INTRODUCTION

Consumer behavior is stated as the behavior that consumer display in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products, services and ideas that they expect will satisfy their needs. The study of consumer behavior is concerned not only with what consumers buy, but also with why they buy it, when and how they buy it, and how often they buy it. It is concerned with learning the specific meanings that products hold for consumers. Consumer research takes places at every phase of consumption process, before the purchase, during the purchase and after the purchase. The scope of consumer behavior includes not only the actual buyer and his act of buying but also various roles played by different individuals and the influence they exert on the final purchase decision. Individual consumer behavior is influenced by economic, social, cultural, psychological, and personal factors. Consumer purchase decision A decision is the selection of an action from two or more alternatives. Consumer decision to purchase the goods from the available alternative is known as consumer purchase decision. The various options of the consumer may be classified into five main types of decisions. They are what to buy, how much to buy, where to buy, when to buy, how to buy. The participants in the buying decisions may be classified as the initiator, influencer, decider, buyer and users. The marketing people should initiate the participants in the purchase decision to make the purchases of the product at different marketing strategies. Marketers had long noted that consumer did not always act or react, as marketing theory would suggest. The size of the consumer market in the country was vast and constantly expanding: millions of people were spending millions of rupees on goods and services. Consumer preferences were changing and becoming highly diversified. Indian Toothpaste Industry Many people in India still clean their teeth with traditional products like Neem twigs, salt, ash, tobacco or other herbal ingredients. Average all India per capita consumption of toothpaste is a dismal 82gms.The dentist to population ratio is a critically low 1:30000 in the country. This results in low oral hygiene consciousness and widespread dental diseases. Less than 15% of the Indian toothpaste users brush twice a day. Colgate and Pepsodent together account for over 75% of the organized toothpaste market.

Colgate The company's parent has a presence in over 200 countries worldwide. In India, Colgate is considerably backward integrated. It has captive manufacturing facilities for flavor and other ingredients, which yield significant cost savings. It has also set up an excellent facility for manufacture of Di-calcium Phosphate, a key ingredient in toothpaste. Products: Colgate Dental, Cream, Colgate Total 12, Colgate Sensitive, Colgate MaxFresh, Colgate Kids Toothpaste, Colgate Herbal, Colgate Cibaca Family Protection, Colgate Advanced Whitening, Colgate Active Salt. Pepsodent It is one of the oldest toothpastes on the market today and still touted as a favorite by those who swear by the brand-Pepsodent. The well-known minty-flavored toothpaste has stood the test of time and still has many faithful users in India. Pepsodent is the oldest and most well known toothpaste in, since the beginning of its existence has actively educated and promoted proper habit of brushing through school program and free dental check up service. Pepsodent has completed its range product from basic cleaning to complete benefit paste ever since. Products: Pepsodent Complete + Gum Care, Complete 12, Pepsodent Herbal, Pepsodent Milk Teeth Orange, Pepsodent Milk Teeth Strawberry, Pepsodent Sensitive, Pepsodent Whitening, Pepsodent Cavity Prevention.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

To Compare the Popularity of Colgate or Pepsodent from Consumer point, through following parameters:

Understanding of Consumers mindset through Demographic pattern Consumer brushing pattern Frequency of purchasing of the toothpaste Awareness regarding the Company Manufacturing Recommendation for purchasing of the toothpaste Factors which makes consumers to buy a toothpaste Preference for buying the toothpaste Preference for attribute Understanding of the influential consumers who influence the purchase of the toothpaste Knowing about which promotion methods attracts the consumer in buying the product and, The promotional tools which influence the consumer to buy the toothpaste

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Consumer behavior Consumer behavior has been always of great interest to marketers. The knowledge of consumer behavior helps the marketer to understand how consumers think, feel and select from alternatives like products, brands and the like and how their environment, the reference groups, family, and salespersons influence the consumers and so on. A consumers buying behavior is influenced by cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. Most of these factors are uncontrollable and beyond the hands of marketers but they have to be considered while trying to understand the complex behavior of the consumers. In this study, the researcher emphasizes the importance of lifestyle and its impact on the buyer behavior. Consumer Personality Factors There are two factors mainly influencing the consumers for decision-making: Risk aversion and innovativeness. Risk aversion is a measure of how much consumers need to be certain and sure, of what they are purchasing. Highly risk adverse consumers need to be very certain about what they are buying. Whereas less risk adverse consumers can tolerate some risk and uncertainty in their purchases. The second variable, innovativeness, is a global measure, which captures the degree to which consumers are willing to take chances and experiment with new ways of doing things. The shopping motivation literature is abound with various measures of individual characteristics (e.g., innovative, venturesome, cosmopolitan, variety seeking), therefore, innovativeness and risk aversion were included in this study to capture several of these traits. Measures were used to measure innovativeness and risk aversion. Perception Perception is a mental process, whereby an individual selects data or information from the environment, organizes it and then draws significance or meaning from it. Perceived fit Perceived fit is an attitudinal measure of how appropriate a certain channel of distribution is for a specific product. Morrison and Roberts (1998) found that consumers perception of the fit between a service/product and a channel is very influential in determining whether they will consider using that channel for a specific service. In fact, perceived fit was found to be more important than consumers preferences for the distribution method or service.

