Analyzing the Impact of Marketing Mix Components on Consumer Behavior: A Case Study of Heinz Australia

This report analyzes the impact of marketing mix components on consumer behavior using a case study of Heinz Australia. The study focuses on the attitudes and behaviors of consumers, their lifestyle habits, motivation, culture, group and individual differences along with family and perception creating an impact on the buy decisions made by the consumers. The report includes a survey questionnaire, selection of participants, data collection, data analysis, and summary analysis. The study is conducted on 15 participants who have purchased processed food from Heinz Australia.

Running head: CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Customer behavior
Name of student
Name of University
Author note

1CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Table of Contents
Setting a goal or objective...............................................................................................................3
Survey questionnaire.......................................................................................................................3
Selection of participants..................................................................................................................6
Data collection.................................................................................................................................7
Data analysis....................................................................................................................................8
Summary analysis............................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................18
Appendix........................................................................................................................................19

2CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Setting a goal or objective
The topic mainly focuses on the concept of consumer behavior and how it has been
influenced due to the marketing aspects and also due to the various marketing mix components
like the product, price, place, promotion. The report is prepared to critically analyze the different
forces that are associated with the influencing of customer behavior such as the attitudes and
behaviors of consumers, their lifestyle habits, motivation, culture, group and individual
differences along with family and perception creating an impact on the buy decisions made by
the consumers (Persson 2013). The goal is to obtain the real and valid participants who have
purchased the processes food, which is a FMCG product delivered by Heinz in Australia. The
processed food is the ketchup item that has been purchased by people and thus their responses
have been obtained to understand what are the major forces that have driven their behaviors
regarding purchases and has influenced their consumer buying decisions as well (Rahim, Abidin
and Khairuddin 2014).
Survey questionnaire
Q1 What is your gender?
Male
Female
Q2 What is your age?
Below 20 years

3CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
20 to 30 years
Above 30 years
Q3 Products, price, place and promotions are major aspects influencing consumer behaviors
Agree
Disagree
Q4 Are you satisfied with the kinds of products and services offered by Heinz, Australia?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neither satisfied not dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Q5 Do you believe that lifestyle behaviors are responsible for influencing your behaviors
regarding purchase of products from the company?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree

4CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Strongly disagree
Q6 Does the proper prices and good quality of products have influenced the consumer
decision making?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Q7 Do you experience differences in opinions among groups or within the families and friends
while making a purchase decision?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Q8 Does the culture of a place affect the buying behaviors of the consumers of Heinz?
Strongly agree
Agree

5CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Q9 Which one of the FMCG ketchup brands are you mostly associated with?
Heinz
Annie’s natural
Kissan
Q10 Does the sustainability measures and involvement of social media have created awareness
and positive perceptions about the brand in your mind?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Selection of participants
The participants are selected on the basis of different types of sampling techniques that
have been followed for conducting the research and analysis of data. The probability sampling
enables random selection of participants or respondents, who are being selected randomly from a

6CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
heterogeneous group of people while the non-probability sampling technique enables both
purposive and non-probability convenient sampling method (Solomon et al. 2014). The sample
size is selected as 15, which means the questionnaire consisting of 10 questions are sent to 15
respondents and their responses will be recorded and analyzed for ensuring that the research
goals and objectives are met. The participants are selected randomly and then the survey
questionnaires are distributed to them, based on which, they provide their responses and opinions
related to the research topic (Rani 2014).
Data collection
The collection of data includes gathering both the primary data and secondary data. The
primary data includes both qualitative and quantitative data whereas the secondary data will be
collected for the assessment of the literature review related to the research on customer
behaviors. The qualitative data are the responses of managers of the organization who provide
their useful views and opinions regarding the questions asked to them while conducting the
interview session (Solomon et al. 2014). The quantitative data are obtained by gaining the
responses and feedbacks of the respondents provided on the survey questionnaire.
Secondary data collection
The marketing aspects are related to the ways the customers’ needs are assessed and then
the products and services are delivered to ensure customer satisfaction. The psychology and
marketing strategies are combined by the FMCG Company to ensure that the buying behaviors
of the consumers are influenced and they can make purchases on a consistent manner. The
marketing components including the product, price, place and promotion have affected buying

7CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
behaviors of customers and made them respond to the business by making effective product
choices and enhancing the amounts of purchases as well (Mende, Bolton and Bitner 2013). Other
major features or characteristics that have affected the buying decisions made by the customers
include cultural aspects, social, psychological and the effectiveness of brand image and identity.
The consumers make choice for the particular product of the brand by conducting market
researches and also based on the marketing strategies that are implemented by the organization to
market the FMCG brand’s products and services (Heinz.com.au 2018). It has been found that the
consumer decision making is based on five major stages including the identification of problem,
searching for data and information regarding the products, alternative evaluation, making the
purchase decisions and finally making decisions post purchase to understand whether their needs
and preferences have been met or not (Solomon et al. 2017). The customers do assess the
benefits that can be derived from the product along with the ways information are obtained about
the products and services delivered such as through word of mouth promotions, advertising,
promotions and through involvement of social media. The post purchase decisions include
whether the clients are satisfied or not and providing good reviews and feedbacks too, which can
influence other buyers to purchase the products of the FMCG brand (Heinz.com.au 2018).
Data analysis
The analysis of data has been done with the use of Survey Monkey, where a set of
questionnaires has been developed and the responses are obtained, based on which the analysis
and interpretation are done. Ten questions are prepared and then distributed to 15 respondents,
who provided their useful responses considered as important for understanding the various forces
and factors influencing the consumer buying behaviors.

8CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Summary analysis
Q1 What is your gender?
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
Answer Choices –Responses –
–
Male
53.33%
8
–
Female
46.67%
7
TOTAL 15
From the responses provided in the first question, it has been found that most of the
respondents are male respondents who have been considered during the process of data
collection. The ratio of male to female is 2:1.
Q2 What is your age?
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
Answer Choices –Responses –
–
Below 20 years
6.67%
1
– 80.00%

9CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Answer Choices –Responses –
20 to 30 years 12
–
Above 30 years
13.33%
2
TOTAL 15
From the responses provided in the survey questionnaires, it could be understood that
most of the respondents, i.e., 12 out of 15 respondents are individuals aged between 20 to 30
years of age whereas the 2 respondents fall in the “above 30 years” category and only one below
20 years of age.
Q3 Products, price, place and promotions are major aspects influencing consumer
behaviors
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
–
Agree
–
Strongly
agree –
Neutral
–
Disagree
–
Strongly
disagree –
Total
–
Weighted
Average –
–
Consumer
behavior
20.00%
3
60.00%
9
13.33%
2
0.00%
0
6.67%
1 15 2.13
From the assessment of third question presented in the survey questionnaire, it has been
found that most of the respondents have strongly agreed t the concept that the for components of
marketing mix including the product, price, place and promotions have created a positive impact
by influencing the consumer buying behaviors. Among the 15 respondents, 9 out of 15 of them

10CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
have provided positive responses by strongly agreeing to the context, whereas the negative
response is minimal and thus only one respondent fall in the category of “strongly disagree”.
There are no one who have disagreed while the agree category consists of most of the
respondents who have believed that the four major components of marketing are hugely
responsible for influencing the consumer decision making process during purchases too.
Q4 Are you satisfied with the kinds of products and services offered by Heinz, Australia?
 Answered: 14
 Skipped: 1
Answer Choices – Responses –
–
Very satisfied
14.29%
2
–
Satisfied
64.29%
9
–
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
14.29%
2
–
Dissatisfied
7.14%
1
–
Very dissatisfied
0.00%
0
TOTAL 14
According to the survey, it could be understood that among the 15 respondents, 11 of
them have provided positive responses while only one provided negative reviews and two among

11CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
the 15 respondents have provided neutral responses. Thus, most of the responses in terms of
percentage is positive and the dissatisfaction level among the others is very low, which shows
that the company has offered good quality products and services.
Q5 Do you believe that lifestyle behaviors are responsible for influencing your behaviors
regarding purchase of products from the company?
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
Answer Choices – Responses –
–
Strongly agree
33.33%
5
–
Agree
33.33%
5
–
Neither agree nor disagree
0.00%
0
–
Disagree
20.00%
3
–
Strongly disagree
13.33%
2
TOTAL 15
Considering the survey conducted, it is understood that the respondents have provided
mixed opinions and responses regarding the context. Everyone have provided their views and
opinions and 10 out of 15 respondents have provided positive responses and agreed to the fact

12CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
that lifestyle behaviors have influenced the consumer buying behaviors while 5 out of 15
respondents have disagreed to the context. It could thus be believed that the positive responses
outweigh the negative responses, due to which, it could be justified that the lifestyle behaviors
and choices are important factors that contribute to the process of decision making by customers
regarding the purchase of processed foods from the FMCG brand.
Q6 Does the proper prices and good quality of products have influenced the consumer
decision making?
 Answered: 14
 Skipped: 1
Answer Choices – Responses –
–
Strongly agree
50.00%
7
–
Agree
21.43%
3
–
Neither agree nor disagree
7.14%
1
–
Disagree
14.29%
2
–
Strongly disagree
7.14%
1
TOTAL 14

