Rajiv Gandhi Institute of petroleum Technology, Raebareli (UP)

Project on Consumer Behavior

Consumer’s purchasing Decision for passenger car

Submitted To- Submitted By

Dr. Kavita Srivastava Saurabh Sharma

Assistant Professor Sandeep Sahu
RGIPT Raebareli Nagarjuna P

Archita Dube
 Acknowledgement

It is always difficult to acknowledge, so precocious adapt as that of learning, as it is only a debt

that is difficult to repay except through gratitude. There are occasions where mere expressions
of words stand nowhere near the feeling felt. The completion of this Project with its report is
one such occasion.

We take this opportunity to express our warmest appreciations and give special recognition to
all those individuals who have contributed immensely to make this project a success.

The formal statement of acknowledgement will hardly meet the ends of justice in the matter of
expressing a sesnse of gratitude to our esteemed faculty and mentor for this project Dr. Kavita
Srivastva for giving practical dimensions to our theoretical studies in the form of training and
framing report which is suitable and highly beneficial.

Above all, we accord cordial regards to our loving parents and grateful to almighty for bringing
us up in an atmosphere of life and confidence and infusing in us the spirit to face the challenges
of life bravely that made us really work towards the goal of success.

Last but not least the least we express our gratitude to all those to have helped us, guided us
and encouraged us but have been inadvertently left out.

Saurabh Sharma

Sandeep Sahu

Nagarjuna P

Archita Dube
Table of Contents
1- Introduction.........................................................................................................................................5
1.1- Rationale behind the project.......................................................................................................5
1.2- Research Objectives.....................................................................................................................5
1.3- Scope of the Project.....................................................................................................................6
2- Review of Literature............................................................................................................................6
3- Research Methodology........................................................................................................................7
3.1- Questionnaire Design..................................................................................................................7
3.2- Sampling: Design and Procedures...............................................................................................8
3.2.1 Target Population.......................................................................................................................8
3.2.2 Sampling Frame..........................................................................................................................8
3.2.3 Sampling Technique....................................................................................................................8
3.2.4 Sample Size.................................................................................................................................9
3.2.5 Classification of Sample..............................................................................................................9
4- Data Collection..................................................................................................................................11
4.1- Mail Questionnaire...................................................................................................................11
4.2 Personal Interviews...................................................................................................................11
5- Results and Analysis of the Study.........................................................................................................12
5.1- Information Sources Used.........................................................................................................12
5.2 - Length of time from decision to order...................................................................................13
5.3- Importance of waiting time......................................................................................................14
5.4- Time from placing the order to taking the delivery..................................................................14
5.5- Alternative Specification Taken................................................................................................16
5.6 Number of Times Visited Dealer.....................................................................................................18
5.7- Ideal Length of Time – Order to Delivery (OTD)........................................................................18
6- Conclusions........................................................................................................................................20
 Executive Summary

 With the automobile sector in India growing at staggering pace of 10-12% (in the year
2010), riding on the back of strong economic growth, many automobile majors have
shifted their focus on the Indian subcontinent as a lucrative market. This has been
evident from the largest number of launches in the year in various segments ranging
from economy class hatchbacks to the premium sedans. This has lead to a cut throat
competition in the sector and companies are vying to get customers to buy their
products.
 All this has made it very important for the companies to understand the consumer
behavior and perception consumers form about a company while buying a new car. This
report aims to understand consumer needs and behavior in terms of the
reconfiguration of the new car supply system as a result of a move towards shorter
order lead times and customer pull. For the purpose of better understanding the report
is divided into sections covering research methodology, analysis of results and
conclusions.
 Over 250 private new car buyers, representing 70% of the makes bought in the market
in 2010, responded to a self-completion questionnaire distributed to them over emails.
The final sample is broadly representative of the motoring population of three metro
cities of India i.e. New Delhi, Ludhiana and Bangalore.
 Internet (1st ranked), dealer brochure (2nd), TV Commercials (3rd) and friends/relatives
(4th) were the most common sources of new car information sources used.
 About 20% of the respondents took up to one month of time to buy the car from the
point of time they decided to buy the car. Two-third of the respondents reported to
take more than one month but less than two month of time to buy the car.
 Around twenty seven percent of all respondents said it was important to some extent,
though there were some differences among buyers belonging to different age groups.
Younger buyers under 25 were far more likely to say this was important, while there
was little variation from the norm among other age groups. There was no significant
difference in opinion between the two sexes on this parameter.
 Key themes that emerged from the results included the differences in attitudes and
behavior of younger car buyers, and differences between volume and specialist buyers.
 Younger car buyers are much more impatient than older buyers and more predisposed
to changing their behavior.

