Practices Adopted while buying Eye Care Products Among Women In Hyderabad

INTRODUCTION

India’s cosmetic market was growing with a CAGR of 17.06 percent over a period of five years. The cosmetic market consists of five segments viz. Skin Care, Hair Care, Fragrance, Colour Cosmetics, and Oral Care. Hair Care accounts for the majority of the market share, followed by oral care, skincare, fragrance, and colour cosmetic. HUL (Hindustan Unilever Limited) dominates the cosmetic industry in India due to its vast product portfolio in every segment. Cosmetic products can be referred to as any substance applied to the human body such as skin, hair, nails, lips, or eye for beautifying, cleansing, coloring, perfuming, conditioning, protecting, preserving, or changing the appearance and style of the human body. As cosmetics industry grows, it was billion in 1998 which reached 382.3 billion in 2010. Thus it is important to understand usage patterns and factors that are influencing women’s intention to purchase cosmetic products¹.

 A study on consumer buying behavior of cosmetics products in Kolhapur revealed that the most preferred place to purchase cosmetics was permanent stores, followed by private bazaars and the least shopping malls². The reasons to purchase cosmetics from a particular shop were quality goods, variety of goods, reasonable price, good behavior, and lastly, the extension of credit. A major reason for using cosmetics was to look good, followed by a fashion trends. The majority of the respondents purchased cosmetics once a month. The most influenced factors while choosing a cosmetic brand were advertisements; suggestions from doctors/beauticians and friends; and the least influential factor was impulse buying.

A study entitled consumer perception and brand personality traits for making Cosmetic purchase decisions found that people in the age group of 40 – 60 years used cosmetics in more quantities, as they buy cosmetics more than three times in a given period of six months³. This implies that they spend more on cosmetic products, compared to the other age groups. The consumer involvement type was influenced by the brand personality association. Marketing factors played an important role in selecting the point of purchase.

A study on factor analysis on attitude characteristics of consumer buying behavior for male cosmetic products was conducted in Pune city⁴. Male consumers mainly used cosmetics for enhancing their social value in terms of their outward appearance. The results of the study revealed that the acceptance of cosmetics for frequent use has been on the rise among Indian male consumers. The study also highlighted that cosmetics were no more women’s products. Self-esteem, anxiety, self-presentation, and conformity were the most dominant factors that affected the buying behaviour of male consumers regarding cosmetic products.

Purchase pattern of cosmetics among consumers in Kerala revealed that half of the respondents purchased cosmetics individually⁵. Fifty-eight per cent of respondents did their brand selection individually. Majority of the women purchased cosmetics from any shop depending on their convenience, but men preferred to purchase from a particular shop. Majority of the women spent around Rs.101 to Rs.300 for purchasing the cosmetics and men spent aboutRs 301- Rs.500. There was a significant relationship between the place of residence and spending pattern which shows that the respondents living within the town had a higher expense for cosmetics compared to those in the sub-urban areas. Though many studies were conducted related to the consumption pattern of cosmetics, specific studies related to eye care products were found to be minimum. Since to know the women buying patterns towards eye care products the eye is an important organ of the body, it needs to be taken care of well. The present study was taken up with the following objectives:

1. To assess the purchase pattern of eye care products among women.

2. To study the influence of brand on purchase pattern of eye care products.

3. To understand the factors affecting the purchase pattern and brand satisfaction for eye care products.

METHODOLOGY

The present study was conducted in the Hyderabad city of Telangana state. An ex-post-facto research design was adopted for the study, a total of 120 women respondents using eye care products were selected by using a simple random sampling technique. Data was collected with the help of a structured questionnaire. Collected data were tabulated and analyzed through frequency and percentages. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to show the association and comparison of proportions between independent (age, education, occupation, monthly income, type of the family, marital status, and brand name) and dependent variables (brand awareness, brand satisfaction, and purchase pattern).

RESULTSAND DISCUSSION

The results of the present study were presented and discussed under this section.

Pattern of eye care products usage by the respondents

Figure 1 Distribution of respondents based on use of Eye care products

Figure 1 revealed that eyeliners (62%), Mascara (44%) and eyebrow pencils (38%)  are maximally used and eye shadow, eye cream are least used. This might be due to their dependency and low affordability.

Purpose of usingeye care products

Respondents were asked to mention the purposes of using various cosmetics and the results are discussed in the Table1.Eye care products were used by one-third of the sample to feel better followed by being fashionable (27.50%). Other important purposes expressed were to look young and to improve self image.

Table 1 Distribution of respondents based on the purpose of using eye care products

Sl.No.	Purposes	Eye care(n=120)
F	%
1	Facial care/ glowingHair	5	4.16
2	Occupational requirement	12	10.00
3	To look Young	21	17.50
4	Improving self-image	21	17.50
5	Better feeling	37	30.83
6	Medical purpose	12	10.00
7	Suits the Hair type	15	12.50
8	Previous usage results	10	8.33
9	Being fashionable	33	27.50

  (*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 120)

Purchase pattern of the respondents with reference toeye care products

Figure 2revealed thatnearly one third of the respondents i.e.34 per cent had purchased chemical products. Kajapriya and Surya in their study found that more respondents had preferred Ayurvedic and Chemical cosmeticproducts⁶.

(*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 120)

Figure 2Type of Eye care products purchased by the respondents

Homeopathy-based products are used least may be due to the long-time taken to show the results. Organic based products are the new products, which are expensive for the financially dependent respondents of the study.

Table 2 Distribution of respondents based on the sources influencing them to purchase Eye care products

Sl.No.	Influencing Factors	Eye care(n=120)
F	%
1	Peer group	39	32.50
2	Family members	38	31.66
3	Work place	24	20.00
4	Brand name	43	35.83
	Advertisements Television	41	34.16
Magazines	17	14.16
News paper	11	9.16
5	Radio	12	10.00
Hoardings	9	7.50
Internet	18	15.00
Pamphlets	14	11.16
6	Brand ambassador	17	14.16
7	Quality	50	41.66
8	Packaging and  labeling	29	24.16
9	Special offers	22	18.33
10	Advice from sales  person	9	7.50
11	Personal experience	45	37.50

(*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 120)

Table 2 depicted that quality (41.66%) was the most influencing factor followed by personal experience (37.50%), brand name (35.83%), Television Advertisements (34.16%) and least was hoardings and sales person advice (7.50%) while purchasing eye care products.

Table 3 Distribution of respondent’s based on money spent on Eye care products

Sl.No.	Money spent on Eye care products	F	%
1	Below Rs.500	69	57.50
2	Rs. 500 to 1000	9	7.50
3	Rs.1000-1500	–	–
4	Rs. 1500-2000	2	1.66

Table 3 depicts that 58 per cent of the eye care users had spent below 500 rupees. Only 7 per cent of the respondents had spent about Rs.500-1000 on eye care products. Only two respondents had spent in the range between Rs.1500-2000 on eye care products. Similar results were found with Sabharwalet al. (2014) that majority of the respondents spent below Rs.500 per month on cosmetic products.

Table 4Place of purchase of Eye care products (n=120)

Sl.No.	Place of purchase	Eye care
F	%
1	Cosmetic store	57	47.50
2	Shopping malls	34	28.33
3	Medical stores	15	12.50
4	Co-operative stores	10	8.33
5	Online shopping	26	21.66
6	Departmental store	4	3.33
7	Beauty saloons	5	4.16
8	Door to door sale	–	–
9	Exhibition	2	1.66

(*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 120)

It was observed in Table 4 that, the majority of the eye care users had purchased from cosmetic stores (47.50%), shopping malls (28.33%), online shopping (21.66%), and least found was from the exhibition (1.66%). Parmar through a study revealed that majority of the respondents preferred a nearby shop followed by a cosmeticstore⁷.

About 37.50 per cent of the respondents purchased eye care products whenever they required them. Few respondents purchased cosmetic products seasonally i.e. eye care (12.50%). Very negligible number of respondents purchased cosmetic products during festival seasons, yearly, fortnightly and weekly, as seen in the Figure 3.

Figure 3Frequency of purchaseof Eye care products

Similar results are seen in the study by Sabharwal et al¹. It was found that majority of the respondents (38.70%) purchased cosmetics once a month followed by once in every three months (18.70%) and once every six months(14%).

Figure 4Time spent on purchase of eye care products per month

About forty percent of the respondents had spent nearly half an hour on eye care products purchase.Very negligible number of the respondents had spent two hours on the purchase of eye care products (Figure4).

Nearly 60 per cent of the respondents had used cash for the purchase of eye care products. One-fourth (25.00%) of the respondents purchased eye care products with debit card. Eleven per cent of the respondents preferred a credit card for the purchase of eye care products (Figure 5).

