Consumer Behavior Factors in Fragrance Sector: The TFS Case Study

This case study investigates the factors influencing consumer behavior in the fragrance sector, with a specific focus on The Fragrance Shop (TFS) in the UK. The research employs a quantitative approach, utilizing survey data collected from 336 consumers. The findings reveal that while price significantly impacts purchasing decisions, other factors such as scent, personal preferences, influence from friends and family, and customer service also play crucial roles. Correlation and regression analyses are used to determine the strength and direction of these relationships. The study explores demographic factors like nationality, age, gender, and occupation, as well as subjective factors related to fragrance preferences and brand perceptions. Ultimately, the research aims to provide recommendations to The Fragrance Shop for enhancing their marketing strategies and improving their market share by better understanding and catering to consumer behavior.

Running head: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Factors That influencing Purchasing Behavior of Consumers in Fragrance Sectors: A Case
Study of The Fragrance Shop (TFS)
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Acknowledgement
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who have been a great help in
completing the dissertation. These people had led me and helped me to know my hidden
potential and strength and utilize it in the best possible way in the undertaken research. I would
like to express my deep gratitude towards supervisor for his constant monitoring and
commendable and exemplary guidance, which has led me to complete the dissertation in the due
course of time. The guidance and unconditional support provided by him not only helped me a
lot during the thesis completion but also will remain with me for a longer time period on the
journey of my life. I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the participants who lend
their valuable input to develop an understanding about different aspects of consumer behaviour
regarding purchasing of fragrances from The Fragrance Shop, UK. Furthermore, I would like
thank my friends and family, who provided me with constant support to finish my thesis within
the timeline.

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Abstract
Consumer behavior is a very important factor for the marketers and the manufacturing
companies. It is one of the determinant factors of the profitability of the companies. In the
fragrance industry, the business is highly sensitive as it depends on the customer’s tastes and
preferences, prices, brands and scents of the perfumes. Through this research paper, the
researcher has explored the topic of the research, that is, impact of price on the consumer
behavior in the matter of fragrance purchase. He has conducted a case study on the consumers of
The Fragrance Shop, UK. Primary data was collected through a survey on 336 consumers and
the data was analyzed using quantitative methods. Through the correlation and regression
analysis, it has been found that price has a significant impact on the consumer behavior and
along with that, there are many other factors, such as, scent or aroma, tastes and preferences,
influence from the family and friends, and customer service by the shop that have a major impact
on the consumer behavior.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction..................................................................................................................10
1.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................10
1.2 Background of the Study.....................................................................................................11
1.3 Research Rationale..............................................................................................................12
1.4 Aim of the Research............................................................................................................13
1.5 Objectives of the Research..................................................................................................13
1.6 Research questions...............................................................................................................13
1.7 Research Hypothesis............................................................................................................13
Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................................................14
2.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................14
2.2 Concept of consumer behavior............................................................................................14
2.3 Impact of consumer behavior on society and on the economy............................................19
2.4 Theories of consumer behavior...........................................................................................19
2.5 Conceptual framework.........................................................................................................21
Chapter 3: Research methodology.................................................................................................22
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................22
3.2 Research method outline......................................................................................................22
3.3 Research philosophy............................................................................................................22
3.4 Research approach...............................................................................................................23

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3.5 Research strategy.................................................................................................................24
3.6 Research design...................................................................................................................24
3.7 Data collection.....................................................................................................................25
3.8 Data collection instrument...................................................................................................26
3.9 Sampling technique.............................................................................................................26
3.10 Data analysis process.........................................................................................................27
Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion........................................................................................28
4.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................28
4.2 Findings and discussions.....................................................................................................28
4.2.1 Demographic factors.....................................................................................................28
4.2.2 Subjective factors..........................................................................................................36
4.2.3 Reliability test...............................................................................................................48
4.2.4 Correlation analysis......................................................................................................48
4.2.5 Cross tabulation............................................................................................................54
4.2.6 Regression analysis.......................................................................................................58
Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations..............................................................................60
5.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................60
5.2 Linking to the objectives.....................................................................................................60
5.2.1 Linking to the first objective.........................................................................................60
5.2.2 Linking to the second objective....................................................................................61

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5.3 Recommendations................................................................................................................62
5.4 Limitations and scope of future study.................................................................................62

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List of Tables
Table 1: Nationality of the participants.........................................................................................28
Table 2: Age group of the participants..........................................................................................29
Table 3: Gender profile of the participants....................................................................................30
Table 4: Occupation of the participants.........................................................................................33
Table 5: Reliability statistics.........................................................................................................46
Table 6: Correlations – Fragrance preference...............................................................................47
Table 7: Correlations – Cost..........................................................................................................48
Table 8: Correlations – Packaging.................................................................................................49
Table 9: Correlations – Aroma......................................................................................................50
Table 10: Correlations – Celebrity endorsements.........................................................................50
Table 11: Correlations – Friends and Family influence................................................................51
Table 12: Correlations – Customer service, satisfaction and loyalty............................................52
Table 13: Cross tabulation on Nationality * Does the price matter when buying fragrances?......54
Table 14: Cross tabulation on Nationality * Do you take advantage of special offers or
promotions?...................................................................................................................................55
Table 15: Regression of importance of price on high cost of fragrance........................................57

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List of figures
Figure 1: Nationality of the participants........................................................................................30
Figure 2: Age group of the participants.........................................................................................31
Figure 3: Gender profile of the participants..................................................................................32
Figure 4: Occupation of the participants.......................................................................................35
Figure 5: Preference for wearing fragrance...................................................................................37
Figure 6: Considering fragrance as luxury....................................................................................37
Figure 7: Changing fragrance brand frequently.............................................................................38
Figure 8: Buying fragrance for its brand value..............................................................................38
Figure 9: Significance of price while buying fragrance................................................................39
Figure 10: importance of special offers and promotions...............................................................39
Figure 11: High cost of fragrances................................................................................................40
Figure 12: Importance of bottle design..........................................................................................41
Figure 13: Importance of packaging..............................................................................................41
Figure 14: Preference for branded fragrance.................................................................................41
Figure 15: Importance of the aroma..............................................................................................42
Figure 16: Impact of aroma on the personality..............................................................................42
Figure 17: Impact of celebrity endorsements................................................................................43
Figure 18: Influence by bloggers and celebrities...........................................................................43
Figure 19: Fragrance makes one bold and confident.....................................................................44
Figure 20: Preference for new or best seller fragrances................................................................45
Figure 21: Influence by friends and family...................................................................................45
Figure 22: Reliability of The Fragrance Shop, UK.......................................................................46

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Figure 23: The Fragrance Shop provides excellent customer service...........................................46
Figure 24: The Fragrance Shop has user-friendly website............................................................47
Figure 25: Smooth website using experience................................................................................47

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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction
The modern society is considered as the society of consumerism. In the recent years,
individuals are exposed by regular marketing activities. Based on the consumer behavior the
marketers try to improve their marketing strategy to influence the purchasing behavior of
consumers (Cantallops & Salvi, 2014). However, the daily life of people is governed by
consumption. For this purpose, it is crucial for an organization to understand the buying behavior
of consumers. At present retail industry has been facing challenges regarding the changing
behavior of consumers. Various factors are associated with the consumer behavior. The modern
consumers have more knowledge, which leads them to show different attitudes towards the
product or service. With the emergence of internet, the world has become smaller and people
have more access to knowledge and to the tangible products sourced from all corners of the
world. The consumer behavior is highly influenced by many other social factors other than the
price of the goods and fragrance industry experiences the same. The behavior of the consumers
regarding the purchase of fragrances is the subject matter of this research paper.
Marketing strategy of an organization should be consumer oriented. It is important for the
marketers to develop strategy, which can influence the purchasing behavior of consumers by
identifying the major factors of the consumer behavior (Maniatis, 2016). However, the changing
nature of consumers leads the organization to face issues in their business. This can be mitigated
by using proper marketing strategy to reveal the factors of consumer behavior. Many
organizations use the consumer behavior as the marketing tool to reach to their target market.
This study deals with the factors of on consumer behavior in the context of The Fragrance Shop,

