CONSUMER BEHAVIOR - ECLAIRS

Today's topic is about Pakistan's One of Best Toffee Eclairs by SweetHills.

Let me give you an introduction to the Company.

Brand Name:       SweetHill

Pearl Food Industries was established in 1982 with bright vision and dedication which have now ultimately been converted into M/s. Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Limited [PCL] and entered into corporate sector in Pakistan.

Today it is one of the largest confectionery manufacturer and exporter in the Country.

After pouring into lifetime efforts and number of year's struggle in the field of manufacturing candies and confectionery PCL has got the pearl of candies and Pearl Food Industries named its factory as "PEARL CONFECTIONERY (PVT) LIMITED" (Ms. Mahrosh Ansari, Senior Executive Marketing, PCL).

The Brands of Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Limited [PCL] are “SweetHill (Eclairs)” and “City Boy”.

These brands are well recognized in the international markets and those emerged as leading brands being in demand from every corner of the world.

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. is producing high profile products for overseas buyers and exporting to Australia, Canada, the UK, EU, Far East, Middle East, South East Asia, West, and Central Africa, etc.

The product range of Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. includes Hard Boiled Candies, Centre Filled Candies, Depositing Candies, Candies Toffees, and Bars, Sugar Coated Products, Bubble Gums, Lollipops, Snacks, and Pan Masala, etc.

http://www.pearlfoodind.com/

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. is catering for the domestic market and enjoy the sizable share of the local confectionery market, as the products of Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. are very well known locally too.

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. is offering a wide range of Candies, Bubble Gum, Chews & Toffees, Sugar-Free, Sugar Coated, and Deco Products, etc. with modern management techniques most advance Quality Control System and Quality Professionals.

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. has confidence and tendency to become an apex class confectionery manufacturer and will ordeal itself in the international industry of confectionery manufacturers.

Today it is one of the largest confectionery manufacturer and exporter in the Country.

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. endeavors to maintain a stringent quality conscious approach in developing and delivering its products and services, with the aim to satisfy its valued customers.

In this respect, Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. is committed to fulfilling all applicable legal and other requirements, binding on the company.

The teams of dedicated professionals are committed to working with passion to maintain and continually improve the effectiveness of Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. quality management system.

VISION & MISSION

Vision

To become the leading confectionary company by providing quality, safe and healthy products nationally and internationally.

Mission

We inspire to put smiles on our customers’ faces by providing creative, safe and healthy products (nationally and internationally). 

We consistently meet consumer expectations through innovation and customer feedback through all the channels.

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. will stay above competitors by achieving efficiency, operational and manufacturing excellence. 

Employees are our partners and asset whose safety and health are our first priority.

Our responsibility is towards the community and society.

CORE BUSINESS VALUES

Quality

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. strives to put quality and safety at the heart of all of the activities through product, people, partnerships and performance.

Teamwork

As the Pearl Confectionery family, PCL displays effective teamwork by providing the necessary support for each other and make the most of its differences in knowledge, skills, and experience through mutual respect and insight.

Respect

Pearl Confectionery genuinely cares for the business and the colleagues which like listen understand and respond.

The company is open, friendly and welcoming. The company embraces new ideas and diverse customs and cultures.

Operational Excellence

Pearl Confectionery is passionate about winning in its markets. The company competes in a tough but fairway.

The company is striving, hardworking and makes the most of the abilities. The company is prepared to take risks and act with speed.

Pearl Confectionery is continuously improving efficiency in every area and striving to create sustainable added value for its stakeholders and enabling its customers to obtain quality products at reasonable prices.

Trust

Employees of Pearl Confectionery will conduct themselves in an honest and trustworthy manner with all clients and fellow employees.

Consumer Health

Pearl Confectionery effectively foresees, understands and meets the needs of its customers ensuring maximum satisfaction.

Health and Safety of Employee

The safety and health of employees are critically important.

Pearl Confectionery aims to have a healthy, safe workplace by providing necessary training, well-maintained equipment, and employee accountability on the job.

Creativity

Pearl Confectionery is a company that is constantly and rapidly learning, adapting, developing and adding value to its industry through its progressive ideas.

Positive Attitude

Negativity is not welcome in Pearl Confectionery’s workplace.

Employees are supposed to maintain a positive attitude in all interactions with fellow employees and customers.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

The study of consumers has been referred to as consumer behavior which can help the organizations to read the psychology of the consumers by upgrading their marketing strategies.

