in which case to test the efficiency of the marketing concepts developed in the quantitative phase of the research. 4.2 Sample and Questionnaire             The participants will be chosen carefully through a purposive sampling technique by selecting the participants that belong to the specific user group. They must be reasonably knowledgeable of the topic and must be interested in talking about it. The criteria will include: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Male </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Younger than the Average Age </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Above Average Salaries and Social Status </li> </ul> <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Occupations that require physical appearance </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Engaged in Body Depilation </li> </ul> The participants will be limited to male since it may become uncomfortable to include gays although they are also uses of depilatory products. Aside from this, the core market for the product is the male group. The social and economic status will also be considered since males with much disposable incomes are more likely to purchase grooming products. Lastly, all participants must be engaged in a form of body depilation. This way, discussions can be made as to the perceived effectiveness of various depilatory products and the propensity to try new products such as Maladep.             The qualitative data will be collected through discussions using open ended questionnaires. (). V. Recommendations 5.1 Possible Re-launch             Re-launching the failed product requires understanding the ways in which the product failed to meet the needs of the customers and the timing of the execution. The failure to the product during its launch in 1993 can be partly attributed to the timing when the product was launched. The emergence of grooming products was not visible until the recent years. This means that consumers may have reluctant to the use of the product during its initial launch. Aside from this, the number of competitors in terms of depilatory methods and products hindered the success in the market. To this date, researches have shown that males are keener to use shaving products rather than other depilatory products. Even though sophisticated products are offered in the market, established products are likely to remain. Sophisticated products come with price and thus traditional products will continue to be offered with some modification and alterations. However, a re-launch would seem to be a viable option since the male depilatory market indicates a positive trend. Also, the presence of male depilatory creams such as Veet for Men and Nair products indicates the acceptability of this depilation method. The product can be re-launched under a different name and different packaging. But with the increasing competition in a market where there is over abundance of offer and slow take offs, there is the need to rediscover the marketing activities. The product must be able to cope with certain challenges such as the following <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Product must respond to the specific characteristics of male </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Product must be simple and effective to use </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Credibility as specialist of men’s grooming must be established </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Increase the value of the product to the target market </li> </ul> 5.3 Attitude Change Individuals encounter a multitude of object in the course of their daily lives. Basically, it is the individual’s attitudes that determine which objects are likeable or not. Attitude is what a person feel about a concept be it a brand, category, person or ideology. Therefore it serves as the evaluation of the object. In this respect, marketers are more concerned about the attitudes that form the consumers’ set of actions such as buying, using and eating. As people go about their environment, they are able to make salient beliefs about the judgments on an appropriate action such as rejecting, buying and recommending (2001). Attitude change can be effected if and when the balance or a degree of consistency on the cognition, affect and conation is altered with the addition or introduction of a new salient belief. As such, the strength of influence of a salient belief is changed which results to the change in the evaluation of that held belief (2001). There are two different routes by which attitude change is effected. The peripheral route show how attitudes are temporarily changed with low involvement and elaboration. Little reasoned evaluation is associated with celebrity endorsements of products especially when the consumers’ feelings towards the star/endorser become attached to the brand/products. Hence, the halo effects takes place since the attitude of the salient beliefs get to influence the attitudes about one another. The communication strategies take into account the consumer’s level of cognitive processing. Buyers are expected to engage and take the route that will effect attitude change. At most instances when the level of involvement is low, the advertisers resort to the peripheral route whereby, it is dominant in focusing on emotions ( 2001). With the peripheral route, it becomes relatively simple to be able to create a connection with the audience by the presentation of things that may be found compelling. The strong impressions which are created with the use of endorsers increase the message recall level when the subject is weakly involved with it. These non relevant arguments associated with the peripheral routes are diverse and may include the attractiveness of the source, social role, etc. Given this, a message is accepted if it is associated with an attractive source or to a pleasant feeling. Persuasion in peripheral routes cues indicators. These persuasion cues are the factors natural to persuasion and sufficient to generate initial changes in attitude without having to engage in active thinking about the attributes of the subject (1996). With these simple cues, attitudes are adopted by the recipient without having to go through a careful analysis of the issue at hand. If the audience for example does not have prior information about such issues and that they are perceived to have less personal relevance, the advertisers can persuade them by constantly reminding the persuasion cue associated with the attitude object. The frequency of these reminders is sometimes sufficient to let the consumers buy certain products (1996).   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Consumer Behavior: The Case of Maladep

Consumer Behavior: The Case of Maladep Table of Contents TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………...

