Kara Sip.docx

A SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROJECT REPORT ON

“ CONSUMER PERCEPTON TOWARDS KARA PRODUCTS”

Submitted In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Post Graduate Diploma in Management Academic Session (2017-2019)

Under The Guidance Of :

Submitted By :

Industry Mentor- Mr Dushyant Dhakre

Karishma Verma

Faculty Guide – Dr SK Dube

BM-017323

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A SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROJECT REPORT ON

“ CONSUMER PERCEPTON TOWARDS KARA PRODUCTS”

Submitted In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Post Graduate Diploma in Management Academic Session (2017-2019)

Under The Guidance Of :

Submitted By :

Industry Mentor- Mr Dushyant Dhakre

Karishma Verma

Faculty Guide – Dr SK Dube

BM-017323

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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ms. Karishma Verma, PGDM (2017-19) a student of Institute of Management Studies has undertaken the project on “CONSUMER PERCEPTON TOWARDS KARA PRODUCTS ”.The project has been carried out by the student in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of PGDM, under my guidance and supervision.

Faculty Guide : Dr SK Dube

(Signature)

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DECLARATION

I, Karishma Verma ,PGDM (2017-19) a student of Institute of Management Studies approved By A.I.C.T.E., Ministry Of HRD, Govt. Of India , here by declare that all the information , facts , finding furnished are based on my indigenous work and are original in nature. this information is used for academic purpose only. Any resemblance for the existing work is purely coincidental.

Karishma Verma BM-017323

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT I am indebted to my guide Dr.SK Dube for extending his untiring guidance to me, by constantly discussing the project matter and helping me in clarifying my thinking in several pertinent issues and providing a meaning full insight into the subject. I am highly obliged by the constant support that I got from our faculty during the course of the project. Starting from the initial stages till the end I have received continuous feedback with regard to the progress of the project. Though a lot of hard work has gone into the making of this project, it would not have been possible without the assistance of few people. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude towards Mr. Dushyant Dhakre (Regional Head), Mr. Ankleshwar Srivastava (Sales Officer ) Future Consumers Ltd, for guiding me and providing the essential inputs and assisting me throughout. Finally, I would say that this project has helped me to understand how the things get done in competitive business scenario.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The objective of project was “To take measures for maximizing sales opportunities and develop long-term relationships for Kara wet wipes”. Thus, approaching potential customers in person, introducing our products to them and reminding them until them give a formal response was our priority task. However, along with it, a primary research work was also done to supplement the field work. Samples were showed to them along with briefing about the product. Free samples were given by company who showed good level of interest in Kara. This research gives us the idea about the difficulties that Kara wipes are facing in the market in spite being a premium and quality product in this segment. It helps us to know about the deficiency of the distribution channel of Kara wipes and also about the present scenario and market share of this product. It gives a scope of rethink on some of the marketing strategy such as discount slabs to retailers, target customers and way of promotions. The scope of study is to understand the problem faced by the company while increasing the retail outlets. By this study company will get the information about current competitive position of the Kara wipes and nail polish removing wipes in the market. The whole approach of marketing pivot around the tenet of meeting the consumer wants. Creating demand of Kara wipes in different markets.     

Overall market development of Kara wipes. To know the consumer buying behavior about Kara wipes. To find the bottlenecks in distribution channel and market of Kara Wipes. To study how to increase the brand value of Kara wipes. To understand retailer’s satisfaction and problems in distribution of Kara wipes. MARKET AREA COVERED

 Noida sector 27, Indira Market  Noida sector 16-C, NDB Store  BigBazar ,Logix mall,Noida

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LIST OF CONTENT SNO.

1.

2.

Title

INTRODUCTION

INDUSTRY PROFILE WITH DATA AND

Page no.

10

13

SOURCE

3.

ANALYSIS OF 3C’S

19

4.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

34

5.

DATA ANAYLSIS, OBSERVATIONS AND

42

PRESENTATION OF THE ISSUES CONCERNED WITH THE PROJECT

6.

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR

55

COMPANY ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION

7.

CONCLUSION

62

8.

REFRENCES

64

9.

ANNEXURE

65

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1. INTRODUCTION

Kara Wipes, A brand owned by Birla cellulose an umbrella branch of Aditya Birla Group. Through this brand Aditya Birla entered into a new category of FMCG segment. In 2009-10 Kara was the leading brand in the market with 56% of share but in spite of growth of 20% in personal wipes the sales of Kara wipes is decreasing and company data shows that sales is decreased by nearly 25%. Increasing the market share and sales is becoming the emerging issue in the company and company is making the effort to improve their projection technique, market strategy and improving their distributional channel to become the market leader in personal wipes segment. In 2015, Aditya Birla Group Company Grasim Industries has decided to sell its consumer products business to Kishore Biyani-Run Future Consumer Enterprise Limited on a slump sale basis. Under Kara, they have launched a NAIL POLISH REMOVER which is in the wipe form which offers immense convenience. They started it recently and the numbers which that were seeing were outstanding. Now as these products start going into other channels and distribution, the business mix will continue to change.. 1.1 CONCEPT OF THE PROJECT The concept of project was “To take measures for maximizing sales opportunities and promote Kara in NOIDA market. Thus, approaching to general public and introducing our products to them and reminding them until they give a formal response was our priority task. However, along with it, primary research work was also done to supplement the field work.Study Free samples were given to people along with a small briefing about the product who showed good level of interest in Kara. Relevance of Study the research work gives us an idea as to what difficulties Kara is facing in spite of being a very good quality product. It gives a scope of improvement to rethink on some marketing aspects like better discount slabs, refining target customers etc. Since the TV advertisement campaign for Kara is gaining momentum, aggressive selling can be practiced to offer Kara in major market of NOIDA. Page | 8

1.2 ISSUE OF THE PROJECT        

Lack of awareness in the market in traditional business scenario. Delay in the delivery of the product by distributer. Disturbance in channel distribution due to credit policies. Unavailable of latest product in market Preference to chine‘s wipes due to low market price. Delay in the replacement of damage product. Lack awareness regarding hand sanitizing wipes and nail polish remover. Lack of advertisement strategy in the company. 1.3 TECHNIQUES USED IN THE PROJECT

There were four profiles offered for our summer internship out of which we had to choose one depending on our area of interest. All the profiles fall under their marketing and sales department, thus required us to interact with various people varying from marketing managers, retail shop owners to customers at shopping malls. I chose ChannelSales Management, because this profile required interacting with people at various managerial levels in market and enhance my knowledge byobserving and refining my skills with every new interaction. All the small retail shops are focused where the internee had to see if Kara is already available with them, are the retailers happy about the response of the product, sufficient inventory levels are maintained etc. Also there were many retail shops which didn’t have any wet wipes and were apprehensive about keeping our product. The internees had to market their product to such retailers and clarify any doubts which retailer has about the product. The profiles are discussed as below: 1) CORPORATE SALES MANAGEMENT Kara wet wipes have emerged as one of the most useful and preferred gifting in many Corporate and Institutional Segments for various occasions viz. Gifts to Doctors/Business Associates/Clients, Brand Promotion, Merchandise for Trade promotion & Consumer Schemes, Office amenities, Conference & Seminar amenities, Tool for providing better Customer/Guest experience etc. In profile of Corporate Sales, we had to target the clients for bulk purchase of our product, offering those discounts and customization of our packaging to promote their brand. Page | 9

2) MODERN TRADE MANAGEMENT Modern trade management deals with malls and shopping complex where thousands of customers come daily to buy household items. Kara is available at almost every mall in NOIDA, however internees under this profile have to check daily inventory levels of product, it’s placing as compared to competitor products, visibility, customer’s reaction on seeing the product etc.

