MICROME RESEARCH

NARSEE MONJEE INSTITUTE BOF MANAGEMENT STUDUES

MAGGI CUPPA MANIA
Sub: CUSTOMER ACQUISITION AND RETENTION

FT MBA- B RESEARCHED BY: Prachi Chandgothia 16

Company profile: - Nestle
Nestle was founded in 1867 in Geneva, Switzerland by Henri Nestle. Nestlé’s first product was "Farine Lactee Nestle", an infant cereal. In 1905, Nestle acquired the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. Nestlé’s relationship with India started 1912, when it began trading as The Nestle Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company (Export) Limited, importing and selling finished products in the Indian market.

After independence, in response to the then economic policies, which emphasized local production, Nestle formed a company in India, namely Nestle India Ltd.
Today, Nestle is the world's largest and most diversified food company. It has around 2,50,000 employees worldwide, operated 500 factories in approximately 100 countries and offers over 8,000 products to millions of consumers universally.
NESTLE PRODUCTS: A) MILK Product and Nutrition -Nestle Milk -Nestle Milkmaid -Nestle Dahi -Nestle EVERYDAY dairy whitener -Nestle EVERYDAY Ghee
B) Beverages -Nescafe Classic -Nescafe Milo
C) Prepared Dishes & Cooking Aids -MAGGI 2-Minute Noodles -MAGGI vegetable Atta Noodles -MAGGI Dal Atta Noodles -MAGGI Rice Noodles Mania -MAGGI Cuppa Mania -MAGGI Sauces -MAGGI Pichkoo -MAGGI Pizza Mazza -MAGGI Bhuna Masala -MAGGI Magic Cubes -MAGGI Healthy Soups -MAGGI Healthy Soup Sanjeevni
D) Chocolates and Confectionery: -Nestle KIT KAT -Nestle Munch -Nestle Milky Bar -Polo -Nestle Bar one -Nestle Eclairs

MICROME RESEARCH

MICROME RESERCH is a full-service marketing research company with premier customer satisfaction survey and loyalty measurement programs, lost customer analysis, state-of-the-art interviewing and data collection, and quantitative and qualitative research expertise. We specialize in helping companies understand current customers, lost customers, potential customers, and employees (internal customers) by uncovering and tracking the factors that affect satisfaction, loyalty, retention, awareness, perception and various customer behaviors. We also are experts in brand research, helping companies develop brand strategies that effectively support their identity and positioning. We have years of experience in new product development across a wide variety of industries.

Product: MAGGI CUPPA MANIA
Each offering of MAGGI noodles has been developed keeping in mind the Indian palate & what the consumer likes and dislikes. Since in today’s fast paced busy life, multitasking is a reality, the consumer wants something that fits with such a rushed lifestyle. He/she seeks a product which in addition to being tasty and healthy is convenient to prepare, eat and at the same time is also filling. New Maggi Cuppa mania has been launched keeping exactly all this in mind as Maggi Cuppa mania can be had anytime on the go.
According to Shivani Hegde, general manager for the food division, ''Maggi has pioneered the instant noodles category, and has consistently innovated and renovated keeping pace with the consumer's needs. Our consumer insight says the youth today lead a busier lifestyle, is multi-tasking and is always on the go.'' The product is targeted at the whole family, but is betting specially on 18-24 year old customer base, given its tagline 'Just add Garam Paani and Carry on Jaaani!' The company hopes that its instant noodles will be an instant hit with busy executives.

Our Research Objectives: * To study why the product (Maggi Cuppa Mania) has not succeeded as compared to other cup noodles and Maggi 2 minutes noodles

* To find the reason for the low market share of Maggi Cuppa Mania.

* To evaluate the Marketing Mix of Maggi Cuppa Mania and to identify the problems in any element of the mix

About the sampling done:
Sampling frame:
The sampling frame chosen for this research was kids, teenagers, college students, post graduates, working parents and employed people those in the age group of 7 to 30. The primary objective for choosing such a sampling frame was that, this would enable us to target the kids, teenagers, college students, and employed people living independently who are the ultimate consumers and the home-makers who are the purchasing agents.

Sampling units:
Our sampling unit consisted of 100 people in the age group of 7 to 30 years.

