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Acme Intellects International Journal of Research in Management, Social Sciences & Technology ISSN 2320 – 2939 (Print) 2320-2793 (Online) Let your Research be Global search– An Ultimate search of Truth- Reforms through Research Vol- 16 No. 16 Oct 2016

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A Study on Customer Awareness and Satisfaction towards handloom products with special

reference to Guntur District – Andhra Pradesh

by Prof. B. Murali Krishna [a]

& Mr J Venkata Ramana [b]

Abstract

Handloom industry is one of the old and traditional industry, which is the livelihood for

millions of rural artisans in our country. Handloom products are well known with their quality,

affordability, durability, availability, artisan work etc.. In the recent days handloom industry is

facing severe problems like switching the customers from handloom products to other machine

made products, tough competition from power loom and other mill made cloth producers.

Though the government has taken some initiatives to differentiate handloom products from

power loom and other mill made products. The customers are finding it difficult to differentiate

handloom products from other mill made products. In this context, the present study is an effort

to analyze the awareness and satisfaction levels of customers while buying and using handloom

products. Also the various factors that in fluencies the buying behaviour of handloom customers.

The present study has been conducted in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. The data required

for the present study has been collected from primary sources. A sample of Two hundred

respondents (Handloom Customers) has been selected by using stratified random sampling from

various Mandals and villages of Guntur District. Appropriate graphical and statistical analysis

is used to derive the interpretations

Keywords: Handloom, Power loom, Customer, Awareness, Customer Satisfaction.

[a] Prof. B. Murali Krishna,

Director,

Samata College,

Sector X, M.V.P. Colony,

Visakhapatnam - 530 017.

Phone: 0891 - 2504682

Fax: 0891 – 2567586

E-mail: [email protected]

[b] Mr J Venkata Ramana,

Research Scholar in Management,

Rayalaseema University,

Nandyal Chaurasta Road,

Sree Rama Nagar, Kurnool,

Andhra Pradesh 518007

Mobile: 9848896393

E-mail: [email protected]



1. Introduction

Handloom Industry is the integral part of textile industry in our country. This industry is

placed in the second position in terms of provision of livelihood and comes next to agriculture. It

is the largest cottage industries which produce Cotton, Silk, Jute and Khadi in large quantities.

The demand and popularity of Indian handloom has been growing not only in our country, but

also around the world. Handloom fabric has a unique character which other mill made or

powerloom fabric doesn’t have. But, the distinctiveness of handloom products compared with

other mill made cloths is not known to the customer. Hence the present study is an attempt to

understand the customer awareness about handloom products, various factors that influences the

buying behaviour of customers and the satisfaction levels of customers towards handloom

products. The present study is descriptive in nature.

Consumers are individuals who buy products for household consumption or for

themselves. Consumer awareness refers to a buyer’s knowledge of a particular product or

services which he/she is going to consume. The consumer may or may not be conscious about

the originality and quality of the products which he is going to consume. In the present study on

customer awareness and satisfaction about handloom products, an effort is made to understand

how far consumers are aware of handloom products, factors influencing the buying of handloom

customers and the overall customer satisfaction towards handloom products. Though the

handloom products are available in many places whether the consumers can able to buy the

genuine handloom cloths is a query. Hence the present study is to understand the consumer

awareness about the handloom products.

2. Review of Literature

Malmaraugan( 2008) in his study analyzed how word of mouth has control in making

purchase decisions ofthe product saree. He has taken 128 sample size from various classes of

parties and collected the data through Questionnaire and analyzed the result through chi-square

method. It is stated that word of mouth is the most influential power as compared to magazine,

banner, TV, newspaper. It is two times efficient as radio advertising, four times as efficient as

personal selling, and seven times as efficient as newspapers and magazines.



