ABSTRACT

This research work empirically examines the effect of product quality on consumer brand loyality with particular reference to seven 7up  bottling company Aba. The paper carefully examines the concept of product quality as a tool for consumers brand loyality. Questionnaires were drawn and administered to manufacturing personnel of 7up bottling company consumers of 7up products in Aba. Population of 400 was drawn and a sample size of 50% of the population (200) was employed. Analyzing the answer giving from the research question and testing hypothesis with the chi-square are statistical techniques the  researcher work therefore concluded from the summary that quality product have positive effect on consumer’s brand loyality and product quality increase the demand of 7up product by the consumers. The paper made some finding which include product quality insure repeat purchase of a product which leads to consumer’s brand loyality. The conclusion drawn from finding include, the management of 7up bottling company should lay more emphasis on product quality in order to gain consumer’s brand loyality in there organization. Base on the deduction made from the finding recommendation is therefore, company should always remain focused on product quality in order to ensure consumer brand loyality. 

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

                The changes in the Income of consumers and Improvement in their standard of living with increasing choice of people,  have led to the development of marketing opportunities and product quality development in the business s world.  In a bid to satisfy the consumers, producers, develop new products to meet the changing needs of the consumes. But a the market grows and expands, especially, due to the presence of numerous competitors, the need for product  quality becomes an utmost concern to organizations  in order to retain and attract consumes.

                Product quality and development is an important function of business enterprises. This is because products that were satisfactory to consumers yesterday might not be satisfactory to them today.

                Furthermore, if the product quality is satisfactory to consumer the product  is likely to command higher profit margin  and consumer brand loyalty. In the past, many company’s took customers for granted because the customer may not have had alternative sources of supply or the market was growing so fast that the company did not worry about satisfying and retaining its customers, neither are they concern on developing product quality. This is not longer the case; things have changed in today’s marketing environment.

                Kotler (1999): noted that today’s customers are harder and difficult to please. They are smarter, more price and quality conscious, more demanding, less for giving and they are been approached by more competitors with equally or better offers.

Thus, The challenges in today’s market is on product quality in order to retain and maintain consumers loyalty on our product.

                Company to study the effect of its product quality in retaining and maintaining consumer loyalty on her various  brands of product.

1.1.1          PROFILE OF SEVEN7 UP BOTTLING COMPANY PLC, ABA

The chairman of Seven Up Bottling Company came to Nigeria in the year 1929 on October 1st 1960 at Ijora Lagos and grant total  of fourteen cases of Seven up drinks the same day and was  at  Ibadan in 1981, another one in 1980 at Aba, 1989 at Kaduna and finally in Benin 1994.

                The  Aba Plant  which was opened 1980 is  located  at Ogor-Hil, Seven up bottling Company Plc bottling company Plc deal on soft drinks such as  Seven up ,Pepsi Cola, Mirinda, Mountain Dew,  Mirinda Soda, Team lemon etc.

                The Plant has more than five hundred (500) employees which include male and females workers.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

7Up Bottling Company is noted as one of the major soft drinks producers in Nigeria, marketing various brands ,such as Pepsi, 7u,Mirinda, soda water, Mountain dew,  and Teem. In spite of all these range of products, the company has not yet  made the mark as the leader in the soft drink Industry in Nigeria.

                In an oral interview with some staff and distributors of  seven up bottling company, we noted that Nigeria Bottling company prodders of the famous coca-Cola remains the market leader of soft drink Industry and major competitors of 7 up bottling company.

                The emergency of other  soft drink  producers, such as Faroz, Limca etc has compounded the problem of 7up co-operate goal to be the market leader in the soft drink Industry.  In an interview with some distributors of 7up bottling company, we noted that the major problem of 7up bottling company is the existence of competing brands especially coca-cola which is regarded   to be of higher quality by some consumers than 7up product. In other words, this study would attempt to find out if consumer brand loyalty is based on product quality or not.

1.3  OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

                Great  Importance has been attached to  product quality in retaining and maintaining consumer’s loyalty. In view of this, this study is aimed at:

i.                     Evaluating the effect of product quality in retaining and maintaining consumers brand loyalty with a special emphasis on 7up bottling company, Aba.

ii.                    Examining the effect of product quality on the demand of 7up products.

iii.                  Deterring the acceptability of product quality as an important marketing strategy adopted by the company.

iv.                  Making some recommendations towards the profitability of product quality as a  strategy in retiring and gaining market  share in the midst of severe competitions.

1.4  RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In carrying out this research, some research questions will be answered and this research questions will aid in formulation of the hypothesis. The questions are as follows:

i.                     Dos product  quality have  a positive  effect on consumer  brand loyalty?

ii.                    Does product quality increase the demand of a product?

iii.                  IS product quality always embarked upon when there are severe competitors in the market?

1.5   RESEARCH  HYPOTHESES

In the course of this study, the following hypotheses will be tested.

Ho1:          product quality does not have any positive effect on         consumer brand loyalty.

HA1:          Product quality has positive effect on consumer brand     loyalty.

HO2:         Product quality does not  increase the demand o a            product by  the consumer.

HA2:         product quality increase the demand of a product by        the consumer.

HO3:         product quality is not always embarked upon when            there are severe competitors in the market.

HA3:         Product quality is always embarked upon when there        is severe competition in the market.

1.6  SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The importance and benefits to be derived from this study are enormous and are  outlined  below:

1.           This study prepares me for the tasks ahead in deterring the effect of pro duct quality on consumers brand loyalty.

2.         This study is important  to me  because it serve as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of higher National Diploma (HND).

3.          This  study would assist companies especially the 7up Bottling company to examine the cost involved and  the benefits derived from product quality in order to ascertain if they should continue with the strategy of product quality in order to gain consumer’s brand loyalty and a larger marketer share in the soft drink industry.

4.           This study is designed to find out or ascertain what parentage of the consumers are buying 7up product as a result of its product quality.

5.         It is hoped that the result of this study will encourage manufacturers and institution that might not have used product quality cum product development as a  strategy or tool  to gain consumer brand loyalty to do so.

6.         This study will be beneficial to individual, business organizations, Institutions, manufacturers, and government officials etc who wish to know the effect of product quality on consumer brand loyalty.

7.          This study will serve as a source of secondary data to researcher in field of product quality, product development and consumer behaviour.

1.7  DEFINITION TERMS

7UP BOTTLING COMPANY:  A legally register business s name licensed to produce soft drinks in Nigeria.

ABA: A commercial Town in Abia  State of Nigeria.

BRAND: A name, term, sign, symbol, design or combination of these,  intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of seller and to differentiated them from those of competitions.

BRAND LOYALTY: The feeling of trust and satisfaction that make a customer always buys the same brand of product.

CASE STUDY: A true or invented business situation used in business training to practice decision making.

COMPANY:  legally registered Business  ventures

CONSUMER:  A person or company  who buys and uses goods and services.

EFFECT: A result of something

PRODUCT: Anything that can be offered to  a market  for attention, acquisition ,  use or  consumption that might satisfy a want or need.

QUALITY: What something is like or how good or bad  a product is.

CO-OPERATE GOAL: Top management set  objective/target.

MARKET  SHARE: The percentage of a total market which the sales of a company  product cover.

INDUSTRY: A group of companies making  the same type of product  or  offering the same  types of  services.

PROMOTIONAL TOOLS: materials used in promotion  e.g display material and sales  literature.