Impact of Advertising and Marketing Mix on Buy Trends of Customer towards Herbal Products in India
 
Pankaj Kumar Verma1* Dr. Pardeep Saini2
1 Research Scholar, Sunrise University, Alwar, Rajasthan
2 Assistant Professor, Management (Department of Commerce), Sunrise University, Alwar, Rajasthan
Abstract – In today's world, people are becoming more aware of the dangers posed by manufactured goods such as medicine, food, and other items that are made with human-made chemicals that contaminate the environment. This has resulted in increased awareness of the environment and people's own well-being, resulting in shifts in buyer inclinations and purchases. Purchasers are now considering the item's impact on their health and well-being. Green marketing has risen as a result of this. Growing green advertising has aided in the expansion of the market for homegrown products as well as the number of consumers who buy them.
There is currently a large display of herbal products made with herbs such as cucumber, tamarind, and Aloe Vera. Their popularity is growing, which is causing the industry to increase. As a result, businesses are focusing their efforts on producing homegrown products such as organic cleanser and homegrown facial care products, among other things. Regular and home grown things are more popular among Indian customers. In India, the natural item sector is predicted to grow at a pace of 12%.
Herbalists have developed strategies to penetrate additional Indian marketplaces in this way. In any case, there is still a lack of demand for homegrown products assembled in India. The goal of this study is to measure the effects of marketing mix on consumer buying patterns. The study looked at the four 'P's of marketing: product, pricing, location, and promotion.
A systematic questionnaire was used to conduct the survey. The study's sample size was determined to be 384. After removing the faulty questionnaires, a total of 297 items were considered for the study. The study's findings revealed that brand and advertisement have a substantial impact on consumer buy trends, however cost and location variables had no influence on the purchase patterns of consumers who use herbal brands.
Keywords – Marketing Mix, Herbal Brands, Green Marketing, Buy Trends
I. INTRODUCTION
Natural personal care is expected to be worth Rs. 18,500 crores in India, accounting for 41% of the entire personal care industry. Annually, the herbal company's share of the Indian personal care market grows by about 1%. Naturals will account for nearly half of overall personal care revenue by 2025 if current trends continue. By 2021, the Indian market for naturopathic health products is expected to rise from $500 million to $ billion.
 
 
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The commerce marketing mix, according to Pradhan (2006), is the collection of marketing strategies that a retailer uses to achieve its advertising objectives. Product, pricing, location/place, advertising, presentation, client service, and people are all elements of the marketing mix.
When it relates to consumer behaviour; intention refers to the expression of interest during a decision-making process and is also influenced by attitude and belief towards a product. Consumer behaviour includes mental activity, emotional and physical that people use during selection, purchase, use and dispose of products and services that satisfy their needs and desires (Kotler & Armstrong, 2013).
Duff (2007) looked into the women's herbal cosmetics niche product and discovered that herbal cosmetics purchasers were growing more fashion conscious and demanding items with more appealing patterns; also, consumers ’ willingness to employ different looks styles for various situations. Design, or visual look, is also claimed to be a significant aspect of the item, with line, shape, and features influencing consumer image of the brand. Demographic, sociological, and cognitive elements influence how end customers make decisions, as according Joel R. Evans and Barry Berman (2009), and can assist a company understand how some people use the decision process. Due to lower investment risk, a rich client would proceed through the procedure faster than a middle-income buyer.
Perceived service quality is a customer's assessment of an item's relating to the superiority based on their present consumption experience (Baker & Crompton, 2000). According to Saleem et al. (2015), a product’s quality has a high positive relationship with purchase intent. Das, too, discovered a beneficial direct effect of perceived quality (2015).Furthermore, perceived quality has a significant impact on food customers' purchasing intentions in China (Wang et al., 2020).
Purchase intention was significantly influenced by utilitarian, hedonic, and social value (Gan & Wang, 2017).As a result, while examining the intention to purchase a thing, it is critical to consider the perceived worth of the object (Kwon et al., 2007). Munusamy and Wong (2008) discovered a significant positive association between cost and the motivations of buyers to buy a product. Consumer perception has an indirectly impact on purchase intention, according to Wang and Chen (2016), through quality and perceived risk. Furthermore, according to Schiffman and Kanuk (2010), purchase intention had a significant influence on purchase intent.
III. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Marketing mix is the platform by which marketers' ideas are communicated to clients. It's more of a draw marketing strategy. Despite the fact that information and use of herbal goods is growing, a significant portion of Indian consumers remain unconvinced of herbal product purchases and use. The marketing mix is a set of variables that may be changed and modified to meet the needs of the client. This study aims to assess the impact of marketing on consumer buying habits in order to find the marketing mix components that influence purchasing behavior and, as a result, develop better consumer-pulling methods.