Product Class knowledge Product class knowledge is a measure of consumers perceptions of how much they know about a specific class of products (eg.,cars) This type of measure is consistent with what Brucks(1985) called subjective knowledge, knowledge levels. that is, consumers self-perceptions of

This is often contrasted with objective knowledge, which is what

consumers actually know. Park and Lessing (1981) proposed that subjective knowledge provides a better understanding of consumers decision making processes because consumers level of confidence in their search and decision making behavior, independent of their objective knowledge. Product type Past research indicates that consumers purchase and channel decisions might be influenced by the type of product being investigated (Cox Hawes1985;Morrison and Rich 1964 : Lumpkin and

and Roberts1998 : Papadopoulos1980 : Prasad1975: Sheth1983 :

Thompson1971).In particular ,these authors state hat certain products might be more appropriate for one channel or another, which ultimately influences consumers channel preference and choice Quality It is our aim to provide the best product for the consumer and we believe that if the products have quality the consumer will pay the price, says Amal pramanic, regional business director .Oral-B Packaging Packaging establishes a direct link with the consumers at the point of purchase as it can very well change the perceptions they have for a particular brand. A product has to draw the attention of the consumers through an outstanding packaging design. Earlier packaging was considered only a container to put a product in, but today, research in to the right packaging is beginning at the product development stage itself. Packaging innovation has been at the heart of Daburs attempt to rap with the urban consumers. It spends large sums annually on packaging research.-We have been laying emphasis on aesthetics, shelf appeal and convenience for consumer says Deepak Manchandra, manager packaging development.

Promotion The greatest challenge faced by companies today is holding and increasing their market share and value. This is always a strenuous exercise and one of the tools for the same is marketing. There is no specific game rule available for using the marketing tools .The reason is: each promotional tool has its own characteristics. Familiarity with a channel Consumers familiarity with a channel is a measure of the general experience they have with purchasing products through specific channels (i.e. catalog, internet, and bricks-and-mortar retailer). Through frequent use, consumers should become accustomed to using the channel, which reduces their apprehension and anxiety in purchasing products through the channel. Brand Awareness According to Rossiter and Prey (1987), brand awareness precedes all other steps in the buying process. A brand attitude cannot be performed, unless a consumer is aware of the brand. In memory theory, brand awareness is positioned as a vital first step in building the bundle of associations that are attached to the brand in memory (Stokes, 1985). Family influence A family exerts a complex influence on the behaviors of its members. Prior family influence research has focused on intergenerational rather than intergenerational influence in consumer generalization. As has been compellingly demonstrated, parents influence children (Moore, Wilkie, and Lutz2002; Moschis 1987).Yet, consumption domains clearly exist where sibling efforts may also be exerted.

Shopping motives Shopping motives are defined as consumers wants and needs as they relate to outlets at which to shop. Sheth (1983) has proposed two groups of motives, functional and nonfunctional. Functional motives are associated with time, place, and possession needs and refer to rational aspects of channel choice. Whereas nonfunctional motives relate to social and emotional reasons for patronage. The functional motives included convenience, price comparison and merchandise assortment. The nonfunctional l motives entail recreation. The purpose of the study is

1. To examine the external factors influencing purchase decisions 2. To examine the consumer awareness of toothpaste 3. To find out how promotional schemes are influencing the consumers 4. To examine how the product attributes influencing the consumer buying toothpaste