Vaddi and Balakrishnaiah (2009) in their study aimed to analyze the consumer

awareness and consumerbehaviour towards khadi and Handloom products as one of their

objectives. It was found from the study that in Andhra Pradesh 65 % of consumers were aware

about Khadi and Handloom fabrics .Irrespective of the religion, communication and education

levels most of the exhibition, melas and rebate seasons were popularly utilized by all classes of

consumers who get attracted by publicity and advertisements, interestd by new designs and

bright colors.

Agarwal and Luniya (2009) in their study made an attempt to identify the buying

behaviour of womenconsumer regarding hand woven kotadoria saris. The study was conducted

with 65 women respondent of age group 30 to 45 years, having family income not less than Rs.

15000 per month. It was found in the study that consumers are very much aware about the

originality of hand woven doria pattern and the knowledge of Geographical Indications patent is

very less. Floral mode of design, all over woven pattern, multicolor combination, and hand

embroidery was most preferred. Most preferred buying venues were shops .Kota doria and

Banarasi saris are equally preferred among hand woven saris.

Jeyakodi (2009) studied the working of rebate scheme schemes in handloom

cooperatives in Tamilnadu. It is stated in the study that the rebate on sales of handloom

products falls in the class of subsidies. The handloom goods are costlier than the mill made

cloth and this is for the reason handloom Industry’s productivity is low and wage rate is high. It

is also said in the study that due to stiff competition the efficiency of the handloom weavers

societies are coming down in turn it led the planners to think about the evaluation of

performance of such cooperatives in the best interest of the weaver members. This is the reason

the government has been supporting this industry through assistance called rebate subsidy.

Kumudha and Rizwana (2013) attempted to study the level of consumer awareness

about differenttypes of handloom products .The study was to examine the Handloom Industry is

the integral part of textile industry in our country. The demand and popularity of Indian

handloom has been growing not only in our country, but also around the world. The study

revealed that Handloom fabric has a unique character which other mill made or powerloom

fabric doesn’t have. The distinctiveness of handloom products compared with other mill made

cloths is not known to the customer. The study suggested that majority of the customers were

male and there is more scope to attract female population. This studyconcludes that consumers



are not very much aware about the handloom products and for that sufficientmeasures have to be

taken place in order to increase the awareness of handloom products.

Rayapatiraveendranadh (2013)conducted a study to understand theHandloom Market

(Need ForMarket Assessment, Problems & Marketing Strategy),Handloom is a traditional

product. Marketing and distribution system for handloom is also a conventional type. West

Bengal, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Manipur are the major

handloom states in India. The study revealed that the handloom sector is not only our past glory

but also it plays a vital role even in the context of present Indian economy. This sector accounts

for 18.4 percent of the total cloth product produced in the country (excluding clothes made of

wool, silk and spun yarn) and 15 percent of the total exports of the fabrics. Over 125 countries

are now buying handloom products from India. The study concludes that Government should

help in opening more outlet , exhibition and trade fair , loans to setup a shop subsidized the

products, relaxation on duties and taxes ,improve the marketing strategy , encourage the

mechanization ,special outlets ,implementation of the rules strictly ,outlets at village level / taluk

level , better technology for weavers at cheaper rates , discount , competitive customer service

etc ,

Nisha Rani and AnupamaBains (2014 )in their study about theconsumer behaviour

towards HandloomProducts in the state of Punjab & Haryana . The high quality of Indian

handloom products like Muslin of Chanderi, Silk brocades of Varanasi, Tie & dye products of

Rajasthan & Orissa, Chintas of Machhlipatnam, Himroos of Hyderabad, Kheses of Punjab,

Durries of Haryana, Prints of Farrukhabad, Phenek, Tongam& Bottle designs of Assam and

Manipur, Maheshwarisarees of Madhya Pradesh and the Patolasarees of Baroda are famous all

over. The study revealed that the quality and style of handloom products is attracting foreigners

and increasing their knowledge about Indian cultural heritage. In this study, Natural fibres like

cotton, wool, silk and jute are mainly used for making handloom products therefore handloom

products are eco-friendly. The study found that the customer perception towards handloom

products are medically good for skin and have Aesthetic sense. The use of handloom products is

effect swadeshi feelings and even the purchases of handloom products satisfy them.