IV. OBJECTIVES
► To determine the influence of marketing mix on consumer purchase pattern
► To understand consumer purchase pattern in purchasing herbal products
► To identify the impact of demographic variables on consumer purchase pattern
V. HYPOTHESES
H1: There is a significant relationship between marketing mix and purchase pattern of customers.
H1a: Product has a significant impact on purchase pattern of customers
H1b: Price has a significant impact on purchase pattern of customers
H1c: Place has a significant impact on purchase pattern of customers
H1d: Promotion has a significant impact on purchase pattern of customers
H2: There is a significant relationship between demographic variables and purchase pattern of customers.
H2a: There is a significant impact of age of the customers and their purchase pattern
H2b: There is a significant impact of gender of customers and their purchase pattern
H2c: There is a significant impact of income of customers and their purchase pattern
VI. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A 21-item structured questionnaire was used to conduct a descriptive study. The survey was conducted using convenience sampling. The study's sample size was determined to be 384. After removing the defective questionnaires, a total of 297 samples were considered for analysis. The data was analysed using simple percentage analysis and the chi-square test.
VII. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Table 1: The demographic details of the sample population is described in this table :-
According to the above figure, the majority of the participants (65.99 percent) are between the ages of 20 and 25. Females account for the majority of consumers (41.48 percent). The household income of the majority of consumers (62.96 percent) is up to Rs. 25,000 per month.
Table 2: Customer Buying Trend Categorization based on Frequency Distribution and %
The table above depicts many aspects of customer purchase patterns. Skin care items are used by the majority of customers. Many customers have stated that product quality was the most essential factor in their decision to buy herbal remedies. The majority of people shop at herbal stores. The vast majority of customers only buy herbal products once a month. During each visit to the store, many clients spend up to Rs.300 on herbal items. Word of mouth is the most common source of information about herbal goods among clients.
The findings of the Chi-square test are as follows:
a) The table below depicts the association between consumer age and buying behaviour. The hypothesis (H2a) is accepted since the 'P' value of 0.083 is greater than 0.05. This emphasises the fact that a customer's age has a substantial impact on their purchasing habits.
Table 3: Chi-Square Test to see if there's a link between a customer's age group and their purchasing habits.
Chi - Square’s Test
a) 16 cells (64.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .01
b) The following table highlights the relationship between gender and purchase pattern of the customers. The ‘P’ value 0.003 is lesser than 0.05, hence the hypothesis (H2b) is rejected. This emphasises that gender is not having any significant influence on the purchase pattern of customers.
Table 4: Chi-Square Test to see if there's a link between a consumer's age category and their buying patterns.
Chi - Square’s Test
a) 2 cells (20.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 4.27
b) The following table highlights the relationship between income and purchase pattern of the customers. The ‘P’ value 0.093 is higher than 0.05, hence the hypothesis (H2c) is accepted. This emphasises that income is significantly influencing purchase pattern of the customers.
Table 5: Chi-Square Test to check the relationship between income of the customers and their purchase pattern
Chi - Square’s Test
a) 15 cells (60.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .26
Table 6: ANOVA to check if Marketing Mix and Buying trends are related.
The following table shows that marketing mix components such as product, location, and promotion have a substantial impact on customers' herbal product purchasing patterns. The impact of price on purchase patterns is negligible. As a result, the theories H1a, H1c, and H1d have been accepted. The hypothesis H1b is ruled out.
VIII. RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
i) The results indicate that the majority of participants buy skin care and skin washing items. This specific product group might be the focus, and other categories could be packed in with it to entice buyers to try it.
ii) The findings also show that the vast majority of clients want to switch from chemical to herbal items. To emphasise the importance of herbal goods over chemical products, promotional tactics might be established.
iii) The majority of clients purchase herbal items from specialty stores or online. In order to expand the reach of herbal products, platforms other than herbal supplements can be encouraged to market them.
iv) Because the majority of clients spend less than Rs.300 and many are repeat visits, promotional activities can be used to raise the basket size of customers purchasing herbal products.
v) Marketers should focus on digital marketing and increasing positive word of mouth, as the majority of customers make purchases based on recommendations from friends and family.
vi) Purchase intention is strongly influenced by marketing mix elements such as product, location, and promotion. The impact of price on purchase behaviour is negligible. This means that clients aren't overly price sensitive, and other aspects of the marketing mix can be focused on attracting customers.
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