Brand preference and buying decision A study with reference to organized Indian edible oil brands

Abstract

Consumers around the world vary greatly in age, income, education level, and tastes and understanding how these differences affect consumer buying decision is never easy. However, marketing success largely depends on the ability to anticipate what buyers will do and what they prefer from available products. Today, the highly fragmented Indian edible oil industry with large number of players both from the organized and unorganized sectors has resulted in severe competition and as a result, edible oil businesses in India have shifted their focus to understand consumer choices better on one side and increasingly moving away from products to embracing a structured brand management to achieve competitiveness and profitability in the market place. The present study explores the consumers' preference for oil brand, oil variants, and factors influencing the purchasing decision. The study highlights that, brand image, price, health consciousness, and quality of a particular brand are the most important factors influencing consumers' decision making for edible oil purchases.