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is the process of solving the problem systematically by research. The objective of the study is to solve the problem by using available data. Research Design Research design is a detailed blue print used to guide the research study towards its objectives. In this study, the researchers used descriptive design. Descriptive research design Descriptive research can be either quantitative or qualitative. It can involve collections of quantitative information that can be tabulated along a continuum in numerical form, such as scores on a test or the number of times a person chooses to use a-certain feature of a multimedia program, or it can describe categories of information such as gender or patterns of interaction when using technology in a group situation. Descriptive research involves gathering data that describe events and then organizes, tabulates, depicts, and describes the data collection (Glass & Hopkins, 1984). It often uses visual aids such as graphs and charts to aid the reader in understanding the data distribution. Because the human mind cannot extract the full import of a large mass of raw data, descriptive statistics are very important in reducing the data to manageable form. When in-depth, narrative descriptions of small numbers of cases are involved, the research uses description as a tool to organize data into patterns that emerge during analysis. Those patterns aid the mind in comprehending a qualitative study and its implications. Sample technique Sample is the fraction of the population; sampling is a technique or a method of selection of samples. The researcher in carrying out this research adopted the most appropriate sampling technique for research that is the simple random technique.

Simple random sampling Simple random sampling method, it is assumed that each unit in the population has equal chance of occurrence or equal probability of occurrence. In other words, the sampling units are selected randomly. An unbiased random selection of individuals is important so that in the end, the sample represents the population. However, this does not guarantee that a particular sample is a perfect representation of the population. Simple random sampling merely allows one to draw externally valid conclusions about the entire population based on the sample. Conceptually, simple random sampling is the simplest of the probability sampling techniques. It requires a complete sampling frame, which may not be available or feasible to construct for large populations. Even if a complete frame is available, approaches that are more efficient may be possible if other useful information is available about the units in the population. The researchers have taken 200 samples randomly from the population residing in Mumbai (Mulund East). Primary sources of data collected through questionnaire while magazines, journals and website are referred as a secondary source. Instrument Design Structure of the instrument For collecting primary data, method used is questionnaire. It is the most popular method used when the population and sample size are large. A questionnaire includes a number of questions, printed in proper sequence, for presenting to respondents for their answers. Each question is contributing to research objectives. Questionnaire was designed with most of closed ended questions and only few open ended question. It was designed to cater to all areas and aspects of the study. Data analysis and Interpretation The data has been collected with the help of questionnaire. In addition, it has been analyzed and interpreted with the help of tables along with relevant descriptions. Appropriate treatment has been done to the raw data and logical conclusions are drawn based on the findings.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Table 1 - Demographic Variable Demographic variable Number of respondents Colgate Pepsodent Age (Years) 10 15 25 11 55 24 37 23 127 73 Gender 33 12 94 61 127 73 Educational Qualification 38 13 59 44 30 16 127 73 Status 16 11 39 28 67 31 5 3 127 73 Monthly Income 27 12 25 13 47 25 28 23 127 73

TOTAL 25 36 79 60 200 45 155 200 51 103 46 200 27 67 98 8 200 39 38 72 51 200

07-18 18-25 25-30 30&above TOTAL Male Female TOTAL Up to 10+2 Up to graduation PG/Higher education TOTAL Student Professional House wife Businessman TOTAL Below Rs.5,000 Rs.5,000-Rs.15,000 Rs.15,000-Rs.30,000 Above Rs.30,000 TOTAL

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Table 2 - Consumer Brushing Pattern Consumer Brushing Pattern Brushing frequency Once Twice TOTAL Number of respondents Colgate Pepsodent 91 44 36 29 127 73 TOTAL 135 65 200

Consumer Brushing Pattern

Number of respondents Colgate Number of respondents Pepsodent

Twice

36

29

Once

91

44

With a view to find the brushing frequency of consumer with respect to Colgate & Pepsodent, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 2. An examination of the data reveals that 67.5% of the consumers brushing once and 32.5% of the consumers brushing twice. So the frequency of brushing was less in Mumbai city (Mulund East), but as per the dentist advice 2 times brushing is compulsory for avoiding dental problem. Normally people are not giving much importance to oral care, so the share of oral care industry is less when compare to other developed areas. Even though respondents brushing once a day is high against twice respondents prefers Colgate as there toothbrush (91)

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Table 3 Frequency of purchase

Frequency of purchase Per month usage One Two More than two TOTAL

Number of respondents
Colgate

TOTAL 115 78 7 200

74 49 4 127

Pepsodent 41 29 3 93

Frequency of Purchase
Number of respondents Colgate Number of respondents Pepsodent

74 49 29 4 One Two 3

41

More than two

By having a view to find that frequency of purchasing the toothpaste, the data pertaining to this is presented in the table 3. An examination of the table reveals that most of the consumers buying Colgate toothpaste once in a month, more than two times in a month, then twice in a month. On the other hand, purchase of the Pepsodent once in a month, is 1.5 times in a month, then twice in a month. Of the respondents 39% of them purchase twice, 3.5% of the

respondents purchase more than twice and 57.5% of them purchase once in a month. This makes it clear that respondents purchasing standard pack of 200gm of Colgate toothpaste once in a month are more i.e. 74.