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Based on the survey conducted, the analysis and interpretation results tend to be positive
considering the fact that the pricing of products and quality can easily influence the consumers to
make purchases. The buying behaviors of consumers are dependent upon the products’
characteristics and its capability of fulfilling their needs and expectations. 10 out of 15
respondents agreed to the context while only 22 %, i.e., 3 out of 15 respondents did not agree
that the quality and pricing can be essential factors influencing the process of consumer buying
decision.
Q7 Do you experience differences in opinions among groups or within the families and
friends while making a purchase decision?
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
Answer Choices – Responses –
–
Strongly agree
13.33%
2
–
Agree
46.67%
7
–
Neither agree nor disagree
6.67%
1
–
Disagree
20.00%
3
– 13.33%

14CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Answer Choices – Responses –
Strongly disagree 2
TOTAL 15
Among the 15 respondents, 9 respondents provided their positive views and responses
while one of the respondents provided neutral responses. Out of 15 respondents, only 5
respondents provided negative responses and did not believe to the context.
Q8 Does the culture of a place affect the buying behaviors of the consumers of Heinz?
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
Answer Choices – Responses –
–
Strongly agree
26.67%
4
–
Agree
46.67%
7
–
Neither agree nor disagree
6.67%
1
–
Disagree
13.33%
2
–
Strongly disagree
6.67%
1
TOTAL 15

15CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
As per the survey, most of the respondents believed that the culture has influenced the
buying behaviors of the consumers for the processed foods delivered by Heinz. More than 70
percent, i.e., 11 out of 15 respondents provided their positive responses, which showed that the
culture has affected the consumer buying decisions. On the other hand, the 3 respondents out of
15 respondents disagreed to the context. Thus, the positive responses are greater than the
negative responses, which showed that the culture has influenced the buying behaviors made by
consumers.
Q9 Which one of the FMCG ketchup brands are you mostly associated with?
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
Answer Choices –Responses –
–
Heinz
33.33%
5
–
Annie's natural
13.33%
2
–
Kissan
53.33%
8
TOTAL 15
Based on the survey, the analysis showed that the FMCG brand that the customers are
mostly associated with is Kissan and the second place has been acquired by Heinz.

16CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Q10 Does the sustainability measures and involvement of social media have created
awareness and positive perceptions about the brand in your mind?
 Answered: 15
 Skipped: 0
Answer Choices – Responses –
–
Strongly agree
26.67%
4
–
Agree
40.00%
6
–
Neither agree nor disagree
20.00%
3
–
Disagree
0.00%
0
–
Strongly disagree
13.33%
2
TOTAL 15
According to the survey, it is believed that sustainability management has allowed the
business to create positive perceptions among the minds of customers. With the involvement of
social media, customers have gained more awareness about the products and service and thus
their buying behaviors have been influenced. 10 out of 15 respondents have agreed to the
context.

17CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
References
Heinz.com.au 2018. Ketchup – Tomato Ketchup | Heinz Ketchup. [online] Available at:
http://www.heinz.com/ [Accessed 16 Sep. 2018].
Mende, M., Bolton, R.N. and Bitner, M.J., 2013. Decoding customer–firm relationships: how
attachment styles help explain customers' preferences for closeness, repurchase intentions, and
changes in relationship breadth. Journal of Marketing Research, 50(1), pp.125-142.

18CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Persson, A., 2013. Profitable customer management: reducing costs by influencing customer
behaviour. European Journal of Marketing, 47(5/6), pp.857-876.
Rahim, H.L., Abidin, Z.Z. and Khairuddin, N.N., 2014. Psychographic characteristics
influencing customer behaviour on online purchase intention. Australian Journal of Basic &
Applied Sciences, 8(5).
Rani, P., 2014. Factors influencing consumer behaviour. International journal of current
research and academic review, 2(9), pp.52-61.
Solomon, M.R., Dahl, D.W., White, K., Zaichkowsky, J.L. and Polegato, R., 2014. Consumer
behavior: Buying, having, and being (Vol. 10). London: Pearson.
.
Appendix
Q1 What is your gender?

19CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Q2 What is your age?
Q3 Products, price, place and promotions are major aspects influencing consumer behaviors

20CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Q4 Are you satisfied with the kinds of products and services offered by Heinz, Australia?
Q5 Do you believe that lifestyle behaviors are responsible for influencing your behaviors
regarding purchase of products from the company?

21CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Q6 Does the proper prices and good quality of products have influenced the consumer
decision making?

22CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Q7 Do you experience differences in opinions among groups or within the families and friends
while making a purchase decision?
Q8 Does the culture of a place affect the buying behaviors of the consumers of Heinz?

23CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Q9 Which one of the FMCG ketchup brands are you mostly associated with?
Q10 Does the sustainability measures and involvement of social media have created awareness
and positive perceptions about the brand in your mind?

24CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR