Preference of Global Shampoo Brands: A Study on Women Consumers ()
1. Introduction
Consumers worldwide are concerned about their hair care, nutrition, health, and lifestyle. Considering hair care is a crucial part of people’s daily beauty routines, consumers have started experimenting with innovative and higher-end products, persuading numerous global brands to grab a solid hold in their shopping baskets (Dutta & Nath, 2019). Bangladeshi consumers are no different from the global trend in increased beauty care as a part of awareness and health consciousness. Also, global beauty care product consumption and sales in Bangladesh are progressively increasing due to the tax drop (Mordor Intelligence, 2022). A shampoo is a common hair care item, generally in the form of a viscous liquid, primarily used to clean hair. Natural shampoo and regular shampoo are two broad segments of the shampoo market in Bangladesh. The distribution channels used in the shampoo market are supermarkets, convenience stores, online retailers, and other retailers. The critical drivers of the shampoo market are increasing customer concern about their appearance, increasing product innovations, growing men’s grooming shampoos, and the growing demand for natural and organic shampoos. According to Mordor Intelligence (2022), the Bangladeshi shampoo market is projected to record a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% from 2022 to 2027. Bangladeshi people have become more health-conscious and are willing to spend more on herbal and medicated shampoos than chemical ones. Therefore, the emerging trend of herbal and medicated shampoos, along with other natural ingredients, is one of the crucial factors in the market. Furthermore, over the years, the increasing internet service coverage has significantly improved the availability of web-based and online services, resulting in many new entries into the market. As a result, the local and multinational key players are experiencing increased competition in the shampoo market despite their very smart shampoo sachets. Moreover, the companies have launched more brand-new variants of natural, hijab-fresh, and male-grooming shampoos. This competitive situation in the industry has created a significant challenge in creating new customers and retaining existing ones (Shrivastava & Bisen, 2014). Because of this, it is essential to figure out what makes customers choose one shampoo product over another.
The key challenge for global shampoo marketers is to identify how consumers form their perceptions of the shampoo brands and what influences their preferences that companies offer. Moreover, women’s shampoo consumers are very concerned about hygienic beauty practices and hair care (Bhimani & Patra, 2015). Bangladeshi society is becoming critical in buying a global brand because of a large variety of product offers. The abundance of shampoo brands on the market makes the producers compete to create more value for the customers (Ida & Hidayati, 2020). Shampoo consumers prefer a brand considering a variety of factors. The previous literature depicts that consumers prefer a shampoo brand for product quality (Ida & Hidayati, 2020; Vijayalakshmi & Gurumoorthy, 2019; Firmansyah, 2019), product’s functional characteristics, and advantages (Vijayalakshmi & Gurumoorthy, 2019; Bhimani & Patra, 2015), brand image and company reputation (Das, 2020; Dewi, Edyanto, & Siagian, 2020), affordable price (Thapa, 2012; Gopalsamy, Sannasi, & Ganapathi, 2011), advertisement, sales promotion, special offers, and references (Firmansyah, 2019; Vijayalakshmi & Manimozhy, 2018), availability in the market (Indirapriyadharshini & Thilagavathi, 2018), attractive packaging and variety of sizes (Thapa, 2012; Gopalsamy et al., 2011), alluring aroma (Rahman & Kazi, 2013; Gopalsamy et al., 2011), and fashion and status (Das, 2020; Thilgavathi & Indirapriyadharshini, 2019). However, what factors are considered by Bangladeshi shampoo consumers to choose a global shampoo brand is unknown.
Marketing scholars investigated shampoo brand preferences for both male and female consumers in different countries or regions. However, most of the studies on shampoo consumer behavior were carried out on the female consumers’ global shampoo brand preferences in different countries, such as in India (Das, 2020; Dutta & Nath, 2019; Khare & Ali, 2018; Vijayalakshmi & Gurumoorthy, 2019; Thilgavathi & Indirapriyadharshini, 2019; Indirapriyadharshini & Thilagavathi, 2018; Vijayalakshmi & Manimozhy, 2018; Kaboor & Poornima, 2017; Thiyagaraj, 2015; Bhimani & Patra, 2015; Shrivastava & Bisen, 2014; Gopalsamy et al., 2011; Venkateswaran, 2011; Ragavendran, Devakumar, & Upadhyay, 2009; Vinayagamoorthy, 2007), in Indonesia (Dewi et al., 2020; Ida & Hidayati, 2020; Firmansyah, 2019), and Lebanon (Zbib, Wooldridge, Ahmed, & Benlian, 2010). However, to the authors’ knowledge, no recent study has been done on Bangladesh’s perspective on the customer preferences of global shampoo brands. Therefore, the paper aims to determine customer preferences in purchasing global shampoo brands in Bangladesh.