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Consumer Behavior Task 1 A. Hong Kong Market Hong Kong market has been attractive to various industries due to a favorable business environment. The Gross Domestic Product has grown consistently and there appeared to be an increase in the standard of living explaining the social stability in the country. However, the high operating costs in the country has prompted industries specifically in the cosmetic to operate in other Asian countries. B. Market for Shaving Tools and Related Products Current Situation Shaving tools and depilatory products are under the cosmetics and toiletries sector. The market for these products is comprised of domestic and commercial. Most of the products are foreign brands that are sold in the region particularly in the mainland China. Segments of Demand The increase in affluences and consciousness in appearance of Chinese consumers has made the market in the Chinese mainland huge. In fact, there is a growing trend of Hong Kong companies exploring the Chinese mainland market. This is especially true of branded medium and high end products. Market Drivers International brands play a major role in the upper end market of the country and the region while local producers are forced to put their focus on the middle and low price market segments. But with the arrival of mainland tourists, there has been a surge in local sales which drives businessmen to penetrate the untapped local market. C. Customer Characteristics             Shaving tools remain popular for man while other depilatory products are appealing to women. However, there appears to be a growing interest among men to use various skin care products. Particularly, men are becoming more conscious of their appearance and frequent purchases of men grooming products such as shaving lotions has become the trend.  The emphasis on personal grooming led to the increased usage of shaving and other related products. Shaving and the basics remain to dominate the market for male grooming but new offers are getting more sophisticated.  The growing trend towards body hair reduction and removal are attributed to fashion consciousness and the need to improve appearance and body image. The shift in the economic affluence also produced an increased equality between the personal grooming of men and women. Task 3 Consumer Motives There are various factors that influence the consumer behavior towards shaving and depilatory markets. Generally, body image issues are considered to be the key factors for body hair reduction and removal. For women, body hair removal has been part of their beauty practices. They are more likely to spend time, money and effort to improve their appearance. Thus, they tend to explore different depilatory products and treatments. As for men, shaving tools and products remain to be the most popular depilatory method. This can be explained by the custom of shaving which has been part of men’s grooming over the years.  The emerging trend of the so called metro sexual has contributed greatly with the use of depilatory products. They spend a great deal of time and money improving their appearance and lifestyle. Other possibility for the adoption of depilatory products includes the sales strategies of companies. The increasing affluence especially of Chinese people also led to more disposable income that can be spend in beauty care both by men and women. Lastly, fashion increases pressure on men to look more attractive. Task 4 A. Consumer Research Plan The consumer research plan will focused primarily on the male market. As compared to the female and gays, males are reluctant to use depilation methods other than shaving. Thus, a research on their perceptions will provide insights on the potential of introducing a male depilatory. Objectives The consumer research plan will be designed to meet the following objectives: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Discover the consumers’ perception towards shaving and depilatory markets  focusing primarily on the male market </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Identify the various depilatory products/ treatments used by the male </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Determine the factors influencing the purchase of depilatory products </li> </ul> Research Method              A qualitative research approach can be used to acquire an in depth understanding of consumer behaviors towards depilation and depilatory products. This will enable the market researcher to deal with concepts such as the psychological, emotional and cultural relationship between the consumer and the product. Further, it will discover the behavior of people towards the products and why they feel a certain way towards the product. B. Sampling A focus group will involve seven to ten people discussing the topic. A purposive sampling technique will be used to select the participants of the research study. Basically, participants should have engaged in any body depilation treatment or have used a depilatory product. They will be limited to male with younger than the average age. Male participants will be selected for the study because of the perceived inconvenience of incorporating women or even gays in the discussion. The socio economic status will also be considered since men with greater disposable incomes are keen to buy grooming products.  