3) CHANNEL SALES MANAGEMENT In this profile, all the small retail shops are focused where the internee had to see if Kara is already available with them, are the retailers happy about the response of the product, sufficient inventory levels are maintained etc. Also there were many retail shops whichdidn‘t have any wet wipes and were apprehensive about keeping our product. The internees had to market their product to such retailers and clarify any doubts which retailer has about the product.

4) MARKETING RESEARCH This profile is a pure marketing research based where the internee has to ask respondents to fill up a pre-designed questionnaire thus fulfilling his given objective. The internee was given a place like a mall or a market where he had to intercept potential respondents and request them to take part in his research. 1. INDUSTRY PROFILE WITH DATA AND SOURCE Disposable wipes and Nail Polish Remover Wipes came into the existence in nineties and have evolved into the global business concept generating a good amount of sales. Because of strong growth year after year in sales and popularity, the category is now assumes a major role in the personal care market. Replacing to makeup removal and deodorant wipes in personal care and furniture cleaning product in household care, disposable wipes have gradually expanded to offer a wide range of products, replacing the range of traditional combination of cloth, cotton, and cleaning solution. Page | 10

The concept of the wet wipes is growing in the global market at a good pace, although it is important to know the challenges which may arise in the long run and will present great difficulties to the companies. Those companies which are capable to combine cutting edge technology with the new innovative ideas which can give them a competitive advantage from the revelries companies can survive in long run. In India these products are considered as life style product not the necessary one but as the lifestyle of the Indian consumer is changing and they believe in high standard of living. So, there facial wipes are having a great potential to grow in the Indian markets. Consumer awareness about hygiene products increased as a result of advertising price reduction and launch of cheaper product like so-soft, in touch, Himalayas, orisis etc. by the manufacturers over the last few years. Under Kara, they have launched a NAIL POLISH REMOVER which is in the wipe form which offers immense convenience. They started it recently and the numbers which that were seeing were outstanding. Now as these products start going into other channels and distribution, the business mix will continue to change These wipes contain olive oil and that’s why they feel so oily and super moisturizing. Mostly one wipe for ten nails is enough. One single wipe can totally remove the nail color from their nails. Usually they are placed on the top of nail and left it for few seconds then gently rub the wipe on nail and the nail color comes off easily. These wipes are so easy to use and take only a few minutes to clean all the nails. But, one wipe takes a little extra time when it comes to darker shades. Actually, one wipe is not enough for the darker shades. They need a clean wipe to remove all the mess created by dark nail polishes. Still, one wipe can remove dark nail colors nicely. These wipes also can remove glitter nail paints smoothly and easily. Overall, these wipes can clean all nail paints easily without being harsh on consumer nails. So, Let us take a look at PRO’S and CON’S: Pros of Kara Nail Polish Remover Wipes:  Nice, safe packaging.

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          

Super affordable and good quantity. Beautiful, sweet scent of roses. Not a strong scent. Super moist wipes. One wipe can clean almost 10 nails. Removes the entire nail color easily. Can remove glitter nail paints. Keeps nails moisturized and smooth. Contains olive oil and vitamin E. Nails do not get scratched or peeled. Acetone-free.

Cons of Kara Nail Polish Remover Wipes:    

Darker colors require extra efforts. Might feel too oily at times. Nails need to be washed after use. Scent doesn’t stay for long.

SWOT Analysis of Kara Wet Wipes Strength :  Under the flagship of well-known brand Aditya Birla Group  Segmentation of specific wipes for specific purpose  Availability in seven variants which is maximum number of variants compare to its competitors  Alcohol free product  Convenient for customers to use in busy and any situations.  Hassle free application of lotion without using cotton balls.  Superior Quality  Portable: It can be easily carried  100% Natural, hygienic and Biodegradable product. Page | 12

 Dermatological Safe.  The product is made up of pure viscose which has a 10 times better absorbing power than cotton.  Best Brand-Compactly packaged and pre-moistened Kara skincare wipes gives a hygienic, convenient and effective skincare solution to the consumers on the go. These wipes are easy to carry and use. They are highly effective with unique formulations having natural ingredients that nourish the skin. They are alcohol free and dermatological safe. Kara is made from Birla Cellulose, a fiber that is 100 percent natural and biodegradable.  Free promotion

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Weakness : KARA hasn‘t been spending much on advertisement which leads to low level of awareness in market. No infrastructure in Ghaziabad obstacle in operation. Retailers have very less margin as compared to other brands. Comparatively high price Irregular follow-up by the salesman is hindering the sales to go up.

Opportunity : Noida is one of the fastest developing cities in Uttar Pradesh. Due to which there is a lot of potential in Noida as a market for Kara wet wipes. Noida has one of the highest consumer expenditure for cosmetic market. Standard of living, status symbol & life style have been on rise thus pushing up such demand. Growing market of skin care products in Noida. Hotels have been on rapid rise in Noida. Demand of wet wipes is high in hotels. Restaurants can provide KARA wet wipe to their customers for refreshment. Beauty Parlor –Opportunity came out for Kara is refreshing wipes and makeup removal could be used in beauty parlor operations like facial, makeup, cleansing, body spa, massage etc. could add value to customer and in some of operation they could charge more from customers. KARA can target local branded beauty parlors. Page | 13

 Travel agency –KARA wet wipes is mostly used during travelling so travel agency can be targeted.  People are gradually getting acquainted with the western concept of wet wipes.  Huge untapped market.  Climate of India is favorable for such products.  Growing market of Skincare products in India. Threats :  Stiff competition from cheaper Chinese wipes.  Very new concept of wet wipes in India.  High level of competition from main rivals like Johnson & Johnson, Mystique, Dove, Fresh Ones.  The Chinese wipes have always gained a lot of popularity and it is very difficult to remove their mark from the customer mind.