Consumer behavior could be known as a process wherein the consumer buying behavior is to be studied in an in-depth manner (Evans, Moutino & Raaij, 1996).

It would be referred to as one of the essential tools which help the marketers to understand the perspective of the consumers keeping mind the various concepts and theories of the same (Shiffman & Watson, 2002).

In order to study the psychology of the customers, consumer behavior would help marketers such as how they feel, what do they think about the product is being offered and selecting among the alternatives.

It also takes into consideration how the target market would be influenced by the environment in which it resides (Shiffman & Watson, 2002).

The environment would include family background, social status, media, culture, etc.

Hence; all the marketers would keep in mind the various aspects while marketing a particular product or a service (Evans, Moutinho & Raaji, 1996).

It would also help the marketers to keep in mind how the marketing professions would adopt as well as upgrade their marketing campaigns which would prove to be much effective and influence the buying behavior of the consumers (Foxall & Goldsnith, 2004).

In the real world, consumer behavior would draw sufficient evidence from various behavioral economics and marketing. While purchasing preferable products, this would help to explore consumer behaviors.

MARKETING STRATEGY – PEARL CONFECTIONERY (PVT.)

There are numbers of strategies which have been undertaken by Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. which have made Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in a good position in the confectionery market.

Several types of marketing strategies have been implemented which have helped the organization to achieve not only target of the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. but also a sustainable position in the long run (Ms. Mahrosh Ansari, Senior Executive Marketing, PCL).

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. has broadened its product line with the intent to survive in the long run and maximize its profit.

In order to grow, it has used different marketing strategies and promotional campaigns.

To help the organization to expand its risk by not relying on one brand, Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. shall refer to the other best strategy such as diversification (Ms. Mahrosh Ansari, Senior Executive Marketing, PCL).

It is improvising the image of the product which also helps Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in order to attract more number of potential consumers towards it.

Ideas like using a new logo, attractive packaging, launching a new product and the most important i.e. innovation which also helps the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. to attract as well as incite the people to try a new product.

These are the key factors which help Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in order to sustain its position in the confectionery market as well as increase the level of sales.

Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. uses several media for communication such as advertising on radio, websites, television, magazines, jingles, newspaper, etc. (Ms. Mahrosh Ansari, Senior Executive Marketing, PCL).

In order to attract or market the product, different marketing strategies have been used by Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. as mentioned above.

These marketing and promotional strategies have positive implications on the same.

It is noticeable that initially “SweetHill” was only associated as a brand for juvenile and the majority of the advertising were designed on purpose to attract a number of children towards them.

However, after a few decades, it was decided that it might turn out to be quite risky to totally rely upon the juvenile segment.

Hence, Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. decided to widen its target segment and included the adult market as well. (Ms. Mahrosh Ansari, Senior Executive Marketing, PCL).

MARKETING MIX STIMULI – PEARL CONFECTIONERY (PVT.)

The Marketing Mix Stimuli for the consumer brand i.e. SweetHill has been discussed in this section of the report. It is as follows:

Price

The pricing strategy used by Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. takes into consideration the pocket of each & every consumer.

This is the reason; the price of the Eclairs Toffee is from 2 – 120.

The consumer can choose the toffee packet or any of the products depending upon his/her budget.

Place

It has been seen that the products offered by Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. are readily available at the nearest grocery store, however unavailable at big grocery stores such as Imtiaz Super Market, Chase, Bin Hashim, Hyper Star, etc.

Promotion

The various means of communication which have been used by Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in order to attract more number of customers are advertisements on television, banners, radio, magazines, internet, etc.

Product

The products offered by the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. are a wide range of Candies, Bubble Gum, Chews & Toffees, Sugar-Free, Sugar Coated and Deco Products, etc.

INFLUENCE CONSUMER RESPONSE

Taking into consideration the four Marketing Mix Stimuli discussed above in this report the following consumer responses can be seen. They are as under:

Cognitive Response

Study of memory is one of the crucial issues which can be studied within cognitive psychology.

The model of Atkinson – Shiffrin shall be kept in mind in order to study consumer responses.

The structure of memory can be studied with the help of this model i.e. how well the consumer attaches along with the brand, for example, SweetHill.

It shall be seen that the memory of the consumers can be divided into three parts i.e. Short Memory, Long Term Memory, and Sensory Memory.

It shall be taken into consideration that the human mind can remember only a few things.

Hence, it is essential to use promotional strategies to attract more and more customers towards it in such a manner which shall remain in their minds for a long time.