3. Objectives of the Study

1) To study the level of customer awareness regarding handloom products.

2) To study the factors which influences the buying decision of handloom customers

3) To study the customers satisfaction towards handloom products.

4. Research Methodology

The present study has been conducted in Guntur District, one of the most important

handloom centers of Andhra Pradesh. The present study is descriptive in nature and is mainly

based on primary data. Structured questionnaire method was used as a main tool for collecting

the primary data. The questionnaire was designed in a methodical way of covering adequate

information in all facets of the study. The data pertaining to demographic profile of the

consumers, level of awareness of the handloom products, source of information of handloom

products, factors influencing customer buying behaviour and level of customer satisfaction are

collected through structured questionnaire. The required secondary data for the study was

collected from books, magazines, journals, newspapers and websites. For the present study, a

random sample of 200 customers from 6 different mandals in Guntur District are selected

using Stratified Random sampling technique. Graphical representation and Chi-Square

statistical analysis is applied using SPSS to derive the interpretations.



5. Tabulation and Graphical representation

Table No 1: Preference of the Handloom Products by the consumers

S No Description No. of Respondents Percentage

1 a. Sarees 47 23.5

2 b. Dhotis 4 2

3 c. Dress Material 11 5.5

4 d. Lungies 3 1.5

5 e. Towels 1 0.5

6 f. Shirting 19 9.5

7 g. Bed Sheets 1 0.5

8 h. Mosquito Nets 0 0

9 a. Sarees, b. Dhotis 5 2.5

10 a. Sarees, c. Dress Material 27 13.5

11 a. Sarees, d. Lungies 2 1

12 a. Sarees, e. Towels 6 3

13 a. Sarees, f. Shirting 6 3

14 a. Sarees, g. Bed Sheets 4 2

15 b. Dhotis, d. Lungies 3 1.5

16 b. Dhotis, e. Towels 6 3

17 b. Dhotis, f. Shirting 5 2.5

18 c. Dress Material, f. Shirting 3 1.5

19 d. Lungies, e. Towels 3 1.5

20 d. Lungies, f. Shirting 9 4.5

21 d. Lungies, g. Bed Sheets 1 0.5

22 e. Towels, f. Shirting 7 3.5

23 a. Sarees, b. Dhotis, d. Lungies 1 0.5

24 a. Sarees, c. Dress Material, d. Lungies 1 0.5

25 b. Dhotis, d. Lungies,f. Shirting 3 1.5

26 a. Sarees, e. Towels, f. Shirting 1 0.5

27 a. Sarees, c. Dress Material, f. Shirting 1 0.5

28 a. Sarees, c. Dress Material, g. Bed Sheets 3 1.5

29 a. Sarees, e. Towels, f. Shirting 1 0.5

30 b. Dhotis, d. Lungies, e.Towels 4 2

31 b. Dhotis, e. Towels, f. Shirting 3 1.5

32 c. Dress Material, e. Towels, f. Shirting 2 1

33 a. Sarees,d. Lungies,f. Shirting 2 1

34 d. Lungies, f. Shirting, h. Mosquito Nets 2 1

35 b. Dhotis,d. Lungies, e. Towels, f. Shirting 1 0.5

36 a. Sarees, b. Dhotis, c. Dress Material, e. Towels 1 0.5

37 c. Dress Material, d. Lungies, e.Towels,g. Bed Sheets 1 0.5

Total 200 100

Interpretation: The above table indicates that 23.5% of the respondents are preferring Sarees,

