CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR MALTA €“ GUINNESS, MALTINA AND VITA MALT BRANDS OF MALT DRINKS, IN ENUGU URBAN.

CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR MALTA – GUINNESS, MALTINA AND VITA – MALT BRANDS OF MALT DRINKS, IN ENUGU URBAN.

ABSTRACT

This research work was aimed at studding the major factors which determine the consumer preference for Malt – Guiness, Maltina and Vitar Malt brands of Malt drinks, using consumers in Enugu urban.

The study also examined how consumers respond to the various marketing variables such as price, promotion, product, and place so as to verify which tool to concentrate mostly by firms and executives who produces and market Malt drinks.

To accomplish these, the researcher generated primary data.  The data were generated using questionnaire as the research instrument.  The questionnaire were administered to various consumers in Enugu urban.

After a detailed analysis of the data generated, it was discovered that malt drinks consumption cuts across various age groups in Nigeria, and also that business people and civil servant consume more than any other professional groups in Nigeria.  Other findings made from this study are that malta guiness is the most preferred brand out of the six studied brands.  This was followed by maltina and vita – malt.  Amistel malta has the lowest consumer brand loyalty followed by Royal malt.  Also, the study showed that while quality and availability or place were accepted as major factors which influence their preference of a particular brand by consumers, promotion and price were regarded as having very insignificant effect.

Following the above findings, the researcher made the following recommendations.

First, it was recommended that more marketing efforts be directed to business people and civil servant by malt drinks firms.  Another recommendation was that firms with low brand loyalty should re-examine their products to improve their quality.  Again, marketers of malt drinks are advised to reduce their budget share to promotion and engage more in product modification and development.

Finally, it was recommended that malt drink firms see their consumers as price insensitive, but quality conscious which will enable them pay less attention to price – cutting as an effective strategy.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1              Background of the study

1.2              Statement of problem

1.3              Research objective

1.4              Statement of hypothesis

1.5              Significance of the study

1.6              Scope of the study

1.7              Limitation of the study

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1              Consumers behaviour

2.2              The motivation theory

2.3              The learning theory

2.4              The Freudian psychoanalytic model

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1              Design of the study

3.2              Methods of investigation

3.3              Research instrument

3.4              Population for the study

3.5              Sample size procedure

3.6              Questionnaire allocation

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

4.1              Questionnaire distribution

4.2              Age distribution of respondents

4.3              Respondent by education qualification

4.4              Respondents by occupation

4.5              Quality as a factor for brand preference.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSION

5.1              Summary of findings

5.2              Recommendations

5.3              Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Appendixes.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The introduction of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in Nigeria has resulted in so many changes.  Among these changes are those that occurred in the food and beverage industry.

In this industry, some of the major raw materials formally used in the production of drinks like wheat, malt barley and yeast were banned from being imported.  Consequently, the taste and quality of been which are produced with locally sourced raw materials changed and as a result, many firms turned to a new product (Malt) in order to reach their business objective.  With this new changes, many and various different brands of malt drinks arrived in the market.  The implication was a cut – throat competition in malt drinks market among the producing firms thus calling for only the most marketing oriented firms i.e. firms who know the customers physically and psychologically to survive.

CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR MALTA – GUINESS, MALTINA AND VITA – MALT BRANDS OF MALT DRINKS, IN ENUGU URBAN.