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INTRODUCTION

Amul (Hindi: अमू�ल, Gujarati: અમૂ�લ) is the name of a dairy cooperative in India. Derived from the

Sanskrit word "Amulya," Amul means invaluable.

 Formed in 1946, it is a brand name managed by an Indian cooperative organisation, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), which today is jointly owned by 3.03 million milk producers in Gujarat, India.

Amul is based in Anand, Gujarat and has been a successful example of cooperative organization. Amul spurred the White Revolution in India which in turn made India the largest producer of milk and milk products in the world. It is also the world's largest vegetarian cheese brand .

Amul is the largest food brand in India and world's largest pouched milk brand with an annual turnover of US $2.2 billion (2010-11). Currently Unions making up GCMMF have 3.1 million producer members with milk collection average of 9.10 million litres per day. Besides India, Amul has entered overseas markets such as Mauritius, UAE, USA, Oman, Bangladesh, Australia, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and a few South African countries. Its bid to enter Japanese market in 1994 did not succeed, but it plans to venture again.

Dr Verghese Kurien, former chairman of the GCMMF, is recognized as a key person behind the success of Amul. On 10 Aug 2006 Parthi Bhatol, chairman of the Banaskantha Union, was elected chairman of GCMMF.

The AMUL Plant at Anand featuring the Milk Silos

Amul: The origin

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The mighty Ganges at it's origin is but a tiny stream in the Gangotri ranges of the Himalayas. Similar is the story of Amul which inspired 'Operation Flood' and heralded the 'White Revolution' in India. It began with two village cooperatives and 250 liters of milk per day, nothing  but a trickle compared to the flood it has become today. Today Amul collects, processes and distributes over a million liters of milk and milk products  per day, during the peak, on behalf of more than a thousand village cooperatives owned by half a million farmer members. Further, as Ganga-ma carries the aspirations of generations for moksha, Amul too has become a symbol of the aspirations of millions of farmers. Creating a pattern of liberation and self-reliance for every farmer to follow. 

The start of a revolutionThe revolution started as an awareness among the farmers that grew and matured into a protest movement and the determination to liberate themselves. Over four decades ago, the life of a farmer in Kaira District was very much like that of his counterpart anywhere else in India. His income was derived almost entirely from seasonal crops. The income from milch buffaloes was undependable. Private traders and middlemen controlled the marketing and distribution system for the milk. As milk is perishable, farmers were compelled to sell it for whatever they were offered. Often, they had to sell cream and ghee at throwaway prices. In this situation, the one who gained was the private trader. Gradually, the realization dawned on the farmers that the exploitation by the trader could be checked only if marketed their milk themselves. In order to do that they needed to form some sort of an organization. This realization is what led to the establishment of the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited (popularly known as Amul) which was formally registered on December 14, 1946. The Kaira Union began pasteurizing milk for the Bombay Milk Scheme in June 1948. An assured market proved a great incentive to the milk producers of the district. By the end of 1948, more than 400 farmers joined in more village societies, and the quantity of milk handled by one Union increased from 250 to 5,000 liters a day.

Obstacles: Springboards for success.Each failure, each obstacle, each stumbling block can be turned into a success story. In the early years, Amul had to face a number of problems. With every problem came opportunity. A chance to turn a negative into a positive. Milk by products and supplementary yield which suffered from the same lack of marketing and distribution facilities became encumbrances. Instead of being bogged down by their fate they were used as stepping stones for expansion. Backward integration of the process led the cooperatives to advances in animal husbandry and veterinary practice.

IDENTIFIED PROBLEM FOR THE STUDY

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First Step in marketing research is clearly state the problem statement, which is stating the management dilemma, its background, its consequences and the resulting management question.Past and presently every organization focus on the customer’s feedback, because Customer’s feedback it is most important and easy way to increase business. After the get feedback we know what the problem of our customer. On that basis we try to solve their problem and increase business.After the get feedback we know what is their problem? May be we know customer Problem regarding price, Quality, Quantity, Packing Size, Freshness of product, availability of product, Purchase place, Behavior of Dealer as well as retailer ,any complain etc. and should try to this problem. And know what is customer actually wanted? In my Research study my topic is CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF AMUL DAILY PRODUCTS.

NEED FOR STUDY

Consumer behavior can be said to be the study of how individual make decision on how to spend

their available resources (time, money, effort) on various consumption related items. This simple

definition of consumer behavior tells the markets to resolve every activity around the ultimate

consumers & gauge their behavior by specially focusing on:

Who buys products or services?

How do they buy products or services?

Where do they buy them?

How often they buy them?

Why do they buy them?

How often they use them?

These questions will help in understanding better what factors influences the decision making

process of the customers. The decision making process identifies the number of people who are

involve in this process & describes a role to them like users, decides, influences & buyers.

It is believed that consumers or customers make purchase decision on the basis of receipt of a

small number of selectivity chosen pieces of information. Thus it will be very important to

understand what & how mush them to evaluate the goods & services offerings.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

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1. To study an organization in order to know and understand their business practices, culture and values.

