Impact of Promotional Activities on Consumer buying Behaviour in Cosmetics: A case study of King County, Washington.

This case study examines the impact of promotional activities on consumer buying behavior of cosmetic products in King County, Washington. The study found that digital marketing, creative packaging, makeover, and providing samples for free attract the attention of buyers thus influencing their purchase decisions.

Running head: Promotional Activities 1
Impact of Promotional Activities on Consumer buying Behaviour in Cosmetics: A case study
of King County, Washington.
by
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1.0 Problem Statement and Research Question
Advertisement or promotion has been studied for decades by various scholars. According to
the research by de Magistris and Gracia (2008) on the Mexican cosmetics industry, the
perception of the buyers is influenced by the strategic positioning and aggressive selling
which also helps in building the long-lasting customer attitude on the brand. Lu and Yu-Jen
Su (2009) argues that it is social, cultural and individual factors that affect the consumer’s
choice of mobile phones. The basis for this study is the conflicting findings on the impact of
promotional activities on consumer buying behavior.
1.1 Research Question
Do promotional activities influence consumer buying behavior of cosmetic products? If yes
which types of promotional activities?
2.0 Population
The study population consisted of the customers that visited different cosmetics outlet in
King County, Washington. The target population was 300 and is shown in table 1 below
Table1: Target Population
Category of Respondents Number
Male 100
Female 200
Total 300
3.0 Sampling Frame
A sample of 30 respondents was sampled and participated in the study. This sample size
sufficiently represented the entire population and enabled the researcher to achieve the aim of
examining some elements of the population and to derive conclusions about the whole
population. The location of the sample population was at the cosmetic shops and was a

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representation of the entire population because the shops were strategically located at the
Central Business district of King County where most of the people passed by.
4.0 Sampling Issues
The researcher faced unresponsiveness from some consumers who were not willing to
participate in the interview and could sometimes response rudely. There was also financial
constraints which forced the researcher to settle for the minimum sample size of 30
respondents.
5.0 Findings
Table 3.2 Population demographics
Age
Gende
r
Male
Femal
e Total
25-30 2 5 7
31-35 4 9 13
36-40 3 3 6
41-45 1 2 3
46-50 0 1 1
30
Table 3.3: Promotional strategies influencing consumer buying behavior
Promotional
activities
Influen
ce
Percenta
ge
Digital marketing 19 63%
Creative
packaging 7 23%
Makeover
strategies 3 10%
Issued free 1 3%

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samples
Total 30 100%
Mean 7.5
SD
8.06225
8
5.1 Calculation of CI
Subtract 1 from sample size. 4-1 = 3 (df)
(1-95)/2 = 0.25
From t distribution table, 3 df and α = 0.025, is 3.182
Dividing sample sd by square root of sample size
8.06/ √(3) = 4.65344317
4.65344317 x 3.182 = 14.80725617
Lower end
7.5-14.8 = 7.3
Upper end
7.5 + 14.8 = 22.3
6.0 Summary and Conclusion
According to the study findings, the buying behavior of consumers is affected by different
types of promotional activities. The researcher found out that promotional activities such as
digital marketing, creative packaging, makeover, and providing samples for free attract the
attention of buyers thus influencing their purchase decisions. Therefore, organizations in the
cosmetic industry should focus more on influencing the purchase decisions through investing
in promotional activities that interest the consumers in order to increase sales and revenue.

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References
de Magistris, T. and Gracia, A., 2008. The decision to buy organic food products in Southern
Italy. British Food Journal, 110(9), pp.929-947.
Lu, H.P. and Yu-Jen Su, P., 2009. Factors affecting purchase intention on mobile shopping
web sites. Internet Research, 19(4), pp.442-458.