 Overall, the research suggests that order to delivery time matters to new car buyers
that consumer’s expectations are high in terms of a short lead time and there is a
significant difference in the purchasing behavior of young and older buyer.
 1- Introduction

1.1- Rationale behind the project

The Indian economy has grown at the staggering rate of 8.4% in the FY 2010 and in this year
budget the finance minister has anticipated the growth rate of over 9%. Such a healthy
economic growth has lead to increase in income at the hands of the consumers, which in turn
has affected their purchasing style. The average income of a consumer has increased and so
has his spending. This phenomenon has a significant impact on the automobile sector too
particularly the personal four wheeler segment.

The automobile sector in India has grown at the rate of 10-12% in the year 2010. Most of this
growth occurred on the back of increase in the number of personal cars sales in the country.
The year 2010 also witnessed largest number of car launches in the country in various
segments ranging from economy class hatchbacks to the premium sedans. Even the global auto
giants such as Toyota have shifted their focus to the lucrative Indian market. This has lead to a
cut throat competition in the sector and companies are vying to get customers to buy their
products.

All this has made it very important for the companies to understand the consumer behavior
and perception consumers form about a company while buying a new car. This report aims to
understand consumer needs and behavior in terms of the reconfiguration of the new car supply
system as a result of a move towards shorter order lead times and customer pull. For the
purpose of better understanding the report is divided into sections covering research
methodology, analysis of results and conclusions.

1.2- Research Objectives

The overall aims of the project were to assess the nature of demand for short lead times for
new cars, and to provide a reliable understanding of private new car buyers’ behavior and
attitudes, particularly in relation to the length of time that is taken in the various stages of the
new car buying process. It also aimed to quantify a number of important aspects of the buying
process, including:

 Time taken to make and receive an order

  The length of them buyers think they should wait for a car to be delivered

 The level of specification compromise that takes place

 Identify differences in behavior by various criteria such as brand, age, location etc.

 The major sources of information used by consumers.

1.3- Scope of the Project

The study aims at assessing the broad ramifications of the rapid and large-scale developments
in changing consumer behavior in the automobile industry in India. The scope of this study is
very wide. The results of this study will tend to help the automobile companies to understand
the consumer behavior.

2- Review of Literature

According to the ninth annual Capgemini automotive study – Cars Online 07/08, each year they
extend the scope and depth of their survey to explore new and evolving trends within the retail
side of the automotive industry, with a particular focus on consumer buying habits. Cars Online
07/08 continues the detailed analysis of the changing patterns of consumer demand, shopping
trends, web usage and customer loyalty that we have uncovered over the past eight years. This
year, however, we have broadened the scope to explore in greater detail environmental issues,
including fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles, as well as consumer use of new online
tools, such as web logs, discussion forums and search engines. These additional areas of focus
reflect changes in today’s automotive landscape. The industry is clearly in transition, with static
sales in almost all developed markets; growing pressure from Asian manufacturers; eroding
customer loyalty; and increased emphasis on environmental and regulatory compliance.
Consumer behavior will be a primary force in determining how this transition will evolve.
Getting closer to the customer in today’s highly competitive landscape is essential for the entire
industry and is no longer just a retail issue. It requires all organizations across the supply chain
to work as a single enterprise, sensing and responding rapidly to consumer demand in a
coordinated manner.
Capgemini’s annual Cars Online study is designed to give automotive companies information
that can help them get a better grasp on changing consumer trends, shopping patterns and
demands. This year’s research involved almost 2,600 consumers in five countries: China,
France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Interestingly, we found significant
commonalities among responses across the more mature markets, with differences still quite
apparent in the emerging Chinese automotive market. This report highlights these results, as
well as country-specific differences. The executive summary provides an overview of key
findings from the study, and the sections that follow offer more in-depth data and analysis on
consumer behavior, environmental issues, web usage, lead management and customer loyalty.
The automotive world today is changing; consumers are changing. And the speed of change is
continuing to accelerate.