2. To learn various aspects of a market research and associate them with the observed organization.

3. To know about the organization’s performance in a sample area and its growth and development.

4. To have a fair idea of the rate of customer satisfaction with respect to the observed organization.

5. To generate ideas for improvement in order to support the products and services offered by the organization.

6. To know the relationship of sales with the advertisement.

7. To know the preference of Amul Dairy Products with comparison to other competitive brands .

COMPANY PROFILE- GCMMF

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GUJARAT COOPERATIVE MILK MARKETING FEDERATIONGujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) is India's largest food products marketing organisation. It is a state level apex body of milk cooperatives in Gujarat which aims to provide remunerative returns to the farmers and also serve the interest of consumers by providing quality products which are good value for money.

MEMBERS:12 district cooperative milk producers' UnionNo. of Producer Members:2.28 millionNo. of Village Societies:11,132Total Milk handling capacity:6.7 million litres per dayMilk collection (Total - 2002-03):1.86 billion litresMilk collection (Daily Average 2002-03):5.08 million litresMilk Drying Capacity:510 metric Tons per dayCattlefeed manufacturing Capacity:1450 Mts per day

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HISTORY

The Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union was registered on December 14, 1946 as a response to exploitation of marginal milk producers by traders or agents of existing dairies in the small town named Anand (in Kaira District of Gujarat). Milk Producers had to travel long distances to deliver milk to the only dairy, the Polson Dairy in Anand. Often milk went sour as producers had to physically carry the milk in individual containers, especially in the summer season. The prices of buffalo and cow milk were arbitrarily determined. Moreover, the government at that time had given monopoly rights to Polson Dairy to collect milk from Anand and supply it to Bombay city in turn.  Angered by the unfair and manipulative trade practices, the farmers of Kaira District approached Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (who later became the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of free India) under the leadership of the local farmer leader Tribhuvandas Patel. Sardar Patel advised the farmers to form a Cooperative and supply milk directly to the Bombay Milk Scheme instead of selling it to Polson (who did the same but gave low prices to the producers). He sent Morarji Desai(who later became Prime Minister of India) to organize the farmers. In 1946, the farmers of the area went on a milk strike refusing to be further oppressed. Thus the Kaira District Cooperative was established to collect and process milk in the District of Kaira in 1946. Milk collection was also decentralized, as most producers were marginal farmers who were in a position to deliver 1-2 litres of milk per day. Village level cooperatives were established to organize the marginal milk producers in each of these villages.

The Cooperative was further developed and managed by Dr.Verghese Kurien along with Mr H.M Dalaya. Dr.Kurien, a World Food Prize and Magsaysay winner, was the pioneer of this White Revolution. The first modern dairy of the Kaira Union was established at Anand. Indigenous research and development and technology development at the Cooperative had led to the successful production of skimmed milk powder from buffalo milk for the first time on a commercial scale anywhere in the world.  The success of the dairy co-operative movement spread rapidly in Gujarat. Within a short span five other district unions - Mehsana, Banaskantha, Baroda, Sabarkantha and Surat were organized. In order to combine forces and expand the market while saving on advertising and avoid a situation where milk cooperatives would compete against each other it was decided to set up an apex marketing body of dairy cooperative unions in Gujarat. Thus, in 1973, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation was established. The Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd. which had established the brand name Amul in 1955 decided to hand over the brand name to GCMMF (AMUL).  Impressed with the development of dairy cooperatives in Kaira District and its success, Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minister of India during his visit to Anand in 1964, asked Dr. Kurien to replicate the Anand type dairy cooperatives all over India. Thus, the National Dairy Developed Board was formed and Operation Programme was launched for replication of the Amul Model all over India

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Achievements of GCMMF

3.1 million milk producer member families

15,760 village societies 15 District Unions 9.4 million liters of milk procured per day 150 million (US$2.99 million) disbursed in cash daily GCMMF is the largest cooperative business of small producers with an annual turnover

of    53 billion (US$1.06 billion) The Govt. of India has honoured Amul with the “Best of all categories Rajiv Gandhi

National Quality Award”. Largest milk handling capacity in Asia Largest Cold Chain Network 48 Sales offices, 5000 Wholesale Distributors, 7 lakh retail outlets Export to 37 countries worth  150 crore (US$29.93 million) Winner of APEDA award for nine consecutive years.

Amul Brand Building

GCMMF (AMUL) has the largest distribution network for any FMCG company. It has nearly 50 sales offices spread all over the country, more than 5,000 wholesale dealers and more than 7,00,000 retailers.

AMUL is also the largest exporter of dairy products in the country. AMUL is available today in over 40 countries of the world. AMUL is exporting a wide variety of products which include Whole and Skimmed Milk Powder, Cottage Cheese (Paneer), UHT Milk, Clarified Butter (Ghee) and Indigenous Sweets. The major markets are USA, West Indies, and countries in Africa, the Gulf Region, and SAARC neighbours, Singapore, The Philippines, Thailand, Japan and China.