This exploratory study is based on primary data collected from women shampoo consumers in Bangladesh’s two largest cities (Dhaka and Chittagong). A sample of 390 women shampoo consumers were surveyed with a structured questionnaire containing nine influencing factors, including product quality, product functionality, brand image, affordable price, advertisement and sales promotion, availability in the market, attractive packaging, alluring aroma, and fashion and status in selecting the global shampoo brands in their purchasing decision process. Bangladeshi women shampoo users commonly use seven reputed global brands, and no significant difference was found in the choice of different shampoo brands. However, among the nine factors examined, product functionality, brand image, quality, and price are the most critical factors that Bangladeshi customers consider when purchasing global shampoo brands. The study’s results have important policy implications for global marketers, who can use them to change how they set their strategic priorities to increase customer loyalty and keep customers so that they can make more money and grow the market.
The second section reviews the recent literature focusing on the factors influencing the preferences of global shampoo brands. The third section describes the methodology of the study, including sample selection, data collection, measurement, and analytical tools. Section four presents the data analysis and study results. Section five provides a discussion of the results. In the last part, Section six concludes the paper constituting a summary of the study’s results, policy implications, study limitations, and future directions for research.
2. Literature Review
Generally, consumers’ decision-making process, buying patterns, purchasing behavior, the brands they buy, or the retailers they visit influence their purchase decisions. Also, consumers are influenced by their cultures, subcultures, social classes, membership groups, family, personality, and psychological factors (Ramya & Ali, 2016). In this paper, the research was looked at with a focus on what makes shampoo buyers do what they do.
Dutta and Nath (2019) investigated India to discover the essential characteristics of customers’ shampoo buying behavior that influence customers’ purchasing perceptions and behavioral preferences of shampoo brands. Likewise, another research on the determining elements that change consumers’ shampoo purchasing motives in India found that rural clients choose a shampoo brand to consider quality, functionality, dependability, and other essential factors (Vijayalakshmi & Gurumoorthy, 2019). Furthermore, Ida and Hidayati (2020) examined the impact of brand image and product quality on purchasing decisions, revealing that brand image and product quality substantially impact purchasing decisions. Also, Vijayalakshmi & Manimozhy (2018) argued that South-Indian shampoo consumers buy shampoo products for quality, brand image, and special offers. Finally, Ragavendran et al. (2009) also looked at how well-known brands are now and found that consumers have high expectations for quality, benefits, and packaging.
A study by Bhimani and Patra (2015) concluded that consumers are biased by television in their shampoo brand preference and buying decision-making process. On the other hand, advertising and product quality are the critical factors that induce consumers’ shampoo brand choice and purchasing motivation, either separately or concurrently (Firmansyah, 2019). Similarly, Shrivastava and Bisen (2014) examined many elements that drive consumers to purchase a specific brand of shampoo and found that advertising has a substantial impact on customers’ minds. However, in a study, Venkateswaran (2011) examined the impact of advertising on shampoo consumers’ brand preference and loyalty and found that brand image is the most influential factor in brand preference instead of advertising. Conversely, Dewi et al. (2020) proposed that brand ambassador and image significantly affect the consumer’s shampoo purchasing decision. Previous research and investigations found a significant link between educational qualifications and brand preferences (Kaboor & Poornima, 2017). According to Zbib et al. (2010), the country of origin of shampoo is also considered a significant determinant that affects Lebanese customers’ purchasing intent, who are motivated by either benefits or pleasures. Das (2020), on the other hand, conducted a study utilizing the perceptual mapping approach, which identified the efficiency of brand positioning strategies and the customers’ perceptions and traits that influence their purchase behavior toward different shampoo brands. The results showed that the positioning of these brands significantly impacts consumers’ purchasing decisions. Irabatti and Irabatti (2013) concluded that gender, worthiness, aroma, pricing, features, attributes, quality, and the potential to prevent hair fall are the essential factors for shampoo users’ satisfaction. Indirapriyadharshini & Thilagavathi (2018) show that women customers are satisfied with a shampoo brand with its brand image and vast availability in the market. In another study, Vinayagamoorthy (2007) found that Indian shampoo consumers prefer brands that are most available in the market, of high quality, and at a minimum price. Also, the study of Gopalsamy et al. (2011) reveals that Indian women shampoo consumers consider product quality, cost, perfume, and wrapping in their buying decisions.