13.5% of the respondents are preferring Sarees and Dress material, 9.5% of the respondents are

preferring Shirting, 5.5% of the respondents are preferring only Dress material, 4.5% of the

respondents are preferring Lungies and Shirting etc.,



Table No 2: Source of awareness about handloom products


1 a. Sales personnel 73 36.5

2 b. Advertisements 20 10

3 c. Friends and relatives 61 30.5

4 d. Trade fairs / handloom exhibitions 41 20.5

5 a. Sales personnel, c. Friends and relatives 3 1.5

6 a. Sales personnel, d. Trade fairs / handloom exhibitions 2 1

Total 200 100

Graph No 1: Source of awareness about handloom products

Interpretation: The above table and graph indicates that 36.5% of the respondents are getting

handlooms awareness and information from the Sales personnel, 30.5% of the respondents are

getting handlooms awareness and information from the friends and relatives, 20.5% of the

respondents are getting handlooms awareness and information from the Trade fairs / handloom

exhibitions, 10% of the respondents are getting handlooms awareness and information from the

advertisements.

010203040

Source of awareness about handloom fabrics



Table No 3: Factors influencing the buying decision


1 a. Price 30 15

2 b. Quality 74 37

3 c. Location 7 3.5

4 d. Artisan skill 3 1.5

5 e. Comfort 23 11.5

6 a. Price, b. Quality 15 7.5

7 a. Price, c. Location 2 1

8 a. Price, d. Artisan skill 1 0.5

9 a. Price, e. Comfort 12 6

10 b. Quality, c. Location 8 4

11 b. Quality, d. Artisan skill 8 4

12 b. Quality, e. Comfort 14 7

13 a. Price, b. Quality, e. Comfort 3 1.5

Total 200 100

Graph No 2: Factors influencing the buying decision

Interpretation: The above table and graph indicates that 37% of the respondents in which

Quality is the base for their purchasing decision, 15% of the respondents in which Price is the

base for their purchasing decision, 11.5% of the respondents in which Comfort is the base for

their purchasing decision, 7.5% of the respondents in which Price and Quality are the base for

their purchasing decision.

0

10

20

30

40

Factors influencing the buying decision



Table No 4: Provocation of purchasing decision

Graph No 3: Provocation of purchasing decision

Interpretation: The above table and graph indicates that 62% of the respondents are Self

influenced to purchase the Handloom products, 17% of the respondents are influenced by their

parents to purchase the Handloom products, 9.5% of the respondents are influenced by their

friends to purchase the Handloom products and 5% of the respondents are influenced by the

spouse to purchase the Handloom products.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

a.Self b.Spouse c.Parents d.Children e.Friendsa.Self, b.Spousea.Self, d.Childrena.Self, e.Friendsa.Self, b.Spouse, c.Parents

Provocation of purchasing decision


1 a. Self 124 62

2 b. Spouse 10 5

3 c. Parents 34 17

4 d. Children 6 3

5 e. Friends 19 9.5

6 a. Self, b. Spouse 3 1.5

7 a. Self, d. Children 2 1

8 a. Self, e. Friends 1 0.5

9 a. Self, b. Spouse, c. Parents 1 0.5

Total 200 100



Table No 4: Level of customer satisfaction

Graph No 4: Level of customer Satisfaction

Interpretation: The above table and graph indicates that 42% of the respondents are satisfied

27.5% of the respondents are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 23% of the respondents are

highly satisfied, 5% of the respondents are dissatisfied and 2.5% of the respondents are highly

dissatisfied with the handloom products.

05

1015202530354045

Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral (Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied)

Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied

Level of customer satisfaction

S

No Description

No. of

Respondents Percentage

1 Highly satisfied 46 23

2 Satisfied 84 42

3

Neutral (Neither satisfied nor

dissatisfied) 55 27.5

4 Dissatisfied 10 5

5 Highly Dissatisfied 5 2.5

Total 200 100



6. Statistical Analysis and interpretations

Chi-Square Analysis:

The Chi-Square analysis is applied to test the consistency of the data. The Chi-Square analysis is

applied in this paper to test the consistency of the respondents opinions regarding awareness on

handloom products, factors influencing their buying behaviour, satisfaction levels.

The procedure for Chi-Square test for goodness of fit includes

Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference between the respondent opinions.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is a significant difference between the respondent

opinions.

The level of significance α = 0.05 or 0.01 or 0.1.