In September 2007, Amul emerged as the leading Indian brand according to a survey by Synovate to find out Asia's top 1000 Brands.

In 2011, Amul was named the Most Trusted brand in the Food and Beverages sector in The Brand Trust Report, published by Trust Research Advisory.

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Advertising

An Amul butter ad on Pakistan's War fiasco. The image shows the "Amul baby" in between George Fernandez and Atal Behari Vajpayee.

In 1966, Amul hired Sylvester daCunha, then managing director of the advertising agency ASto design a new ad campaign for Amul Butter. daCunha designed an ad campaign as series of hoardings with topical ads, relating to day-to-day issues. The campaign was widely popular and earned a Guinness world record for the longest running ad campaign in the world. Since the 1980s, cartoon artist Bharat Dabholkar has been involved with sketching the Amul ads, who rejected the trend of using celebrities in advertisement campaigns. Dabholkar credited chairman Varghese Kurien with creating a free atmosphere that fostered the development of the ads.

Despite encountering political pressure on several occasions, daCunha's agency has made it a policy of not backing down. Some of the more controversial Amul ads include one commenting on Naxalite uprising in West Bengal, on the Indian Airlines employees strike, and the one depicting the Amul butter girl wearing a Gandhi cap[

Amul hired DraftFCB+Ulka for the brands of Amul milk, chocolates, paneer, ghee, ice-cream.

 

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Amul is world’s biggest vegetarian cheese brand 

The Land of sacred cows has become the world’s largest producer of vegetarian cheese. 

India’s top dairy co-operative Amul is now the biggest brand for vegetarian cheese as the Global Indian even now prefers desi shuddh taste over the premium Bries and Camemberts of the West. 

With demand pouring in from London to Ludhiana, exports will hit a record 600 tonne this year as Amul shreds competition with a growth of more than 20per cent. 

For those who don’t know what makes vegetarian cheese different, here is a quick low-down. Cheese is made by coagulating milk to give curds which are then separated from the liquid, whey, after which they can be processed and matured to produce a wide variety of cheeses. 

Milk is coagulated by the addition of rennet. The active ingredient of rennet is the enzyme, chymosin (also known as rennin). The usual source of rennet is the stomach of slaughtered newly-born calves. On other hand, vegetarian cheeses are manufactured using rennet from either fungal or bacterial sources. 

Amul is exporting cheese to the Middle East, USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, and neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. 

“Though there are many vegetarian cheese producers in the world, we would certainly be the single largest exporter. Our main customers abroad are NRIs. We market the product to them,’’ Mr Sodhiadded. 

Amul Cheddar is the top selling brand in India, with a 50per cent share of the market. Its cheese spreads have a 90per cent share of the market, while it is the only large player in mozarella pizza cheese. 

The local branded cheese market is estimated to be 6,000 tonnes per annum, with an average retail price of Rs 200/kg. The demand for cheese is projected to grow from about Rs 4.50bn in 2003-04 to Rs 6bn in ’06-07 and to over Rs 11bn by ’14-15.

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LIST OF PRODUCTS MARKETED

Breadspreads:

Amul Butter Amul Lite Low Fat Breadspread Amul Cooking Butter

Cheese Range:

Amul Pasteurized Processed Cheddar Cheese Amul Processed Cheese Spread Amul Pizza (Mozarella) Cheese Amul Shredded Pizza Cheese Amul Emmental Cheese Amul Gouda Cheese Amul Malai Paneer (cottage cheese) Frozen and Tinned Utterly Delicious Pizza

Mithaee Range (Ethnic sweets):

Amul Shrikhand (Mango, Saffron, Almond Pistachio, Cardamom) Amul Amrakhand Amul Mithaee Gulabjamuns Amul Mithaee Gulabjamun Mix Amul Mithaee Kulfi Mix

UHT Milk Range:

Amul Taaza 3% fat Milk Amul Gold 4.5% fat Milk Amul Slim-n-Trim 0% fat milk Amul Chocolate Milk Amul Fresh Cream Amul Snowcap Softy Mix Amul Taaza Double Toned Milk

Pure Ghee:

Amul Pure Ghee Sagar Pure Ghee

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Amul Cow Ghee Infant Milk Range:

Amul Infant Milk Formula 1 (0-6 months) Amul Infant Milk Formula 2 ( 6 months above) Amulspray Infant Milk Food

Milk Powders:

Amul Full Cream Milk Powder Amulya Dairy Whitener Sagar Skimmed Milk Powder Sagar Tea and Coffee Whitener

Sweetened Condensed Milk:

Amul Mithaimate Sweetened Condensed Milk

Fresh Milk:

Amul Taaza Toned Milk 3% fat Amul Gold Full Cream Milk 6% fat Amul Shakti Standardised Milk 3% fat Amul Smart Double Toned Milk 1.5% fat

Curd Products:

Amul Masti Dahi (fresh curd) Amul Butter Milk Amul Lassee

Amul Ice creams:

Royal Treat Range (Rajbhog, Cappuchino, Chocochips, Butterscotch, Tutti Frutti) Nut-o-Mania Range (Kaju Drakshi, Kesar Pista, Roasted Almond, Kesar Carnival,

Badshahi Badam Kulfi, Shista Pista Kulfi) Utsav Range (Anjir, Roasted Almond) Chocolate & Confectionery

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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

AMUL stands out a star performer both in the domestic and international market.With the perfect mix of technical know how and business acumen the company hasgrown into a major of milk and milk products producing company.