3- Research Methodology
The design of our study was developed on the descriptive and causal phases of the research.
During the descriptive research phase we aimed to get answers to some basic questions
pertaining to our research as to:

i) The amount of time consumers takes on an average to take the final decision to buy
a car.
ii) The level of specification compromise that takes place when a consumer is
purchasing a new car.
iii) The major sources of information used by consumers.
iv) Identifying differences in consumer behavior by various criteria such as brand, age,
location etc.

Information was collected via an e-mail survey wherein a list of email ids was obtained from
the dealers of various cars brands in the cities of Ludhiana, Bangalore and New Delhi. The
questionnaire was designed and was mailed to respondents. Subsequently, their responses
were obtained and analyzed.

During the causal research phase emphasis was on obtaining evidence vis-à-vis cause and effect
relationship amongst different independent and dependent variables as identified in our study,
e.g.: the cause of the age of respondents on their purchasing behavior .In some cases factorial
designs were constructed to study the effects of two or more independent variables at various
levels.

3.1- Questionnaire Design

The toughest part of the study has been the design of the questionnaire. In order to meet the
purpose of this study i.e. to measure the characteristics of the respondents as mentioned in the
previous section, the questionnaire was divided into two sections. While the section A was
designed to collect the basic information about the respondents regarding their Location, age,
monthly income, education ET. Al. Section B focused on measuring the perception and pattern
of consumer buying behavior.

3.2- Sampling: Design and Procedures

3.2.1 Target Population

The target population comprised of the respondents who have recently purchased a new car or
have ordered and are awaiting the delivery over the past three months starting from the
month of January. For the purpose of our study we concentrated on three cities namely
Bangalore, Ludhiana and New Delhi.

3.2.2 Sampling Frame

Sample frame consisted of the email ids of all the people who have recently bought new cars
after the month of January 2011. The information about such people was obtained from the car
dealers of various brands in the cities of Ludhiana, Bangalore and New Delhi. Around 250 self-
completion questionnaires were mailed to recent new car buyers, over past three months
starting from January 2011. These are the people who have either got delivery of their car or
have placed order and are awaiting delivery of their car.

3.2.3 Sampling Technique

Sampling without replacement technique was used whereby once a respondent was selected
for inclusion in the sample; it was removed from the sampling frame and therefore, cannot be
selected again.

The target population was divided into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive
subpopulations called clusters. The clusters in our research was formed based on three
different cities that we focused upon, wherein the clusters themselves were
homogeneous(based on different cities) but the elements within each cluster were
heterogeneous (male/female, belonging to different age groups, with different income levels
and varied qualifications).
3.2.4 Sample Size

The representative sample of the study was 60.

The questionnaire contained 10 questions, most of which required a ‘tick box’ for the
respondents’ answers. Appendix I contains the questionnaire.
Of all the mails sent we received response from 40 people with a response rate of 16 percent.
The reason for low response rate could be attributed to no incentive involved to respond to the
questionnaire for the respondents.