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Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model

Threat of New Entrance Being a new and niche segment, wet wipes market was overlooked earlier but due to entrance of big players like Johnson & Johnson and Aditya Birla group, even small firms are coming into the market. Likewise niche markets, wet wipes market has great potential of growth. When Aditya Birla Group came with its cosmetic wipes range and no other company’s wipes were available in the market and the company was enjoying a monopoly in Noida but the scenario has changed, now the competition is available in the market. The major threat is wipes like lotus, clarus, purple turtle, Etiquette by Built are available in the market. These companies are giving high margins to the retailers and providing to the customer at low cost. So the product price Page | 15

elasticity is affected by substitute products. New entrants are coming to get and increase the market share which is increasing the rivalry.

Threat of Substitute There are many substitute of this product. Some has direct competition of the product such as cheaper Chinese wipes, wipes of Johnson and Johnson etc. Some are indirect competitor of Kara such as handkerchief, towel, tissue paper etc.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers The main raw material used in making wipe is Viscose Staple Fiber (VSF) which is largely manufactured by the cellulose division of Aditya Birla Group. Aditya Birla Group sells Viscose Staple Fiber to so many domestic and international companies those use this VSF in making of wipes and other products. For Kara, there is no bargaining power of supplier because its own parent company produces the raw material. On the other hand, for other wet wipes manufacturer, bargaining power of supplier is very high due to sole supplier of VSF.

Bargaining Power of Customers Being availability of different variants of wet wipes of different companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Bilt, Kara, Good Look and different Chinese companies, wipes market is like buyers’ market rather than sellers’ market. Now, customers have wide range of choice of product and have power to influence the price of the product.

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2. Analysis of 3C’s

1. Company (Product, Distribution)  Company Product Grasim Industries has started its Consumer Product Division with various FMCG products which includes personal care & home care dry & wet wipes products. The main product of our concern for the research is Kara Skincare Wipes.  Later on, Aditya Birla Group Company Grasim Industries has decided to sell its consumer products business to Kishore Biyani-RunFuture Consumer Enterprise Limited on a slump sale basis. Kara is a quality product brought to you by Future Consumer Enterprise Limited. Kara Wipes offers full turnkey manufacturing, packaging and assembly services. They specialize in the production of packaged wet wipes and pads, filling a variety of formula types. Each Kara wipe is made from Viscose fibers, a 100% natural biodegradable fiber. It is pure, soft and has high moisture absorption capacity. Kara wipes are dermatologically tested. They are hygienic, skin-friendly and do not leave lint on the skin. Each formulation is a selective blend of aqua, skin-friendly ingredients and herbal actives with a precise functionality that results in a distinctly superior product experience on application. These are free from harsh chemicals like alcohol. Page | 17

 ''Kara skincare wipes fill up the lacuna in this segment as there is lack of availability of quality products at appropriate price in the Indian market.'' Kara Skincare wipes is a new product to hit the Indian market. The brand is now running heavy print campaign announcing the launch. Kara Skincare wipes can be called as India's first branded skincare wipe product. Skincare wipes are popular in the west but in India the category is a new one. Although Indian consumers are familiar with the products which are imported, it’s the first time that an Indian company enters this segment Kara means care. The brand also marks Aditya Birla Group's foray into the Indian FMCG market.  The brand aims to create a new category of wipes in India. Hence the challenge is to educate the target audience about the usefulness of this product. This task is cut out for Kara since the customer is already exposed to such products. The only task is to inculcate the habit of buying and using the wipes. The product is relevant in the Indian market for two reasons-

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a) One is the climate which necessitates such a product b) Second is the growing number of lady professionals. The brand has the tagline “At your best always” this clearly communicates the core brand positioning. The brand is being promoted as the anytime solution to look good. Also Kara is loaded with lotions for different application like deep pore cleansing, moisturizing, toning, sunscreen and make up remover. Rejuvenating the skin is a natural property of mint oil and cucumber coupled with aloe Vera for skin nourishing in refreshing wipes. Jojoba and Avocado unclogs pres., detoxes and exfoliates dead skin in Deep Pore Cleansing wipes. Rose and Thyme are well known to have toning properties – used in Toning Wipes. Honey and Almond are age – old products for removing dryness of skin and moisturizing present in– moisturizing wipes Aloe Vera and plum have natural sunscreen properties – Kara Sunscreen wipes. Lavender cleaning and relaxing properties while Seaweed has nourishing effect on skin – both used for makeup removal wipes. Page | 18

 Kara has a good potential to create and own a new category. The brand already has the first mover advantage. But the category does not have much entry barriers. It can face stiff competition from cheap imports. But Kara has the financial backing of Future Customer Group Ltd. And the investment in building this brand will pave the way for another successful marketing story. KARA has also launched NAIL POLISH REMOVER which is in the wipe form which offers immense convenience. They started it recently and the numbers which that were seeing were outstanding. Now as these products start going into other channels and distribution, the business mix will continue to change. So they thought with every quarter with more brands going out, the business mix of 85% or 87% being on top brands will perform slowly than the top ones, it is because the rest will start going out and will start seeing transaction.  The wipe contains an Acetone free formulation for effective removal of nail polish, even of the darkest shade. These wipes are made from poly-viscose fiber and contain natural olive oil extracts that prevents drying of nail and skin surrounding nails. Also enriched with skin nourishing vitamin E, it helps in keeping your nails nourished and moisturized at all times. All wipes

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come with a delightful fruity fragrance, which comes out pleasantly post usage. This on-the-move pack has been designed for convenience of use anytime anywhere. It can be easily slipped in your bag, used in flights, classrooms, and boardrooms anywhere anytime. All our wipes are dermatologically tested, are Acetone free, Toluene free and Paraben free. Distribution: KARA product has been distributed into two parts: Skin Care Wipes Nail Paint Remover Wipe Baby Care Wipes Hand Sanitizing Wipes

Let’s start with Skin Care Wipes. Variants of KARA Skin Care Wipes:  Deep Pore Cleansing Wipes -

Kara Deep Pore Cleansing is a gentle, effective way to clean your skin of dirt, grime and excess of oil. Enriched with Jojoba and Avocado extracts, it unclogs pores, detoxifies and thoroughly exfoliates dead skin cells.

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 Sunscreen Wipes -

Kara sunscreen wipes has a formulation of SPF 20 which protects the skin from the adverse effects of UV A and UV B sun rays. It is enriched withantioxidants like plum extract and vitamin E that nourishes the skin and Aloe Vera that keeps the skin moisturized.  Moisturizing Wipes -

Kara Moisturizing wipes is enriched with the goodness of almond and honey for beautiful radiant and glowing skin. It is also fortified with vitamins for skin conditioning and is suitable for use right throughout the year.