AMUL is India’s largest exporter of dairy products. It has been accorded a “TradingHouse” status. It has received the APEDA Award from Government of India forexcellence in dairy product exports for the last 8 years.

AMUL has its market in almost 20 countries which include USA, Iraq, Kuwait,Russia, Nepal, Qatar, Muscat, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,Gambia, Uganda, Madagaskar, Tanzania, U.A.E., Bahrain. Major export products ofAMUL are:

Consumer PacksAMUL PURE GHEEAMUL BUTTERAMUL SHRIKHANDAMUL FULL CREAM POWDERAMUL MITHAEE GULAB JAMUNAMUL SKIMMED MILK POWDERNUTRAMUL BROWN BEVERAGEAMULSPRAY INFANT MILK FOODAMUL CHEESEAMUL MALAI PANEERAMUL UHT MILK (LONG LIFE)AMUL FRESH CREAM

Bulk PacksAMUL SKIMMED MILK POWDERAMUL FULL CREAM MILK POWDER

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIESThe company has appointed special carry forward agents for distributing itsproducts in the international market .It has rented cold storages in variouscountries to store its products from where they are distributed as per orders.Although the distribution network for international market is not so wellknitted as in case of domestic market, it has been successful in maintaining asatisfactory network that ensures smooth functioning.

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INTERNATIONAL PRICING STRATEGIES

While deciding the prices for international market the company takes intoconsideration the prices of the competitors , production cost , distribution cost forinternational market , taxes and duties to be paid ,etc. However the company triesnot to have much difference in prices in National and the International markets.

PRODUCT VARIATIONS

There are no variations in the basic products that the company offers inNational and International markets, except for the fact that the company has tomaintain the quality standards as per the regulations of the respective countries.Not all the products manufactured are yet available in International marketbecause of the difference in preferences and consumption pattern of the peoplein various countries.

EXPORT POTENTIAL

India has the potential to become one of the leading players in milk and milk productexports.

Location advantage: India is located amidst major milk deficit countries in Asia andAfrica. Major importers of milk and milk products are Bangladesh, China, HongKong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, UAE, Oman and other gulfcountries, all located close to India.

Low Cost of Production: Milk production is scale insensitive and labor intensive.Due to low labor cost, cost of production of milk is significantly lower in India.

CONCERNS IN EXPORT COMPETITIVENESS ARE :

Quality: Significant investment has to be made in milk procurement, equipments,chilling and refrigeration facilities. Also, training has to be imparted to improve thequality to bring it up to international standards.

Productivity: To have an exportable surplus in the long-term and also to maintaincost competitiveness, it is imperative to improve productivity of Indian cattle.There is a vast market for the export of traditional milk products such as ghee, paneer,shrikhand, rasgolas and other ethnic sweets to the large number of Indians scatteredall over the world.

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EXPORT NEWS:-

Amul to spread its taste to US, Europe

Popular Indian dairy brand, Amul, plans to take its products to overseas shores.

The Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd, better known as Amul Dairy, will target ethnic South Asians living abroad with manufacturing bases outside India. The country's premier dairy cooperative, which was recently rated as the top Indian green brand by Green Brands Global Survey, will initially produce ghee and paneer (cottage cheese) for the global market. 

 Chairman Ramsinh Parmar said: “There is great potential in Europe and US for Amul products.

"Plans are afoot to establish our own manufacturing facility in the US.

“We shall shortly finalise steps to be taken in this direction to ensure quality for the dairy products that are made available in these countries.”

The Gujarat-based co-operative union will pick the exact location for the proposed facilities within a month.

While California, Virginia and Wisconsin are considered to milk-rich states in the US, the concentration of Indians is more in states such as New Jersey and New York.

The group currently exports products to these markets, mainly under the Amul and Sagar brands.

Amul has found over the years that there is significant demand for its products amongst Indian families in these markets and a local facility would enable better control over logistics and costs and cut 45 days out of the shipping time.

The group plans to source white butter and raw milk from local cooperative dairies to cater to the US market.

Amul is run by a co-operative representing 3 million farmers from the country's north-west and sold $2.1 billion worth of ghee, milk and other dairy products last year, with 10 per cent of the ghee production being exported.

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Amul to hit big in export route:- Ratna Bhushan, TNN Jun 30, 2011, 10.42pm IST

NEW DELHI: Spurred by the recent reduction in dairy subsidies by the European Commission and stagnant milk output in the US and Europe, and aided by low-cost production in India, the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has set itself its single biggest export target ever.It has projected doubling of exports in 2004-05 from last fiscal, amounting to Rs 90 crore.

"With the EU subsidy cut, low-cost imports from Europe and other markets will dip. This will increase the Indian dairy sector's competitiveness globally," says RS Sodhi, GM, marketing, GCMMF.

The subsidy cut will also help Indian exporters achieve higher realisations from the EU, and subsequently better returns for farmers.

The reductions are primarily on butter oil, skimmed milk powder (SMP) and white butter.

Top on GCMMF's export list are SMP in bulk, UHT milk in tetrapaks, butter, cheese, ice-cream, ghee (or clarified butter), paneer (cottage cheese) and desserts.

All these are being exported under the Amul umbrella brand. Bulk exports of SMP have the highest growth potential.

Among branded products, Amul is pitching its UHT milk - branded Amul Long Life - upfront. "We expect to sell Rs 20 crore of UHT milk in 1-litre tetrapaks in overseas markets this fiscal," says Sodhi.

Branded consumer products are being targeted at NRIs. Last year,Amul initiated a potential foray in Wal-Mart for some of its milkbased products.

In 2003-04, GCMMF's sales grew 5 per cent to Rs 2,882 crore, with dairy business growing 18 per cent despite the loss of its edible oils business.

Milk production in India - at 86 million tonnes, making it the largest milk producing country - is growing at 4-5 per cent.

Output in the US, the second largest, is estimated at close to 72 million tonnes.

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

It is defined as all psychological, social and physical behavior of potential customers as

they become aware, evaluate, purchase, consume, and tell to others about product and

services.

Buying behavior involves both individual (psychological) and group process.

o Buyer behavior is reflected from awareness right through post purchase

evaluation indicating satisfaction and non satisfaction , from purchaser

o Buyer behavior includes communication, purchasing and consumption behavior

o Consumer behavior is basically social in nature hence the social factors play

important roles in shaping buying behavior

o Buyer behavior includes both customer and industrial behavior.

“Hence consumer behavior is an orderly process whereby the consumer interacts with the

environment for making a purchase decision on products“

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Marketing managements work around consumers which is actually the market for them

Understanding their behavior is very vital in every segment to plan marketing

activities accordingly.

Both industrial and individual customers are vital in marketing management

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CONSUMER DECISION MAKING PROCESS :-

Stimuli- need, reasons, influences, gathering information

Information processing- process , analyze information about product

Decision making - on the basis of analysis , decision to go for

Response- response to buy without any prejudice

For industrial buyers the process is almost similar only with addition of re-buy,

modified re buy or new task.

FACTORS INFLUENCING BUYING BEHAVIOR:-

Individual factors

Cognitive thinking process – perception , attitudes , Needs/motives

Personal characteristics – demography, lifestyles ,personal traits

Environmental factors

Culture- values ,beliefs, sub cultural / cross cultural factors

Social class- social class , society

Influence groups – family, opinion leaders, reference group

Situational variables – purchase occasion , market communication, shopping

behavior, price , sales influence , product position

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CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

All business firms have realized that marketing is a core element of management philosophy &

the key to its success lies in focusing more & more on the customers. That is, it will be the

customer who will decide where the firm is heading. Thus the challenge before the marketer is to

ensure that they should satisfy every customer.

Satisfaction is an important element in the evaluating stage. Satisfaction refers to the buyers state

of being adequately rewarded in a buying situation for the sacrifices he has made one the

customer purchase & use the product they may then become either satisfy or dissatisfied.

The result of satisfaction to customer form the purchase of the product or services is that more

favourable post-purchase attitude, higher purchase intention & brand loyalty to be exhibited that

the same behavior is likely to be exhibited in a similar purchasing situation. The term ‘consumer’

is a typically used to refer to someone who regularly purchase from a particular store or

company.

Customers are people who are happy with the product & services & are willing to come back &

pay for it again.

Today the firms aim to give satisfaction to the customer through marketing concepts. The firm

try to help the buyers in the solving the problem then competitors. The marketers must see that

consumers with purchasing power constitute a potentials buyers are identified. It is essential for

the marketer to carry out the business in such a way that they give satisfaction to consumers

needed. When a firm markets a product or service it should aim to enjoy consumer’s satisfaction

& profit maximization.

CONSUMER RESEARCH:-

Consumer research is the methodology used to study consumer behavior research offer set

diverse to identify consumer needs it is used to identify both felt & unfelt needs, to learn how

consumers. Perceive product & brand & stores. What their attitudes are before and after

promotional campaigns & how & why they make their consumption decision.

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MARKETING RESEARCH:-

Marketing research plays an important role in the process of marketing. Starting with market

component of the total marketing talk, it helps the firm to acquire a better understanding of the

consumers, the competition and the marketing environment.