Time and space boundaries:
The time period for this research project was 1 month.
The area covered ranges from Borivali to Bandra.
The specific locations covered within this region include general stores, shopping centres and malls like Inorbit Mall- Malad, Hypercity, DMart- Malad, ‘More’ outlets across the region, Apna Bazaar and Spencers- Andheri.

Product features: * Offers delicious taste combined with goodness of real vegetables * Comes in two mouth watering variants - Masala Yo! and Chilli Chow Yo! * Is convenient to make – Only boiling water needs to be added * Has a fork inside for on- the- go usage * Comes packed with Power of Calcium * In addition to the delicious new product, MAGGI CUPPA MANIA comes in attractive sleeved cups
Price of product-
1 cup (75 grams) - Rs. 25

Sources of Data:
Primary Data – the primary source of data used in the research is the data collected using the interview method and questionnaire method.

Secondary Data – the secondary data sources utilized here include the company’s website to understand the product features and description. It also includes the packaging of the product for pricing and product data. Blog spots have been referred to in order to understand the customer response and general attitude towards the product as well as to know the recommendations from dissatisfied users.

DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS FROM RETAILERS

1. Do you stock Cup Noodles?

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS-40

The response we received was that at least 3.5 out of 5 retailers stock Cup noodles.

This shows that there has been a demand for cup noodles in the past and even now.

2. For the ones who did not stock cup noodles, we asked them why and this is the response we got for that question.

No. Of Respondents – 12

The following were the responses we got:
Low Sales- Majority of the respondents claimed that low sales was the major reason for not stocking up this particular item
No Sales – a small proportion of the respondents claimed that the product was not sellable at all.
Low Margins – an even small proportion mentioned the fact that the company’s distribution strategies comprised of small margins which were not profitable and hence not acceptable.
Not convinced – A handful of the retailers are quite cynical of selling the product due to traditional approaches

3. If yes, which brands do you’ll stock up?

Total No. of Respondents – 28

Among the respondents who stocked cup noodles, everyone stated that Maggi cuppa mania constituted 58% of their total stocks, Nisan constituted 27% of their stocks, while the remaining 15% of stocks were constituted by Top Ramen and other varieties.

4. For the respondents who said yes :- we asked them in what proportion do you stock up Maggi Cuppa mania in comparison with Maggi 2 minute noodles

No. of Respondents - 40

The following were the responses
1:20 :- majority of the respondents said that for approximately 20 packets of 2 minute noodles only 1 Maggi cuppa mania cup was stocked
1:15 :- a handful of the retailers said that for every 15 packets of 2 minute noodles 1 Maggi cuppa mania cup was stocked.
1:10 :- a small proportion said that 1 Maggi cuppa mania was stored for every 10 packets of 2 minute noodles
1:7 :- only 1 respondent claimed that he stored 1 Maggi cuppa mania for every 7 packets of 2 minute noodles

5. The next question asked was: What are the sales of Maggi cup noodles compared to Maggi 2 minute noodles?

No. of Respondents - 28

The Following were the Responses:

1) It seems that 95% of the customers prefer Maggi 2 minute noodles due to the number of varieties in it.

2) Another observation made is that the sales are in tandem with the stock kept by the retailers suggesting that the strategy followed by them are conducive to making profits.

6. The next question asked :- Gradation in terms of proximity of sight, as soon as a customer enters the store

No. of Respondents - 28

The following was the responses:
Below 3 feet: - a relatively large proportion of the retailers placed the cup noodles on their shelves closed to the transaction counter due to its small size and so also that it may attract maximum attention.
3 < proximity < 6:- a larger proportion of the retailers gave preference to other eatables but also had the cup noodles in close proximity so that it may catch the attention of various customers
Proximity > 6 feet :- A small proportion of retailers dint not bother on the scientific placement of the cup noodles, but made sure that it was visible enough to the naked eye. So on a 10 second browse in the store, one would spot the cup noodles without much difficulty.