A secondary sampling technique called snowball sampling will be used. By this technique, selected participants could refer other samples who suit the criteria. Focus Group The researcher will interact directly to the sample through a focus group discussion. With this method, a moderator will explore the ideas expressed by the participants and probe their views on the product further. There is increased flexibility unlike in surveys since the moderator can add or modify questions during the interaction itself. The members of the focus group will be given the opportunity to interact with each other and share their views on depilation. The accumulated information from the participants will be used to understand the buying behavior of the consumers to be able to develop products that will fit the specific needs of the male market. Questionnaire The discussion will revolve around an open ended questionnaire. 1) When did you start removing your body hair? 2) What influence you to begin this behavior? 3) Why is it important to shave or trim your body hair? 4) How do you remove your body hair? 5) What products do you use to remove your body hair? Does the use of this product give you satisfactory results? 6) Would you consider using depilatory methods other than what you are using? Why or why not? 7) Have you tried the use of depilatory cream? What are its advantages and disadvantages? Task 5  A. Market Positioning and Advertising New products can compete to other existing products through differentiation. This means creating an added value to the products which may be difficult to copy. Some factors that need to be considered are as follows: <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%">Product must respond to the needs and unique characteristics of the male market </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%">Effectiveness and convenience of the product usage</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%">Increase the value of the product to the target market </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%">Competitive Price </li> </ul> Advertising             Advertising activities will be designed to create awareness of the product. The media is an effective tool to introduce the product to the consumer and its benefits. Conventional media tools (e.g. print media, television, radio, outdoor advertising) can be incorporated to technology (e.g. internet websites). The message must be able to illustrate the value of the product so that consumers are persuaded to purchase it. B. Market Segmentation Target Market             The purpose of market segmentation is to allow the marketing activities to focus on specific prospects that will purchase the offering. It also enables the marketer to penetrate untapped markets by focusing on the needs of that specific market. The male market is a potential target group for depilatory products. The increasing interest in male personal grooming signifies a trend towards the use of depilatory products. Today, some male depilatory products exist in the market and this is a positive indication of the acceptability of the product. Cultural, Social and Economic Variables             The introduction of depilatory products in the male market can be impeded by the gender construction associated with shaving. The ritual of shaving has grown universally and this practice has been embedded into men’s culture. Changing the loyalty of the male consumers towards these shaving products is the major challenge for marketers introducing male depilatory products.  Also, socio economic differences play a critical role. Those who have greater income are expected to spend more on personal care thus the greater the propensity of using depilatory products. On the other hand, those will less incomes are more likely to stick to the use of shaving products. Indeed, the price that comes with the sophisticated product is a major consideration. C. Influencing Consumer Behavior             Advertising activities must be designed to influence the purchasing decisions of the consumer. The following are some of the steps advertisers can do to effect attitude change. <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Use an effective advertising message that will convince the consumers of the product’s value</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">The use of celebrity endorsers will be helpful to help the advertisement stand out among others</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Advertisements must appear frequently to the consumers. The frequency of these reminders is sometimes sufficient to let the consumers buy certain products</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%">Sales promotion can be conducted to persuade the customer to purchase the product initially</li> </ul>       Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Consumer Behavior Task 1 A. Hong Kong Market Hong Kong market has been attractive to various industries due to a favorable business envi...