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Table 4 Awareness of the Company Awareness of Company Brands Colgate-Pamolive Unilever-Pepsodent TOTAL Number of respondents 139 61 200 Percentage 69.5 30.5

Awareness of the Company

Colgate-Pamolive Unilever-Pepsodent

31.5%

69.5%

With a view to find that awareness of toothpaste Brand Company, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 4. An examination of the table reveals that most of the people aware of Colgate. Since Colgate is the generic name for toothpaste, this is the main reason, most of the respondents (69.5%) aware of Colgate, while only 31.5% respondents aware of Pepsodent (launched by Unilever company).

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Table 5 Recommendation for Buying Toothpaste

Recommendation for Buying Toothpaste Recommendation I am using toothpaste as per Dentist advice Taste makes me to switch brand I am not interested in oral care I feel it is a sales promotion technique TOTAL

Number of respondents Colgate 61 19 21 26 127 Pepsodent 26 11 15 21 73

TOTAL

87 30 36 47 200

Recommendation for buying toothpaste

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 I am using Taste makes me I am not I feel it is a sales toothpaste as to Change brand interested in oral promotion perDentist advice care technique 11 19 21 15 26 61 21 Number of respondents Pepsodent Number of respondents Colgate 26

With a view to find the dentist recommendation for buying toothpaste, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 5. Of the total respondents, 61 of the respondents are ready to accept dentist suggestion for using Colgate. 30 of the respondents have switch their brands due to unlikely taste, 18% of the respondents are not interested in oral care, i.e. 36 respondents out of total sample size of 200 , While remaining respondents felt that this is one of the sales promotion technique backed by the company for increasing sales.

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Table 6 Factors That Makes Consumer to Buy Toothpaste Factors Which Makes Consumer to Buy Toothpaste Factors Price Availability Packaging Others TOTAL Number of respondents Colgate 53 53 14 7 127 Pepsodent 35 22 12 4 73 TOTAL

88 75 26 11 200

Factors which makes consumes to buy toothpaste

60 50 40 35 30 20 10 0 Price Availability Packaging Others 22 14 12 7 4 Number of respondents Colgate Number of respondents Pepsodent 53 53

With a view to find the reasons to buy toothpaste, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 6. An examination of the table reveals that, consumers are influenced by the price, availability and Packaging. Of the total respondents 44% of them influenced by the price, 37.5% influenced by the availability, 13% influenced by the packaging, and 5.5% influenced by other factors. When the respondents were asked to mention the factors which motivate them to buy a particular brand of toothpaste their replies are mostly price and availability.

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Table 7 Preference of Toothpaste

Preference of Toothpaste Preference Quality Brand Flavour Other TOTAL

Number of respondents Colgate 44 53 22 8 127 Pepsodent 21 23 24 5 73

TOTAL 65 76 46 13 200

Preference of Toothpaste
Other 8 5

Flavor

22

24

Brand

53

23

Quality 0 10 20

44

21

30

40

50

60

70

80

Number of respondents Colgate

Number of respondents Pepsodent

With a view to find the reason to buy toothpaste, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 7.An examination of the table reveals that, most of the consumers preferred Colgate in terms of brand and quality, while Pepsodent in terms of flavor. In the above table 76 of the respondents preferred brand name, 65 of the respondents preferred quality, 46 of the respondents preferred fl avor , and 13 of the respondents preferred other factors. Quality played a vital role in selection of Colgate toothpaste.

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Table 8 Preference of an Attribute Preference of an Attribute Attribute Healthy tooth& gums Long lasting freshness Prevention of tooth decay Whiteness Use of natural herbs Good foam TOTAL Number of respondents Colgate 41 21 29 25 2 9 127 Pepsodent 19 16 8 14 0 16 73

TOTAL 60 37 37 39 02 25 200

Preference of an attribute
Number of respondents Colgate Number of respondents Pepsodent

Good foam Use of natural herbs Whiteness Prevention of tooth decay Long lasting freshness Healthy tooth& gums

16 2 25 14 29 8 21 16 41 19

With a view to find the reasons to buy toothpaste based on attribute, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 8. An examination of the table reveals that, most of the consumers preferred healthy tooth & gums, prevention of decay, natural herbs, whiteness, freshness, and foam. The above table clearly shows that 60 of the respondents preferred healthy tooth, 37 respondents preferred prevention of tooth decay, 2 respondents preferred natural herbs, 39 preferred whiteness, 37 preferred freshness, and 25 preferred good foam. In all the factor except for good foam Colgate is leading.