 (*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 120)

Figure 5Mode of payment for purchase of Eye care products

Brand preference and Brand satisfaction of the respondents with reference to Eye care products

Figure 6 revealed that around 32.50 per cent of eye care users preferred national cosmetic brands. More or less one-fourth (26.66%) of the eye care users preferred both brands. Very few respondents had preferred international cosmetic brand products because majority of the cosmetic products used were international brands only. Parmar study revealed that youngsters preferred international brands over national brand⁶.

Figure 6Type of the brand preferred for Eye care products

 

Table 5 Distribution of respondents based on the most preferred and most satisfied brands in the past six months regarding Eye liner (n=62)

Sl. No.	Eye liner brands	Most preferred brands	Most satisfied brands
F	%	F	%
1	Eyetex	8	12.90	9	14.51
2	Revlon	6	9.67	2	3.22
3	Lakme	28	45.16	24	38.70
4	Maybeline	6	9.67	3	4.83
5	Himalaya	4	6.45	4	6.45
6	Elle 18	3	4.83	2	3.22
7	Blue heaven	1	1.61	1	1.61
8	Dazzler	5	8.06	6	9.67
9	L’Oreal	3	4.83	3	4.83
10	Face	1	1.61	1	1.61
11	Kajal	1	1.61	1	1.61
12	Colosol	1	1.61	1	1.61
13	Mac	3	4.83	1	1.61
14	Hilary Rhoda	3	4.83	2	3.22
15	Glam eyes	2	3.22	2	3.22
16	Avon	1	1.61	1	1.61

(*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 62)

It is observed in the Table 5 that Lakme (45.16%) was the most preferred eyeliner brand. Thirteen percent of the respondents preferred Eyetex followed by Revlon (9.67%) and Maybelline (9.67%). Some other preferred brands were Dazzler (8.06%), Himalaya (6.45%), Elle 18 (4.83%), L’Oreal (4.83%), Mac (4.83%), Hilary Rhoda (4.83%). Lakme (38.70%) was the most satisfied brand and Eyetex (14.51%). Ten per cent of the respondents were satisfied with Dazzler brand followed by Himalaya (6.45%), Maybelline (4.83%), and L’Oreal (4.83%).

      It can be seen from Table 6 that Lakme(47.72%) was the most preferred mascara  brand. Eighteen percent of the respondents preferred Revlon followed by Mascara (15.90%), Maybelline (11.36%), Elle 18 (9.09%), and L’Oreal (9.09%) and least preferred Blue heaven and Eyetex (2.27%). Most satisfied mascara brand was Lakme (40.90%). Sixteen per cent of the Revlon users were satisfied followed by Mascara and Elle 18(9.09%).

Table 6 Distribution of respondents based on the most preferred and most satisfied brands in the past six months regarding Mascara (n=44)

Sl. No.	Mascara brands	Most preferred brands	Most satisfied brands
F	%	F	%
1	Revlon	8	18.18	7	15.90
2	Mascara	7	15.90	4	9.09
3	Lakme	21	47.72	18	40.90
4	Elle 18	4	9.09	4	9.09
5	Blue heaven	1	2.27	2	4.54
6	Maybelline	5	11.36	3	6.81
7	L’Oreal	4	9.09	2	4.54
8	Eyetex	1	2.27	1	2.27
9	Face	2	4.54	1	2.27
10	Dazzler	2	4.54	2	4.54

(*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 44)

Table 7 Distribution of respondents based on the most preferred and most satisfied brands in the past six months regarding Eye shadow(n=17)

Sl. No.	Eye shadow brands	Most preferred brands	Most satisfied brands
F	%	F	%
1	Lakme	6	35.29	4	23.52
2	Mac	8	47.05	7	41.17
3	L’Oreal	4	23.52	3	17.64
4	Face	2	11.76	2	11.76
5	Colosol	1	5.88	1	5.88

(*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 17)

It was observed from the Table 7 that a greater number of the respondents preferred Mac (47.05%) as their eye shadow brand followed by Lakme (35.29%) and L’Oreal (23.52%).Least preferred brand was Colosol (5.88%). Forty-one per cent of the Mac users felt satisfaction and Lakme (23.52%). Eighteen per cent of the L’Oreal and Face users felt satisfaction.

