S P Jain School of Global Management

Research Methodology Mid-term Submission

Submitted to: Dr. Sadia Riaz

Authors:
1) Aditya Shah (bs20mum034)
2) Aditya Shah (bs20bec001)
3) Devyansh Maheshwari (bs20dxb109)
4) Varad Joshi (bs20mum070)
5) Yash Kapasi (bs20mum032)
Section A

Question 1:

Gypsy Inc is a globally recognized multinational company that is one of the top companies in the beverage industry.
Fruitzone is the Indian subsidiary of this internationally recognized company. Fruitzone, a market leader in the Indian
market for fruit juices, has a brand recognized by the name of Tropivia. The MD of the company noticed that the
company's growth was stagnant from the past few years, so he envisioned the launch of a new variant of fruit juice
in the market. This company conducted a study to explore the feasibility of launching a unique fruit juice flavor in the
Indian sub-continent. The company decided to hire an external agency to conduct market research. The agency hired
for the job was Indian Monitor International (IMI).

Hemant, the MD of Tropivia, was interested in growing the brand. The Indian sub-continent has a tropical climate
and a vast population. He noticed that a considerable number of people consume sugarcane and 'bael' juice during
the summer season to quench their thirst. The company understood that tapping into this market would be
beneficial. After Gypsy Inc. acquired Tropivia in 1948, the brand has been actively involved in the market. It has been
adding new fruit juice flavors, but the market share was a mere 6.6% in 2013.

One dilemma for Fruitzone India Limited revolved around the issue of whether the company should launch
sugarcane juice and, if it was launched, what type of product mix would fit in. The consumer patterns in the country
indicate that people prefer to consume sugarcane juice which is freshly extracted, and the same was preferred by
the company's MD, Mr. Hemant. Hence, the question arises of whether putting juice in a container would be
beneficial for the company? The juice vendors prepare sugarcane juice freshly and believe that if it is stored for more
than a certain period, then that juice should not be consumed. Much of this information came from the exploratory
and confirmatory research conducted by Tropivia. Two valid reasons which incentivized to add of sugarcane juice to
the company portfolio was that the Indian juice market was still untapped, and the main reason for the same was
poor infrastructure (poor storage facilities), unorganized market spaces, and the hot weather helped to which
sugarcane juice is the perfect refreshment for, would help attract huge seasonal demand.

Another rationale for the same is that Indian people are getting more conscious regarding their health, and they now
carefully monitor what they eat and drink. They now prefer health drinks over cola. There is a great opportunity
here. Fruitzone can make new flavored sugarcane juice in bottles, cans, and tetra packs.

By taking into consideration the above facts, we can conclude that Fruitzone India Limited has been smart and
implemental in making the correct move for forging ahead into collaboration with Tropivia, and the management
decision has been made correctly.
Question 2:

India Monitor International is the agency that was hired by Fruitzone to conduct market research for them. They
divided their market research plan into two parts:

1. Confirmatory research
2. Exploratory research - this was divided into three parts
1. Primary Research Data - collected from focus group discussions
2. Primary Research Data - collected from in-depth interviews
3. Secondary research

1. Confirmatory research:
Information regarding confirmatory research is given in very little detail. There is no precise aim given in this regard.
Since confirmatory research is a critical component of any research, it's crucial to take it up severely.

2. Exploratory research:

 Primary Research Data - collected from focus group discussions:

Chosen participants were people who consumed packed fruit juices frequently. However, we must also consider
people who have not tried out packed fruit juices yet but like sugarcane juices. Also, we must view people among
the packed fruit juice drinkers who do not drink fruit juices often.

 Primary Research Data - collected from in-depth interviews

It is given in the case study that IMI would be conducting interviews with the regional sales manager of the
competitor. We think that this decision might not be wise as the manager will withhold certain information, which
would lead to inaccurate findings.

Roadside vendors were also approached for interviews, but the sample size was only 3. Therefore, we think that the
size of the sample is small. Since we can see that 90% of this market is covered by these members, IMI could have
chosen a larger sample size to give them a better overview for their research.

 Secondary research
The IMI intended to gather information on Tropivia's performance, performance in relation to rivals, and current
statistics on demand for existing items. This information was collected from trustworthy sources such as published
industry studies and internal marketing data given by Fruitzone and newspapers, journals, and internet databases.
Question 3:

The exploratory research conducted by IMI looks extremely applicable in the sense that every part is remarkably
covered, and to describe the same in detail, an extensive number of tools are used.