DISCUSS THE MAJOR STAGES IN THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR BUYING PROCESS AND HOW A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE DECISION PROCESS MODEL HELPS MARKETERS TO DEVELOP MORE EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES IN CAPTURING AND RETAINING COSTUMERS

Consumer Behavior and Decision Model Abstract Consumers play an important role in making a business profitable. A business also plays part in the market that greatly affects the buying and selling behavior. Both are plays a vital in market but at some point, the concept of making a right product or service for a consumer is not that enough. There are many things that a business should consider to create an impact. One of their business strategies is identifying the decision model and recognizing the consumer behavior in buying process. The Consumer Behavior Consumer Behavior is the theory used by the marketers to explain the different actions of a person that takes in purchasing and using the products or services. Consumers have their own rights to decide about the products they will or refuse to buy. There are many considerations that take a role in making decisions and influences that affect their buying process. In addition, researchers recognized the five stages of a consumer in terms of buying process which is the consumers are somehow unaware of its existence. Major Stages in the Consumer Behavior Buying Process The stages in consumer buying decision process gives impact in the behavior of each and every consumer and sometimes vary on what kind of products they are going to purchase or acquire. Problem Recognition is the first stage where the need is perceived. It involves the perceiving difference between a person’s ideal and actual situations to establish a decision. The Information Search or the seeking of the value of a product is the second stage. The information search clarifies the available options that a consumer may consider. It can be in two ways: Internal search like scanning from the past experience or knowledge; or External search like information came from family, friends, or advertisement. Alternative Evaluation or the assessment of the value is also the third stage for buying process. After the clarification of the information, consumer may consider the different factors that may contribute to the value of the product and establish some qualitative alternatives. The Purchase Decision which is same as the buying value is the fourth buying process stage. The purchase decision comes in three possibilities: where to buy, when to buy, and do not buy. The “where to buy” depends on different considerations such as terms of sale, past experience from the seller and its return policy. The “when to buy” is in accordance to the contributed influence like the store atmosphere, time pressure, and even sale discounts that may add to the shopping experience of a consumer. And the “do not buy” option is the available decision whether the consumer may turn down any offers. The fifth stage is the Post-purchase Behavior or the value in consumption or use. After buying a product, a consumer compares it with expectations and may result in satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Both results affect the consumer value perceptions, communications and repeat-purchase behavior. Many firms work to produce positive post-purchase communication among consumers and contribute to relationship building between sellers and buyers. One strategy of many firms is to use ads or follow-up calls from salespeople most especially in post-purchase stage in attempt to convince the consumers that they made the right decisions in purchasing their products. Many marketers believe that customer satisfaction is based on different attributes for different types of services. Therefore, a differentiated satisfaction from post-purchase evaluation experiences and found that consumers understand the differences of a product (, , and , 1998).   How Do Consumers Make Decisions Marketers find troubles in identifying the right answer on how consumers create their decisions. Firms and organizations manipulate the various principles of marketing, so that the consumers may reach to the point in choosing which products or brands to buy and which are to ignore (, 2001). Marketers need to understand the specific decision-making strategy used by each consumer in acquiring a product. If this is done, marketers can position their product in such a manner that the decision-making strategy leads consumers to select their product. Decision Model Many marketers of firms adopt the Decision Model to help them establish a good reputation based on consumer experiences. The decision model has greatly involved in business logic that becomes a strategic instrument of the business leaders. The decision model revolutionizes the business development and considered as an important element in decision-aware business processes. Decision Model in Business Process Organizations and firms use the decision model to deliver simplicity, productivity and cost-saving in terms of their business process. The business decisions correspond to the business logic presented by the decision model of the consumers ( and , 2009). Simplification or simplifying a product reveals in the decision model since consumers preferred the important use of the product rather than its physical attributes. Some of the firms were challenged by the market to create a product that can be a candidate for reuse which is economically friendly for both the consumers and the manufacturers. The business’s process models represent all the business logic to be easily delivered but more completely, accurately, and visually ( and , 2009). Most specifically, the families may take part in using all of the delivered products that can be accessible and easy to use. One thing that may take part in this kind of deliverance is the technological aspect of the product that makes the product more efficient. The decision model emerges as the model of the business logic or an aspect of a business system. It includes the planning models, business process models, semantic models, organization, and location models. The decision model also plays an important role in linking business and technology. It plays a role in improving how systems are tested for the conformance and satisfaction of different consumers ( and , 2009). Conclusion Firms or marketers should consider the important factor that may affect the consumer behavior. The value of satisfaction plays an important aspect in making future decisions for both the consumers and the firms. For most of the consumers based their trust in the satisfaction they received upon the purchased product or acquired service. It is a challenge for the firm to be successful in satisfying the needs and wants of every consumer but it is a good step to make the business fruitful. References: Other Sources: Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

DISCUSS THE MAJOR STAGES IN THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR BUYING PROCESS AND HOW A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE DECISION PROCESS MODEL HELPS MARKETERS TO DEVELOP MORE EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES IN CAPTURING AND RETAINING COSTUMERS

Consumer Behavior and Decision Model Abstract Consumers play an important role in making a business profitable. A business also plays pa...