7. The next question asked was – What type of people prefer Maggi Cuppa mania (age Group segregation)

No. of Respondents - 28
The following were the responses:
7-15 years :- It is observed that a small percentage of the population in this group purchases Maggi cuppa noodles. This is due to the fact that the purchasing power is in the hands of the mother and it is more convenient for them to prepare the 2 minute noodles.
16-22 years :- Here it is observed that a large proportion of population consumes cuppa mania. This group includes college goers who are always on a run and perpetually out of the house and hence cuppa mania is the perfect option to kill hunger
23-30 years :- This group contains the maximum consumption of Cuppa mania. Young workaholics usually stuff a few of these cup noodles in to their bags so it can be accessible at all times. Also a few stacked in refrigerators helps them to expend the least energy to prepare a fast snack.
Above 30 years :- a small but noticeable % of this group consumes cuppa mania. Young working mothers always on the go can find the best alternative to prepared food for their young ones.
Data Collection and Analysis From Customers

Our firm prepared a set of 8 questions and conducted a survey of 100 people (as mentioned before). These questions have been specifically categorized for people who eat noodles

The first question we asked all the respondents was;
Which brand of noodles do you eat?

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS-100

As per the response we got, about 69% of the respondents have ‘Maggi’ noodles and 16% of them have ‘Top Ramen’ noodles, 6% have Nissan. The rest make up for the other types of noodle brands like Thai Kitchen, Chings noodles etc. the objective of asking this question was to know which brand is preferred by the consumers.

2. The second question that we asked them was;

Are you aware about Maggi Cuppa Mania? How?

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS-100

The response that we received was that 66% of the respondents have heard about Maggi Cuppa mania, while 34% of the total numbers have not heard about it.

Given below is the graph portraying how the respondents have heard about Maggi Cuppa Mania

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS-66

53% of the respondents have heard about the product via television advertisement, while 31% have responded to the launch of the product through pop advertisement. 7% have heard it by their family, friends and other people while 9% heard it via newspapers, internet etc.

3. On asking the ones who had not tried out the product, the reasons for not trying it, we got various answers.

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS- 58

The answers were:
Dissatisfied with the concept –9% of the respondents said that the very concept of the product, did not appeal to many buyers since the food product is highly processed and has no nutritional value. Given the fact that it can be consumed by adding water speaks on the kind of processing that’s been done to the food product.

Expensive – 5 % of the respondents said that the product is comparatively more expensive compared to the highly consumed and more popular Maggi 2 min noodles. A 75gm Maggi cuppa mania is available for Rs. 25 whereas the normal Maggi 2 min noodles (90gm) costs only Rs. 10.

Satisfied with current product –39% of people were satisfied with Maggi 2 minutes noodles and did not feel the need to switch to Maggi Cuppa Mania as they were used to the old product.

Word of Mouth – 22.1 % of the respondents said that they had heard that the product is not nice from their friends, relative and whoever had had it

4. Further, we asked the ones who had tried out the product as to why did they try it.

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS – 42

The response we got was;

‘It was easy to use’ –Before Maggi cuppa mania was launched, the process of making noodles was slightly longer where one had to manually cook the noodles to consume it. But with the advent of Maggi Cuppa Mania the need to cook has been replaced by merely adding a cup of boiling hot water. Therefore 63% of the people said that they tried it because it was convenient to use.

None of the respondents stated that it was the ease of availability that compelled them to buy it.

‘Brand Power’, this was a new revelation in our survey. Through this we realized that 16% of them purchased Maggi Cuppa Mania owing to the brand power of Nestlé’s ‘Maggi’

Lastly 21% of the total respondents stated the effect of advertising as the main reason to why they purchased Maggi Cuppa Noodles.

5. How is Maggi Cuppa Mania different from Maggi 2 min noodles ?

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS – 42

Flexibility in Recipe – Here 17% of the respondents said that they would prefer Maggi 2 min noodles over the newly launched Cuppa noodles since it gives them the opportunity to alter the recipe according to their taste buds.
Taste – Majority of the respondents, i.e. nearly 42% of the total respondents claimed that taste was the main criteria that distinguished both the products.
Price – Nearly 31% of the respondents stated that price was a major factor that distinguishes Maggi 2 min noodles from Cuppa Mania. Sample this: A 75gm packet of Maggi Cuppa mania costs Rs. 25 whereas a normal packet of Maggi 2 min noodles (90gm) costs only Rs. 10.
Variants – Nearly 10% of the respondents said that the number of variants in the 2 min noodles segment differentiated it from the newly launched cuppa mania.

