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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 10 Number 02 (2021) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2021.1002.042 Impact Analysis of Developed Information Package for Consumers Madhuri Kulkarni* and Veena Bhalerao College of Community Science, VNMKV, Parbhani, (M.S.), India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Keywords Consumer, Information package, Awareness Impact analysis Article Info Accepted: 14 January 2021 Available Online: 10 February 2021 The research entitled "Impact Analysis of Developed Information Package for Consumers" was carried out in various schools and among group of consumers through exhibitions followed by lectures, interactive sessions and skits. A survey among randomly selected school students and adult consumers (100 each) was conducted before introducing an information package to consumers and after 8 to 10 days gap of intervention programme to assess the impact of information package on awareness of consumers regarding selected aspects of consumerism. Feedback of selected consumers on utility perception of the developed consumer information package and different modes of dissemination adopted were studied after intervention programme. Statistical analysis with the help of 'Z' test was carried out for testing the significance of information package to consumers. It is concluded from the study that the information package containing informative charts, small skits, lectures and street shows on consumer issues was effective in creating awareness among consumers. Retention of information was more among school children. Consumers perceived that the consumer information package was informative, useful, effective, self-explanatory and easy to understand. Exhibition in combination of lecture and interactive session were expressed as best mode of instruction for disseminating information on consumer issues by school children and adult consumers. buys or uses any kind of product or services. He/she creates a demand for a variety of goods and services. Swami Vivekananda believed that the consumer is the king of the market who can purchase anything from anywhere (Seetharaman and Sethi, 2002). Introduction Any person who buys or uses goods and services is a consumer. Every person is a consumer in one or the other way. According to Dhillon et al., (1997), the consumer is the final buyer and user of goods and services for the satisfaction of his or her wants. Consumer is a person who buys goods and services to be used or consumed by herself or by someone else on behalf of the buyer. Goods may include both consumable items and durable consumer goods. A consumer is anyone who Indian market have been witnessing several changes with an increase in variety of goods and commodities. With the immense competition and high technology development there are many products before the consumer which demands knowledge. 358 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 With the advancement in science and technology, the market is flooded with variety of products and selling schemes to attract the buyers that makes the decision making process difficult for the consumer to buy a product from the market. They face problems regarding quality, product range, and prices of the goods available in the market (Singh and Gandhi, 2009). Materials and Methods Sample selection A sample for the research entitled " Impact Analysis of Developed Information Package for Consumers " comprised 200 consumers from Parbhani town 100 each of school going students and adult consumers involved in buying activity. The consumer needs and demands continuously change and development of technology has given rise to multiplicity of brands. The consumer may not be aware of all of them and also finds it difficult to evaluate every possible alternative and therefore, considers only a limited subset of all elements. (Mukherjee and Ghosh, 1996). At this situation there is a strong need of consumer education regarding various aspects of consumerism. Majority of the consumers in remote areas and rural areas are exploited by unlawful trade practices of the marketers due to poor knowledge and lack of education (Devi and Kalita, 2020). A study conducted by Sundaram and Balaramlingam (2012) indicated that women consumers from Vellore city showed low level of awareness about consumer rights. The main reason was their low education and socioeconomic status. A consumer must take certain precautions during purchase of the product. Whenever there is some defect in goods the traders and manufacturers blame each other but none of them provides any relief to consumers. a protective mechanism is operative for consumers but consumer do not have exact knowledge. This scenario necessitates that education and awareness regarding various aspects related to consumerism must be inculcated among all consumers. Consumer awareness is a need of present day. Hence an attempt in this study was made to develop an information package for consumers and assessing the impact