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 Toning Wipes-

Kara Toning Wipes is enriched with Rose and Thyme extract that tighten the skin and maintain the normal pH balance.  Make Up Removal Wipes-

Kara Make-Up Removal Wipes are enriched with Lavender and Seaweed extracts that removes the make-up in just one swipe.

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 Refreshing Facial Wipes-

Kara Refreshing wipes are enriched with Aloe Vera for skin nourishment and mint oil for effective freshening. It ensures effective cleansing to remove dirt, excess oil and grime from the face and neck and also leaves a lingering fragrance. Baby Care Wipes-

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Hand Sanitizing Wipes :

Variants of KARA Nail Polish Remover Wipes:

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Lemon Rose Orange Strawberry

Kara Nail Polish Remover Wipes-

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The pack contains 30 wipes and every wipe is effective in cleansing up to 10 nails! The wipe contains an Acetone free formulation for effective removal of nail polish, even of the darkest shade. These wipes are made from poly-viscose fiber and contain natural olive oil extracts that prevents drying of nail and skin surrounding nails. Also enriched with skin nourishing vitamin E, it helps in keeping your nails nourished and moisturized at all times. All wipes come with a delightful fruity fragrance, which comes out pleasantly post usage. This on-the-move pack has been designed for convenience of use anytime anywhere. It can be easily slipped in your bag, used in flights, classrooms, and boardrooms anywhere anytime. All our wipes are dermatologically tested, are Acetone free, Toluene free and Paraben free. Texture and Packaging-

The packaging of the product is the most intriguing factor. The wipes are placed one by one in a stack within a white plastic container. This is absolutely traveled friendly. All the wipes are wet and moisturizes properly because of the presence of olive oil and Vitamin E or Tocopheryl acetate. There are some curvy patterns made on the wipes which makes them more user friendly.

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There is no scratch or peeling on nails either. These wipes keep nails soft for long. This product is a really good option for dry nails. It never irritates skin. Overall, consumers are totally in love this nail polish remover and it works its best to remove the nail paint and also provides superb moisturize to nails. The Lemon variant is less oily than Rose variant yet it works quicker. These wipes are really good for travel time.

2. Competitor : Competition Analysis of Kara Wipes Future group Ltd. aims to create a new category of wipes in India. Hence the challenge is to educate the TG about the usefulness of this product. This task is cut out for Kara since the TGis already exposed to such products. The only task is to inculcate the habit of buying and using the wipes. The product is relevant in the Indian market for two reasons. One is the climate which necessitates such a product and second is the growing number of lady professionals. The brand has the tagline “At your best Always” which clearly communicates the core brand positioning. The brand is being promoted as the anytime solution to look good. Kara has a good potential to create and own a new category. The brand already has the first mover advantage. But the category does not have much entry barriers. It can face stiffcompetition from cheap imports. But Kara has the financial backing of Birla group and theinvestment in building this brand will pave the way for another successful marketing story. COMPETITORS INFORMATION: VISCOSE STAPLE FIBER (WET TISSUES/TISSUES) Page | 26

Novel Tissues A young company, a company that has witnessed tremendous growth and progress, within a short span of time. Novel Tissues is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company. As a company,Novel Tissues has benefited tremendously from its steadfast focus on improving quality standard of its offerings. Rightly all our wet tissue products are licensed by the Controller ofDrugs, Government of Karnataka, India. Its quality checks are stringent and of high standards. Right from the texture of the tissue fibre to the packaging style, we ensure you get the best product. The company employs quality professionals and follows ISO certified production processes, which ensures the desired quality in our end products. When it comes to manufacturing wet tissues, Novel stands leagues apart owing to its sheer class and deft. Novel wet tissues are extremely good for personal hygiene, for instant cleansing and freshening up. Our wet tissues are made from premium quality rayon nonwoven fabric that is perfumed and moistened using the purest form of water,menthol, glycerine and trichlosan; ideal for a good, healthy skin. At Novel, we refrain from using anyharmful chemicals. Our brand of wet tissues has been well accepted as a premium qualityproduct by retail, corporate and other segments of the market.

JOHNSON N JOHNSON: JnJ has more than 250 operating companies in 60 countries employing approximately 118,000 people. Our worldwide headquarters is in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. Family of Companies comprises: The world’s sixth-largest consumer Health Company The world’s largest and most diverse medical devices and Diagnostics Company The world’s fifth-largest biologics company

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And the world’s eighth-largest pharmaceuticals company HIMALAYA HEALTH CARE: Himalaya Drug Company was founded in 1930 by Mr. M Manal with a clear vision to bring Ayurveda to society in a contemporary form and to unravel the mystery behind the 5,000 years old system of medicine. This included referring to Ayurveda texts, indigenous herbs and subjects. The formulations to modern pharmacological, toxicological and safety tests to create new drugs and therapies. Sources of competitive advantage: Cost: KARA is the lowest cost producer of VSF in the world. It is the most integrated fiber producer with the chain stretching right from Forest to Pulp to Fiber to Yarn. All most all the intermediate inputs are captive. Besides, their inhouse engineering division enables us to grow in a most cost effective way. Technology: On technology front, they produce all the three generations of manmade cellulosic fibers from an in-house developed capability through research and development. Their research and development efforts are not limited tofiber stage alone but extend to entire textile value chain. While the plantation and related activity is carried out at Grasim Research Institute (GFRI, Harihar, India), the Product innovations are carried out at Birla Research Institute (BRI, Nagda, India). For value chain related activities, a state of art “Textiles Research & Application Development Centre” has been established at Kharach, Gujarat -India to entire textile value chain from yarn to fabric to garments. Markets: On marketing front, their reach extends to the entire globe, through marketing offices. On a global level, their major strength is in spun-dyed fibers and now other specialties such as Non-woven, Modal and Excel have started penetrating in global markets. Their brand “Birla Cellulose” is firmly entrenched in the market. Their value added marketing services comprising of technical, logistical, financial, marketing and informational support have enabled us to emerge as the most preferred supplier of VSF in world. Our offerings whether from India, Thailand, Indonesia or China are all marketed under the mother brand “Birla Cellulose” and sub brands Birla Viscose, Birla Modal & Birla Excel. An umbrella brand has enabled us to create a common identity for our product across Page | 28

the globe irrespective of its production origin and creating of awareness of the brand.

