A study on the consumer satisfaction and consumer preference towards bottled water products in Male' city are of Maldives / Ahmed Fazeel

Abstract:
This research aims to identify the consumer satisfaction level and the consumer preferences towards bottled water products in Male' city area of Maldives as the title itself indicates. Hence, the objectives of the research were: (1) to explore the consumer satisfaction towards the existing bottled water products in the target market segments, and (2) to explore the consumer preference of the target market segment and to identify the driving factors of consumer preferences towards bottled water. The theoretical framework includes Porter's five forces model, Porter's generic strategies model and Porter's Diamond concept. Also other past literature including previous studies relating to the subject matter was used. The research was conducted as a quantitative study, among a sample of 100 respondents from Male' City area using self-administered questionnaires as the research instrument. And the reliability of the research instrument was tested with Cronbach's Alpha. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS 20, with descriptive statistics, pie charts, bar graphs, and inferential statistics using Pearson'S Correlations. It was identified from the descriptive statistics that customers are overall satisfied in the target segment. Moreover, from the Person'S correlations it was identified that: (1) there is a moderate positive relation between price and customer satisfaction (r=0.393). (2) There is a moderate positive relation between taste and customer satisfaction (r=0.339). (3) There is a weak correlation between the design of bottled water and the customer satisfaction (r=0.206). (4) There is a strong correlation between the availability of bottled water and the customer satisfaction (r=0.494). Major factors driving consumers towards bottled water are for: (1) cleanliness, (2) health benefits and (3) taste. Major factors considered for the consumer choice before buying bottled water products are (1) price, (2) quality and (3) availability of the product. After identifying the outcomes from the data analysis, will follow the observations and their implications discussed in light of the literature.
Keywords: consumer satisfaction, consumer preference, bottled water.