These advertisements such as jingles, tag lines and slogans attached shall be in such a manner which would help the customers to recognize SweetHill as a brand which provides toffees, chocolates, bubble gums, and candies, etc.

Ø  Sensory Memoryhort-term memory

The Sensory memory is the first stage which shall be taken into consideration to discuss the cognitive response.

The information which would enter the senses of the consumers is the first stage that will keep in mind.

This shall primarily practice with the advertisements on radio, banners, and televisions, etc.

The sensory memory shall be attached along with the several factors, for instance, the cartoon elements, sound, videos, and lightly used.

To be the best example, the consumer memory which takes into consideration an external energy force which would convert one form of energy into another.

This would help to have a mark in the somewhere back of the mind of the consumer and the consumer would relate along with the brand.

Different types of advertisement will act as external energy which would help the brain to react and understand in the same manner.

The duration of memory which would be created within the minds of the customer will last for approximately three (3) seconds of hearing, half (1/2) second of vision, etc.

In the case of SweetHill Eclairs, the color of the wrappers or packet would attract the attention of the customers.

The red and blue cover of the SweetHill Eclairs toffee will grasp the attention of the consumers which would have a long-lasting effect over the same.

It will provide an echoic memory for auditory stimuli; in terms of advertisements over the several modes of communication for instance television, internet, radio, the tag lines, slogans, etc.

Ø  Short-term Memory

The aspect of this model will also keep in mind a temporary storage facility.

“Centrally Chocolate Filled Eclairs” the use of this tag line has acted as one of the best ways with which the consumers relate to the brand SweetHill.

Ø  Long-term memory (LTM)

Long-term memory is the last stage to judge the cognitive response of consumers.

The long term memory with regards to Sweethill Eclairs can be seen with respect to the information has flown regarding the brand.

It can also be judged when the consumer suggests others buy SweetHill Eclairs as compared to the substitutes available in the market.

Affective Response

The next way by which consumer response towards the brand i.e. SweetHill Eclairs could be seen in terms of an effective response.

By using of means-end chain model would refer to as a conceptual tool which can help the consumers to understand and also perceive the products offered by Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in an effective manner.

An effective response would be linked between the consumer brand i.e. SweetHill Eclairs as well as the consumer with respect to the several product functions, attributes, usage of the product, and the values attached with the consumers.

A change amongst the marketing strategies such as advertisement campaigns as well as the jingles has had a strong impact over the youth and adults and has led to a change in the perception.

One of the TV advertisements designed by the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. which led to an increase in the level of revenues, as well as profit, was the advertisement which showcased a young sizzling attractive lady who demanding for centrally chocolate filled Eclairs.

This advertisement attracted and encouraged the young and adult people to grab the “SweetHill Éclair” without any hesitation.

Behavioral Response

The brand Sweethill Eclairs operates in a very highly competitive environment.

Despite the competitiveness, Sweethill has developed a strong link in the minds of the consumer that Sweethill refers to good quality products.

The behavioral response related to consumer brand i.e. Sweethill shall be seen by improvising the image of the product.

It also helps the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in order to attract more number of people towards it.

Using new logos for example, “SweetHill”, attractive packaging, launching new products, and innovative ideas help the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. to attract and invite the individual to try its products.

These are the key factors which help the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in order to sustain its position in the confectionary industry as well as enjoying the increasing level of sales.

To target and capture the Pakistanis working class population, a different type of advertisement was formulated.

This advertisement was attached with a brand new slogan i.e. “A Pleasure of Chocolate”. 

This tagline is the repositioning of the old slogan i.e. “Life Mein Happiness…” This slogan was formulated keeping in mind the desire of chocolate filled toffees to relax after busy and hectic work routine.

This TV commercial gave the working class an opportunity as well as to treat them with something sweet with centrally filled chocolate.

CONCLUSION

Hence, it shall be concluded that the study of consumer behavior would help the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. in order to upgrade its marketing and promotional strategies so as to read the psychology of the consumers.

Consumer behavior shall also be known as a process to study consumer buying behavior in-depth manner (Evans, Moutino & Raaij, 1996).

There are four key Marketing Mix Stimuli which could help the consumer brand i.e. SweetHill to attract a number of people by focusing on the following aspects for instance, price, place, promotion, and product.

After the identification of Marketing Mix Stimuli, these three types of responses shall be kept in mind i.e. affective, cognitive and behavioral responses.

These responses shall help the Pearl Confectionery (Pvt.) Ltd. to know which Marketing Mix Stimuli would be highlighted more which could help the organization in the long term.