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UK. This chapter introduces the topic of the research along with the background study of the
paper, research rationale, research aim and objectives, research questions, and research
hypothesis to the readers.
1.2 Background of the Study
The Fragrance Shop is a popular perfume maker in UK. This organization was
established in 1994. It has 200 stores across UK. They offer mainstream and luxury fragrances to
consumers (Thefragranceshop.co.uk, 2018). Their major products are Eau de perfume, Eau
Fraiche, Eau de Toilette and other essential oils. This is one of the eminent retailers in UK that
survived during the economic recession. However, year to year increased sale shows the high
growth of this organization. One of the major components of their infrastructure is the layout of
the shops. Such layout attracts the consumers towards this organization. In the recent years, The
Fragrance Shop has introduced a new brand that is Scent Addicted. This brand offers consumers
to test the perfume before using it. Therefore, consumer can try a perfume for 12 months. This
offer is a good marketing strategy for this organization to attract those consumers who often try a
new perfume. This organization also focuses on the consumers who are price sensitive. For these
consumers, they offer 30ml at £52.00. On the other hand, this organization gives money voucher
to those consumers who are associated with this organization for a long time. Therefore, they
give a discount of £12 to those people who want to buy a big bottle of perfume.
In UK market the social lifestyle of people is good, which leads them to spend more on
purchasing luxury products. This social factor influences The Fragrance Shop to offer new
products to attract the customer attention. Cultural, social, personal and psychological factors are
considered to understand the consumer behavior in the fragrance industry. Among the major
factors, social factor is vital that influences the purchasing behavior of the consumers in the

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perfume industry. However, in UK market perfume is considered as the multi-billion dollar
industry (Consultancy.uk, 2018). The growth of perfume industry is stable in last decades but the
consumer behavior is changing rapidly. This is a major concern of this industry, which develops
the urge to identify the factors affecting consumer behavior in this industry.
1.3 Research Rationale
Understanding the consumer behavior is the biggest task as well as challenge for the
consumer goods industry. Consumer behavior determines the growth of business for any
manufacturing product or services. Fragrance industry is no exception. This product is heavily
dependent on the consumer choices and hence, must understand the nuances of customer
behavior regarding age, sex, income, tastes and preferences and knowledge about different types
of fragrances. The rationale of this research is to evaluate the scope of the business growth for
the perfume selling company, The Fragrance Shop in the UK by addressing different aspects of
consumer behavior regarding purchasing of perfumes.
It is found that the company has launched new fragrance and has been giving various
promotional offers to the customers to try out the new product. It is necessary for the company to
assess the customers’ behavior and attitude towards the new product and the offers to achieve
success in the long run. Hence, this research aims at studying the consumer behavior regarding
the impact of the scent, influencing factors such as, friends, family and celebrity endorsements,
affinity towards luxury or branded perfumes, willingness to try new products, and especially the
price of the perfumes, which will help The Fragrance Shop, UK to formulate new strategies for
business expansion and make more profit.

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1.4 Aim of the Research
The aim of the research is to identify the factors that are influencing the buying behavior
of consumers of perfumes from The Fragrance Shop, and to identify the impact of the price of
the perfumes on the purchasing behavior of the consumers of The Fragrance Shop.
1.5 Objectives of the Research
 To identify the factors that influence the purchasing behavior of consumers in the
fragrance industry
 To analyze the association of identified factors with purchasing behavior of consumers
 To recommend the ways through which The Fragrance Shop can improve their market
share
1.6 Research questions
 What are the potential factors of consumer behavior in fragrance industry?
 What is the impact of the different factors on consumer behavior?
 To what extent consumer behavior affects the market growth of The Fragrance Shop?
1.7 Research Hypothesis
H0 (null hypothesis): Price of the perfume does not have any impact on the fragrance purchasing
decision of the consumers
H1 (alternate hypothesis): Price of the perfume has significant impact on the fragrance
purchasing decision of the consumers

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Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
Literature review presents a background idea about the research topic. The researcher has
studied numerous previous literatures, research paper and various journal publications by other
scholars to get an idea about different aspects of the subject of the research. It is helpful to get an
insight about the research topic and design the outline of the research. The knowledge gained
from the literature review are presented in this chapter to make the readers acquainted with the
research topic.
2.2 Concept of consumer behavior
Consumer behavior is the study of the behavior and attitude of the individuals, groups or
organizations regarding the purchase, use and disposal of the goods and services. This also
includes study of the consumer’s emotions, tastes and preferences, income and desire towards
purchasing the goods and services, which have significant impact on the revenue of the
manufacturing companies (Solomon et al., 2014). Consumer behavior comes from
interdisciplinary social science, blending the elements of economics, especially behavioral
economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, business management and
marketing. Individual demographic aspects, such as, lifestyles, personality, brand awareness and
loyalty, social factors, such as, influences from friends, family, and society are all considered
under the study of consumer behavior (Goh, Heng & Lin, 2013).
Mullen and Johnson (2013) highlight that the concept of consumer behavior is associated
with all the aspects of the purchasing behavior of the customers. It starts from pre-purchase
activities and runs through the post-purchase consumption, its evaluation and the activities

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revolving the disposal. The study also revolves around the people involved in the process of
influencing the purchasing decisions and consumptions and creating the brand positions.
Consumer behavior refers to the attitude of individuals towards a product or service.
People show different behaviors while purchasing a product (Horner & Swarbrooke, 2016). For
the marketers, it is important to understand the causes for which consumer show different
attitudes. However, consumer behavior is not static. It is a changing process over the time. For
every organization is it crucial to understand the changing need of consumers. In fragrance
industry the consumers’ needs vary based on the personal factors, social factors, and other
factors. Consumer behaviors changes based on the gender and age of the people. Consumer
behavior can be positive or negative. If the people are satisfied with a product then they show a
positive attitude and if people are not satisfied with the product they show negative attitude. This
affects the business of the manufacturing industry (Ries & Trout, 2013). Thus, the study of
consumer behavior is highly important and heavily dependent on the study of the human
behavioral aspect.
2.3 Factors influencing consumer behavior
There are many factors that influence the consumer behavior. As stated by Mullen and
Johnson (2013), since consumer behavior is intangible and it is measured or evaluated by the
actions of the consumers. It is the job of the marketers to assess and analyze the factors that have
a significant influence on the consumer behavior. The basic understanding of this behavior is
that, emotions and reasoning play a major role in influencing the consumer’s purchasing
decisions.