3. Consumer : In spite of being a very little segment study shows that wet facial wipes are getting popularity in the markets and customers are using wipes in place of other things like handkerchief and other personal care products. Presently in Noida market Johnson & Johnson is the market leader which contributes nearly 32% of sales. The reason for this is customers are also using baby wipes as facial wipes as they are very soft and Johnson & Johnson is a very popular brand for kids section and Johnson baby wipes are very popular. According to the analysis peoples in Noida are aware about the Kara wipes but they are not using it much. Reason behind this may be the price and availability of Kara wipes in markets. The customer based is increased as wipes got visibility in modern market such as super markets and hyper markets. Sales of these products are more in modern markets as in these markets customer explore more products and chances of impulse buying increased. As the study suggests Kara wipes is gaining popularity by publicity through words of mouth where customers are spreading the news about this product. But company is not making any direct efforts to promote these products in Markets. Distribution channel is not working effectively in Noida market as company adopt 2- tier distribution system due to which market coverage is very less for Kara wipes which results in less availability of wipes in different markets. Channel intermediaries are not making proper efforts to promote the product and enhance the sales of this product. As intermediaries work for company to promote the product but in case of Kara retailers are not interested in doing so. Reason behind this is they are getting lower margin and benefits from company as compared to other brand. Study suggests that Kara is considered as premium brand in this segment due to the tag of Future Group on this brand. Customers now days becoming more fashion oriented and they prefer to buy branded products. So it’s an opportunity with Kara to do brand promotion for their product to increase customer base. Customers feels that the price should be reduce Page | 29

as buying this much costly wipes didn’t make any sense to them. According to the data there are very less customers who are brand loyal and most of the customers are switchers. So a proper branding strategy should be implemented to attract and retain the customers.

4. Objectives and Methodology of Project RESEARCH OBJECTIVE The objectives of our research are to:  Challenges faced in brand promotion & product placement of KARA being as new product in Noida market.  To understand retailer perception & expectations and behaviour towards KARA.  To study the perception of consumers and their behaviour towards KARA Skin Care wipes and Nail Polish Remover wipes through sampling  To make people aware about KARA Skin Care wipes and Nail Polish Remover wipes.  How Kara is substitute of cosmetics and to make KARA wipes as habit in Indian market.  Convert consumer towards a healthy solution for Family Health & proper solution for Refreshment.  Guide the consumer towards proper understanding of wipes & Health v/s wipes &Refreshment. RESEARCH DESIGN Research design begins with the identification of management decision problem and the success of the research highly depends on the well description of management decision problem. A Research Design is a frame work or blue print for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the information Page | 30

needed to structure or solve marketing research problem. Although a broad approach to the problem has already been developed, the research design specifies the details, the nuts and bolts of implementing the approach. A research design lays the foundation for conducting the project. A good research design will ensure that the marketing research project is conducted effectively and efficiently. There are three types of research designs viz. Exploratory: This type of research is done when objective is not known and it helps in providing insight and understandings to define a problem. It also involves formulation of hypothesis. The study involves finding out present data of demand for skincare wipes and prospective buyers and consumers of the skincare wipes. Descriptive: Descriptive study is an extension of exploratory study and it contains people surveyed, method of analysis, data collection and analysis of problem. Research was done to find out Market feasibility of Kara skincare wipes, so that we can make strategies to establish our products in the market in a better way, providing more awareness and place the product properly as well as promote the brand and emerge as a good competitor in the market. Causal: It helps in determining the cause and effect relationships. Manipulation of one or more independent variables is done to match with the objective of our problem. In this project, Descriptive Research Design had been used. The major objective of descriptive research is to describe something, usually market characteristics or functions. Descriptive research is conducted for the following:  To describe the characteristics of relevant groups, such as consumers, sales people, organizations, or market areas.  To estimate the percentage of units in a specified population exhibiting a certain behavior.  To determine the perception of product characteristics.  To determine the degree to which marketing variables are associated.  To make specific prediction.

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The Descriptive Research can be classified in two methods: Survey Methods: This method is used when the research directly corresponds the respondent, makes him aware of our objective and seeks his help in filling up the questionnaire. The respondent answers each and every question thus giving his contribution to the study. Some of the observation methods are: Telephonic Surveys, Mall intercept Mail surveys. Observation Methods: This method is used when the researcher uses his own judgment on behalf of respondent by observing his reactions and answers when they interact with each other. The researcher tries to put all elements of research questions in the conversation and seeks to find the answers without letting respondent know about it. In this project, Observation method as well as survey method has been used. The former one has been used for retailers where they were unaware that they are participating in the research with their conversation and latter one has been used for all commuters of retail stores and online as well. Scaling: Scaling is applied to the attempts to measure the attitude objectively. Attitude is a resultant of number of external and internal factors. Depending upon the attitude to be measured, appropriate scales are designed. Scaling is a technique used for measuring qualitative responses of respondents such as those related to their feelings, perception, likes, dislikes, interests and preferences. Most commonly used scales are:  Nominal: Numbers serve only as labels or tags for identifying and classifying objects. Only permissible operation on the numbers in a nominal scale is counting  Ordinal: A ranking scale in which numbers are assigned to objects to indicate the relative extent to which the objects possess some characteristic. Page | 32

In addition to counting, one can place objects accordingly relative to their rank.  Interval: Numerically equal distances on the scale represent equal values in the characteristic being measured. However the location of origin is arbitrary.  Ratio: Possesses all the properties of the nominal, ordinal, and interval scales. It has an absolute zero point In this project, all the questions have been designed using Nominal scale.

Sample SizeThe data was collected through filling up the questionnaires, getting data from retailers and through market survey and market research study. The sample size for the study taken is 59. Sample and Sampling TechniquesSample basically means a subgroup of elements of population selected for participation in study. And number of elements to be included in the study is known as sample size. Execution of the sampling process requires a detailed specification of how the sampling designs decisions with respect to the population, sampling frame, sampling unit, sampling technique, and sample size is to be implemented. Sampling technique is broadly classified as: Probability Sampling - A sampling procedure in which each element of population has a fixed probabilistic chance of being selected for the sample. And probability sampling is further classified as:    

Simple Random Sampling Systematic Sampling Stratified Sampling Cluster Sampling

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Non Probability Sampling- Sampling technique that do not use chance selection procedures and rather they rely on the personal judgment of the researcher. Non probability sampling technique is further classified as:    

Convenience Sampling Judgmental Sampling Quota Sampling Snowball Sampling

In this study basically Convenience sampling i.e. Non Probability Sampling Technique has been used where in I surveyed people online and people visiting to malls, cosmetic stores, general stores, medical stores etc. of Noida. Convenience attempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements. The selection of the sampling unit is left primarily to the interviewer. In this type of sampling technique often the respondents are selected because they happen to be in the right place at the right time. Convenience sampling is the least expensive and least time consuming of all the sampling techniques. The sampling units are accessible, easy to measure and cooperative. In spite of these advantages, this form of sampling has serious limitations. Many potential sources of selection bias are present, including respondent self-selection. Convenience sampling is not representative of any definable population. This study basically included mall-intercept as the sampling technique. And the sample size for the study taken is 59 people that include all respondents online as well as offline. A close end questionnaire wasconstructed for my survey. A questionnaire consisting of a set of questions was presented to respondents for their answers. Data Collection Primary Data The first-hand information bearing on any research is the one which has been collected by the researcher. The data here is collected through:

 A structured questionnaire  Personal interview of both retailer and consumers.

