Perceptual Mapping of Beverages: Coffee and Tea
Perceptual Mapping of Beverages: Coffee and Tea Asim Ayaz, Karthikeyan B., Vignesh S., Sunny Teotia, Sunwinder Pal Singh
To survive the onslaught of cut throat competition of the market it has become imperative for the organizations to understand and acknowledge the preferences and perceptions of the consumer and adapt accordingly. Hot beverages form an integral part in daily consumption of Indian consumers which has been a critical element in the flourishing tea and coffee industry. This paper attempts to comprehend the consumption pattern as well as how certain varieties of tea and coffee are perceived by the consumers. The premise for the research was to reveal the difference in perceptions regarding specific varieties of tea and coffee as perceived by the consumers consumers vis-a-vis as projected by the marketers. Basic statistical sta tistical tools were used to derive the result for for the empirica empiricall study and results were formulated formulated ba sed on that.
Keywords: Multidimensional Scaling, Perceptual Mapping, Tea and Coffee Perceptual Mapping
INTRODUCTION
A marketing concept that encompasses
typically
customer impression, awareness and/or
by advertising, by advertising, reviews, reviews, public public
consciousness about a company or its
relations, social
offerings.
personal experiences personal experiences and other channels. other channels.
Customer
perception
is
affected
media,
A. Ayaz, Karthikeyan B., Vignesh S., S. Teotia, S. P. Singh Consumer perception applies the concept
importantly the relative positioning of the
of sensory perception to marketing and
product relative to the ones present in the
advertising. Just as sensory perception
market. The empirical study attempts to
relates to how humans perceive and
provide an insight on the consumer
process sensory stimuli through their five
perception regarding selective varieties of
senses, consumer perception pertains to
tea and coffee. The study aims to quantify
how individuals form opinions about
the sensory perceptions of the consumers
companies and the merchandise they offer
by virtue of the survey conducted for the
through
specific
the
purchases
they
make.
purpose
and
then
provide
Merchants apply consumer perception
conclusions and inferences basis the
theory to determine how their customers
same.
perceive them. They also use consumer perception theory to develop marketing and advertising strategies intended to retain current customers -- and attract new ones.
Though, it is to be understood that the marketing messages only work out be the initiating point and any variation in the actual experience of the product to that of as was perceived by the consumers would
Perceptual
mapping is
a diagrammatic technique
used
lead to the non acceptance of the product.
by
asset marketers that attempts to visually display the perceptions of customers or potential
customers.
Typically
the
COFFEE AND TEA IN INDIA
India
has
a
huge which
tea
and
coffee
provides
ample
position of a product, product line, brand,
consumption
or company is displayed relative to their
opportunity for the marketers to encash on
competition. Perceptual maps can have
the opportunity but the core issue with
any number of dimensions but the most
devising marketing strategy on these
common is two dimensions. Perceptual
products is that it solely is driven on
mapping has been used extensively in
sensory stimulation of the consumers.
marketing. This powerful technique is
Despite the fast growth of bottled juices
used in new product design, advertising,
and aerated drinks, consumption of tea
retail location, and many other marketing
and coffee is going up in India. Coffee
applications where the manager wants to
consumption is up by 6% in the last few
know the basic cognitive dimensions of
years while tea consumption has been
the product being evaluated and more
showing a 3% annual growth.
Perceptual Mapping of Beverages: Coffee and Tea Widespread
popularity
beverages
supported
of
carbonated
by
intense
promotional campaigns has not made a
The
more
appealing
or
attractive
consumers find the product the more likely that they are going to consume it.
dent in the consumption of tea and coffee. Mushrooming coffee bars and cafes have made coffee drinking fashionable in
METHODOLOGY
cities. Coffee consumption has been aided
The primary objective of the research
by increasing urbanization and greater
work is to analyze the perceptual mapping
disposable income. Admittedly, south
of various varieties of tea and coffee in
India as a region has the largest number of
India. The comparison procedure we use
coffee drinkers.
is practical and is based on usage of
Despite
the
availability
of
umpteen
numbers of beverages, coffee continues to occupy an important place among all. Traditionally coffee is known as a south Indian drink, but growing demand for coffee in non-southern states over the past few years has started pushing up overall coffee consumption in the country. In India, tea is one of the most popular hot beverages. It is consumed daily in almost
multidimensional
scaling
which
represents the preferences of respondents spatially by means of the visual display. The process began with the defining the scope the research and zeroing on the target respondents, which was taken to be urban
and
metro
population.