Consumer Behavior Depilation in Hong Kong

NCC International Advanced Diploma in Business Consumer Behavior         Maladep: Bristling with problems!         Name Student Number University Professor Date           Table of Contents   Title Page                                                                                                                    1   Table of Contents                                                                                                       2   Main Body of the Report             Task 1                                                                                                              3                      Task 2                                                                                                              5             Task 3                                                                                                              7             Task 4                                                                                                              10             Task 5                                                                                                              11          Conclusion                                                                                                                  12         Main Body of the Report   Task 1 – It has been reported that the population of Hong Kong is 6.9 million, with half being aged 20 to 49 and the remaining 30% being 50 or over. With this large number of population, the market size of Hong Kong were estimated to be more than 91.5 million, being caused by the visits and trips from different countries around the world (2006). Because Hong Kong has a high rate of trade freedom, many products all over the world can be distributed and manufactured in Hong Kong. As such, the total cosmetics and toiletries imports in Hong Kong amounted to USD787 million in 2002, along with the re-export of such products to China, based on their geographical proximity (2003). In relation to such cosmetic products and toiletries are the hair removal and shaving products for both men and women, which are very useful in daily applications. A number of shaving and depilation products are available in the Hong Kong market, including plant depilation creams, hair removal ointments, waxing and epilation strips, hair removal kits, and depilatory machines or gadgets. These products come mainly from exports from the United States, which amounted for nearly 40% in 2005, and included products such as shaving creams, deodorants, soaps, and raw materials for cosmetics and perfumes (2006). However, in Hong Kong, the increase in competition in terms of shaving and depilation products can be observed in terms of hair removal gadgets and appliances, for according to surveys, Hong Kong consumers prefer traditional small appliances with practical use. These consumers, being relatively young and belonging to the new generation of consumers, give more attention to enjoyment of life or staying close to current trends and lifestyles ( 2006). This data is based on the behavior of consumers towards shaving and depilation. In addition, this also leads to the differentiation of the shaving and depilatory markets in Hong Kong. Shaving is the term used when trimming body hair and can be both used by men and women, while depilation refers to the removal of any unwanted hair from the skin of an individual, and can also be used by both genders. However, the use of both terms can be differentiated in both genders, as shaving would be mostly used by men when referring to eliminating their beard and chest hairs, while depilation would be more often used by females, as they would like to permanently eliminate unwanted bodily hairs to be able to show flawless and smooth skins. Given this information, in Hong Kong, the analysis on the market of shaving and depilatory products can be done using the estimated ratio of males and females ranging from the age of 15 to 64 years olds. This data was considered for they would be the potential consumers of shaving and depilatory products. The data is as follows:   Age Percentage in Total Population Males Females 15-24 years 13.1% 445,400 459,300 25-34 years 15.3% 462,000 592,000 35-44 years 18.1% 547,000 698,400 45-54 years 17.5% 594,200 613,400 55-64 years 10.0% 353,500 337,400 *Data: Demographics of Hong Kong 2006 – From () From the gathered data, the problems of males regarding hair removal is brought about back and chest hairs, and beards, while the problems of women arise from facial hair, legs and arm hair, and abdominal hair. The data also suggests that transsexuals also have hair removal problems, which are present due to abdominal, chest, and facial hairs. Along with this, the large numbers of visitors and tourists in Hong Kong also contribute to the demand for shaving products and depilators. In this regard, shaving products and depilators become part of the maintenance of the consumers’ daily hygiene, in their desire to look presentable and tidy, which becomes dependent on their performance and relationships with their peers in their working environment.   