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Secondary Data: The data which has already been collected, complied and presented earlier by any agency may be used for purpose of investigation. The data collected through:  Various publications in form of annual reports, various papers and journals published from time to time.  Through internet and Books This study is based on the data collected in form of structured questionnaire from 59 respondents. The data collected were analyzed by using SPSS package. The statistical tools used were percentage method and chi square test. The hypothesis testing was done using chi square analysis at 5% level of significance.

Respondents : 59 Target Population : Delhi/NCR Sampling Technique : Convenience Sampling Size : 110 Sampling Frame : 59 Data Collection Tools : Primary: Questionnaire (Structured and Non Disguised) Data Analysis Tool : SPSS, Charts, Bar,

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Limitations of the study: Research is based on the collection of data from both primary and secondary sources.  There may be a possibility of biasness on the part of some respondents, but very much care has been taken to make this report unbiased.  Some respondents might not give the correct information due to their lack of interest and shortage of time.  Small sample size of 59 may not represent the true picture as it would have been by taking response from entire population.  All the information, which is taken, is biased on primary and secondary data that has its own limitations  Location constraint i.e. respondents from high profile location will respond positively and respondents from lower level location will respond negative, although, diversification of location has been maintained and I have tried to cover almost all type of markets in Noida.

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5. Data Analysis and Observations  Which age group do you belong to?

Interpretations: The statistic clearly shows that teen ager and young people is the main user of wet wipes. Out of total respondents, 83% belongs to the age of 15-25. Young married females and males are the second most users of wipes that stands at 13% on the graph. Thus, we should be more focused on targeting young school and college students and last but not the least young working people who spends a large portion of their income on cosmetic.

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 What is your profession?

Interpretations: Kara is a product made for youth, now students are very conscious about their look and life style. They are very much well informed and understand the benefits of using these skin care products. Among all respondents, 82% are students who use wet facial wipes. Working professionals do not get free time to care about their beauty and skin, thus, the concept of wet wipes those can be conveniently carried and used has given them flexibility to take care of their skin out of their busy schedule. Therefore, we should mainly focus on students and working professional these categories of people are the one who would use the product

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 Are you aware of the brand KARA?

Interpretations: It is a very pleasant and satisfying result that being launched in 2008, Kara has gained a significant awareness of its brand in the market. Among all respondents, 81% are aware of Kara and 4% are not sure but have heard of the brand somewhere. Only 15% of respondents are entirely unaware of the brand Kara, despite of its full effort in creating awareness of the brand. Thus, we can infer that Kara in not at its introduction stage rather it is on its growth stage where we need to provide information to customers in convincing that how our product is different and better than products of the other players in the market.

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 Have you seen KARA’S advertisement on television or anywhere else :

Interpretation: Aditya Birla group started airing its advertisement of Kara from last month of May. The companies visited before that was not aware of the advertisement. Out of 59 respondents, about one third people have seen its advertisement when it was asked during conversation. However more people must have seen it’s advertisement since then. There were four different advertisements launched each having a duration of about 22 seconds.

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 How you’ll rate the advertisement:

Interpretation: The respondents who had seen the advertisement were asked informally about their opinion about the advertisement. None of them considered advertisement of low quality and most of the people felt it was of average nature.

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 Do you use wet facial wipes ?

Interpretation: The above statistic shows that 81% respondents are the user of wet facial wipes. Being randomly surveyed a sample of 59 people online as well as offline; this may not be the actual result in the market. But, this huge positive response clearly indicates that the use of wet facial wipes in Indian market has increased drastically over years. It also provides a scope that people are shifting their mind from traditional liquid form of cosmetics products to the wet wipes products.

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 How often do you use the wipes?

Interpretations: Here, according to data, 52% respondents use wet wipes when they require the same. However, 27% people use wipes twice in a day and 17% once in a day. The people who uses wipes thrice in a day are 5% and more than thrice are 2%, thus, we can feature on the pack or in advertisement that use of wipes twice in a day can nourish your skin and can keep your skin healthy. This will result into high increment in the use of the product and ultimately the sale will get a boost.

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 What attributes influence you to like Kara?

Interpretations: Refreshment is the attribute that influenced 60% of the people I surveyed to like Kara. They feel that after the use of Kara wipes, they have refreshment over their faces. Among 59 respondents, 17% are the people who like Kara because of hygienic attribute. It provides a lot of hygienic benefits to its regular user. From secondary data, I found that a couple years back, people dislike Kara because of its fragrance but now the situation is completely different and the graph clearly shows that 11% like Kara because of its fragrance only. Still people trust on branded product rather non-branded, 8% respondents are fond of Kara because its brand name. Only 4% have liking feeling because, undoubtedly the product is costlier than other brands available in the market..

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 What attributes lead you to dislike Kara?

Interpretations: It is very surprising that people dislike Kara because of its non-availability. The statistic shows that 41% of the respondents have found Kara unavailable once they have asked for it. Moreover, it resulted into dislike feeling towards the brand. High price has been a factor because of that 29% of respondents do not like Kara and prefer other cheap brand over it. They do not want to spend so much on such cosmetic products and buy cheap wipes like of Bilt, Good Look and Chinese wipe products. Being manufactured by VSF i.e. natural fiber, 18% of the respondents still do not like the softness of Kara. High price and low quality is being perceived by the customers that can create a huge ignorance of the brand. Fragrance is not as attractive as it should be, that the belief of 10% of the respondents. Therefore, we should be more focused in placing the product onto all small and major counters . Wet wipes product is a small product and the company should follow sale oriented marketing strategy. It should ensure availability of the product keeping in mind the convenience of customers instead of selling huge numbers only some select counters.

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 What does make Kara different from other brands?

Interpretations: It is a very pleasant response from the user of the brand that 51% found the product as a high quality product. Wet wipes are more or less same in all attributes, therefore, quality is an attribute that can be used to differentiate Kara from other different brands. Among all respondents, 25% found the price of product is not very high as quality the company provides and they feel the product is a value for money. Utility accounts for 14% and attractive packaging stands at 10% in the above graph. It implies that only 10% of the respondents found the packaging of the product is attractive than other brand available in the market.

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 Which promotional activity will make you purchase KARA :

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Interpretations: The significance value is more than 0.05, hence H0 accepted. Therefore, the thing that influence the buyers most out of the following i.e. Luck Draws/ Gift Coupons/ Free Recharges/ Discount Coupons is DISCOUNT COUPONS in case of both age as well as gender i.e. whether it is male/female.