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Table 9 Person who Influenced Consumer to Purchase Toothpaste Person who Influenced Consumer to Purchase Toothpaste Persons Friends Kids Parents Spouse Self TOTAL

Number of respondents Colgate 23 15 56 24 9 127 Pepsodent 17 11 27 16 2 73

TOTAL

40 26 83 40 11 200

Colgate

Pepsodent

7% 19% 44% 18% 12% Friends Kids Parents Spouse Self 22%

3% Friends 23% 15% 37% Kids Parents Spouse Self

With a view to find the persons who influenced consumer to purchase toothpaste, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 9. An examination of the table reveal that, the people who influenced more are, parents, friends, spouse, kids and self decision. Based on the above data, C o l g a t e t o o t h p a s t e i s l e a d i n g i n a l l t h e a s p e c t s e x c e p t i n t h e case of spouse where Pepsodent is leading with 22%.

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Table 10 To which Mode of Promotion Consumer gets Attracted To Which Mode of Promotion Consumer gets Attracted Mode of promotion Advertisement Celebrity Banner Others TOTAL Number of respondents Colgate 58 20 36 13 127 Pepsodent 33 31 7 2 73

TOTAL 91 51 43 15 200

Promotion Method
Number of respondents Colgate Number of respondents Pepsodent

Others

13

Banner

36

Celebrity

20

31

Advertisement

58

33

With a view to find out which mode of promotion consumer gets attracted, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 10. An examination of the table reveals that, most of the consumers preferred advertisement, celebrity, banners. Majority of the respondents i.e. 91 preferred advertisements, 51 of the respondents preferred celebrity endorsements, 43 preferred banners, and 15 preferred other mode of promotion. Advertisement creates attention and stimulates the consumer to buy a particular brand. Since promotion is way that both the company sells there product, with respect to advertisement the ratio of Colgate selling its toothpaste is 2:1, its 1:1.5 in respect of Colgate promoting its product through celebrity. In case of Banner Colgate promotion technique are stronger than Pepsodent. In others, the ratio was 13:2 the answer we found was that Colgate do campaign.

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Table 11- Factors, Which Makes Consumer to Buy Toothpaste Factors Which Makes Consumer to Buy Toothpaste Promotion tools Gift Discount Extra quantity TOTAL

Number of respondents Colgate 39 53 35 127 Pepsodent 31 29 13 73

Factors which makes consumer to buy toothpaste

Number of respondents Colgate Number of respondents Pepsodent

31 39

53

29 35 13

Gift Discount Extra quantity

By having a view to find the promotion tools preferred by consumer, the data pertaining to this is presented in table 11. An examination of the above data reveals that, most of the consumers preferred gift, extra quantity, discount, price off. Above table indicates that, gift attracted more respondents while Colgate have the competitive advantage almost (39) against Pepsodent which has (31), in case of discount both the company give same discount i.e. 53 respondent thinks Colgate gives good discount while on other side 29 thinks the same way about Pepsodent. Colgate (35) of the respondents preferred extra quantity which has given some edge over Pepsodent (13), Sales promotion tool especially gift attracted more respondents.

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FINDINGS
Demographic factor Based on this study demographic factor like age, gender, education, status, and income influence people indirectly for decision-making. This is supported by following evidence. Demographic factors play a major role in childrens power to influence their parents. For example, Foxman et al. (1989) argue that age is a relevant variable as older children are presumed to be more knowledgeable about products and family needs. This is mainly due to their increase in cognitive development (Piaget, 1972). However, findings on whether product knowledge has a positive impact on teenagers influence differ (Beatty and Talpade, 1994). Adolescents were found to have greater influence in concept-oriented families, and if they had better grades (Foxman et al., 1989). In addition, parental employment status (single versus dual income) appears to affect teens influences for some product categories (stereo phones) but not for others (TVs, VCRs, furniture) (Beatty and Talpade, 1994). For instance, adolescents from traditional homes, whose mothers have a career, are more influential in family decision making, possibly due to guilt on the mothers part (Lee and Beatty, 2002).When trying to influence their parents, children use different types of influence, e.g. bargaining, persuasion, emotional, and request strategy. According to importance and time frame of the presumed purchase, six kinds of response strategies are normally used by parents (bargaining, persuasion, emotional, expert, legitimate, and directive strategy) (Palan and Wilkes, 1997). While considering all the demographic factors Colgate toothpaste stood as a preference among the respondents. Usage 45.5% of the respondents are brushing once in a day by Colgate than twice a day (22%). Comparing about Pepsodent only 18% respondents use it once in a day against 14.5% who use it twice a day. The availability of Colgate toothpaste is more in the market and the package size is convenient for the consumer. Therefore, the usage rate is high for toothpaste.