The Test Statistic

Where ei= ∑oi/n

If χ2

≤ χ2

α, Accept Null Hupthesis H0

If χ2

> χ2

α, Reject Null Hupthesis H0



6.1 Source of customer awareness about handloom fabrics

Null Hypothesis (H0): there is no significant difference among the various sources of customer

awareness regarding handloom products.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1): there is a significant difference among the various sources of

customer awareness regarding handloom products.

Calculations

Observed N

(Oi)

Expected

N(Ei)

Residual

Sales personnel 73 33.3 39.7

Advertisements 20 33.3 -13.3

Friends and relatives 61 33.3 27.7

Trade fairs / handloom exhibitions 41 33.3 7.7

Sales personnel, Friends and relatives 3 33.3 -30.3

Sales personnel, Trade fairs / handloom

exhibitions

2 33.3 -31.3

Total 200

Test Statistics

Source of awareness about

handloom fabrics

Chi-

Square(χ2)

134.320a

Df 5

Asymp. Sig. 0.05

Inference:

The calculated value of χ2 is 134.320, the critical value of χ

2α at 5 df is 11.07.

Since χ2> χ

2α, Reject the null hypothesis H0.

Hence, there is a significant difference among the various sources of customer awareness regarding

handloom products

6.2 Factors influencing the buying decision

Null Hypothesis (H0): there is no significant difference among the various factors which

influences the buying decision of handloom customers.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1): there is a significant difference among the various factors which



Inference:


2α at 12 df is 21.026,

Since χ2> χ


Hence, there is a significant difference among the various factors which influences the buying decision of

handloom customers.

6.2 Provocation of Purchasing decision

Null Hypothesis (H0): there is no significant difference among the various people who provocate

the purchasing decision of handloom customers.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1): there is a significant difference among the various people who

provocate the purchasing decision of handloom customers.

Calculations

Observed N (Oi) Expected N(Ei) Residual

Self 124 22.2 101.8

Spouse 10 22.2 -12.2

Parents 34 22.2 11.8

Children 6 22.2 -16.2

Friends 19 22.2 -3.2

Self, Spouse 3 22.2 -19.2

Self, Children 2 22.2 -20.2

Self, Friends 1 22.2 -21.2

Self, Spouse, Parents 1 22.2 -21.2

Total 200

Test Statistics

Provocation of Purchasing

decision

Chi-

Square(χ2)

566.980a

Df 8

Asymp. Sig. 0.05

Inference:


2α at 8 df is 15.507,

Since χ2> χ




Test Statistics

Level of Customer

Satisfaction

Chi-

Square(χ2)

108.050a

Df 4

Asymp. Sig. 0.05

Inference:


2α at 8 df is 9.488.

Since χ2> χ


Hence, there is a significant difference among the opinions of handloom customers towards their

satisfaction levels.

7. Analysis Summary

The statistical analysis can be summarized as

S.No Hypothesis and Relationship Test Critical

Value

(0.05)

Calculated

value

Verification

results

1 H0: there is no significant difference

among the various sources of customer

awareness regarding handloom products.

Chi-

Square

test

11.07 134.32 Reject H0


among the various factors which

influences the buying behavior of

handloom customers.

Chi-

Square

test

21.026 298.55 Reject H0


among the various people who provocate

the purchasing decision of handloom

customers.

Chi-

Square

test

15.507 566.98 Reject H0


among the opinions of handloom

customers towards their satisfaction levels.

Chi-

Square

test

9.488 108.05 Reject H0



8. Conclusions

The study reveals that consumers are not very much aware about the handloom products.

Major conclusions of the study are

Majority of the handloom customers are getting awareness on handloom products

through sales personnel, Friends & relatives followed by Trade fairs / handloom

exhibitions.

Quality is the major factor that influences the buying decision of handloom customers

followed by price, comfort etc..

Self decision is the major provocateurs which influences the purchasing decision of

handloom customers followed by the parents, friends and spouse etc..