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 Would you like to recommend Kara to your friends and family who are not using it?

Interpretations: A good product gets promoted by its existing customers and creates many new users. Once asked whether respondents would like to recommend Kara to their friends and family members, 56% responded in yes and 39% may possibly recommend the brand. Only 5% of respondents would not like to recommend Kara to any of their friends and family members. This is after use effect of the product, a good product with good attributes would compel its user to recommend the brand others too.

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 From where you prefer to buy facial wipes?

Interpretation:Nearly 20% of respondent didn’t answer this question as they are not using facial wipes. 45% of the respondents are purchasing wipes from modern markets like malls, reliance market, metro and many other super markets exists in Noida. Modern markets and cosmetics shops are the potential places to target for increasing the sales. Consumers also prefer to buy wipes from medical store to get medicated wipes like Dettol and Himalayas. So, company can also make their product available on medical stores for increasing market share.

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6. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FINDINGS  In spite of being a very little segment study shows that wet facial wipes are getting popularity in the markets and customers are using wipes in place of other things like handkerchief and other personal care products.  Presently in Noida market Johnson & Johnson is the market leader which contributes nearly 32% of sales. The reason for this is customers are also using baby wipes as facial wipes as they are very soft and Johnson & Johnson is a very popular brand for kids section and Johnson baby wipes are very popular.  According to the analysis peoples in Noida are aware about the Kara wipes but they are not using it much. Reason behind this may be the price and availability of Kara wipes in markets.  The customer based is increased as wipes got visibility in modern market such as super markets and hyper markets. Sales of these products are more in modern markets as in these markets customer explore more products and chances of impulse buying increased.  As the study suggests Kara wipes is gaining popularity by publicity through words of mouth where customers are spreading the news about this product. But company is not making any direct efforts to promote these products in Markets.  Distribution channel is not working effectively in Noida market as company adopt 2- tier distribution system due to which market coverage is very less for Kara wipes which results in less availability of wipes in different markets.  Channel intermediaries are not making proper efforts to promote the product and enhance the sales of this product. As intermediaries work for company to promote the product but in case of Kara retailers are not interested in doing so. Reason behind this is they are getting lower margin and benefits from company as compared to other brand.  Study suggests that Kara is considered as premium brand in this segment due to  the tag of Aditya Birla Group on this brand. Page | 51

 Customers now days becoming more fashion oriented and they prefer to buy branded products. So it’s an opportunity with Kara to do brand promotion for their product to increase customer base.

 Study shows that quality is a factor which influence customer toward Kara wipes. As company is focusing more on the quality to attract the customer rather than any other factor.  Price of Kara wipes is relatively higher than that of the competitors’ products as they are using natural fibers for producing these wipes. Customers feels that the price should be reduce as buying this much costly wipes didn’t make any sense to them.  According to the data there are very les customers who are brand loyal and most of the customers are switchers. So a proper branding strategy should be implemented to attract and retain the customers.  Market expectation: Customer expectation

Intermediaries expectation

Product should be of better quality

Better margin

Reliable price

Effective distribution system

Product availability

Promotional tools

Discounts

Sales person support

Variants should be available in outlets Competitive price so that they could work to increase the sales

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RECOMMENDATIONS Future Consumer Group Ltd. has been working hard to establish leading brand position of Kara in market. Kara has been able to prove its mettle and highly accepted by customers. I would like to recommend following activities those hopefully will help in growth of Kara. These are as follows:

1. To create the BRAND AWARENESS, the following points should be taken into consideration:  There is huge competition from the Chinese wipes so it requires doing aggressive advertising, campaigns, and samplings at the beginning of summer season, so that product should create awareness at right time and push the sale.  Activities and promotions at hyper markets and malls to attract more and more customers, mostly during Saturdays and Sundays.  At low budget company can place KARA dangles in concerned retailers. Dangles are very effective marketing communication as it makes customer’s eyes to see on hanging dangles. Even at low budget company can stick the KARA tape to rakes where product is placed that can increase the awareness of product.  Company can organize event on women’s day which is on 8 th march to create the awareness. The sale of KARA will increase as summer starts in March-April. Even mother’s day which lies in May is best month for demand for KARA. So company can organize such events in popular stores like Big Bazaar, Spencer and Vishal mega mart etc. 2. Placing Kara in Cash and Carry Stores: Cash and carry stores are a prime location for wholesalers and institutional buyers. All the variants of Kara can be placed for bulk purchases giving appropriate discounts. Carrefour store at DLF Mall of India in Noida and Best Price stores from Bharti-Walmart can be targeted for our product.

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3. Revising Discount schemes: Most of the companies were not convinced with Discount slab as they assumed offered rate as Wholesale rates and not corporate rates for Kara. 4. Extension of Promotional Channel:  Apart from traditional promotional channels, I would recommend to use social media channel to promote Kara wipes in youth thoseare internet centric and spend their maximum time on accessing internet.  The company can tie up with some internet solution consultant and source the responsibility of promoting Kara on different social Medias such as maintaining Facebook fan page in solving queries of customers towards the product.  A blog can be created on internet which can educate people about skincare and benefits of using Kara wipes. It can also ask for feedback from users and inform them about new variants and offers etc. The blog can be made interactive by putting surveys on it. The link of the blog can be bulk mailed to various people falling within the target market. 5. Approaching Event Management companies: Event management companies can be targeted and corporate tie-ups can be done for High-end fashion shows, Polo matches, International conferences etc. 6. Blogging about Kara: A blog can be created on internet which can educate people about skincare and benefits of using Kara wipes. The blog can be made interactive by putting surveys on it. The link of the blog can be bulk mailed to various people falling within the target market. 7. Modification in marketing mix of the product and schemes.  Getting the product into an eye catching and handy package for various purposes, so that it attracts both consumers and retailers at a glance.  The product needs rigorous advertising be it in print media and television, hoardings, van operations, lama, only then the awareness could be brought about the brand and the products.

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 Kara is a product that can be easily understood & adapted by the youth & the admission season in Noida University starts from May-June at the time of admission we can appoint at least with 2 employees with a canopy & with a few samples outside the colleges. This will definitely help to spread the awareness about the product amongst the youngsters.  Hotels have been on rapid rise in Noida. Demand of wet wipes is high in hotels.  Restaurants can provide KARA wet wipe to their customers for refreshment.  There’s a huge demand for the product among the “new generation working women” as they prefer handy products for convenient and easyaccessibility. So focusing on the right consumer group is necessary. LIMITATIONS  Lack of awareness in the market in traditional business scenario.  Delay in the delivery of the product by distributer  Disturbance in channel distribution due to credit policies.  Unavailable of latest product in market.  Preference to chine‘s wipes due to low market price.  Delay in the replacement of damage product.  Lack awareness regarding baby wipes & hand sanitizing wipes.  Lack of advertisement strategy in the company.  Tough fight with dominant Johnson & Himalaya in the market.  Unaffordable pack size of baby wipes.  Customer feels that it can be used only while traveling.  Totally a new concept needs to take time to educate people about Kara.