Table 8 Distribution of respondents based on the most preferred and most satisfied brands in the past six months regarding Eye brow pencil(n=38)

Sl. No.	Eye brow pencil brands	Most preferred brands	Most satisfied brands
F	%	F	%
1	Lakme	18	47.36	18	47.36
2	L’Oreal	3	7.89	2	5.26
3	Dazzler	7	18.42	4	10.52
4	Eyetex	1	2.63	1	0.83
5	Kajal	3	7.89	3	7.89
6	Dior	4	10.52	4	10.52
7	Mac	4	10.52	4	10.52
8	Pooja	3	7.89	2	5.26

(*Due to multiple responses the total exceeds 38)

Table 8 shows that forty-seven per cent of the respondents preferred Lakme eyebrow pencil and 18.42 were satisfied with dazzler followed by Dior and Mac (10.52%). Eight per cent of the respondents preferred the following brands L’Oreal, Kajal, and Pooja. Lakme (47.36%) was the most satisfied eye brow pencil brand. Eleven percent were satisfied with Dior, Mac, and Dazzler brand and least satisfied brand was Eyetex.

Table 9 Distribution of respondents based on the most preferred and most satisfied brands in the past six months regarding Eye cream (n=4)

Sl. No	Eye cream brands	Most preferred brands	Most satisfied brands
F	%	F	%
1	Nivea	1	25.00	1	25.00
2	Eye tex	2	50.00	2	50.00
3	Lakme	1	25.00	1	25.00

Above Table 9 showed that Eyetex brand was preferred by 50 per cent of the respondents where as Lakme and Nivea were preferred by 25 per cent. Most satisfied eye cream brands were eyetex (50%) followed by Nivea and Lakme (25%)respectively.

Table 10 Distribution of respondents regarding brands satisfaction about Eye care cosmetic products (n=120)

Sl. No.	Cosmetic products	5	4	3	2	1	Total score	Rank
1	Eye liner	12	36	9	1	4	235	1
2	Mascara	9	24	5	6	–	168	2
3	Eye shadow	4	6	5	1	1	62	4
4	Eyebrow pencil	8	24	2	2	2	148	3
5	Eye cream	2	2	–	–	–	18	5

Table 10, depicted that more number of the respondents were satisfied with eye liner (1^st rank) brands followed by mascara (2^nd rank), eye brow pencil (3^rd rank) and least satisfaction was found with eye cream (5^th) brands.It appears that eye liner is a commonly used product, so majority of the women responded to it. 

Table 11 Distribution of respondents regarding brands satisfaction for different factors related to Eye care cosmetics (n=120)

Sl. No.	Factors	5	4	3	2	1	Total score	Rank
1	Price	6	34	36	8	2	292	4
2	Quality	7	37	29	11	2	294	3
3	Look	4	32	34	12	4	278	6
4	Durability	14	24	29	14	5	286	5
5	Fragrance	11	31	29	11	4	292	4
6	Brand	13	34	29	4	6	302	1
7	Packaging	13	27	34	10	–	295	2

Majority of the respondents were satisfied with brand (1^st rank) of the eye care products followed by packaging, quality and least satisfied factor was look (6^th rank) (Table 11). In other words, people are concerned about the branded products rather than for durability and price.

Table 12 Association between age and consumer brand preference – Eye care

Age	Brand preferences – Eyecare	Total
National	International	Both	1.00
Below 40 years	39	12	9	60
Above 40 years	56	12	2	60
Total	95	14	11	120

Pearson Chi-Square=16.578, p=.00 Significant

The result showed that there is a significant association between age and brand preference for eye care cosmetic products. As age increases, experience  also increases, so elder group will be having better comprehension about the quality of cosmetics. It was found that national brands for eye care were preferred by the elder age group over that of the younger age group. Since younger group travels a lot would like to use both international and national brands while elder consumers may be used to national brands since their younger days, so would prefer national brands.

Conclusion

This study found that the quality and brand name of the products were considered as major factors when purchasing eye care products by women. Eyeliners and eyebrow pencils are maximally used and eye shadow and eye cream are least used. Majority of the eye care users have preferred chemical eye care products followed by Ayurvedic and herbal eye care products. The most preferred and satisfied brands in the case of eyeliner and mascara were Lakme, and Eyetechin case of eye cream followed by Nivea and Lakme. The majority of the eyecare product users got influenced by quality followed by personal experience, brand name, Television Advertisements, and least hoardings and salesperson advice about the products. It is recommended that further research can be done on expenditure incurred by the consumers on eye care products, purchasing pattern of eye care products in different regions, brand loyalty and satisfaction for eye care products.

Conflict of interest

We do not have conflict of interest as authors.

Acknowledgement

We duly acknowledge the cooperation extended by the respondents without whom, this study would not have been possible.

Bibliography

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