of developed package in creating awareness among consumers Interview schedule A pre structured interview schedule was used to collect the information about demographic variables and existing buying practices followed by selected school children and adult consumers. Assessment of consumer awareness Awareness of consumers regarding selected aspects of consumerism was assessed on consumer awareness scale developed by Murali et al., (2006). The scale consisted 5 aspects of consumerism such as Food Adulteration, Deceptive and Misleading Advertisements, Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, Sales Promotion Techniques and Legal Protection. The scale comprised 10 questions with options of wrong and correct answers under each aspect of consumerism. Rating of wrong answer was zero and correct answer was one. Assigned awareness score was sum of total responses rated under each aspect of consumerism. This information was collected by administering these scales to selected group of consumers to know the existing level of consumer awareness on these aspects. Developing an information package for consumers After assessing the existing awareness score of selected consumers a need based 359 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 information package consisting set of informative charts, folders and skits on various consumer issues was developed.. Following formula was used to assess the significance of information package on awareness of selected consumers. Impact analysis of developed information package M1-M2 „Z‟= --------------------------------(SD1)2 + (SD2)2 Developed information package was disseminated through exhibitions followed by lectures, skits and interactive sessions in various schools and among the selected group of consumers -------------------n Where, M1 = Mean value of group 1 M2 = Mean value of group 2 SD1 = Standard deviation of group 1 SD2 = Standard deviation of group 2 n = Sample size A survey of selected school students and adult consumers with same scales was conducted after 8 to 10 days gap of intervention programme to assess the impact of information package on awareness of consumers. Results and Discussion Feedback of consumers General information of selected consumers is presented in table 1. It is clear from the table that all school children were between the age group of 13 and 15 years (100%), whereas majority of the adult consumers (65%) were between the age of 20 and 30 years. More than 60 per cent of school children (60 %) and adult consumers (68%) were belonging to nuclear type of family having 1-4 members in family(80 & 68%). The monthly family income was reported as more than Rs. 30,0007- by 60 per cent adult consumers whereas 40 per cent of school children and adult consumer's family income was between Rs. 20,000 and 30,000 per month. Hundred percent school children were in high school stage and adult consumers were college educated(84%). Feedback of selected consumers on utility perception of the developed consumer information package and different modes of instruction methodologies adopted were studied after intervention programme. Statistical analysis Statistical analysis with the help of 'Z' test was carried out to find out the variations of two distinct population, i. e. School children and adult consumers involved in buying. and testing the significance of information package in creating consumer awareness.(Sharma, 2005). Table 2 denotes the buying practices followed by school children and adult consumers. It is clear from the table that in majority of the school children families the purchasing was carried out by the head of the family (60%) followed by their own participation for their need (30%). In case of adult consumers the Where P1 is percentage of sample 1 P2 is percentage of sample 2 n1 is total number of sample 1 n2 is total number of sample 2 360 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 purchasing was carried out equally by person in need of the product and with joint involvement (40%). More than 50 percent of the school children (60%) were purchasing the items from nearby shops. The percentage of adult consumers buying the products from acquainted shops was more (50%) as compared to school children (40%). Advertisements and friends as an influential element for purchases were notified by 60 and 40 percent of school children respectively, whereas 40 percent of adult consumers reported information as an influencing factor for their purchases. Credit and cash payment method for purchasing was reported by equal percentage of school children and adult consumers respectively (44%). The installment method of purchasing was reported by 16 per cent of adult consumers that too for big purchases. Majority of the school children (90%) were not demanding any kind of receipt for the purchases made by them. The percentage of adult consumers demanding bill in rough format and fair format was 50 and 40 respectively. The written account of purchases was maintained by 22 and 64 percent of school children and adult consumers respectively. Majority of the school children (86%) were buying the goods just by inspection and adult consumers (60%) were selecting the goods by reading the labels. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between majority of buying practices followed by school children and adult consumers. Table.1 General Information of selected consumers Consumers Attributes Age(Yrs) 13-15 20-30 30-40 Type of family Joint Nuclear Family income(Rs) <20,000 20,000-30,000 >30,000 Education School College Family Size(N umber) 1-4 5-8 School children Adult consumers Frequency & Percentages 100 - 65 35 40 60 32 68 40 40 20 40 60 100 -- 16 84 80 20 68 32 361 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 Table.2 Buying practices followed by selected school children and adult consumers Buying practices Frequency and % of consumers School Adult Children consumers Person responsible for purchase Person in need of the product Head of the family Group Selection of shop Nearby Acquainted Market survey Influential element for purchase Friends Advertisement Information Mode of Payment Cash Credit Installment Receipt after purchase Rough format Fair form No receipt Maintenance of account Written Selection of item Mere inspection Reading labels 'Z' Value 30 60 10 40 20 40 1.49NS 6.32** 5.22** 60 40 -- 40 50 10 2.88** 1.43NS 3.33** 40 60 -- 30 30 40 1.49NS 4.47** 8.00** 56 44 -- 44 40 16 1.71NS 0.57NS 4.0** 10 90 50 40 10 6.85** 8.00** 18.85** 22 64 6.62** 86 14 40 60 7.66** 7.66** **Significant at 1 per cent level of significance NS Non significant Table.3 Awareness of selected consumers regarding selected aspects of consumerism before and after intervention Consumers Aspects of consumerism Food Adulteration Advertisement Consumer rights and responsibilities Sales promotion techniques Legal protection Mean Awareness score (Mean ± SD) School Children Adult Consumers Before After ‘Z’Value Before After Intervention Intervention Intervention Intervention 4.5 ± 1.2 6±TM 5.50** 6±1.31 8.0 ±1.61 5.0 ±1.5 8±1.22 10.97** 7 ±1.26 10.0 ±1.45 3.0 ± 1.3 7 ±1.41 15.65** 5± 1.32 8.0 ± 1.62 'Z'Valu e 6.81** 11.04** 10.15** 3.0 ±1.21 7 ±1.35 15.60** 6± 1.41 9.0 ± 1.31 11.02** 4.0 ±1.26 6 ±1.22 11.40** 3 ±1.13 8.0 ± 1.25 20.98** ** Significant at 1 per cent level of significance 362 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 Table.4 Comparative assessment of awareness score of school children and adult consumers after intervention programme Consumers Aspects of consumerism Food Adulteration Advertisement Consumer rights and responsibilities Sales promotion techniques Legal protection Mean Awareness score (Mean ± SD) School Adult 'Z' Children Consumers Value 6 ±1.51 8.0 ±1.61 9.06** 8 ±1.51 10.0 ±1.45 10.55** 7 ±1.41 8.0 ± 1.62 4.65** 7 ±1.35 9.0 ± 1.31 10.63** 6 ± 1. 22 8.0 ± 1.25 11.45** ** Significant at 1 per cent level of significance Table.5 Comparative assessment of Percent retention of information by school children and adult consumers after intervention programme Consumers Aspects of consumerism Food Adulteration Advertisement Consumer rights and responsibilities Sales promotion techniques Legal protection % Retention of Information School Children Adult Consumers 'Z'Value 82 ± 7.2 70 ±5.9 12.89** 90 ±6.5 80 ±7.1 10.39** 79 ± 4.9 70 ±4.9 12.99** 85 ±5.8 65 ± 6.01 23.94** 50 ±6.11 80 ±7.2 31.77** **Significant at 1 per cent level of significance Table.6 Utility perception of information package as reported by selected consumers Consumers Utility Parameters Informative Useful Effective Self-explanatory Easy to understand Frequency and % of consumers & Perception score (Mean ± SD) School Children Adult Consumers 85 90 (2.95 ± 0.6) (2.98 ±0.22) 100 100 (3 ±0.00) (3 ±0.00) 89 85 (2.96 ±0.56) (2.95 ±0.58) 75 95 (2.50 ±0.58) (2.99 ±0.1 2) 100 100 (3.00 ±0.00) (3.00 ±0.00) ** Significant at 1 per cent level of significance NS Non significant 363 ‘Z' Value 1.07NS NS 0.84NS 4.12** NS Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 Table.7 Feedback of selected consumers regarding mode of dissemination of consumer information package Mode of dissemination Exhibition Lecture Interactive session Skits & Street plays Exhibition & lecture Exhibition & Skits Exhibition & Interactive session Frequency and % of consumers School Children Adult Consumers ‘Z' Value 75 78 0.5NS 40 65 3.65** 56 55 0.14NS 78 70 1. 29NS 75 90 2.84** 89 79 1.95NS 80 80 NS ** Significant at 1 per cent level of significance NS Non significant Awareness of selected consumers regarding selected aspects of consumerism before and after intervention is given in table 3. It was observed from the table that the awareness score of school children regarding selected aspects of consumerism after the intervention of information package was higher than the awareness score before intervention programme. Statistical analysis with 'Z' test indicated significant improvement in the knowledge of school children regarding various consumer issues after conducting an intervention programme. presented in table 4. It is clear from the table that the awareness score of adult consumers was more for food adulteration(S.O); advertisement (10); consumer rights and responsibilities (8); sales promotion techniques(9,0) and legal protection(8.0) as compared to school children. The statistical results indicated significantly low level of awareness among school children than adult consumers ( p<0.01). Comparative assessment of Percent retention of information by school children and adult consumers after intervention programme is noted in table 5. It is observed from the table that per cent retention of disseminated knowledge regarding selected consumer issues was more in school children (79-90%) as compared to adult consumers except for legal protective measures which was more in adult consumers (80%) than school children (50%). Statistically the difference in retention percentage of information by school children was significantly higher in majority of the aspects of consumerism except the aspect of legal protection as compared to adult consumers (p<0.01). The awareness of adult consumers regarding various aspects of consumerism was more than the awareness before introducing the information package. Statistically the difference between awareness score before and after intervention was significant (P<0.01) indicating that the adult consumers could improve the awareness level due to the intervention through information package. Statistically the results showed significant increase in awareness level of adult consumers after the intervention. Comparative assessment of awareness score of school children and adult consumers after introducing the information package is Utility perception of consumer information package by school children and adult 364 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 consumers is reported in table 6. It was reported by more than 75 per cent school children and more than 85 per cent adult consumers that the consumer information package was informative ( 85 &90%), Useful (100%), effective (89 & 85%), selfexplanatory (75 &95%) and easy to understand(100%). skits and interactive session was preferred by school children. References Devi,M and Kalita M. 2020 A study on consumer awareness on consumer rights and responsibilities: A special reference to the rural women of Assam. Asian Journal of Home Science 15(1):1-6 Dhillion, M.K., Mann, G. and Sanga, J.K. (1997). Factors Affecting Consumer Behaviour of Durable Goods and Food Items. The Indian Journal of Social Research. 38(3): 167-173. Mukherjee, A. and Ghosh, A. (1996). Consumer Involvement: the Key to Brand Recall. Management Rev. 8(2): 15-22. Murali D.,V.U.Pangarkar and M.S.Kulkarni (2006) Development of Scale to Measure Consumer Awreness Regarding Selected Aspects of Consumerism. J.of Psychological Researches. 50(1):46-52 Seetharaman, P. andSethi, M. (2002). “Consumerism Strategies and Tactics” CBS Publishers and Distributors, Darya Ganj, New Delhi. Pp4,275 Sharma H.L. (2005). Basic statistical methods with application.Agrotech publishing academy, Udaipur.pp – 78, 261,306,331. Singh, U. and Gandhi, S. (2009). Impact of Consumer Literacy on Purchase Behaviour of Women Homemakers.Asian Journal of Home Science. 4(1): 29-32. Sundaram,N and Balaramlingam,C. 2012. Women awareness on consumer rightsA study with reference to Vellore city. International J. Res. Commerce, Economics and Mgmt. 2(12):51-54 Table 7 denotes the feedback of selected consumers regarding mode of dissemination of consumer information package. It is clear from the table that higher percentage of school children felt that the combination of exhibition and skit (89%) was more effective for giving information followed by the combination of exhibition and interactive session. Whereas most of the adult consumers felt combination of exhibition and lecture (90%) and combination of exhibition and interactive session (80%) as best medium for giving the information on consumer issues. Statistical results indicated that significantly more adult consumers expressed lecture and exhibition with lecture were best methods to give knowledge on consumer issues as compared to school children. For rest of the modes the reactions of adult consumers and school children were at par. It is concluded from the study that the information package containing informative charts, small skits, lectures and street shows on consumer issues was effective in creating awareness among consumers. Retention of information was more among school children. Consumers perceived that the consumer information package was informative, useful, effective, self-explanatory and easy to understand. Exhibition in combination of lecture and interactive session were expressed as best mode of instruction by the adult consumers and exhibition in combination of 365 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(02): 358-366 How to cite this article: Madhuri Kulkarni and Veena Bhalerao. 2021. Impact Analysis of Developed Information Package for Consumers. Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 10(02): 352-366. doi: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2021.1002.042 366