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Awareness Based on the study the awareness level of toothpaste regarding the manufacturing company was checked in Mumbai city (Mulund-E). 69.5% of the people are aware about the company who manufactures brand like Colgate, while only 30.5% of the respondents new about the company who manufactures brand Pepsodent. So they purchase only known brand. In most of the respondents c a s e p e o p l e a r e aware of Colgate then Pepsodent. This is supported by the following review.

Due to Indian family set up most of the consumers using only one common paste for the entire family. Oral care awareness and brand awareness is minimal in the city. Awareness is an important factor for buying a product. The oral care awareness level is less in India, when compare to other counters like Europe and Thailand. Per capita consumption of toothpaste is only 70gm in India. In oral care toothpowder and toothbrush dominating the Indian market but in other countries mouth spray, mouthwash products also dominate in the market. Still in India rural area people are using neem and tobacco for brushing. So the manufacturing companies are responsible for creating awareness through advertising campaign.

Awareness can also effect decisions about brands within the consideration set (Hoyer and Brown, 1990; and Keller, 1993). Consumers may employ heuristic (decision rule to buy only familiar well, established brands (Riselaus, 1971; and Jacoby et al; 1977, both sited in Keller, 1993). Consumers do not always spend a great deal of time making purchase decisions in a study of pre purchase search for laundry, Hoyer (1984) found that the median number of packages- store was around 1:2 before a selection was made. Dickson and Sawyer (1986) found that purchases such as coffee toothpaste and margarine, the consumer took an average 12 seconds from the time of first looking at the shelfs to the time they placed in trolley.

Hoyer and Brown (1990) designed a controlled experiment probe the role of awareness in the process of consumer choice for the purchase of peanut, butter, whose results revealed that awareness was a dominant factor in both initial (trial) and repeat purchase decisions even when the quality of the selected brand was inferior to that of the other brands.

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Frequency of purchase

Based on this study frequency of purchasing is based on the brushing habit and members in the family. Most of the respondents, buying once in a month, twice and thrice. So frequency of purchasing is mainly based on usage rate and promotional effect. This is supported by following review.

The study of Fader and Lodish (1990) implied a positive relationship between high frequency of purchase and promotional elasticity. Based on Bawa and Shoemaker (1987),

Narasimhan et al. (1996) hypothesized that shorter consumer inter purchase times result in more brand switching because the consumer must live with the consequences of buying a less preferred brand for a shorter period. In addition, Narasimhan et al. conjectured that interpurchase times are related to purchase acceleration. Long inter purchase times discourage acceleration because the stockpiled product must be stored for a longer period. This was supported by empirical findings. Bell et al. (1999) found less stockpiling for often-purchased products. Recommendation

Based on this survey most of the respondents accepted the advice of dentist because they felt that this is a sales promotion technique backed by company so to avoid dental problem, in that case Colgate toothpaste stood out. Some Colgate respondents changed their brand due to taste problem, while few respondents ignored the dentist advice because of the Indian demographic factors; and last few are not interested in oral care they don,t mind using any of the either toothpaste. The dentist to population ratio is a critically low 1:30000 in the country. This results in low oral hygiene consciousness and widespread dental diseases.

Therefore, the Government and company are responsible for creating awareness through dental campaign to avoid dental problem and increase the consumption of toothpaste in India. Even on this note, Colgate has started oral care campaign and is promoting their product by providing proof. Because of this, Colgate stood out to be the better consumer buying toothpaste than Pepsodent.

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Price & Availability

Based on this survey, most of the respondents are influenced by price & availability, then packaging .For increasing the price of a product the company should consider the views of consumer otherwise the consumer switch over to competitor product & in case of availability company should make sure their products is available. In both the toothpaste case there is minimal difference regarding price & availability. This is supported by the following review.

