Brand Loyalty's Influence on Consumer Behavior

Brand Loyalty's Influence on Consumer Behavior Brand loyalty has an influence on consumer behavior, so it is important for small businesses to build brands that can compete with the major branded products on retail shelves. You will find many academic studies, such as those from Texas Tech University and the University of Seville, that try to establish the relationship between brand loyalty and consumer behavior. However, commentators like Jonathon Salem Baskin argue that the power of social media and Internet search may be weakening the influence of brand loyalty. To ensure success for your products, you need to take account of both findings. Preference A May 2011 study by Begoña Peral of the University of Seville, "If Families are Price Sensitive Then They will be So Regardless of the Product," found that the two main factors affecting consumer behavior are sensitivity to price and preference for a specific brand. This research indicated that consumers who are loyal to a brand for one type of product tend to shop by brand rather than price in other categories. Consumers who shop by price will tend to look for bargains in all categories. 1. Introduction Brand loyalty is a consumer’s aware or unaware decisions that are expressed through the intention or behavior to repurchase a particular brand frequently. There are many set of definitions of brand loyalty. In general brand loyalty can be defined as the power of liking for a brand compared to other similar available option. Brand loyalty is a function of behavior as well as attitudes. It is a consumer’s first choice to buy a particular brand in a product group. It occurs when consumers perceive that the brand offers the right product features, image or level of quality at the right price at the right time. Brand loyalty has necessary conditions which are:- The biased, behavioral response, expressed over time, by the decision –making units, with respect to one or more alternative brand out of a set of such brands, and a function of psychological process. Customer are loyal toward the brand because of high switching barriers related to technical, economical or psychological factors which make it costly or difficult for the customer to change and the other reasons is that the customer may be loyal because they are satisfied with the brand that why they want to continue the relation with the brand. Brand attributes are viewed as important factors in a consumer's decision-making.  Brand Name: Well-known brand names can broadcast product benefits and lead to higher recall of advertised benefits than non-famous brand names. Consumers may prefer to reliance major famous brand names. Brand personality provides links to the brand’s emotional and self-expressive benefits for differentiation.  Product Quality: Product Quality encompasses the type and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. In other words, product quality is defined as “fitness for use” or ‘conformance to requirement.  Price: Price is most important consideration for the average consumer. Consumers with high brand loyalty are willing to pay a finest price for their preferred brand, so, their purchase intention is not easily affected by price.  Promotion: Promotion is a marketing mix component, which is a kind of communication with consumers. Promotion includes the use of advertising, sales promotions, personal selling and publicity. Advertising is a non-personal presentation of information in mass media about a product, brand, company or store. It greatly affects consumers’ images, beliefs and attitudes towards products and brands, and in turn, influences their purchase behaviors. 3. Research Objectives  To probe the factors which affects women buying behavior  To investigate the overall contribution of brand loyalty for women buying behavior of beauty care products.  To investigate the aspect which women consider while purchasing beauty care product.  To study the brand switching behavior of women. 4. Research Methodology The study is exploratory in nature. Sample of 121 respondents by women consumers of beauty care products have been taken to discern the role of women consumer buying behavior of beauty care products.. The data for this study is acquired from primary sources & secondary sources. Primary data was collected through questionnaires. Sample unit considered for the study included housewives, self-employed females, students and service-class. The questionnaire included close ended questions, mainly of multiple-choice. Likert scales were used for scaling the questions. Secondary sources included data from internet, journals and brand book Brand loyalty is a consumer’s preference to buy a particular brand in a product category. It occurs because consumers perceive that the brand offers the right product features, images or level of quality at the right price. This perception becomes the foundation for a new buying habit. Basically, consumers initially will make a trial purchase of the brand and, after satisfaction, tend to form habits and continue purchasing the same brand because the product is safe and familiar.  Brand loyalists have the following mindset: “I am committed to this brand.” “I am willing to pay a higher price for this brand over other brands.” “Will recommend this brand to others”