Task 2 – The process of introduction, adoption, and diffusion of new products in the market involves the process of New Product Development. This process involves the generation of the idea, designing and engineering it, and conducting marketing research and analysis to be able to obtain relevant and credible information regarding the needs of the consumers. This would be essential in fitting the needs of the consumers to the characteristics of the new product. It has been reported that this process is not easy, as it involves the management of change, and requires the scanning of the globe for new insights (1992). In this regard, a particular company must look at markets, customers, distribution channels, marketing techniques, finances, government regulations, forming standards, following standards, and many other aspects (1992). In the introduction of new products in the market, four important aspects must be taken note of, namely, the product, its price, its promotion, and its distribution in the market. The product must be able to suit the needs and preferences of the customers, and involve factors, such as its size, shape, features, and packaging. The price or affordability of the product is also a major factor that must be considered in terms of new product introduction, as the cost in purchasing the product must meet its quality or standard. The promotion of the new product must also be effective, as it must efficiently be exposed to the target consumers. In this regard, the use of the media, advertising, and publicity must be given emphasis. The last aspect to take note of is the distribution of the product, which takes into account the shopping habits of consumers, including the place or the time they purchase the products (2007). In this regard, one or several of these aspect may have failed in the three target markets of Maladep, thus, resulting to failure of the launch of the product.             In the examination or analysis of the failure of Maladep, the adoption of the product in the market must also be given consideration, which emphasizes the behavior of consumers towards a certain product. A number of variables or factors can influence consumer behavior, and includes physiological, psychological, and external factors, such as culture, environment, lifestyle, need, and many others (2007). The behavior of consumers towards a particular product, most especially with shaving products and depilators may seem fragmented, as hair removal practices vary from one individual, or from one culture to another, and depending on the need of the individual. Based on findings, hair removal, especially in men becomes crucial. This is because the change in the lifestyle and influences in the society, such as the increase use of technology and increase in global and international relations enforces the image of cleanliness. In this regard, hair removal, such as beard and underarm hair removal is now part and parcel of daily hygiene in both men and women. In relation to this, the speed of adoption of a particular new product in the market can be done by strategically reaching the customer and by building the company’s reputation in the target market. This can be done either through advertising, publicity, and personal selling. Advertising refers to the paid promotion of goods and services through a sponsoring organization or company. It is the paid communication through which relevant information about the product is conveyed to potential customers (2001). Advertising has three common objectives, namely, 1) conveying relevant information regarding a particular product or service; 2) persuading consumers to purchase the advertised product; and 3) keep the company under the watchful eyes of the public (2002). Another way of speeding the adoption of the new product in the market is through publicity, which is the careful management of a product or service’s means of communication between the company and the general public, thus, featuring an informative process ( 2003). The advantages of publicity include having low costs, and its credibility. Lastly, personal selling is also an effective way, as it pertains to a systematic process of continuous yet measurable methods in which the person selling the product describes the product in such a way that the buyer will be able to visualize how to benefit from the offered product in an economic way. Its main objective is to be able to know the needs and satisfy the wants of consumers effectively, and therefore convert possible consumers into actual and reliable ones ( 2002). These three basic ways may be used by Maladep to be able to effectively reach its consumers.   