Vani, Ganesh, and Panchanatham(2009) discussed the price of toothpaste in their research work(Oral care segmentation)- Price wise toothpaste can be segmented as economy, regular and value added segment. The price range varies from Rs. 15-20 for a 100gm pack in the economy segment. Rs30-35 for a 100gm pack in the regular segment and Rs 50 for 200gm pack in the value added segment. So analyzing economic factor is an important task for the company to fix the price and able to retain the consumer. Brand image

Based on this study the preference for selecting toothpaste is mainly based on brand, n quality, and flavor. Brand image influencing the consumer mind and consumer feel the quality of the product. In this case Colgate has created a good brand image in the mind of the consumer. This is supported by the following review. Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry (1985) suggested that the brand image was an extrinsic attribute of the product. He believed that the brand image has less impact compared to intrinsic attributes. Jacoby (1978) suggested that the brand image served as a channel for providing certain information to the customer. Roselily (1971) noted that the brand image was considered a consistently favorable factor as a risk reliever. Zinkhan & Martin (1978) found that the consumer has a more positive attitude toward the product with a brand image than toward the product with minimal brand image.

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Reference group

Based on this study parents are more influential for buying Colgate toothpaste then friends, spouse, kids and self-decision. Therefore, reference group also influence the consumer in decision making regarding the purchase of either of the toothpaste.

This is supported by the following review. Lamb, Hair &McDaniel (1998) suggested that the reference group provided three types of influences. Informational influence, normative influence, and identification influence. Informational influence means that an individual uses the behavior and options of group member to gather useful information. Normative influence refers to an individuals achieving group expectations and gaining the respect of and sense of belonging to the group. Identification influence occurs when an individual internalizes the values and norms of the group. Sales promotion

Based on this study most of the respondents influenced by free gift, extra quantity and discount. But in case of Colgate & Pepsodent respondents think there is hardly any difference. Even though free gift influencing the customer for decision-making.

This is supported by the following review. Daly, Ellen in advertising impact using the power of promotional gifts. The power of promotional product rests with reciprocation. If the right gift is presented properly the recipient will want to give something back. So the free gift is an essential tool in promoting the product. Normally human being is attracted by any kind of free gift.

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Advertising

Based on the study 91 the respondents were influenced by advertisement for buying toothpaste of which 58 of the respondent choose Colgate. In recent circumstances Colgate has used, technology, w h i c h plays an important role in decision- m a k i n g ; especially in advertising field, the technology role is very high. Television advertisement inducing the consumer mind for decision-making, especially kids advertisement for toothpaste influencing the kids to influence the parents to buy a brand. Other kind of advertisement in magazine, newspaper also influencing the people. Advertising is a strong base for consumer to select toothpaste. Celebrity endorsement also influencing the consumer for decision-making; attractive banner in roadside attracts the consumer to select a particular brand. This is supported by the following review.

A successful nation economy depends on advertising promoting sales so that factory production is maintained, people are employed and have spending power, and the money goes round and round. Advertising, it has been conjectured in prior literature, shapes consumer preferences in multiple ways. The first, most obvious effect is that advertising informs the consumer of product attributes and hence raises awareness and knowledge of the true quality of the brand. This has been called the informative effect of advertising (Bucklin 1965, Lavidge and Steiner 1961).Second, advertising may directly influence a consumers brand evaluation through such cues as celebrity endorsements and music, even without providing any explicit information. This has been referred to as the persuasive or prestige effect of ads (Aaker & Stayman, 1990, Batra & Ray, 1986).Third, advertising can influence how consumers experience and evaluate the quality of the product from subsequent consumption. This effect has been evocatively referred to as the transformative effect of advertising (Deighton, 1984, 1988).

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RECOMMENDATION
Consumer point regarding the both the toothpaste i.e. Colgate & Pepsodent is not exactly predicted one; somewhat it is predicted with the help of research activity. Ending of the survey ends with only one statement consumer is king. So both the companies

concentrate in analyzing the requirement of people thoroughly to satisfy and retaining the consumer. This study revealed that consumer awareness of toothpaste is less in city. Oral care market offers huge potential as penetration and per capita consumption of oral care product is very low in India. However, rising per capita income and increasing awareness is driving demand of oral care products, the dentist population is also low in India. For promoting the product consumption and creating awareness government has taken initiative like dental health camps, Both the Manufactures have used advertising campaigns to promote higher consumption of toothpaste. Creating the awareness is a part of social responsibility of the company. Most of the consumers are ready to accept the suggestion of dentist, so the government is also responsible for appointing more dentists to create the awareness. There are some important factors considered by the consumer for decision making. Brand image, advertising, and offer play an important role in purchasing toothpaste, sometimes based on the offer the consumer compare with competitor product and select the best one. Product attribute also analyzed by the consumer for deciding a brand. So these has helped to analyse all these factors and find out the best suitable toothpaste from consumer point of view & in all the factors Colgate stood to be the brand that consumer wants for consumption.