3.2.5 Classification of Sample

Classification of the sample was done on the basis of age, monthly incomes, and qualifications

Age
Frequency Percent
Group
20-25* 22 18.3
25-30 19 15.8
30-35 11 9.2
35-40 4 3.3
>40 4 3.3
Total 60 100.0
*Age in years
Table 3.1: Classification on the basis of Age

Income
Frequency Percent
Group
20-30 * 22 18.3
30-40 19 15.8
40-50 16 13.3
>50 3 2.5
Total 60 100.0
*Monthly income in INR (‘000)
Table 3.2: Classification on the basis of Monthly Income
 Educational
Frequency Percent
Level
Diploma 7 5.8
BSc/BCA/MSc 14 11.7
B.Tech/BE/MCA 19 15.8
M.Tech/ME 11 9.2
MBA 9 7.5
Total 60 100.0

Table 3.3: Classification on the basis of Educational level

Gende Frequenc Percen

r y t
Male 34 28.3
Femal
26 21.7
e
Total 60 100.0

Table 3.4: Classification on the basis of Gender

A breakdown of the responses by manufacturer is shown below:

% of Respondents
Chevrolet
Fiat
Daewoo motors
Toyota
Mahindra %of Respondents
Tata
Honda motors
Ford
Skoda
Hyundai Motor India Ltd.
Maruti
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
 4- Data Collection
We primarily employed 2 modes of data collection -

4.1- Mail Questionnaire

In the first mode of data collection our target sample was consumers who have recently
purchased a new car from 3 cities Ludhiana, Bangalore and New Delhi. For Data collection we
contacted the dealerships of various car companies for getting the information of those
consumers who have bought a new car in the last three months. We got the email IDs of those
buyers who have either got or are awaiting the delivery of their car. Then we e-mailed our
questionnaire (Format of questionnaire attached in annexure 1 to about 250 such persons
across these cities .For symmetry we randomly chose 20 respondents from each city. Based on
the responses that we got we segregated the respondents on the basis of their age, income
level and other parameters as mentioned in the subsequent sections.

4.2 Personal Interviews

Anticipating a low response rate from the mail questionnaire sent to the buyers, we decided to
visit some dealerships personally and interview the respondents individually who had visit the
dealership either to take delivery or to book their cars. The response of this activity was good
and we interviewed about 20 such buyers.
5- Results and Analysis of the Study

5.1- Information Sources Used

Respondents were asked to record the information sources they had used to find out about the
car they bought and others considered. Eight different sources were listed, and they were able
to tick as many as appropriate. The chart below details the responses.

Information sources
Motor shows/exhibitions
Dealer sales staff
Internet
Newspaper ads/articles Percentage of resoposes
Dealer brochure
Friends, relatives, colleagues
TV commercials
Car magazines

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Respondents were also asked to select the 3 most important sources to them, and by assigning
a value to each (3 for the most important, 2 for the second most important and so on), total
scores were obtained showing the four most important sources, namely internet, dealer sales
staff, and TV commercials.

Analyzing information sources by age of respondents, young owners (<25 years) had a
particularly high propensity to use friends and relatives, the TV (advertisements &
programmes), and the internet as the sources of information. The highest users of the internet
were those aged between25 to 35, who were also more likely to use TV programmes as a
source. Those aged over 40 had no particular predispositions to use or not use particular
sources, but preferred to visit dealerships to have a touch and feel experience.
Regarding sex and sources used, males were more likely to use internet and magazines and
women more likely to use friends or relatives.
5.2 - Length of time from decision to order
Respondents were asked to state the length of time between their initial decision to buy a car
and placing the order at the dealer. Four options were given, and the results are shown below:

Decision to order
less than 2 weeks 2 weeks to 1 month
1-2 months more than 2 months

13%
37%
20%

30%

As evident from above about 20% of the respondents took up to one month of time to buy
the car from the point of time they decided to buy the car. Two-third of the respondents
reported to take more than one month but less than two month of time to buy the car.