6. The next we asked the respondents was that were they satisfied with the packaging of the product?

The motive asking this question was to understand that whether the packaging of the product was attractive enough and at the same time to know whether the instructions given on the packet were easily understood by them. This also evaluates whether the way of communicating these instructions was appropriate i.e. capable of drawing the necessary attention, otherwise a special leaflet giving the same could be used.

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS – 42

The results of the survey demonstrated that 76% of the respondents did read the instructions on the cup and thus packaging was good enough with the proper method of communicating the instructions being used. However, 24% of the respondents were not satisfied with the packaging because the boiling water would make the cup hot and thus difficult to hold. Therefore, some effort could be taken in this area also.

7. Next, we asked the respondents as to what improvement do they want in the product.
This question helped us understand the feedback from the users. It primarily came from those who were either the ones who find the product as fair or good enough and from the dissatisfied users.

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS – 66

68% of the respondents said that the Maggi Cuppa Noodles didn’t taste as good as the 2 minute noodles. The consumers expected it to taste as good as the 2 minute noodles if not better. 22% of the respondents felt that the Maggi Cuppa Noodles was priced very high especially since it was being compared to its counterpart. 10% of the respondents expected the packaging to be better than what it is, since the cup becomes very hot once you add hot water and it becomes difficult to hold it.

8. The last question we asked our respondents was that whether they would recommend Maggi Cuppa Mania to others?

TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS – 66

The satisfied users here said that they would recommend this product to other which forms a very small part of the respondents i.e. 16%
At the same time, 84% said they would not. This indicated that they themselves were not satisfied with the product.

Summary of Data collection:

* Retailer
Only 70% of the retailers stocked Maggi Cuppa Mania. This shows that all the retailers are also not convinced about the product. This is further proven since 30% of the retailers cited low sales and no sales as major reasons.
This is further aggravated by the fact that 65% of the retailers who stocked cuppa noodles cited 1:20 ratio of maggi cuppa mania to maggi 2 minutes noodles

1. Product

* Retailer
There is stiff competition in the cup noodles segment itself since brands like Nissan and top ramen have been in the market since the last decade.

* Consumer
69% of the respondents prefer maggi over other brands. This shows that maggi is the market leader in the noodles segment

Major U.S.P. of the product as easy to use has succeded in making the responses try since 63% cited that however they were not satisfied with the product, ironically due to its inconvenience

25% of the respondents found the packaging inconvenient since the boiling water made the cup very hot

2. Price

* Retailers
7% of the retailers have cited low margins as the reason for not stocking Maggi cuppa mania

* Consumers
75 grams of maggi cuppa mania costs Rs. 25 and 200 grams of maggi 2 minute noodles cost Rs. 20. This price variation deters a lot of buyers

3. Place

* Retailer
30% of the retailers did not stock Maggi cuppa mania. This shows low penetration.

10% of the customers preferred maggi cuppa mania due to its easy availability

4. Promotion

* Retailer
Inspite of low incentives i.e. low margins 34% of the retailers have the product proximity to the eye between 3 to 6 feet.

However Maggi cuppa mania has succeeded in targeting the age group between 18-25 since almost 60% of the consumers prefer it.

* Consumer
34% of the respondents were not aware of Maggi Cuppa mania. This shows poor promotion

Recommendations: * Since 53% of the respondents were aware of maggi cuppa noodles due to T.V. advertisements, the frequency of the same should be increased and it can also be the title sponsor for reality shows or award functions.

* Since 31% of the respondents were aware of maggi cuppa noodles due to P.O.P advertisements, hence retailers can be given incentives for stocking more of Maggi cuppa mania.

* 16% are satisfied with the product and 58% are not aware of the product, hence discount/free offers can be offered to increase the number of first trials

* Maggi cuppa mania should be available in more variants, also there should be flexibility in recepies

* 42% of the respondents did not like the taste and hence this can be worked upon

* 84% of the respondents who tried maggi cuppa mania would not recommend it to first time consumers, so working on the 4 P’s can reduce that percentage.