 Collection of secondary data from company sources and other sources like newspapers, databases, and
magazines. This data would help them analyze the performance of the company in comparison to their
competitors.
 For focus group discussions, a sample of participants was selected using a definite methodology. Participants
were chosen using a two-stage online survey. The homogeneity of the group was also maintained,
considering that this is also very important. They should have also considered making groups that have
heterogeneity within them and homogeneity between them.
 Extensive interviews were also performed. Regional sales managers from competitors, roadside sellers, and
retail store managers were questioned to further understand juice consumption habits. While they have
conducted these interviews, they have taken interviews at hotels and restaurants where this juice is served
at a particular period.
In conclusion, we can say that an exploratory research plan is very applicable to Fruitzone. The improvements that
can be made to the plan are mentioned in the previous question.

Question 4:

The following can be considered as appropriate areas for inquiry for the subsequent exploratory research:

A. What can be the possible reasons for differences in consumption patterns during the different seasons
(summer and winter)?
B. What places can the juice be introduced during the initial stages?
C. What is the main thing about the juice that the customers will admire?
D. What type of flavor combinations will work the best?
E. Which flavor combinations will attract what age of customers?
F. Which season has the most sales?
Section B

Question 1:

IMI was correct in categorizing customers based on behaviors rather than demographic or socioeconomic
parameters because the consultant concluded that, after completing the projective studies and explaining the
research questions, the customer segments for fruit drinks may be better classified based on consumer purchasing
behaviour rather than demographic or socioeconomic parameters. They selected to incorporate questions for
categorising clients based on their behaviour as the foundation for analysing data from conclusive study.

Based on secondary research, the consultants decided to categorise the clients into five groups: information seekers,
health-conscious consumers, price-conscious consumers, convenience seekers, and novelty seekers. This will assist
them in better understanding client behaviour, which will aid them in analysing the study. In addition, they could
also understand how to best position their products for their target market.

Question 2:

Yes, the consultants should have evaluated the amended questionnaire after integrating the revisions since Preeti
had requested that IMI add questions to investigate the reasons for regular packaged juice customers' concerns
regarding sugarcane juice in a comparable packaged form. She argued that understanding customers' underlying
concerns about bottled sugarcane juice was critical to appraising the product's viability and devising marketing
strategies that addressed these concerns. This resulted in the addition of question number 15, that asked survey
respondents to identify the reasons for their dislike of sugarcane juice. They would have liked to test the amended
adjustments in the questionnaire, but they chose to go with the old one due to time constraints and minor revisions.
As a result, changes in phrase structure might significantly influence the outcome, so retesting amended surveys is
typically a good idea. Without retesting, essential features may be neglected later in the product's production and
marketing phases, resulting in a detrimental influence on the product.

Question 3:

We agree with IMI's decision to utilise the projective approach since respondents can use projective methods to
reflect their subjective or actual ideas and opinions onto other people or even things. The respondent's genuine
feelings are then extrapolated from what they say about others. They delve into the subconscious mind to uncover
deep-seated beliefs and connections with packaged juice items, which may present new criteria for assessing and
placing the product, resulting in a more successful targeting strategy. Word-based association and sentence
completion were the two approaches employed. Respondents are given a collection of words or phrases in random
order and asked to declare or write the first word or phrase that comes to mind in word-based association. During
sentence completion, a guided stimulus was used to obtain information about the perception of and preferences for
juices in general and the scope for sugarcane juice. The consultants handed out unfinished sentences and asked the
participants to fill them in with the first words or phrases that came to mind. As a result, the goal of employing this
approach was to gain a deeper understanding of the customer's motivation, feelings, and attitude. This would help
them sell the product more effectively. I agree with the method option since consumers usually do not know how to
express themselves vocally and have hidden biases and viewpoints that they are unaware of.
Question 4:

The four aspects in the questionnaire that I would like to change are:

Firstly, in Section 5, you had to circle the item you are most likely to buy in the store and quote a price you would
pay. Instead of quoting a price, they should have given different amounts and made the respondent decide which
price they would buy. This will help the company better analyse at what price the consumer would mostly buy the
price. Additionally, they should've taken advantage of using graphical surveys. I would also ask a question about the
packaging of the product. Packaging a product is crucial because it is a channel to communicate with your
consumers.

Secondly, I would make a change in section 2- question 15 in which the consumer is asked whether he would prefer
juice in summer or throughout the year. There are only two options and throughout the year still includes summer
so the best option is to have each season as an option and the respondent can select different seasons according to
his need.

The third change would make is the use of a 5-point scale in Q3, Q6, Q12, Q13, Q17 as it is easily understood by the
respondent, it helps in evaluating the results of a large sample of the respondent and giving five options to choose
from increases the response rate.

The last change that I would like to make is section 1. In a survey when there are questions related to personal life,
generally the person filling the survey gets uncomfortable. Thus, I would've removed a few personal questions that
are directly or indirectly not related or helpful for our desired outcome. For example: Do you own a home and
Respondent's profession.