There is a significant difference between the responses of the buyers belonging to different
age groups. While the respondents belonging to lower age group i.e. less than 25 years
reported to take less time between the decision to actual buying the car as compared to
respondents belonging to higher age group.

Among different sexes, women showed the higher tendency to take more time in buying the
car as compared to their male counterparts.

There were significant differences among the brands in terms of length of time from decision
to order. Of the volume brands, Maruti buyers took a particularly long time, and the number
taking more than 2 months was more than double the sample average. Similarly, Fiat buyers
had a lengthy decision making process (>2 months 1½ times the sample average), while
Skoda buyers had a very high propensity to take between 1 to 3 months. At the other end of
the scale, Tata buyers took a very short time to make their decision and order, and had the
highest proportion of buyers taking less than 2 weeks. Hyundai and Ford buyers, to a lesser
extent, also fell into this category.
5.3- Importance of waiting time
Respondents were asked how important waiting time was to their choice of vehicle, with the
results shown below:

Importance of waiting time

very important important
not very important not at all important

20% 17%

27%

37%

Around twenty seven percent of all respondents said it was important to some extent, though
there were some differences among buyers belonging to different age groups. Younger buyers
under 25 were far more likely to say this was important, while there was little variation from
the norm among other age groups. There was no significant difference in opinion between the
two sexes on this parameter.

5.4- Time from placing the order to taking the delivery

Respondents were asked to indicate the length of time from placing their order to taking
delivery of their car. The results for the total sample are shown below:
 Same day less than 1 week
1-2 weeks more than 2 weeks

8%

25%

27%

40%

25% of the sample claimed to have had their car delivered on the same day of making the
order with the dealer and another 40% claimed to have got the delivery within the first week of
placing the order. Strikingly for certain models of some brands this time were reported to be as
high as more than three weeks.

Once again, there were some significant differences among the individual brands on waiting
time between order and delivery. Regarding volume brands, a very high proportion of Maruti
Suzuki ‘Swift’ buyers waited more than 1 month to get the delivery, with more than twice the
sample average waiting for this period. Similarly, for Tata’s ‘Nano’ customers waited
significantly longer than the average, while those purchasing Mahindra’s ‘Scorpio’ waited more
than twice the average time for the sample.

More Ford customers than any other manufacturer waited 1 week or less, and Hyundai, Fiat
and Chevrolet customers also had high representation in this category.
Another important observation was that respondents belonging to different locations reported
variation in the time length between making the order and taking the delivery for the Honda’s
‘Civic’ model.
5.5- Alternative Specification Taken

To establish whether customers obtained the car their initial choice, they were asked to state
whether they accepted an alternative specification to the model they initially had in mind. This
could have been because their preference was not available, or it would take too long to arrive,
or because they were persuaded to take an alternative model in stock.

Most of the younger buyers under 25 were not want to change their specification, while there
was little variation from the norm among other age groups. The female group were more likely
to go for the change in specification compare to male.

Alternative specification taken

Colour or paint Engine Type(Petrol/Diesel)
Interiors Exteriors(Alloy wheels etc.)

20%

37%

27%

17%

Colour or paint type was clearly the most popular type of specification change from their
original decision, followed by an interior option change. 36 %responded were ready to take the
alternative of the different colors or paint and 27 % were also ready to take some alternative
specification of Interiors. Responded were more considered about the engine type very less
responded ready to take the alternatives for the same. Only 20 % responded were ready to
take the Exteriors alternatives changes.
The younger buyers are more interested in their colour specification, they will not go for the
other alternatives specification in terms of colour. But other age group shifted to the
alternative specification if they will get any benefit out of it.
The woman buyers were very much concern about colour or paint and interior specification
compare to male. They were always looking for the alternative specification available at the
time of placing order.

Respondents who took an alternative specification to their original choice were asked whether
they received some form of benefit as a form of compensation, and 46% said that they did,
with 54% saying they did not.