Moreover, an investigation of university students’ shampoo purchasing behavior examined that price, accessibility, and wrapping significantly impact shampoo purchasing motives and brand switching behavior among undergraduate and graduate students (Thapa, 2012). However, according to their study on consumer expectations from shampoo companies, Rahman and Kazi (2013) pointed out that hair cleansing was the most favored expectation of customers, while scent and moistness were also cited as desired reasons. Also, according to a study by Kumar (2011), celebrity traits are likely to impact shampoo consumers’ buying intentions, and businesses employ celebrity endorsers to affect customer buying decisions to boost sales volume. Furthermore, a study by Jamal and Goode (2001) suggested that self-image product image congruity (also known as self-image congruence) can influence consumers’ shampoo brand choices and purchase intentions, according to a publication where desired attitudes and opinions toward products can also be encouraged by self-image congruence. Finally, Thilgavathi and Indirapriyadharshini (2019) found that consumers buy shampoo products that look good and stylish, enhancing their image and modern lifestyles.
Therefore, many scholars have concentrated on the determinants of consumers’ selection of shampoo brands. Table 1 summarizes the influential factors and relevant studies on shampoo consumers’ behavior.
3. Methodology
3.1. Sample Selection
A quantitative research design was adopted, and primary research was conducted in the two largest cities in Bangladesh, Dhaka, and Chittagong, where the global shampoo brands are available. The primary objective of the paper is to investigate the preferences of global shampoo brands in the Bangladeshi market. The study has selected the women customers who decide on their shampoo brands to buy or use. In Bangladesh, the most available international shampoo brands are Dove, Sun silk, Clinic Plus, Pentene Pro V, All Clear, Head & Shoulder, and L’Oréal Paris originated from the US, UK, India, Switzerland, Italy, US, and France consecutively. These seven reputed global shampoo brands were considered into investigation. Also, the study considered the age group of the respondents between 18 and 60 years of age. The convenience sampling that
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Table 1. Summary of literature review.
forms a part of the non-probability sampling technique has been applied to carry out the research (Roberts-Lombard, 2002). This study has adopted because the entire population frame was unavailable for the survey to execute the study by selecting a sample of 390 respondents (Bhimani & Patra, 2015). The non-probability (convenience) sampling method was used in many similar studies (for example Rahman & Chowdhury, 2022a; Rahman & Chowdhury, 2022b; Rahman & Sultana, 2022; Mokhlis, Mat, & Salleh, 2008). The minimum sample size at a 95 percent confidence level was calculated as 384, assuming that the population size is larger or more than 1,000,000 (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009: pp. 218-219; Malhotra & Dash, 2016: p. 279). Therefore, the sample size of 390 is adequate to carry out the study.
3.2. Questionnaire Design and Data Collection
A structured questionnaire was prepared through Google Forms to collect data on the variables relating to the determinants of female customers in purchasing and using global shampoo brands. The questionnaire was divided into two sections. The first section of the questionnaire consists of multiple-choice questions regarding the respondent’s demographic information, including age group, occupation, educational background, income level, and shampoo consumption behaviors. The second section of the questionnaire includes questions on determining factors of customer preferences in purchasing shampoo brands. All factors were adopted from the previous studies and pilot surveys. A set of questions was asked to the respondents about each of the nine determining factors of customer preferences in purchasing shampoo brands, including product quality, product price, brand image, availability in the market, product packaging, promotion and references, aroma, fashion and status, and product functionality and advantages.
The questionnaires were prepared in two versions of languages: English and Bengali. Before administering the questionnaire, it was screened, and a pilot test was conducted by sending the questionnaire to ten female colleagues to assess appropriateness, flexibility, and grammatical errors. Then, considering the feedback from the pilot survey, the questionnaire was scrutinized and rearranged to be devoid of irrelevant issues. Afterward, questionnaires were sent to 500 women shampoo customers who reside in Dhaka and Chittagong cities in Bangladesh. Finally, 390 responses were received within the deadline and considered for analysis.