Question 5:

Yes, they should have obtained expert advice to identify potential consumer outcomes. Since the research was done
only in the parts of Ahmedabad experts’ interview, it should give them an idea to model their research so that it
could have been for pan India market research. It is crucial to do pan India market research because consumer
trends and preferences could be different in every part of the country. For the same, experts in the specific field
would have been helpful. Additionally, it would also have helped them reduce the concern occurred in the process.

The pros for using expert’s advice are that they would have given more ideas about the market situation, they could
have understood the consumers better, and it would have also helped them conduct research in a better way. The
second would have allowed the company to improve the questionnaire which would have helped them in the latter
stages. The cons would have been that it would lead to multiple inputs and increase research time and induce
cognitive biases.

Question 6:

The decision to discontinue sales at railway stations and airports was inappropriate because many people go to work
by train and sometimes also by airways. Additionally, there are a more significant number of travellers who can
consume our products daily. We beleive More research should have been done with people who travel regularly
versus people who travel occasionally. For example, travellers would buy the sugarcane juice regularly because it has
many health benefits and is suitable for hydration when we compare it with soft drinks or other energy drinks.

Statistically speaking there are more than 20 million people travelling via railways every day. Generally, train
journeys can be as short as 30-45 minutes to 3-4 days. In the financial year 2021- More than 115 million travelled by
airways in India. Additionally, this product (Sugarcane Juice) is consumed by all age groups thus it doesn’t narrow
down our target market. The demand for sugarcane has been rising so it would be beneficial for the company to
acquire new customers from this platform. Many people travelling look for healthier options so it would be great to
try the drinks and build a habit of drinking sugarcane juice.

Section C
Question 1:

Research Gap- Population Gap: 

Preeti had informed the consultants that she would like them to conduct the market research study with a
strong focus on Ahmedabad, the city where they were likely to do the test marketing and only then take it for a
pan India launch.

However, in our opinion, we feel if they were going to launch their product only in Ahmedabad or the state of
Gujarat, this test market would have been accurate. They are planning to launch their product pan India, and
thus we have identified a Population research gap in this research paper. 

India has 28 States and 8 Union Territories in India. There are 4 major regions- North, South, East & West.
Climatic conditions are different at the same time or the year in all 4 regions. North generally enjoys a humid
subtropical climate, southern India's climate is tropical and hilly regions are cold throughout the year, East
India enjoys a moderate climate- Warm days and cool nights throughout the year and western India is
generally warm throughout the year. Thus, the consumer behaviour for purchasing sugarcane juice will also
differ accordingly. As mentioned in the research paper, sugarcane juice is majorly used as a coolant in the
summer season. Thus, the purchase frequency will also differ according to the demographics. Our suggestion is
to test marketing in at least one tier 1, tier 2 & tier 3 city from every region.

Thus, we believe that the research regarding the population is not adequately represented in the evidence
base or the study.

Research question: 

How will consumer behaviour differ according to different geographical regions?

Question 2:

Climatic conditions &

Supply of raw materials-
Moderating Variable

Supply chain
Management- Mediating
Variable

Consumer taste (IV) Launch of

sugarcane
Consumer preference juice pan
(IV) India (DV)

Lifestyle diseases-
Confounding Variable Uncertain weather-
Extraneous Variable
Question 3:

Title - Will Indian consumers prefer packaged sugarcane juice over fresh?
          
Independent- The consumer taste of the juice, consumer preference of fresh juice over packaged juice
Dependant- Launch of sugarcane juice pan India, the success of the product
Moderating- Climatic conditions, Supply of raw materials (Sugarcane)
Mediating- Supply chain Management (Final product)
Extraneous- Uncertain weather
Confounding- Lifestyle diseases 

Question 4:

Do you think identifying target market

Yes, No Nominal
is important for the business?

Concept:
Launch of Identifying
Which age group can be identified as a <18, 18-25,25-
sugarcane Target Ratio
target market? 45,45<
juice pan Market
India.

Which consumer segment will the 1- Lower class,

business be targeting for packed 2- Middle class, Ordinal
sugarcane juice? 3- Upper class

Very
How important is supply chain for the
Important, not Nominal
business?
important

Concept:
Launch of
Supply chain
sugarcane
Management
juice pan
India.

Will a better supply chain lead to higher

profitability for the firm? (Slack) Yes, No Nominal
 Will the product be a success pan India
Yes, No Nominal
with our test market solely being
Ahmedabad?

Concept:
Launch of Will the product meet the shelf life of at
Product Yes, No Nominal
sugarcane least 3 months?
positioning
juice pan
India.

What are the chances of the product 3-High, 2-

being placed well across India? Medium, 1-Low Ordinal

How much competitive the price should

3-High, Ordinal
be when compared to local vendors?
2-

Concept:
Launch of Will consumers be willing to pay a
sugarcane Pricing premium price while not sacrificing on Yes, No Nominal
juice pan the hygiene.
India.

What will be the desired price range for 12-14,15-17,17-

the target market? 19,20< Ratio

Thank You

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