Out of 46 % responded most of the responded got the discount in the new car price as
compensation by choosing alternative specification from their original choice. The 37%
responded got the discount in new car prices followed by the specification upgrade by 30 %.
30 % responded got the good financial deal as a benefit by choosing alternatives. Only 08 %
responded got the after sale service offer benefits by choosing alternatives specifications.

Nature of benefit
Discount of new car price Specification upgrade Good finance deal
After sales service offer
8%

37%
25%

30%

The age group of more than 30 was more concern about the discount in a new car or the good
financial deal and the younger buyer were looking for the specification up gradation as a
benefit by choosing the alternative specification from their original choices.
5.6 Number of Times Visited Dealer

On average, new car buyers contacted or visited their dealer 3.5 times when purchasing their
car, 42% visiting between 3 and 5 times, and 30% responded visiting between less than 3 times
before taking the decision for their new car. 23 % responded said that they have visited 5-7
times and 5 % visited the more than times before taking the decision.

No. of Visit
less than 3 times 3-5 times
5-7 times more than 7 times

5%

30%
23%

42%

Most of the time, All of the age group buyer were visited 3-5 times to dealer’s shop. In this the
stats the number of male buyers is much higher than the female buyers. But the most of
female buyers were visited less than 3 times.

The decision depends on the car they have selected to buy. For the volume car Maruti the
buyers were not visit the dealer’s shop more than 3 times. But in case of the car the buyers
were visit 3 to 5 times for making their choices.

5.7- Ideal Length of Time – Order to Delivery (OTD)

To assess how long new car buyers want to wait for the delivery of their new cars, respondents
were asked how long – ideally – it should take from placing their order to taking delivery of
their new cars. The overall results are shown below:
37% of all respondents said that they can wait up to 1 week, and 30% responded replied that
they want it on same day. Only 23 % said that they can wait 2 week for the delivery of their
new car and only 10 % said that they can wait more than 2 weeks.

This shows that the consumer do not want to wait very long for the delivery of their car after
placing the order. The younger buyers were more aggressive for their order; they want it same
day or less than one week. The other age groups can wait more than 1 week.

In case of female buyers, they don’t want to wait more for their order compare to male buyers

Waiting time for delivery of Car

Same day less than 1 week 1-2 weeks more than 2 weeks

10%

30%

23%

37%
6- Conclusions

 The role of ‘traditional’ sources of information – dealer sales staff and the brochure -
remain important, despite the popular (negative view) of dealers and their sales
techniques. The ‘word of mouth’ factor and reliance on other peoples’ opinions is
strong, especially among younger buyers, who probably have less experience or
confidence in buying new cars. While the internet figure is comparatively high especially
among the younger buyers, exhibitions and motor shows remain the least preferred
source of information among the buyers.

 The time it takes to make an order is likely to be linked to popularity/availability of

particular models, and the conditioned behavior of buyers, who take longer to decide
on their car. It’s a bigger financial decision, and there are often more options to choose.

 Factors noted in section 5.2 on length of time from decision to order also apply to this
area. The popularity of certain models - and hence their availability – clearly has an
influence here, as does the effectiveness of the various new car supply systems. There is
a significant difference between different brands and as well as different models of the
same brand on this parameter, with certain high end models being reported to take
longer time to be delivered. This factor probably reinforces consumer expectations and
beliefs on the “quality takes longer” issue.
 The significant differences in specification change across brands could be due to some
brands not offering a wide selection of options (for example, because they are fitted as
standard), or because they have an effective option package approach. Again, young
buyers’ readiness to change illustrates that the desire to have a vehicle quickly strongly
overrides other factors.
 Benefits received by buyers could be linked to individual brand customer service
expectations, as well as individual policies. Specialist customers are probably more used
to detailing specification compared to volume buyers, so their greater tendency accept
an alternative is not surprising.

