Impact of perceived quality on brand choice : a case of bottled drinking water in Nairobi

Abstract

A century ago, most companies were small and knew their customers firsthand. As companies became national or international in scope the marketing environment became more dynamic; customers became `delicate', sensitive and selective in their shopping trip. Given such a prevailing situation, there is need for firms to chat a route way of understanding their customer's needs and buying characteristics as they concentrate in building brand equity for their products. This will form the basis for winning and keeping customers. This study seeks to investigate how the various perceived qualities of bottled drinking water influences the customer's choice. The objective of this study is to establish the impact perceived quality has on brand choice of bottled drinking water in Nairobi. Chapter one gives the background to the study with respect to impact of perceived quality on brand choice. This is discussed in relation to the origin and growth of bottled drinking water industry. The chapter states the problem under investigation, the objectives to be achieved in the course of the study and the research questions that will be used to achieve these objectives. This chapter also highlights the significance of carrying out this study, and the scope and limitations of the study. Chapter two, deals with relevant literature on perceived quality. Chapter three focuses on the research methodology to be used to make this study successful. It describes the research design, the target population, the sample and sampling design, research instruments, pre-testing, data collection procedure, and data analysis.