The
dimensions basis which the respondents response were evaluated was defined and the survey was conducted.
all homes, offered to guests, consumed in
The target group of the research was
high amounts in domestic and official
focused
surroundings, and is made with the
population residing in urban and metros
addition of milk with or without spices. It
and demographically it is focused on
is also served with biscuits dipped in the
respondents belonging to 18-60 years of
tea and eaten before consuming the tea.
age. The data was collected by conducting
geographically
with
the
an online and personalized survey. The semantic differential rating scale was
meaning. The scale controls the tendency
used to evaluate the response. The
of some respondents, particularly those
semantic differential scale is a seven-point
with very positive or very negative
rating scale with end points associated
attitudes, to mark the right- or left-hand
with bipolar labels that have semantic
sides without reading the labels.
A. Ayaz, Karthikeyan B., Vignesh S., S. Teotia, S. P. Singh To maintain the consistency and diversity
taste. These two attributes were chosen
of the respondents, the survey was
basis
personally shared with the respondents
amongst the target group on which
belonging to different geographies of the
attributes they perceive to most influential
country, viz., Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi,
while
Kolkata, Bangalore etc. The questionnaire
accordingly the mentioned attributes were
evaluated
freezed.
the
preferences
of
the
various
choosing
informal
the
discussions
beverage
and
respondents on tea and coffee catering to the sensory perceptions. The varieties of coffee which were under the purview of
RESULTS
the study were Mocha, Frappe, Espresso,
The
Black Coffee and Cappuccino while the
perceptual map of different varieties of
varieties of tea under consideration were
coffee and tea as perceived by the
Lemon Tea, Ice Tea, Black Tea, White
respondents. The expected and observed
Tea and Iranian Tea.
rankings of these beverages based on
The evaluation of the beverages was primarily done on two scales aroma and
mentioned
graphs
show
the
aroma and sweetness/bitterness is also highlighted.
Perceptual Mapping of Beverages: Coffee and Tea
Comparision of actual and perceived - Coffee Sweetness
Aroma
S.no
Coffee
Actual
Perceived
Actual
Perceived
1
Mocha
2
4
3
5
2
Frappe
1
2
6
6
3
Espresso
5
5
2
4
4
Black Coffee
6
6
1
3
5
Latte
4
3
3
2
6
Cappuccino
3
1
3
1
A. Ayaz, Karthikeyan B., Vignesh S., S. Teotia, S. P. Singh
Comparision of actual and perceived - Tea Sweetness
Aroma
S.no
Tea
Actual
Perceived
Actual
Perceived
1
Lemon Tea
3
1
3
3
2
Ice tea
2
2
5
5
3
Black tea
5
5
1
1
4
White tea
1
3
4
2
5
Iranian Tea
4
4
2
4
MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
The results show that most of the varieties of coffee are available in the first quadrant (served hot and sweet) and the remaining
beverages, they were able to identify the difference which provides scope for companies to develop new varieties which will have good demand.
ones are in the second quadrant (served hot and bitter). Another insight which has been derived is that these hot varieties of
FURTHER
RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
coffee are perceived differently by the people though they are not able to completely
appreciate
the
minor
differences. The huge gap in the cold coffee region can be captured after doing
Research has to be done to identify whether people visit coffee bars as a rendezvous or to actually enjoy the beverage. This analysis will help us know whether people will be interested in
further relevant research.
different varieties of coffee or tea. There were not many varieties of tea as compared to coffee highlighting the fact that Indian youth prefer coffee over tea. More promotion is required (in similar
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