 A strong theme running through the results is the difference in attitudes and behavior
of younger new car buyers, who consistently have significant differences in behavior
and expectations. They use information technology more, are generally less patient and
the consumer group most likely to demand ‘instant delivery’ from dealers. The
implication for the market as a whole is a gradual shift towards consumers who will be
receptive to shorter lead times.
 Annexure 1

Questionnaire

Instructions
Dear Respondent,

We are highly obliged that you have taken some moments out of your precious time to fill this
questionnaire.

We request you to kindly go through the following instructions carefully and then answer the
questions.

1. Provided herewith are two types of questions, multiple choice questions, that can be
answered by selecting the appropriate option.
2. Another set of questions ask you to rank various factors in order of your choice.
3. We request you to kindly go through the instructions preceding each of the questions
carefully before answering it.
4. Kindly answer all the questions.

Questionnaire

A)
Please specify your location:

Ludhiana New Delhi Bangalore

Kindly specify the age group to which you belong:

20-25 25-30 30-40 Above 40

Kindly specify your monthly income (‘000 INR):

20-30 30-40 40-50 Greater than 50

Kindly specify your education level:

Matriculate or less  Undergraduate Graduate Post graduate or more

Kindly specify your gender: Male Female

Kindly specify marital Status: Single Married

B)
1. Which of the following information sources did you use to find out about the car you bought
and others considered?
Tick as many as appropriate & then rank the three most important sources (1 = most important).

Information Source Tick if used Rank the three most

important to you
Car magazines
TV commercials
Friends, relatives, colleagues
Dealer brochure
Newspaper ads/articles
Internet
Dealer sales staff
Motor shows/exhibitions

2. What was the length of time from your initial decision to buy a new car, to the time of placing
your order with the dealer?

less than 2 weeks 2 weeks to 1 month 1-2 months more than 2 months

3. How important to your final purchase choice was the time you would have to wait for your
new car to be delivered?

very important important not very important not at all important

4. What was the length of time from placing your order to taking delivery of your car?

Same day less than 1 week 1-2 weeks more than 2 weeks

5. When buying your car, did you accept an alternative specification to the one you initially
had in mind? (For example, because your preference was not available, would take too long
to arrive, or because you were offered an alternative model in stock) Tick either 'yes' or 'no'
below
No – go to question 8 yes

6. If answer to above question is yes, indicate below how the alternative specification
differed from your original choice and how much these changes mattered

Alternative Yes Mattered a lot Mattered Did not matter

Specification Slightly
Colour or paint
Engine
Type(Petrol/Diesel
)
Interiors
Exteriors(Alloy
wheels etc.)

7. Did you receive any benefits for taking an alternative specification to your preferred
choice?

No yes - if yes, please specify the benefit below

Benefit Received Yes

Discount of new car price
Specification upgrade
Good finance deal
After sales service offer

Any other offer, please specify:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Approximately how many times did you visit or contact the dealership from where you
bought your car during the whole process? (Including test drives, negotiation, paper work,
picking up information, finding out dates etc.)

less than 3 times 3-5 times 5-7 times more than 7 times

9. Ideally, when buying a new car of your choice, how long do you think it should take for it
to be delivered to you after the order has been placed with the dealer?

Same day less than 1 week 1-2 weeks more than 2 weeks
 References

 http://warc.com/Pages/Taxonomy/Results.aspx?
SubjectRef=489&Filter=All

 http://www.helium.com/items/656129-consumer-buying-behavior-and-
market-segmentation

 http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Car-Market-And-Consumer-
Behaviour-A/635325

 http://www.swlearning.com/web_resources/consumer.htm

 http://philipgraves.net/discussion/tag/consumer-behaviour

 http://www.marketwines.net/impact-of-global-economic-crisis-on-
consumer-attitudes-behaviors-in-netherlands.htm

 http://ibummed.com/essays-and-reports/consumer-behavior-report-
mazda/

 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cb.97/abstract

 http://www.mbaskool.com/docs/doc_details/441-car-buying-
behavior.html