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Among the various factors that are associated with the consumer behavior, one is the
demographic factors. Age, gender and social status of people are major determinants of
consumer behavior regarding the purchase of products. These are prevalent in the fragrance
industry also. Based on the age and gender as well as income and social status, people exhibit
their preferences while purchasing a perfume. For example, the young generation prefers the
usage of perfume more than the older generation. The male customers prefer hard cologne while
the female customers prefer mild fragrance (Cantallops & Salvi, 2014). Hence, the marketers
must study and understand the demographic status of the consumers while analyzing the
consumer behavior regarding the purchase of the perfumes and other products.
Brand of the product is another major factor that influences the purchasing behavior of
consumers. A certain section of the consumers are highly loyal to particular brand. Regarding
any consumer goods, they prefer to buy the product from a certain brand. Brand awareness and
quality of that brand helps in creating the brand loyalty of the consumers. For some of the
customers, brand represents social status. They try to maintain their social status by owning that
particular brand (Albert & Merunka, 2013). It happens with perfume also. Many people choose a
specific brand of perfume. They have a belief about the significance of a specific brand. They
feel that it enhances their personality as well as reflects their personality. In this case, brand
loyalty has a great influence on the purchasing behavior of consumers.
Price of the product is another important factor that influences the consumer behavior.
People are usually price sensitive. While some people prefer to buy the cheaper products, some
people prefer high priced product, as they feel that high price reflects high quality. This is known
as Veblen Effect. It says that, higher price indicates higher quality and some people are
influenced by that and hence, buy higher priced products even if good quality substitute goods

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are available at a lower price (Cantallops & Salvi, 2014). This behavior is observed in the
fragrance industry too. Price of the perfume often influences the purchasing behavior of the
consumers (Ali, Nas & Anwar, 2013). Many of the customers, who are brand loyal, spend high
money to purchase a branded perfume. This is not only an example of brand loyalty, but also of
Veblen effect, where they feel that they are spending more money to get a better quality.
Although, it is not true always, as lower priced perfumes brands are also available in the market
that offer good quality fragrances. However, it is also seen that in many cases, higher priced
brands offer better quality and hence, many consumers focus on the quality of the perfume rather
than price (Hennings et al., 2012). They buy costly perfume. On the other hand, some consumers
are price sensitive and they look for the lower price. Based on this factor, perfume industry needs
to offer a product, which can fulfill the demand of both quality sensitive and price-sensitive
consumers.
According to Solomon, Russell-Bennett and Previte (2012), marketing campaigns are
crucial for influencing the consumer behavior. Advertisements have the power to bring about big
shifts in the market shares of the competitive industry as it can play a major role in influencing
the buying decisions of the customers. The marketers focus on the campaigns on a regular basis,
as it can persuade the customers in a way that they might choose one brand over the other of the
same quality or might indulge in frivolous and impulsive shopping. These campaigns are
undertaken on a regular interval due to the reason that these are helpful in reminding the
customers about the product (Goh, Heng & Lin, 2013). The discount and other promotional
offers are part of the marketing strategy, and these also help in attracting the customers towards
the product. In the fragrance industry, the marketing campaigns are extremely important to let
the customers know about the new perfumes. In this case, the most effective promotional activity

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is to ask them to test the perfume while in store. This way the customers can smell those and
make decisions about buying the perfume. Promotional offers are also helpful in persuading the
customers about trying and buying a new fragrance.
Economic condition of the customers is also a major influencing factor for consumer
behavior. While making a big purchase, this influences the consumers in a major way. Not only
is the economic situation of the market, but also of the consumers is an important factor for
determining the purchasing behavior of the customers (Becker, 2013). Regarding the fragrance
market, the economic condition or income status of the customers plays a major role in making a
decision about the purchase.
Group influence affects the purchasing behavior heavily. The primary influence group
consists of the family, friends, immediate relatives and the secondary influence group consists of
the neighbors and acquaintances. These two groups have greater impact on the purchasing
decision of the customers regarding any consumer product (Oliver, 2014). Regarding the
purchase of fragrances, the opinion of others matter hugely and sometimes they help a consumer
to choose a particular fragrance or a brand by giving opinions while trying out the fragrances.
Celebrity endorsement is a big strategy of marketing, especially for luxury goods.
People often get influenced to purchase a product of a particular brand when they see that their
favorite celebrity is endorsing that product. This works as an influencing factor for some. In case
of fragrances too, this marketing strategy works for many (Wang, Cheng & Chu, 2013).
Personal tastes and preferences are one of the biggest significant factors in consumer
behavior. People are guided by their different shades of likes, dislikes, morals, values and
priorities. In the matter of purchasing products of the fashion, cosmetics, personal care and

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choice of food, the dynamism of the people’s personality and choices get reflected, which
determines the consumer behavior (Hosany & Martin, 2012). The personal opinion and view
regarding the personal choice and style determine the pattern of the consumer behavior. These
opinions are created overtime as personality of the consumers gets developed through the series
of events in life and education. They develop a unique taste of their own. Lifestyle is another
element that reflects the tastes and preferences of the consumers regarding purchase of the
consumer goods and luxury goods. Advertisements can influence the choice of the customers to
some extent, but the personal choices are more impactful while making a purchasing decision
about products like fragrances.
2.3 Impact of consumer behavior on society and on the economy
Consumer behavior has a powerful impact on the society as well as on the economy. The
consumers determine the direction of businesses and profit of the consumer goods
manufacturers. The pattern of purchases by the customers help the industries understand the
pattern of the market demand and make strategies accordingly (Belk, 2013). If more customers
prefer one brand of fragrance over the other, one company gains from it while the other loses.
This affects the profitability of the manufacturers and affects the social and economic conditions
of the employees. Hence, consumer behavior influences the businesses in a major way.
2.4 Theories of consumer behavior
There are many theories on consumer behavior all with different approaches. These are
suitable for different situations in the market. However, there are four major theories based on
consumer behavior, which the marketers need to put emphasis on. The theories are as follows.

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Theory of reasoned action
This theory focuses on the pre-existing behavior of the consumers influencing the
purchasing decision. The theory was introduced by Icek Ajzen and Martin Fishbein in the late
1960s. It says that the customers take rational actions based on the best intentions. The
consumers take a specific action when a specific outcome is expected, hence, specificity is an
important element in this (LaCaille, 2013). Thus, the marketers provide a specific outcome with
every purchase to influence the rationality of the customers.
Engel, Kollet, Blackwell (EKB) Model
This model is an extension of the theory of reasoned action, which includes a 5 step
process of the purchasing behavior of the customers. It says that, the customers absorb the
marketing information first, then process the information and make a comparison of the past
experience and expectations, and then take the purchasing decision on the basis of rationality,
while the external factors and decisional variables influence the decision and finally the
consumer makes the purchase (Solomon et al., 2014). Hence, the marketers must provide
adequate necessary information to influence the purchasing desire of the target customers and
build a brand image.
Maslow’s Motivation-Need Theory
In this theory, Maslow showed that the needs of a person can be designed in a pyramidal
structure and those needs must be satisfied hierarchically to make the individual motivated. The
elements of needs are physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization, placed from
bottom to top (Anderson, 2014). Regarding a purchase design, people usually follow this
structure to satisfy the needs and at the same time, the marketers also create the demands

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Price of fragrances
Quality of fragrances
Brand of fragrances
Personal Tastes and
preferences
Celebrity endorsements
Group influence
Purchasing
decision
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following the hierarchy of needs. The marketers also try to create artificial needs based on this
hierarchy.
Hawkins Stern Impulse Buying
Rational purchasing behavior of the customers exists along with the impulsive buying
behavior. As stated by Stern, external factors influence the impulsive buying decisions. The
categories of impulsive purchases are purely impulsive purchase, suggested impulsive purchase,
planned impulsive purchase and reminded impulsive purchase. The marketers get immense scope
of business from this behavior. They need to evaluate the external factors to attract the
consumers and create the impulses for making the purchase (Muruganantham & Bhakat, 2013).
2.5 Conceptual framework