Task 3 – In assessing the failure of Maladep in the market, one factor that must be considered and taken note of is the hidden psychological motivations and associations, which involves human behavior that is largely influenced by his or her culture, beliefs, perceptions, personality, and environment. In this regard, the problem lies on the fact that Maladep targets males with above salaries and social status, and with occupations such as fashion designers, nursing, and airline cabin crews, who mainly live in urban areas and not in suburban or rural areas. Because the individuals who purchase Maladep belong to this group of individuals, psychologically, the image of the product is being built in such a way that it targets only sophisticated and professional individuals. This builds the image of Maladep in the market to cater to the needs of only working individuals in the urban areas, thus, indicating their status, salary, and achievement in the society. Because of this, the image of Maladep is also geared towards being expensive and suitable to only professional men or males with high status in the society. This is being proven by the fact that there is limited or even lack of sales in the suburban or rural areas, where individuals, especially males work in the farm or have limited resources in terms of using expensive and sophisticated gadgets or products. The failure of Maladep can be also attributed to the increase in the competition in the market, especially in terms of cosmetic products and toiletries. The increase in the variety and number of shaving and depilatory products in the market gave a grave threat to the success of Maladep in the market. However, one of the major causes of its failure is the fact that it has failed to develop the image of Maladep to cater to the needs of the gay population. This is because the company is afraid that developing the image of Maladep to also cater to the needs of the gay market may alienate the male consumers. In this regard, the company made a serious and big mistake because today’s generation has developed to be socially and politically aware of the presence of the “third sex” in the society. In this regard, the society has learned to accept and tolerate gay and lesbian activities in the society, thus, lessening the incidences of gender discrimination in all aspects of the society, such as in the workplace, school, public functions, and many others. As such, gender justice and equality now is being observed in all agencies, with the support of law. The fact that the company failed to develop the image of Maladep to be able to cater to the needs of the gay population resulted to the image of the company as being discriminatory and unfair. In addition, more and more gay individuals are able to express themselves publicly, thus, increasing their population in the society. This means that more and more gay individuals would be purchasing shaving or depilatory products in order to further express themselves and to answer to their physiological and psychological needs.             Another aspect that contributed to the failure of Maladep is brought about by peer pressure and behavioral rituals of consumers. It has been stated that despite the efficient and effective distribution, advertising, and product launch of Maladep, it failed in its home US market, in Italy, and in the United Kingdom. In this regard, the company did not pay particular attention to the value and importance of cross-cultural understanding of consumer behavior. The cultural practices and beliefs in a specific market may be totally different in another, thus, it would be helpful to modify the product based on the needs of its particular target market. As such, hair removal practices in the United States may be completely different from the hair removal practices in Europe, and in this sense, the company should have been more sensitive and observant, given the differences in climate, beliefs, religion, practices, and culture. In addition, it has also been mentioned that the “success” of Maladep lies on its sales from males, who are younger than the average, which is mainly caused by puberty. In this period of human development, growth of hair becomes more active, thus, needing shaving creams and depilatory accessories. However, today’s generation is more expressive in terms of appearance and style, and depending on the belief or practice of the individual. As such, the increase in competition, self-expression, and individualism on the part of consumers may serve to limit the sales and success of Maladep in the market.   Task 4 – Based on the analysis previously done, relevant research must be pushed through in order to make relevant strategies in terms of the re-launch or development of Maladep. One of the research methods appropriate in obtaining relevant data on the failure of Maladep in the market is through the Questionnaire Design and Survey Research, particularly through using multiple choice or dichotomous questions and mail interviews. The use of questionnaires and surveys is appropriate since it is easy to construct, with the rules and principles of construction easy to follow. In addition, the copies of the questionnaire could reach a considerable number of respondents, with responses objectified and standardized, which makes tabulation easy. More importantly, the responses of the participants in the survey are the product of their own will, thus, reducing biases. Another appropriate research method is the Observation Research, which involves recording human behavior with monitoring instruments (2007). In this type of research method, the types of individual purchasing Maladep and other depilatory products would be observed, thus, obtaining relevant data on what characteristics of individuals need the product. The last type of appropriate research method for determining the failure of Maladep in the market is the Motivation Research method. This type