DEFINITIONS“Marketing research is a systematic gathering, recording and analysis marketing problem to

facilitate decision making.”

- Coundiff& Still.

“Marketing research is a systematic problem analysis, model building and fact finding for the

purpose of important decision making and control in the marketing of goods and services.

- Phillip Kotler.

STEPS INVOLVED IN MARKETING RESEARCH

Defining the Marketing Problem to be tackled and identifying the market research problem

involved in the task.

Define the problem and its objectives.

Identify the problem.

Determine the information needed.

Determine the sources of information.

Decide research methods.

Tabulate, Analyze and interpret the data.

Prepare research report.

Follow-up the study.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH PROBLEM

Seek the general perception of consumer towards Amul Milk.

To know the consumer psyche and their behaviour towards Amul Milk .

Information requirement

First, I had to know about all the competitors present in the Milk segment (Reputed and

well established brands as well as Local brands).

Before going for the survey I had to know the comparative packs and prices of all the

competitors existing in the market.

Since Milk is a product that used daily hence I had to trace the market and segment

it,which mainly deals with people of various age groups.

The main information needed is the various types of brands available in the market, their

calorific value and various other facts.

As Amul milk advertisements are mainly done through hoardings but on television the advertisement is being telecasted timely and on the proper time or not.

MARKET RESEARCH

Various authors have defined it in different way. Research starts with the question or problem. Its purpose is to find out answer to question through the application or scientific method. It is systematic and intensive study directed to word a more complete knowledge of the subject study. Research can be classified in to two broad categories.

a. Basic researchb. Applied research

Market research is systemic and objective study of problems relating to the market of goods and services. It may be emphasized that is not restricted to many particular area of marketing. But it is applicable to all phase of aspect.

Marketing research is a key of education of successful marketing stretchy of programmed research is used to study competition and analyses the competitors product positioning and how to gain competitive advance stage. It is also an importance tools to study consumer opinion.

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“The systematic and objective search for an analysis so information relevant to the identification and solution of any problems in the field marketing”

Marketing research is the systematic design collection and reporting of data and finding relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company.

RESEARCH DESIGN Research Design is the plan, structure, and strategy of investigation conceived so as to obtained answers to research questions and to control variance. The definition consists of three importance term plan structure & strategy.

TYPE OF RESEARCH1) Exploratory research2) Descriptive research3) Causative research

On the context of my topic consumer’s opinion survey, I had selected descriptive research.Descriptive research:-

Descriptive research is carried out to descriptive a phenomenon or market. characteristics of the target market is a descriptive research continuing the above example of services quality are search done on now customer evaluating the quality of competitive services institution can be considered as an example of descriptive research. Generally descriptive research is carried out only when the researcher understand be phenomena or opinions characteristics.

Descriptive study can be divided in to two broad categories cross sectional & longitudinal of the two, the former types of study is more frequently used.Cross classification has two methods to research.

1) Cross field2) Survey

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SOURCES OF DATA

There are two types of sources of gathering marketing information namely primary sources and secondary sources.

Primary data:

The primary data are those, which are collected fresh and for the first time, and thus happen to be original in character. Here I have collected the primary data through survey of customer who use products of Amul through questionnaire.

Secondary data:

The secondary data are those which have already been collected by somewhere else and which have already been passed through the statistical process.

RESEARCH APPROACH

Primary data can be collected in the ways observation, focus group research survey and experimental research. In my marketing research survey I had collected primary data through survey research.

Survey best suited for descriptive research and it is only concerned with getting practical knowledge. I had undertaken survey to learn about people’s knowledge, beliefs, preference and satisfaction of Amul, Sagar and Banas dairy products.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

Marketing research has choice of two main research instruments in collecting primary data; questionnaire and mechanical devices. In my marketing research survey I have used a questionnaire for collecting data.

A questionnaire consists of a set of questions presented to respondents for their answers. The questionnaire is the most common instrument used to collect primary data. A questionnaire consists of two types of questions close ended and open-ended questions. Close-ended questions refer to provide two or more possible alternatives to the respondent. And the open-ended questions allow the respondents to answer in their own words. In my marketing research I have used both types of questions in questionnaire.

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RESEARCH DESIGN

A Research design specifies the methods and procedures for conducting a particular study. It is a

map (or) blue print to which the research is to be conducted. Descriptive research design has

been considered as a suitable methodology for present study and for data analysis.

PLACES OF STUDY

The study was conducted at the outlets, stores and eateries in the following commercial areas of

Sagar.

Civil Lines

Katra Bazaar

Makronia

Sadar

TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS

Quantitative analysis is performed using the data collected at each outlet to estimate the

presence of Amul milk.

Sampling

1. Sampling Design : Non probability sampling (A non probability sampling technique is that in which each element in the population does not have an equal chance of getting selected)

2. Sample Unit : People who buy milk in retail outlets, superstores, etc

3. Sample size : 100 respondents (Age ranging between 18yrs to 65yrs)

4. Method : Primary data collection through questionnaire.

5. Data analysis method : Graphical method and percentage analysis.

6. Area of survey : Sagar City.

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MARKET ANALYSIS OF AMUL PRODUCT

SWOT ANALYSISThe study of this SWOT analysis shows that the ‘strengths’ and ‘opportunities’ far outweigh ‘weaknesses’ and ‘threats’. The strengths and opportunities are fundamental and weaknesses and threats are transitory.

STRENGTHS: Demand profile: Absolutely optimistic. Margins: Quite reasonable. Flexibility of product mix: Tremendous. With balancing equipment, you can keep on

adding to your product line. Availability of raw material: Abundant. Presently, more than 80 per cent of chocolate

produced is flowing into the unorganized sector, which requires proper channelization. Technical manpower: Professionally-trained, technical human resource pool, built over

last 30 years.

WEAKNESSES: Perishability: Pasteurization has overcome this weakness partially. Which gives

chocolate long life. Surely, many new processes will follow to improve chocolate quality and extend its shelf life.

Lack of control over yield: Theoretically, there is little control over chocolate yield. However, increased awareness of developments like embryo transplant, artificial insemination and properly managed animal husbandry practices, coupled with higher income to rural milk producers should automatically lead to improvement in chocolate.

Logistics of procurement: Woes of bad roads and inadequate transportation facility make milk procurement problematic. But with the overall economic improvement in India, these problems would also get solved.

Problematic distribution: Yes, all is not well with distribution. But then if ice creams can be sold virtually at every nook and corner, why can’t we sell other dairy products too? Moreover, it is only a matter of time before we see the emergence of a cold chain linking the producer to the refrigerator at the consumer’s home!

Competition: With so many newcomers entering this industry, competition is becoming tougher day by day. But then competition has to be faced as a ground reality. The market is large enough for many to carve out their niche.

OPPORTUNITIES:

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Value addition: There is a phenomenal scope for innovations in product development, packaging and presentation. Given below are potential areas of value addition:

Steps should be taken to introduce value-added products like shrikhand, ice creams, paneer, khoa, flavored milk, dairy sweets, chocolates etc. This will lead to a greater presence and flexibility in the market place along with opportunities in the field of brand building.

Addition of cultured products like yoghurt and cheese lend further strength - both in terms of utilization of resources and presence in the market place.

A lateral view opens up opportunities in milk proteins through casein, caseinates and other dietary proteins, further opening up export opportunities.

Yet another aspect can be the addition of infant foods, geriatric foods and nutritional. Export potential: Efforts to exploit export potential are already on. Amul is exporting to

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the Middle East. Following the new treaty, opportunities will increase tremendously for the export of agricultural products in general and dairy products in particular.

THREATS:

Milk vendors, the un-organized sector: Today chocolate vendors are occupying the pride of place in the industry. Organized dissemination of information about the harm that they are doing to producers and consumers should see a steady decline in their importance.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

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Purpose of purchase of a product

Interpretation:From the above data collected graph it can be interpreted that 32% customers purchase products for self use, 11% customers purchase for selling purpose and 7% customers purchase for making a new product.

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Comparison with other brands

Which brand cheese do you use? Which brand butter do you use? Which brand ghee do you use?

Products Brands Lebon Amul Britania HandmadeButter 1% 45% 2% 2%Ghee 2% 38% 8% 12%Cheese 5% 42% 3% 0%

Interpretation: According to this analysis, On the basis of Butter 1% persons like Lebon, 45% like Amul, 2% like Britania and 2% persons like handmade butter.On the basis of Ghee 2% persons like Lebon, 38% like amul, 8% like Britania, and 12% like housemade ghee.On the basis of Cheese 5% like Lebon, 42% like Amul, 3% like Britania.

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Satisfaction with the Quantity of Amul dairy Products

Interpretation:From the above graph we can say that nearly about 94% customers are satisfied with the weight/quantity of dairy products.. Dairy should continue with the same quantity as well as quality.

Analysis of Occupation of the Respondents

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Interpretation:

20% of the respondents are businessmen, 10% of the respondents are employees, and 65% of the

respondents are house wives, 05% of the respondents are others group.

Purchasing Factor

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Interpretation:

38% of respondents buying AMUL Milk for its Good Quality, 28% of respondents use for its

Band Name,20% of its Price consideration, 14% of its easy availability of respondents buying

AMUL Milk & Milk products.

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Opinion towards products

Interpretation:

25% of the respondents rated that AMUL Milk & Milk products are Excellent. 48% of the

respondents rated as good, 22% of the respondents rated as Average Quality. 05% of the

respondents rated that AMUL Milk & Milk products are Poor.

From the above table we can conclude that majority of the respondents rated AMUL Milk &

Milk products are of Good Quality.

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Value for Money

Interpretation

96% of the respondents feel that they get the value for money they paid. Only 04% of the

respondents feel that they are not getting the value for money what they paid.