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Chapter 3: Research methodology
3.1 Introduction
Research methodology for this paper has been presented in this chapter. It represents the
steps and strategies taken by the researcher to address the research questions and objectives and
descriptions of the tools and instruments used in the research process. The methodology for
research consists of research philosophy, approach, strategy, design, data collection, sampling
technique and the data analysis process.
3.2 Research method outline
Consumer behavior is comprised of many elements, which are inter-related and equally
important for influencing the purchasing decision of the customers. The research work has
focused on measuring the pattern of consumer behavior regarding purchasing fragrances from
The Fragrance Shop and measuring the impact of price on the purchasing decision of the
customers of The Fragrance Shop. The researcher started the research by introducing the topic of
the research to the readers and conducting a comprehensive literature review. It helped in
designing the survey questionnaire to collect primary data through a survey. The survey
questionnaire contained questions that focused on those different aspects of consumer behavior
and buying decision of the consumers regarding fragrances from The Fragrance Shop, UK. The
gathered data was analyzed using quantitative methods and finally helped in reaching to a logical
conclusion to the research problem.
3.3 Research philosophy
Source, development and nature of the knowledge gained through the research are the
basis of the philosophy of research. According to Ryan (2018), research philosophy presents the

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assumptions about the process of data collection and analysis of the data. Positivism,
interpretivism, realism and pragmatism are the four major research philosophies. In positivism,
the researcher deals with highly structured data, collected from large samples and applies
scientific method to get the desired outcome (Bernard, 2017). Interpretivism is based on the
interpretation skills of the researcher and deals with qualitative analysis of the data, gathered
from small samples. Realism allows the researcher the freedom of choosing the qualitative or
quantitative method, based on the type of the data and pragmatism allows the researcher to apply
both the qualitative and quantitative research method (Bryman & Bell, 2015).
In the given research study, the researcher chose to follow the positivism philosophy, as
the data was collected from a large sample and scientific, that is, statistical techniques were
applied to do the analysis for testing the research hypothesis.
3.4 Research approach
Induction, deduction and abduction are three fundamental research approaches. In the
induction approach, the researcher establishes a new theory on the basis of the topic of the
research, and explores the subject without any preconceived notion. In the deduction approach,
the researcher analyzes the data to test the research hypothesis against the most relevant theories,
already established by other authors (Åsvoll, 2013). Under the abduction approach, the
researcher chooses one potential solution to the research problem among a set of many potential
solutions, based on the reasoning and data analysis.
In this research study, the deduction research approach was adopted as the researcher
tested the researcher hypothesis on the basis of the prevalent theories of consumer behavior and
inferences were made based on the deductions.

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3.5 Research strategy
This demonstrates the plan of the researcher on how to proceed to answer the research
questions in the right direction to get the logical conclusion (Bryman, 2015). There are different
types of research strategies, such as, surveys, experiment, case studies, ethnography, grounded
theory, action research, narrative inquiry and archival research (Neuman & Robson, 2014).
Under the deduction research approach, the most commonly used research strategies are case
studies, surveys and experiments. The researcher followed the case study and survey strategy for
this research. This strategy is helpful in getting a first hand knowledge about the research topic
from the participants (Robson & McCartan, 2016). In this study, the researcher chose The
Fragrance Shop, UK as the case study company and chose 360 customers for conducting the
survey for gathering the knowledge on the consumer behavior regarding the purchase of
perfumes.
3.6 Research design
Research design explains the process, which enables the research to deal with the
problem of the research based on the data gathered from the study and reach to the conclusion in
a most rational and effective manner (Lewis, 2015). There are two types of research design,
namely, exploratory and explanatory. Under exploratory research, the researcher explores the
research topic in a completely new direction with an aim to find out new ways or new theories
from the subject (Ioannidis et al., 2014). On the other hand, explanatory research design enables
the researcher to give explanation of the research topic in the light of other established theories.
The research hypotheses are tested against the theories and inferences are made about the topic
on the basis of the hypothesis testing leading to a logical conclusion. In this design, the
researcher does not have to generate any new theory from the evidences gathered, rather he has

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to explain those information and deduce the conclusion for the research study (Salazar, Crosby &
DiClemente, 2015).
In the given research on consumer behavior about fragrance purchase, the researcher has
followed the explanatory research approach. Since, he has followed the deduction approach of
research, explanatory research is the most suitable research design. The researcher will test the
hypothesis by analyzing the data gathered on consumer behavior and explain the findings against
the theories of consumer behavior.
3.7 Data collection
In a research study, there are two types of data, namely, primary and secondary. Primary
data refers to the information gathered directly from the field of study, that is, from the people
involved or directly affected by the subjected by the research. Primary data is collected by using
survey questionnaire, interview questions, feedback forms, appraisal forms, checklists,
suggestions forms etc. On the other hand, secondary data refers to the information collected from
authentic and already published sources, such as, books, peer-reviewed journals, online
publications, presentations, magazines, newspaper articles and official websites. Primary data
helps in getting an in-depth insight about the research topic from the people who are affected by
the research problem, while secondary data helps in validating the results obtained from primary
data analysis (Reynolds et al., 2014).
The researcher had chosen the case study and survey research strategy for the given
research on consumer behavior. Hence, a survey questionnaire was prepared containing the
questions on consumer behavior regarding the purchase of fragrances from The Fragrance Shop
and primary data was collected from 360 customers of the shop. The purpose of the survey was

26CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
to gain an in-sight about the research issue, that is, the customers’ perception about the
fragrances, influencing factors and about the shop.
3.8 Data collection instrument
The survey questionnaire was designed in an easy format and in simple language, so that
the participants can understand the questions. It contained 25 questions, among which, the first 4
questions focused on collecting the demographic data and the rest of the close ended questions
addressed the subjective factors. The questions were broken into total 8 sections; all focused on
different aspects of consumer behavior and purchase of factors, that is, it addressed different
influential factors of fragrance purchasing elements through the subjective questions. 360
participants were chosen from the customers of the different stores of The Fragrance Shop and
the questionnaire was sent to them via email, collected from the CRM database.
3.9 Sampling technique
Sampling is essential for any type of data collection. Sample is a subset of the larger
population displaying the same characteristics. For any survey or data collection, it is not
possible to study the entire population and collect data; hence, sampling is done using an
appropriate technique to gather the data. There are two types of sampling, probability and non-
probability. Under probability sampling, the subjects of a population have the equal opportunity
of being selected as the representative sample (Best & Kahn, 2016). Simple random sampling,
stratified sampling, cluster sampling, and systematic sampling are types of probability sampling.
On the other hand, under non-probability sampling, an individual subject has no particular
probability to be part of the sample (Smith, 2015). Purposive sampling, snowball sampling,
convenience sampling, quota sampling are non-probability sampling.

27CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
In this research study, the researcher has applied simple random sampling to choose the
360 participants for conducting the survey. According to Nasrollah et al. (2013), in this sampling
technique, the probability of each sample being selected is equal. This helps in reducing the
biasness and sampling error in the data.
3.10 Data analysis process
The researcher has applied quantitative data analysis method for analyzing the primary
data collected through the survey. The choice of the data analysis process is aligned with the
research philosophy, approach, strategy and research design. Quantitative data analysis method
helps in getting the conclusion in a scientific manner, by applying the statistical tools (Creswell,
2013). The data was gathered in MS Excel spreadsheet and was calculated using the SPSS tool,
version 20. SPSS stands for Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Visual representation of
the response data was done first, followed by the reliability test, correlation analysis and
regression analysis. Reliability test was done to evaluate the internal consistency of the data.
Correlation analysis was done to find out the causal relationship between the variables under
different categories, mentioned in the survey questionnaire (Mertens, 2014).

28CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion
4.1 Introduction
This chapter elucidates the analysis of the primary data, collected through a survey,
conducted on 336 customers of The Fragrance Shop and explains the findings. The questionnaire
was segregated into 8 subsections to put a more specific focus on the research topic. It contained
total of 25 variables. 4 questions in the first subsection of the questionnaire dealt with
demographic questions and the rest were designed to address the research topic. All the questions
are close ended, except for the nationality and occupation of the participants. Close ended
questions were chosen to keep the horizon of the data limited. The responses for the subjective
questions were collected on a five point rating scale, that is, Likert scale values. Response rate
analysis, reliability test, cross tabulation and correlation analysis were performed on the data
using SPSS version 20. The findings and the discussions on the data analysis are presented
below.
4.2 Findings and discussions
4.2.1 Demographic factors
Demographic factors are the factors that exhibit the socio economic characteristics of the
population. In this research, the nationality, age profile, gender profile and occupation of the
participants were addressed. It was assumed that, these factors might have any impact on the
choice of fragrances. Visual representation of the response rate is done through tables and bar
graphs, as that helps to have a total statistics on the preferences of people regarding the choice
and purchase of fragrances from The Fragrance Shop, UK. The tables and graphs were generated
using SPSS.

29CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Nationality of the participants
Nationality
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
African 30 8.9 8.9 8.9
American 9 2.7 2.7 11.6
Arabian 17 5.1 5.1 16.7
Australian 8 2.4 2.4 19.0
British 127 37.8 37.8 56.8
Canadian 6 1.8 1.8 58.6
Caribbean 5 1.5 1.5 60.1
Chinese 17 5.1 5.1 65.2
Denmark 1 .3 .3 65.5
French 2 .6 .6 66.1
German 8 2.4 2.4 68.5
Indian 59 17.6 17.6 86.0
Indonesian 2 .6 .6 86.6
Iranian 3 .9 .9 87.5
Irish 7 2.1 2.1 89.6
Italian 1 .3 .3 89.9
Jamaican 3 .9 .9 90.8
Japanese 3 .9 .9 91.7
Kuwaiti 5 1.5 1.5 93.2
Pakistani 7 2.1 2.1 95.2
Polish 2 .6 .6 95.8
Portuguese 1 .3 .3 96.1
Romanian 2 .6 .6 96.7
Russian 3 .9 .9 97.6
Spanish 3 .9 .9 98.5
Sudanese 1 .3 .3 98.8
Taiwanese 1 .3 .3 99.1
Turkish 2 .6 .6 99.7
Welsh 1 .3 .3 100.0
Total 336 100.0 100.0

30CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Table 1: Nationality of the participants
Figure 1: Nationality of the participants
The question for nationality was kept open ended, because there is a cosmopolitan
population in London and The Fragrance Shop has customers belonging to different nationality.
However, it is seen from the responses that among the 336 respondents, majority that is 127
(37.8%) are British, followed by Indians (59, that is, 17.6%) and Africans (30, or 8.9%). There is
equal number of Arabians and Chinese people (17) among the participants. Apart from that, the
nationality of the participants includes American, Australian, Indonesian, Japanese, Sudanese,
Kuwaiti, Pakistani, Polish, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Portuguese, Irish, Welsh, French,
Jamaican, Caribbean, Canadian, Danish, Iranian, Romanian, Taiwanese and Turkish. Hence, it

31CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
can be said that, the customer group of The Fragrance Shop consists of people belonging to a
wide range of nationality. This is helpful in assessing that if there is a difference in the pattern of
tastes and preferences regarding usage of fragrances.
Age group of the participants
Age group
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
18-25 years 91 27.1 27.1 27.1
26-30 years 97 28.9 28.9 56.0
31-40 years 84 25.0 25.0 81.0
41-50 years 46 13.7 13.7 94.6
51 years and above 18 5.4 5.4 100.0
Total 336 100.0 100.0
Table 2: Age group of the participants
Figure 2: Age group of the participants

32CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
The age groups of the participants were categorized into 5 subgroups, considering the purchasing
ability of the consumers. Majority, that is, 97 (28.9%) belonged to the age group of 26-30 years,
followed by 91 (27.1%) in the age group of 18-25 years. Thus, it can be said that the maximum
number of the consumers of The Fragrance Shop are the younger generation of the UK. 84
people (25%) belonged to the age group of 31 to 40 years, 46 (13.7%) are in the age of 41 to 50
years and only 18 people (5.4%) are more than 51 years of age. It can be inferred that the older
generation are not much comfortable with the concept of websites and online buying when it
comes to the question of selecting and buying the fragrances, especially in the case of buying a
new fragrance.
Gender profile of the respondents
Gender
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Female 178 53.0 53.0 53.0
Male 158 47.0 47.0 100.0
Total 336 100.0 100.0
Table 3: Gender profile of the participants
Figure 3: Gender profile of the participants

33CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Among the total 336 participants of the survey, there are 178 male customers and 158 female
customers.
Occupation
Occupation
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid Accountant 3 .9 .9 .9
Architect 1 .3 .3 1.2
Assistant manager 2 .6 .6 1.8
Automobile Distributor 1 .3 .3 2.1
Banker 14 4.2 4.2 6.3
Beauty therapist 2 .6 .6 6.8
Business 19 5.7 5.7 12.5
Business consultant 1 .3 .3 12.8
Call centre executive 2 .6 .6 13.4
Chef 1 .3 .3 13.7
Chemical engineering
Student 1 .3 .3 14.0
Compliance analyst 1 .3 .3 14.3
Compliance Officer 1 .3 .3 14.6
Content Writer 1 .3 .3 14.9
Corporate employee 2 .6 .6 15.5
Customer Service manager 1 .3 .3 15.8
Doctor 6 1.8 1.8 17.6
Driving instructor 2 .6 .6 18.2
Editor 1 .3 .3 18.5
Electrician 4 1.2 1.2 19.6
Engineer 6 1.8 1.8 21.4
Entrepreneur 1 .3 .3 21.7
Estate agent 1 .3 .3 22.0
Finance manager 1 .3 .3 22.3
Fragrance consultant 1 .3 .3 22.6

34CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Gym instructor 1 .3 .3 22.9
HMRC employee 1 .3 .3 23.2
Home maker 7 2.1 2.1 25.3
Home Maker 1 .3 .3 25.6
Hospitality staff 1 .3 .3 25.9
HR advisor 1 .3 .3 26.2
HR assistant 1 .3 .3 26.5
HR manager 1 .3 .3 26.8
Insurance broker 1 .3 .3 27.1
Interior Designer 1 .3 .3 27.4
Investment Banker 2 .6 .6 28.0
IT consultant 2 .6 .6 28.6
IT Engineer 1 .3 .3 28.9
IT professional 1 .3 .3 29.2
Journalist 3 .9 .9 30.1
Lawyer 3 .9 .9 31.0
Lecturer 2 .6 .6 31.5
Makeup artist 5 1.5 1.5 33.0
Makeup salon owner 1 .3 .3 33.3
Manager 4 1.2 1.2 34.5
Masters Student 1 .3 .3 34.8
Media Person 1 .3 .3 35.1
Nurse 13 3.9 3.9 39.0
Pensioner 1 .3 .3 39.3
Personal trainer 1 .3 .3 39.6
PhD Student 1 .3 .3 39.9
Photographer 1 .3 .3 40.2
Policeman 1 .3 .3 40.5
PR manager 1 .3 .3 40.8
Pricing 1 .3 .3 41.1
Professor 13 3.9 3.9 44.9
Property letting agent 1 .3 .3 45.2
Restaurant owner 3 .9 .9 46.1
Retail director 1 .3 .3 46.4
Retired 4 1.2 1.2 47.6

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Sales assistant 8 2.4 2.4 50.0
Sales consultant 1 .3 .3 50.3
Security Officer 1 .3 .3 50.6
Self-employed 1 .3 .3 50.9
Service 30 8.9 8.9 59.8
Shop keeper 12 3.6 3.6 63.4
Social Worker 1 .3 .3 63.7
Stock Broker 1 .3 .3 64.0
Store manager 1 .3 .3 64.3
Student 72 21.4 21.4 85.7
Teacher 18 5.4 5.4 91.1
Tourist 23 6.8 6.8 97.9
University Student 1 .3 .3 98.2
Writer 6 1.8 1.8 100.0
Total 336 100.0 100.0
Table 4: Occupation of the participants
Figure 4: Occupation of the participants

36CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Occupation of the customers was also kept as an open ended question, as it is not possible to
include infinite number of occupations as the answer options. It is seen from the responses that, a
substantial amount of the respondents (72) are students, enrolled in different schools, colleges
and universities. 30 participants are associated with different types of services, 23 are tourists, 19
are associated with business, 18 are teachers, 14 people are bankers, 13 are nurses, 13 are
professors and 12 are shop keepers. There are many other professions also, such as, investment
banker, beauty therapist, home makers, lawyer, journalist, architect, accountant, lecturer, IT
professional, writer, doctor, engineer, chef, editor, entrepreneur and many more, as listed in the
table and chart above. This data is collected with the purpose of assessing the purchasing power
of the consumers. It can be assumed that the students will go for cheaper brands and smaller size
of perfume bottles and would try to avail the price discounts more than the employed and
salaried individuals.
4.2.2 Subjective factors
The variables concerning the research topic are the subjective variables that were divided
into 7 subcategories, namely, fragrance preference, cost, packaging, aroma, celebrity
endorsements, friends and family influence and customer service, satisfaction and loyalty
towards The Fragrance Shop.
The responses for the variables are displayed through bar graphs, which would help in
understanding the perception of people regarding these factors and fragrance purchasing
behavior. The number of respondents choosing an answer option is displayed through the graphs,
and the data labels show the number of people who had chosen that option.

37CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Fragrance preferences
Figure 5: Preference for wearing fragrance
Figure 6: Considering fragrance as luxury

38CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 7: Changing fragrance brand frequently
Figure 8: Buying fragrance for its brand value
In this first segment of fragrance preference, 188 respondents agreed and 103 strongly agreed
that they prefer to wear fragrances, majority consider fragrance as luxury and prefer to change
the fragrance brand frequently. Even a much larger percentage of respondents said that they

39CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
prefer to buy the fragrances based on its brand value. Hence, brand value of perfumes is
important in influencing the purchasing decision of fragrances.
Cost
Figure 9: Significance of price while buying fragrance
Figure 10: importance of special offers and promotions

40CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 11: High cost of fragrances
Maximum number of respondents has agreed that price of the fragrances are high, they take
advantage of the promotional offers and discounts and significance of fragrance price in
purchasing decisions.
Packaging

41CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 12: Importance of bottle design
Figure 13: Importance of packaging
Most of the respondents have said that packaging does not have much significant influence on
the consumer behavior while purchasing perfumes, although equal number have agreed and
disagreed on the question if bottle’s shape or design influence or attract them.
Aroma
Figure 14: Preference for branded fragrance

42CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 15: Importance of the aroma
Figure 16: Impact of aroma on the personality
182 agreed and 93 strongly agreed that they prefer branded perfumes, and 222 strongly agreed
and 92 agreed that the scent or aroma of the perfume plays a very important role while choosing

43CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
a perfume. However, on the matter of whether the aroma influences the personality of the users,
116 respondents disagreed, 70 remained neutral and 97 agreed.
Celebrity endorsements
Figure 17: Impact of celebrity endorsements
Figure 18: Influence by bloggers and celebrities

44CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 19: Fragrance makes one bold and confident
Regarding the matter of influence of celebrity endorsements on the fragrance purchasing
decision, it is found that majority have disagreed. They have disagreed that the celebrities and
bloggers have no significant influence on them regarding purchasing of fragrances. However,
maximum have said that fragrances help them feel bold and confident.
Friends and family influence

45CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 20: Preference for new or best seller fragrances
Figure 21: Influence by friends and family
The charts show that majority respondents want to try new fragrances and the best sellers and
majority said that friends and family have influence on the choice of perfumes, while a slightly
less percentage said that they were not influenced by family and friends while buying a perfume.
Customer service, satisfaction and loyalty

46CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 22: Reliability of The Fragrance Shop, UK
Figure 23: The Fragrance Shop provides excellent customer service

47CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Figure 24: The Fragrance Shop has user-friendly website
Figure 25: Smooth website using experience
Majority agreed that The Fragrance Shop is reliable for purchasing fragrances, it provides
excellent customer service, the website had user friendly interface and provides a good shopping
experience. Hence, it can be inferred that The Fragrance Shop is a popular fragrance retailer in
the UK.

48CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
4.2.3 Reliability test
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
Alpha
N of Items
.837 21
Table 5: Reliability statistics
Reliability test is performed to analyze the internal consistency of the data. It indicates
how much as dataset is consistent and if it produces similar results under consistent
circumstances. A highly reliability score indicates that the dataset will produce accurate,
consistent and reproducible results under different testing occasions (Melchers & Beck, 2017).
The reliability is measured using Cronbach’s Alpha. It represents the intercorrelations among the
test variables. 0.7 is the critical value for Cronbach’s alpha and a score more than 0.7 is
acceptable. A value between 0.8 and 0.9 is considered to be good, that is, the variables are
internally consistent in a quite good manner (Bonett & Wright, 2015). In this research, the
Cronbach’s alpha value is 0.837, which indicates that the dataset is consistent and hence reliable.
4.2.4 Correlation analysis
Correlation analysis is performed on two variables to find out the dependence level of the
variables. It is mostly used to test how much two variables are close and have linear relationship
with each other (Albright, 2014). This is useful because it can indicate a predictive relationship
between the variables. In this research study, the response data were collected using Likert scale
values, where 1 represents Strongly disagree and 5 represents Strongly agree. Those values were

49CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
converted into numeric values for the purpose of various statistical calculation using SPSS. The
correlation analysis was performed separately on the variables under each subcategory, with an
aim to find out the level of linear dependence among the variables and if changes in one variable
has any impact on the other. The level of correlation is measured through Pearson’s correlation
coefficient, whose value ranges from +1 to -1, and 0 indicates no correlation (Caulcutt, 2014).
The results and the explanations for all the subsections are as follows.
Correlations – Fragrance preference
Do you like
wearing
fragrances?
Do you
consider
fragrances as
luxury?
Do you
frequently
change your
fragrance
brand?
Do you buy
fragrances
because of its
brand value?
Do you like wearing
fragrances?
Pearson Correlation 1 .239** .154** .321**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .005 .000
N 336 336 336 336
Do you consider
fragrances as luxury?
Pearson Correlation .239** 1 .446** .009
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .873
N 336 336 336 336
Do you frequently change
your fragrance brand?
Pearson Correlation .154** .446** 1 .087
Sig. (2-tailed) .005 .000 .112
N 336 336 336 336
Do you buy fragrances
because of its brand
value?
Pearson Correlation .321** .009 .087 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .873 .112
N 336 336 336 336
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 6: Correlations – Fragrance preference
Four variables were considered under the subcategory of Fragrance preference. The data showed
that all the variables are positively correlated with each other. This means that increase in the
value of one variable influences the value of the other to increase (Caulcutt, 2014). Here, it can

50CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
be inferred that all these factors positively influence each other, that is, if preference for wearing
fragrance increases, it will impact the brand preference and the others.
Correlations – Cost
Does the price
matter when
buying
fragrances?
Do you take
advantage of
special offers or
promotions?
Is the cost of
fragrances high?
Does the price matter when
buying fragrances?
Pearson Correlation 1 .515** .684**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
N 336 336 336
Do you take advantage of
special offers or promotions?
Pearson Correlation .515** 1 .454**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
N 336 336 336
Is the cost of fragrances high?
Pearson Correlation .684** .454** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
N 336 336 336
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 7: Correlations – Cost
Under the subcategory of Cost, three variables were considered that focused on the price aspects
of the perfumes. This is an important aspect in the study of consumer behavior, and it is seen that
all the three variables are positively correlated with each other. It can be inferred that price has a
significant impact on the purchasing decision of perfumes, people do take advantages of the
special offers and discounts while purchasing fragrances, and they consider that the price of
fragrance is high.

51CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Correlations –Packaging
Does the
shape/design of the
bottle influence you
when buying
fragrance?
Does the packaging
influence your
decision when
buying fragrance?
Does the shape/design of the bottle
influence you when buying
fragrance?
Pearson Correlation 1 .667**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 336 336
Does the packaging influence your
decision when buying fragrance?
Pearson Correlation .667** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 336 336
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 8: Correlations – Packaging
Under the subcategory Packaging, it is seen that packaging influences the purchasing behavior of
fragrances to some extent and the variables considered under this category are positively
correlated with each other.
Correlations – Aroma
Do you prefer
branded
fragrances?
Is the scent of
the fragrance
important?
Does the scent
help to change
your
personality to
match the
fragrance?
Do you prefer branded
fragrances?
Pearson Correlation 1 .430** .128*
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .019
N 336 336 336
Is the scent of the
fragrance important?
Pearson Correlation .430** 1 .112*
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .041
N 336 336 336

52CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Does the scent help to
change your personality
to match the fragrance?
Pearson Correlation .128* .112* 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .019 .041
N 336 336 336
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
Table 9: Correlations – Aroma
Aroma or scent is another important factor in influencing the consumer behavior regarding
fragrance purchase. It is assumed that the aroma of the branded fragrances is more preferred by
the consumers and this is important while choosing the brand of the perfumes. The participants
also said that scents help in enhancing their personality. These variables are also positively
correlated.
Correlations – Celebrity endorsements
Are you
attracted to buy
fragrances
because of
celebrity
endorsement?
Do
celebrities/blogg
ers influence
which fragrance
you purchase?
Does the
fragrance make
you feel ‘bold,
confident or
sexy’?
Are you attracted to buy
fragrances because of
celebrity endorsement?
Pearson Correlation 1 .712** .441**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
N 336 336 336
Do celebrities/bloggers
influence which fragrance
you purchase?
Pearson Correlation .712** 1 .385**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
N 336 336 336
Does the fragrance make
you feel ‘bold, confident or
sexy’?
Pearson Correlation .441** .385** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
N 336 336 336
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 10: Correlations – Celebrity endorsements

53CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
The variables regarding impact of celebrity endorsements are positively correlated with each
other indicating that there is a linear dependence of the impact of the celebrity endorsements and
consumer behavior.
Correlations – Friends and Family influence
I like to try new
fragrances or
best sellers
Do family/friends
influence your
decision when
purchasing
fragrance?
I like to try new fragrances or
best sellers
Pearson Correlation 1 .221**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 336 336
Do family/friends influence
your decision when
purchasing fragrance?
Pearson Correlation .221** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 336 336
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 11: Correlations – Friends and Family influence
It is seen that friends and family have an influence on the purchasing behavior of the consumers
and the variables under this category are positively correlated.
Correlations – Customer service, satisfaction and loyalty
The Fragrance
Shop is a
reliable retailer
The Fragrance
Shop provides
an excellent
service to you
The website
has a user-
friendly
interface
The website is
easy to use
and makes the
shopping
experience
simple to
purchase from
The Fragrance Shop is a
reliable retailer
Pearson Correlation 1 .789** .510** .533**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000

54CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
N 336 336 336 336
The Fragrance Shop
provides an excellent
service to you
Pearson Correlation .789** 1 .536** .548**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000
N 336 336 336 336
The website has a user-
friendly interface
Pearson Correlation .510** .536** 1 .759**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000
N 336 336 336 336
The website is easy to
use and makes the
shopping experience
simple to purchase from
Pearson Correlation .533** .548** .759** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000
N 336 336 336 336
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 12: Correlations – Customer service, satisfaction and loyalty
Under the last subcategory of customer service, satisfaction and loyalty, the relationship
of the customers with The Fragrance Shop is tested. Four variables were taken to address the
customer experiences with the service and website of the shop and whether they find the shop
reliable. All these factors are positively correlated and have a positive impact on the consumer
behavior regarding the purchase of fragrances from The Fragrance Shop.
4.2.5 Cross tabulation
Cross tabulation analysis is done on few variables that are mostly relevant to test the
hypothesis. It is used to compare the relationship between the responses of the variables
(Neuendorf, 2016). In the given research, the null hypothesis is to find out that price of the
perfumes does not have any impact on the consumer behavior. Hence, cross tabulation is
performed on the nationality and whether they think price matters because, this would help to

55CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
gain an insight about what is the perspective of people of different nationalities regarding the
price of the perfumes while purchasing a perfume.
Nationality * Does the price matter when buying fragrances? Cross tabulation
Count
Does the price matter when buying fragrances? Total
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree
Nationality African 0 1 2 23 4 30
American 0 2 1 3 3 9
Arabian 4 9 0 3 1 17
Australian 1 1 2 3 1 8
British 3 18 11 69 26 127
Canadian 1 4 0 1 0 6
Caribbean 0 0 1 3 1 5
Chinese 3 9 0 2 3 17
Denmark 0 1 0 0 0 1
French 0 0 0 1 1 2
German 0 0 1 5 2 8
Indian 3 4 7 30 15 59
Indonesian 0 0 0 2 0 2
Iranian 0 2 0 1 0 3
Irish 0 0 1 5 1 7
Italian 0 0 1 0 0 1
Jamaican 0 2 0 1 0 3
Japanese 0 3 0 0 0 3
Kuwaiti 1 4 0 0 0 5
Pakistani 0 1 0 3 3 7
Polish 0 0 0 1 1 2
Portuguese 0 0 0 1 0 1
Romanian 0 1 0 1 0 2
Russian 0 0 0 3 0 3
Spanish 0 0 1 2 0 3
Sudanese 0 1 0 0 0 1

56CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Taiwanese 0 1 0 0 0 1
Turkish 0 2 0 0 0 2
Welsh 0 0 0 1 0 1
Total 16 66 28 164 62 336
Table 13: Cross tabulation on Nationality * Does the price matter when buying fragrances?
It is seen from the table that, majority of the people, irrespective of their nationality,
thinks that price is an important factor while buying a fragrance. People of almost all the
nationality have agreed to this question, and among all, the British people, Indians and the
Africans have agreed and strongly agreed to this. However, some of the British, Arabians and
Chinese people have said that price does not matter to them. It can be inferred from this that
these people have much higher income than the other participants and thus they do not bother
about the price and care about the brand value more.
Another cross tabulation was performed to check the tendency of availing special offers
and discounts by people of different nationality.
Nationality * Do you take advantage of special offers or promotions? Cross tabulation
Count
Do you take advantage of special offers or promotions? Total
Strongly
disagree
Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree
Nationality African 0 0 1 21 8 30
American 0 1 2 2 4 9
Arabian 0 5 1 10 1 17
Australian 0 2 2 4 0 8
British 3 3 7 73 41 127
Canadian 1 0 0 5 0 6
Caribbean 0 0 0 4 1 5

57CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Chinese 0 2 4 7 4 17
Denmark 0 0 0 1 0 1
French 0 0 1 1 0 2
German 0 0 1 4 3 8
Indian 1 6 8 28 16 59
Indonesian 0 0 0 2 0 2
Iranian 0 0 0 3 0 3
Irish 0 0 1 4 2 7
Italian 0 0 0 0 1 1
Jamaican 0 2 0 1 0 3
Japanese 0 0 2 1 0 3
Kuwaiti 1 1 1 2 0 5
Pakistani 0 1 1 2 3 7
Polish 0 0 0 1 1 2
Portuguese 0 0 0 0 1 1
Romanian 0 0 0 2 0 2
Russian 0 0 0 3 0 3
Spanish 0 0 0 3 0 3
Sudanese 0 0 0 1 0 1
Taiwanese 0 1 0 0 0 1
Turkish 0 1 0 1 0 2
Welsh 0 0 0 1 0 1
Total 6 25 32 187 86 336
Table 14: Cross tabulation on Nationality * Do you take advantage of special offers or
promotions?
This shows that the majority of the British, Indians, Africans, few Arabians and almost
all the other participants belonging to other different nationalities have a tendency to avail the
discount offers and promotional offers while making a purchasing decision regarding the
fragrances. This is a human nature to avail the promotional offers to get some discounts or just

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for having fun. It is seen from the above cross tab table that, very high percentage of people of
different nationality shares a similar attitude towards this.
4.2.6 Regression analysis
Regression analysis is performed to find out the level and direction of the relationship
between the dependent and independent variables in a model (Bayer, 2016). In this research
study, high cost of fragrances is considered as the independent variable (IV) and whether price
matters while purchasing fragrances is the dependent variable (DV). These two variables were
taken as these were most relevant and appropriate to test the null hypothesis. The test result is as
follows.
Variables Entered/Removeda
Model Variables
Entered
Variables
Removed
Method
1
Is the cost of
fragrances high?
b
. Enter
a. Dependent Variable: Does the price matter when
buying fragrances?
b. All requested variables entered.
Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R
Square
Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .684a .467 .466 .832
a. Predictors: (Constant), Is the cost of fragrances high?
ANOVAa
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 203.143 1 203.143 293.192 .000b
Residual 231.417 334 .693

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Total 434.560 335
a. Dependent Variable: Does the price matter when buying fragrances?
b. Predictors: (Constant), Is the cost of fragrances high?
Coefficientsa
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
1
(Constant) .958 .159 6.027 .000
Is the cost of fragrances
high? .731 .043 .684 17.123 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Does the price matter when buying fragrances?
Table 15: Regression of importance of price on high cost of fragrance
It is seen that, R-square value is 0.467, that is, the model can explain 46% of the variability of
the data around mean or the fitted regression line. The adjusted R Square value is 0.466 which is
almost same to the R square value, indicating that the model is a good fit to the data (Vogt &
Johnson, 2015). The range of t value is +1.96 to -1.96 at 95% confidence interval (Bayer, 2016).
Any value more than +1.96 or less than -1.96 is insignificant. In this model, the t-value for the
dependent variable is 17.123, which is far greater than the critical value of t at the 95%
significance level. Moreover, the effect of high price of fragrances (b=.731, p=0.000) is
significant and the coefficient is positive, indicating high price affects the fragrance purchasing
decision of the consumers. This reflects that price of the fragrances has a significant impact of
the consumer behavior regarding purchasing of fragrances. This leads to the result that null
hypothesis is rejected and alternative hypothesis is accepted.

60CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations
5.1 Introduction
This chapter presents the concluding remarks by the researcher after the research study
has been done and the findings are analyzed. The researcher collected primary data through a
survey on the consumers of The Fragrance Shop and performed quantitative analysis of data. It
has been found from the analysis that the null hypothesis is rejected, that is, the prices of the
fragrances have a significant impact on the consumer behavior regarding the purchasing of the
fragrances. Along with that, the researcher also focused on different factors other than price that
can influence the purchasing decision of the consumers and its level of association. Based on the
analysis and findings, the researcher presents some recommendations for The Fragrance Shop to
improve their market position. Lastly, the limitation and future scope of study are also presented
in this chapter.
5.2 Linking to the objectives
5.2.1 Linking to the first objective
The first objective of the paper is to identify the elements that have a considerable
influence on the consumer behavior regarding the purchase of fragrances. From the study of the
literature, the researcher has found certain factors that can influence the consumer behavior in
the context of any consumer goods and services. With that knowledge, the researcher made the
survey questionnaire by including those factors as influencing elements of the purchasing
behavior of the consumers in the matter of buying fragrances. From the analysis of the survey
data, it is found that, people are influenced by the brand, quality of fragrances, celebrity
endorsements, family and friends. All these factors have a major role in motivating a consumer

61CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
to purchase a perfume. It is also found that, packaging and shape or design of the perfume bottle
is not the major influencing factor while choosing and buying a perfume. Lastly, it is seen that,
the customer service by the company is an influencing factor regarding the choice of shop from
where to buy a fragrance. Hence, if customers are impressed by the service of a shop and smooth
experience from the online site, then a loyalty towards the shop is created, as it happened with
The Fragrance Shop, UK.
5.2.2 Linking to the second objective
The second objective aims to analyze the relation of the identified influential factors with
the fragrance purchasing behavior of the consumers. The researcher has found from the data
analysis, that price of the fragrances is the major factor that plays a significant role in shaping the
purchasing behavior of the consumers. While some prefer to buy high priced fragrances for
maintaining the social status, some consumers are brand loyal. Even if that leads to high priced
perfumes, these people will never change their favorite brand. On the other hand, many people
prefer to buy perfumes at a discounted price. Hence, price is an important factor creating
segments in the fragrance market. The quality and the aroma are another two determining factors
for the consumers’ choices. People use perfumes for the scents and for feeling confident. Hence,
tastes and preferences and personalities of people guide them while choosing a perfume. Some
also prefer to try the new fragrances and do not mind for changing their favorite brand. Thus,
these section of the consumers are the major target market for new companies making perfumes
and for the existing companies while launching a new fragrance. However, people might prefer
to see the advertisements featuring their favorite celebrities endorsing a perfume, but while
buying the perfume, personal tastes, price, quality and scent of the perfume control the decision.

62CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Regarding the purchase from the 213 stores across the country and website of The Fragrance
Shop, customer service and promotional and discount offers are beneficial.
5.3 Recommendations
Through the study, the researcher has identified few areas, where The Fragrance Shop
has some loopholes. To improve the market share of The Fragrance Shop, the researcher
provides some suggestions, which are aimed at addressing those areas.
 The company provides the Happy Hour offers and flash sale promotions in their store
outlets only for 2 hours, 12pm-2pm. This duration needs to be increased, because there
are many customers who may not be able to visit the store during the mid noon and
hence, may not be able to enjoy the sale offers. Like the online customers, they also
deserve to get discounts and sale offers. This strategy will increase the popularity of the
shop further.
 Similar to the Scentaddict scheme, The Fragrance Shop should introduce many such
innovative schemes which would help in retaining the existing market share. Attracting
the customers and retaining them is a difficult job in marketing. The fragrance industry is
no exception. There are customers belonging to different classes of the society and the
companies must make strategies to attract the different category of the customers, like
The Fragrance Shop introduced the Scentaddiact scheme.
5.4 Limitations and scope of future study
There are some limitations of this research paper. Firstly, the budget and time for
conducting the study is limited, which narrows the scope for further exploration of the research
topic. Secondly, the researcher conducted only a survey for collecting a primary data, any other

63CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
method of data collection was not adopted. Thirdly, secondary data was not used to do an in-
depth study of the topic. Hence, there is further scope of study for the future researcher. The
researcher should consider conducting interviews and do a qualitative perception analysis of the
response data to get an idea about the specific factors influencing the consumer behavior
regarding the purchase of fragrances. Secondary data analysis should also be considered to
support and validate the results of the primary data analysis. Lastly, the researchers can consider
any other fragrance shop and choose their consumers for the study on consumer behavior on
fragrance purchase to find out if there is any other factor influencing the choice of perfume
purchase.

64CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
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