of research method is concerned with finding out how the product is seen through the eyes of the consumer, his or her self-image, and the image of the product (2007). In this research method, in-depth interviews can be conducted, thus, through the interview, the researcher would be able to uncover and understand the underlying attitudes of the consumer (2007), including his or her perception with a particular product. In addition, the data can be obtained using attitude measurements, such as the Likert Scale, the Rank Order Scale, and many others. In this regard, concise and consistent view of the research would be made. In relation to the research methods, the sampling frame would be obtained using the quota or the non-probability sampling method, which would allow the researcher to obtain interviews without traveling (2007). Because the target of Maladep is the male consumers, the quota or the non-probability sampling method would be the most appropriate, for not all the elements of the population would be included in the research or the study, which is totally different from the use of the random sampling method, wherein all elements of the population are given equal chances of being included in the research.   Task 5 – Given the information from the previous tasks, I believe that I would be opting to re-launch Maladep in the market, in all three markets, namely, the United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom. This is because the company has been effective and efficient in determining the problems and the limitations of the product, which have caused its failure. Despite the increase in the competition in these markets, the edge of Maladep is its “success” in the gay or homosexual population, which is now continually increasing in all societies. The company and the product itself can target the gay population, thus, further developing the features of Maladep in suiting the needs of the gay population. This can be done through changing the packaging, the advertisements, and the promotion of Maladep. In today’s generation, the products that last long in the market are the products that continually suit the individual needs of consumers, including their cultural, ethnic, and social needs.             The unspoken concerns of the consumers of Maladep may include the increase in its availability in the suburban and rural areas, along with the decrease in price, and the improvement of the image of Maladep that would also suit the image of lower class individuals in the society or the common individuals in the society. In this regard, the image of Maladep must be altered first, such as exposing the product to the rural areas through the change in advertisements or promotions. In these advertisements, the affordable prices and benefits of using Maladep must be emphasized in order to suit the needs of the consumers and change their perceptions and judgment on the product. In the re-launching of Maladep, the Hong Kong market is also included, thus, the company must be able to build the image of the product that would both suit the needs of the male and the gay population. However, in this regard, the Chinese culture has a different perception with homosexuality; thus, the company must come up with alternative packaging and promotions to feature their product. In the aim to re-launch the product, the company can change the attitudes in favor of Maladep gradually, and this can be done through constant exposure of the product in the target market. Primarily, to gradually change the perception of consumers towards Maladep, its image can be enhanced through demonstrations, which can be facilitated by personal sellers and representatives. Second, the image can be effectively enhanced through effective promotions in all aspects of media, including television, radio, and printed ads. Third, sales representatives of the company can travel to far and remote areas for personal selling and introduction of the product. Lastly, the company can also opt to engage in further studies in the field of depilation using Maladep, and present the results of the study in conventions and forums. With these strategies, the product would be able to be accepted by consumers in the market gradually.   Conclusion             From the discussion, it can be understood that Maladep can be a success in the Hong Kong market depending on the dedication and perseverance of the company to rebuild its reputation in its target market. Because Maladep is a male product, which is mainly for shaving and depilatory purposes, Maladep can have the edge in the Hong Kong market due to the continuous fascination of Hong Kong citizens and visitors with using a variety of products in the market. However, failure may also result, as the increase in competition among other companies that manufacture similar products would feature more high quality products than Maladep. In this regard, the strategies proposed would be useful in gradually building the reputation of the company and the product as well.                        Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Consumer Behavior Depilation in Hong Kong

NCC International Advanced Diploma in Business Consumer Behavior Maladep: Bristling with problems! Name Stude...