The 1990s have borne witness to dramatic shifts in the marketplace triggered by sharp changes in the lifestyle patterns of the past and present and the radical revolution in the telecommunication technology. It is difficult to classify this generation consumers by conventional demographic factors and unless their thought process and buying behavior are fully understood, decisions on product designs and packaging, branding and distribution channels are likely to be misplaced. With the inevitability of change looming large over the horizon, Both companies must learn that; not only to identify the sources, timing and direction of the changes likely to affect India, but also the new competencies and perspective that will enable them to respond to these changes, comprehensively and effectively. Companies offering Product or Services will need to understand this new face of the customers.

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CONCLUSION
During survey, we observed that is most of people gave more preference to the Colgate not to Pepsodent because of the known fact that Colgate is the best toothpaste in India. However, we not saying that Pepsodent is not good it also well but not as per Colgate. Colgate is also available in every local market but as per our survey, most of people buy their Colgate in a shop and less in a medical store. Also most of people using plain Colgate in a white colour. Pepsodent also using in a white colour. In addition, we observed that is mostly in our family we used same toothpaste because during survey we found that 45% of respondents use same toothpaste. Most of People buying Colgate and Pepsodent because of its good qualities and it available in variety like salt, Neem, Gel and plain. We also observed that is most of people purchasing Colgate toothpaste once in a month is more than Pepsodent. Colgate & Pepsodent gives 24 hours freshness to us. Respondents said that Colgate does not need any celebrity to promote it, like Pepsodent is promoted by film star and some said that it needed film star like Mr. Shahrukh Khan. Some people do not want any changes in Colgate & some want changes in Colgate. Most of the respondents brush with Colgate once in a day. We also observed that Colgate is giving dental check service free of cost, which even Pepsodent is giving free to their customer. Some of the respondents say that on the advice of their dentist they have started using Colgate. People mostly buy their product by brand so here also people come know their product by brand and quality of product. During survey most of peoples said that brand is necessary for promotion of any product, without brand people how can identify their product in city and village. So we identified that Colgate is the liked by majority respondents. Moreover, they ready to spend whatever price of Colgate would be in a market. Pepsodent also good response in the survey, but most of the respondent likes Colgate.

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REFERENCES
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Bawa, K., and Shoemaker. (1987): The Coupon-Prone Consumer: Some Findings Based on Purchase Behavior across Product Classes, Journal of Marketing, 51(4), 99-110.

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ANNEXURE Questionnaire

Name:

Date:

Phone No.:

1. If given an option which tooth paste you will prefer. A: Colgate B: Pepsodent

2. What is your gender? A: Male B: Female

3. What is your Educational Qualification? A: Up to HSC B: Graduate C: Post Graduate

4. What is your Profession? A: Student B: Professional C: House wife D: Businessman

5. What is your monthly income? A: Below Rs.5,000 C: Rs.15,000-Rs.30,000 B: Rs.5,000-Rs.15,000 D: Above Rs.30,000

6. How many times in a day you brush A: Once B: Twice

7. How many tooth paste packed you purchase in a month A: One B: Two C: More than Two

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8. Are you aware about the company making the toothpaste you use A: Colgate Pamolive B: Unilever

9 . Reason for buying a particular tooth paste A: On dentists advice C: Not interested in Oral Care B: Taste of the tooth paste D: Sales promotion technique of that brand

10 . On what basis you buy a particular tooth paste A: Price B: Availability C: Packaging D: Others

11 . Reason for preferring a particular tooth paste A: Quality B: Brand C: Flavour D: Other

12 . On what attribute you purchase a tooth paste A: Healthy tooth& gums C: Prevention of tooth decay E: Use of natural herbs B: Long lasting freshness D: Whiteness F: Good foam

13 . Who influences you to buy a particular brand tooth paste A: Friends B: Kids C: Parents D: Spouse E: Self

14 . Which mode of promotion attracts you the most A: Advertisement B: Celebrity C: Banner D: Others

15 . What kind of promotional activity encourage you to buy a particular brand tooth paste A: Gift B: Discount C: Extra quantity

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