Majority of the customers are opinioned that they are just satisfied with the handloom

products with respect to the quality, price, availability, durability, promotional activities

etc..

9. Suggestions

The study reveals that Majority of the handloom customers are getting awareness on

handloom products through sales personnel, Friends & relatives followed by Trade fairs

/ handloom exhibitions. Hence it is suggested the handloom traders, Cooperative

Societies and Master Weavers to focus more on advertising, sales promotion and other

promotional activities to provide more awareness on handloom products.

Quality is the major factor that influences the buying decision of handloom customers.

Hence it is suggested the weavers to maintain good quality and differentiate the

handloom products from the power loom and other mill made products.

To increase the level of customer satisfaction, thehandloom traders, Cooperative

Societies and Master Weavers must to focus on creating more awareness through

different medium of communication, improvement in quality, provision of discounts &

offers, Branding, after sale service, provision for online purchase, packaging etc..

It is suggested the weavers to Develop new variety of new handloom products to match

with all segments of customers and on par with the latest trends.

More awareness programmes has to conduct to differentiate the handloom products from

the power loom and other mill made products and also to increase the awareness among



the customers.

Finally the central, State and Local governments have to take the measures to protect the

handloom products from the power loom and other mill made products and also to assist

the weavers and traders by providing loans, subsidiarized raw materials, conducting

training programs, weaver welfare activities etc..

10. References

1. Malmarugan, D (2008) Influential power of word of mouth for purchase of sarees, Indian Journal

ofMarketing, Volume .38, Issue. 6 ,pp 50-58

2. Vaddi,S and Balakrishnaiah,B.(2009). Study Of Khadi And Handloom Industry of Andhra Pradesh, India-

Focus on marketing strategies and Consumerism, retrieved from

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16688873/Apkhadi-Handlooms

3. Agarwal ,S &Luniya,V. (2009).A Study On Awareness, Preferences &Buying Behaviour Of Women

Consumer Regarding Hand Woven Kota Doria Sari, International Referred Research Journal, Vol.(1 ),pp

115-117.

4. Jeyakodi ,K (2009,Febrauary ). Working of rebate scheme schemes in handloom cooperatives in

Tamilnadu., Tamilnadu Journal of cooperation,,pp55-59

5. Dr.a.kumudhaRizwana. M - “Consumer awareness about handloom products with special reference to

erode district”.Journal of marketing and consumer research - an open access international journal.vol

12013 Pp 17-21.

6. Rayapatiraveendranadh, -“Handloom Market (Need For Market Assessment, Problems & Marketing

Strategy)”, - international journal of emerging research in management &technology. Volume-2, issue-

5.May 2013. Pp 6-11.

7. Nisha Rani and AnupamaBainsDr.“Consumer Behaviour Towards Handloom Products In The State Of

Punjab & Haryana”, International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences,

2014, Vol. 3.

8. Kumar, P.M, Sultana, S and Pillai, M, K (2010). Strategies to Improve Sales of Handloom Products with

Special Reference to Punducherry, Tecnia Journal of Management Studies ,Vol. 4 , No.2 , pp. 16-25

9. Dr. Rizwana. M ,International Journal of Business and Administration Research Review, 2015,Vol 2

,No10, P 56.

10. Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane Keller, “ Marketing Management”, Prentice Hall; 12 edition (January 1, 2006)

11. David L. Loudon & Albert J. Della Bitta, “Consumer Behaviour”, McGraw-Hill, 2009.

12. M. Khan, “Consumer Behaviour”, new age international publications, 2015,

13. Michael R.Solomon, “Consumer Behaviour - Buying, Having, and Being”, Prentice Hall; 10 edition

(January 6, 2012)

14. MeenuAgarwal, “Consumer Behaviour and Rural Marketing in India”, New Century Publications, 1st

Edition 2009.

15. http://www.handlooms.nic.in

16. http://www.thehandloomschool.org

17. http://www.aphandtex.gov.in

18. http://www.apcofabrics.com

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