3.3. Measurement and Analysis
The demographic information of women shampoos customers is collected to investigate how their demographic characteristics influence their purchasing behavior. The demographic characteristics of shampoo customers are presented by measuring the frequency, percentage, and cumulative numbers. Answers to the questions in the second section were measured on a five-level Likert Scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree. The study analyzed the answer ratings using the statistical tools: mean and standard deviation. The mean scores indicate the degree of influence of factors on customer preferences in purchasing decisions of shampoo brands or the significance of the factors. The standard deviation indicates how dispersed the data is concerning the mean. Finally, the determining factors were ranked according to their mean scores, indicating that the higher mean is the higher significance of the determinant.
3.4. Validity and Reliability
The data were collected using the Google Form survey application, where the questionnaires were filled with due diligence. The following settings were done in the Google Form to ensure the high reliability and validity of the data: 1) the form was set to anonymous, 2) respondents’ answers were strictly private, 3) the response could not be resubmitted once submitted, and 4) all questions were mandatory to obtain a complete data set in every submission. Finally, the online questionnaire was sent to the respondents after cross-checking everything.
Nine factors that affect global shampoo brand preference were examined. First, the valid questionnaire data were collected, and then the reliability and validity of the measurement scale were analyzed. Finally, the reliability and validity of the information on the measurement scale were tested by calculating Cronbach’s Alpha.
where
K = Number of items
Vi = Variance of each item
Vt = Total variance
In the study total of nine factors were measured. The Cronbach’s α of the survey results was >0.667, indicating that the questionnaire had certain credibility in the study.
4. Results
Most of the time, the choice or use of shampoo brands by women also depends on the type of their individual preferences. Therefore, the study analyzed the demographic characteristics of women to determine the psychological aspects of using different global shampoo brands. Along with demographic information, the study looked at what users look for in a shampoo brand and how they feel about it.
4.1. Demographic Characteristics of Shampoo Consumers
As an essential part of the investigation, Table 2 depicts the demographic characteristics of female consumers. Three hundred ninety female shampoo consumers participated in this study, where the majority were aged 21 - 30 years and 31 - 40 years, with 37.18% and 31.28%, respectively. Only six women over 61 years old participated in this study, which is the least in number compared to other age groups. Among the participants, 65.64% were married, and the rest, 34.36%, were single. Regarding educational qualifications, more than half of the study respondents (52.56%) had graduate and postgraduate degrees, and 36.67% of respondents had undergraduate degrees. On the other hand, only 9.74% of respondents held HSC, and 1.03% had SSC as their highest educational qualification. When it comes to jobs, 46.67% of the people who took part in the study were students, which is the highest number compared to private employees (22.05%), housewives (14.62%), government employees (11.79%), professionals (2.82%), and businesswomen (2.05%).
Also, the study found that almost half of the consumers (49.74%) have a monthly income of less than BDTk.20,000. Moreover, 18.97% of respondents have a monthly income of BDTk.40,000 to 50,000, 17.44% of participants have a monthly income of BDTk.30,000 to 40,000, and 9.23% of respondents earn more than BDTk.50,000. The demographic data on female shampoo users also revealed the preferences and choices of different brands for daily use. Table 1 shows that a maximum number of participants (23.60%) use Clinic Plus shampoo, and the second most (18.97%) use Sunsilk shampoo. Almost the same number of consumers use Head & Shoulder (14.10%) and Pentene Prov (14.87%) shampoo brands. The rest of the shampoo brand preferences are Dove (11.79%), All Clear (6.92%), L’Oréal Paris (5.90%), and other brands (3.85%) respectively.
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Table 2. Customers’ demographic information.
4.2. Factors Influencing Shampoo Brand Preferences
The study has worked on nine critical factors such as functionality and advantages, brand image, quality, price, advertisement and references, aroma, availability, packaging, and fashion and status that influence the choice of shampoo users. Table 3 illustrates these factors with their mean scores and standard deviations. The mean scores show how important each factor is, and the standard deviation shows how far away the data is from the mean.
Based on the data provided by the participants and their mean scores, it is found that Bangladeshi women customers give the most priority and importance to functionality and advantages (4.2103), brand image (4.1513), quality (4.1359), and price (4.1282) when purchasing a global shampoo brand. On the other hand, results show that advertising and references (3.8949), aroma (3.7077), availability (3.6359), packaging (3.4026), and fashion and status (3.2333) are considered relatively less significant in shampoo brand selection.
5. Discussion
The results of the study revealed that among the nine factors of functionality and advantages, brand image, quality, and price are found to be relatively more influential in shampoo brand choice. Furthermore, in terms of the mean scores, the functionality and advantages of a shampoo brand are seen as the most significant to consumers when they decide to buy and use a shampoo brand. The functionality and advantages of a shampoo brand include avoiding hair loss,
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Table 3. Factors affecting customer preference of global shampoo brands.
preventing dandruff, being suitable for hair, softening hair, hair growth, no rough hair, vitamins, easy to rinse, and removing oil and dirt. Similarly, Ragavendran et al. (2009) and Bhimani and Patra (2015) claimed that consumers prefer and select shampoo brands according to their benefits and performances. Brand image has also been shown to be the second most influential factor in this study. The brand reflects the producer’s promise to consumers regarding the products’ quality (Ida & Hidayati, 2020), and the brand image is an impression in the consumers’ minds generated by the brand. Many researchers such as Dewi et al. (2020), Ida and Hidayati (2020), and Vijayalakshmi and Manimozhy (2018) have also shown the same results that brand name and brand image strongly influence and encourage consumers’ shampoo purchase decisions. The third important factor that emerged in this study is the quality that consumers consciously consider when choosing and using shampoo brands. Other investigators include Ida and Hidayati (2020), Vijayalakshmi and Manimozhy (2018), Ragavendran et al. (2009), and Firmansyah (2019) have also proved that the quality of shampoo brands is a significant criterion for shampoo users before purchasing their shampoo products. Moreover, Bangladeshi shampoo users also significantly consider price when choosing a global brand. Vijayalakshmi and Gurumoorthy (2019) also emphasized the price factor in their research on consumers’ purchasing behavior toward shampoo brands. However, shampoo users in this study rated advertisements and references, aroma, availability, packaging, and fashion and status as slightly less significant in their shampoo choices. Conversely, Firmansyah (2019), Shrivastava and Bisen (2014), and Bhimani and Patra (2015) claim that advertising helps consumers make shampoo choices and encourages first and repeat use of the product. Furthermore, some studies have shown that consumers prefer packet size, mostly mini bottles or packets when purchasing shampoo products.
6. Conclusion, Implication, Limitation, and Future Work
The cosmetic market is one of the leading markets in Bangladesh, which has witnessed a changing consumer preference over the last two decades due to the increase in awareness, lifestyle, and income level. Bangladesh’s shampoo and cosmetic markets are very developed and highly fragmented regarding the number of suppliers, brands, and trade channels. Many shampoo brands are available on retail shelves, where international brands grab the lion’s share of the market. The study aimed to investigate the determinants of Bangladeshi women’s preferences in purchasing global shampoo brands. The consumers’ demographic information revealed the preferences and choices of global shampoo brands such as Dove, Sun silk, Head & Shoulder, Clinic Plus, Pentene Prov, All Clear, and L’Oréal Paris. The study results show no significant difference in the choice of different shampoo brands. Overall, the study’s findings indicate that Bangladeshi women customers significantly consider brand image, functionality, quality, and price when buying a global shampoo brand.
The result of the study will provide some critical insights into the concerning bodies. Firstly, the study’s empirical results were conducted on the factor of customer retention of global shampoo brands that will assist international marketers in planning and executing their market strategy from time to time in Bangladesh. Secondly, the study’s findings will provide insight to regulators, practitioners, marketers, and stakeholders to build a sustainable growth model for the shampoo industry in developing countries like Bangladesh. Finally, this study’s results will also be helpful to future investigators and academicians particularly interested in this area of research.
The study has two limitations. Firstly, the data was collected from two largest cities in Bangladesh (Dhaka and Chittagong) for the authors’ convenience because the global shampoo brand users are mostly available in these two cities. Secondly, the study was conducted only on women, and the collected data depicts that approximately 70% of the respondents belong to the age group of 21 to 40 years.
This research was done on the preferences of global shampoo brands, particularly among women consumers. However, male consumers in different age groups of shampoo users in Bangladesh would be an important area of research. Also, research can be carried out on the purchasing behavior of a particular consumer group in the buying process of local and international shampoo brands.