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 Due to very less advertising of the product by the company, the awareness about the product has not spread among both retailers and consumers.  It is important to make it clear to the consumers that it is not just another refreshing wipe but it is the entire skincare range of wipes.  Price factor also raises concern for the retailers due to lesser margin  Convincing the consumers and retailers is the main issue.

SUGGESTIONS Since, Hand Sanitizating wipes (Handy)are also a premium product from Future Consumer Group Ltd.; few suggestions for handy are given as below:  Using Handy in High-end restaurants: Handy is a very good substitute of conventional fingerbowls which are used in restaurants. Expensive restaurants in 5 star hotels which offer Indian food to its guests, give fingerbowls to them for cleaning their hands. It could be replaced by Handy’s which offers better sanitation properties and can help restaurants for environmental audit.  Advertisement for Handy:Handys has a vast potential in field of Hand sanitizing wipes. Advertisements on television can be aired to make people aware of it. One such concept is: ‘Two housewives are sitting. One is disturbed because her son is not well and often misses his school. She says that she takes all the precautions to ensure hygiene of his son but still he becomes sick. The second wife says that keeping an eye on child is difficult when he is in school. They may not know if he washes his hands before eating his Lunch. It is best if she keeps a sachet of Handys in his Tiffin box, so before eating his lunch, he can sanitize his hands.’ This advertisement can target for Housewives who can use this product for both her Husband and Children.

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 Focus on institutional trading: - As there are many pharmaceuticals company and skin care clinics exists in Ludhiana so company can focus on these institutes to increase their sales as well as customer base. In institutional trade purchase order is much bigger than in any other trade so if company could able to get linkups with several companies it would be a great opportunity for increasing the market share.  Company should adopt competitive pricing strategy: - The price of Kara wipes are relatively higher than the competitors due to which the customers are switching to the other brands. To resolve this problem company should adopt competitive pricing so that customers did not switch to other brand by comparing the price of different products.  Kara needs a brand strategy:- Kara need a brand strategy because currently company is not promoting Kara wipes by any of the means neither by advertisement nor by any other means of promotional tools an because of that only the demand and awareness of the product is restricted which adversely affecting the sales of the wipes in markets. so, company should advertise the product to create an awareness and demand of the product which would help company to increase market coverage as well as market size. More promotion tool should be given to the intermediaries who will work as point of purchase material in the outlets and help company to promote the product and enhance sales.

In this era of digitalization company should focus on other medium of promoting the brand such as social media, internet and web based applications. A page could be created on social media websites which could create awareness and promote product to a larger extent and can help the company to increase their customer base and demand of the product.

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7. CONCLUSION New product development (NPD) should start with an insight based on consumer needs. Throughout the NPD process, market research is a valuable tool for the company to check viability and minimize the risk of the product launches. Being an international company, it is essential that it develops new products using the insights of consumers across markets and cultures. There is need to popularize Kara in new localities of good standard area. As per the marketing research it‘s been concluded the following observation: 1. Quality of the wipes is being appreciated by most of the customers 2. High competition from other brand of wipes such as Johnson& Johnson. 3. Consumers especially women, prefer buying the products of brands like L‘oreal,Dove, Pond‘s, Himalaya, etc. because they have been using the other cosmetic items such as face wash, cold cream, moisturizing cream etc. of these brands and prefer to buy the wipes of the same brand. 4. People are not aware that sunscreen, moisturizing, toning, deep-pore cleansing variants are available in the market under the brand of Kara. 5. Retailers are not well aware about the product and are unable to explain the details about the product to the consumers, as they themselves do not have the complete understanding about the product. 6. People are not familiar with the new concept of using wet wipes for almost all cosmetic needs. As certain study and research says that “Asian markets especially Indian market does not cater to new products as the people are more inclined towards tried and tested products” 7. The first thing which acts as a gatekeeper between the product & the retailers is the margin provided by the company. As there are other local wipes available in the market with more margins to offer than offered by us as a result of this retailer hesitate at a first go to keep the product into their shelf

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8. REFERENCES

BOOKS REFERRED 1. Kotler Philip, 2007, Marketing Management Published by Pearson Education New Delhi. 2. Kothari C.R.2006, Research Methodology Method & Techniques Published by New Age International (P) Ltd. New Delhi. 3. Marketing Management, 12th edition, Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane Kotler, Published by Prentice Hall, USA 4. Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion, 4th Edition, Thomas C. O’Guin, Chris T. Allen, Richard J. Semenik, Published by Thomson South Western Publishing house. 5. Consumer Behavior Analysis (critical perspectives on business and management) by G.R Foxall, Published by Routledge Publishers.

WEBSITES  http:// www.google.com  http:// AdityaBirla group.com  http://grasim industries ltd.com  http:// Birla cellulose.com  http:// Kara wipes.com  http://pdfcoke.com  http://futureconsumergroup ltd.com

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9. ANNEXURE QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Do you use nail polish remover wipes or wet facial wipes? a) Yes b) no 2. Have you ever heard or used Kara products? a) Yes b) no 3. If yes, which attribute attracts you towards Kara wipes? a) Brand name b) quality c) availability d) other 4. Would you recommend Kara to others? a) Yes b) no c) maybe 5. For what purpose do you use Kara products? a) Toning b) refreshing c) nail polish removing d) other 6. How did you come to know about Kara? a) TV advertisement b) hoarding c) friends/relatives 7. What attribute lead you to dislike Kara? a) Fragrance b) quality c) price d) availability 8. What makes Kara different? a) Quality b) packaging c) utility 9. Is Kara NPR too costly to purchase?(i.e.100 rs for 30 wipes) a) Yes b) no 10. Which promotional activity will make you purchase KARA : Page | 60

a) Lucky draws b) Gift coupons c) Free recharges d) Discount coupons

 The following are some personal questions about you that will be used for statistical purposes only. Your information will be held in the strictest confidence. Name: ____________________________________________________________ Gender: a) Male _____ b) Female ______ Which age group do you belong to? a. (15-25)

b. (26-35)

c. (36-40)

d. (Above 40)

Which income group (per month) do you fall under? a. (0-10000) b. (10,000-20,000) c. (20,000-30,000) d. Above 30,000 What is your profession? a) Student

b) Working Professional c) Home maker d) Self Employed

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