From the above table we can conclude that majority of the respondents are agreed that they are

getting the value for money they paid.

FINDINGS

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After the completion of this research survey I found some problems which are helpful to make some necessary decision which are beneficial for the dairy.

Generally, I found that most of the customers used milk as a primary product.

Most of the customer use dairy product for self use only.

Mainly customer purchases the product from the retailer.

Customers are satisfied as they get the product within the expected time and in desired quantity.

Mainly the customers are facing problem with packaging of the product from my survey I found out that out of 50 nearly 5 customers were complaining about the packaging of the product.

Customers are somewhat satisfied with the quality of dairy product. But nearby 25% customers complain of bad quality of dairy product and especially of milk.

Customers are satisfied with the weight as well as quantity of dairy product.

Many retailers are available so customers do not face any problem and get the dairy products easily.

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LIMITATIONS

The limitations of the research were as follows

1. Lack of proper experience on the part of the researcher in conducting such studies in the past.

2. Time frame required was not enough to survey more number of outlets.

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CONCLUSIONS

AMUL will be an outstanding marketing organization, with specialization in marketing of food and dairy products, both fresh and long life with customer focus and information technology integration.

AMUL shall also create a market for its products in the neighboring countries.

AMUL has been satisfying the customers on a large scale which ensures its success in the future.

In Sagar, AMUL is found to be a highly preferred brand for dairy products.

In Sagar city, the customers of Amul seem highly satisfied, as it boasts of superior quality of products at affordable prices.

In Sagar, Amul does not have competition from International competitors, as many products of those brands are not available here.

Sagar could be a great market for Amul, if it improves its Supply Chain Management.

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SUGGESTIONS

1. Delivering High Customer Value-

The key to generate the high customer loyalty is to deliver high customer value. Amul must

design a competitively superior alum proposition aimed at a specific market segment backed by a

superior value system.

2. Measuring the customer satisfaction regularly:

For this, customer satisfaction can be rated on a scale of one to five. On level one the customer

with low level of satisfaction is positioned and on level five the highly satisfied customer is

positioned.

3. Stress on Total Quality Management-

Amul should adopt the system of TQM. This approach will lead to the continuous improvement

in the quality of all bank's processes, products, and services.

4. Maximising Customer's Life Time Value-

Amul should emphasize on the lifetime stream of revenue and cost and not on the profit from a

particular transaction. Customer profitability can be assessed individually by market segment or

channel.

5. Maintaining Customers Relationship:

Customer Relationship Management will enable Amul to provide excellent real time customer

service through the effective use of individual account information.

6. Interaction with customers:

Amul should invent ways to interact with the customers and improve their knowledge about their

preferences and non preferences. Customized offerings should be communicated in a

personalized way.

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CONSUMER QUESTIONNAIRE

CUSTOMER PROFILE

NAME:-________________________________________________AGE:-________OCCUPATION:-_____________ EMAIL ID:- ______________________________CONTACT NO:-_________________

1).Which dairy products do you purchase daily?

NAME MILK BUTTER MILK

GHEE OTHER

SIZE

2).For whom do you purchases a product.

A. Self Use ( )B. Selling Purpose ( )

C. For make a other Product ( )

3).From where do you Purchases a product?

A. Amul Outlet ( ) B. Dealer ( ) C. Grocery stores( )

4).Do you get the Dairy Product in desired Quantity?

A. Yes ( ) B. No ( )

5). Which brand cheese do you use?

A. Lebon ( ) B. Amul ( ) C.Britannia ( ) D. Other ( )

6). Which brand butter do you use?

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A. Amul ( ) B. Parag ( ) C. Mother dairy ( ) D. Britannia. ( ) E. Home Made ( )7). Which brand ghee do you use?

A. Amul pure ghee ( ) B. Anik ( ) C. Everyday ( ) D. Mother dairy ( ) E. Parag ( ) F.Other, specify ……………

8).Are you satisfied with the packing of Dairy Products?

A. Yes ( ) B. No ( )

9). Please give the opinion according to Quality of Dairy Product

A. Satisfied ( ) B. Medium ( ) C. Dissatisfied ( )

10). Are you satisfied with the Quantity of Amul dairy Products?

A. Yes ( ) B. No ( )

11).Are you satisfied with the price of Amul dairy Products compare to the other brand products?

A. Yes ( ) B. No ( )

12).Do you complain if any defect in the dairy products?A. Yes ( ) B. No ( )

If yes then to whom? Dairy ( ) seller ( )

Date:-………… Customer’s Sign.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Web Sites

Research From Company Web Site:www.amul.com www.yahoo.com www. google.com

Books Marketing Management - Philip Kotler Research Methodology - C.R. Kothari Marketing Research - Boyd

Company Literature Printed Literature obtained from Amul India. AMUL Brochures

Magazines Business Today Business World Economic India

Newspapers Economic Times Business Standards Financial Express