Gender differences in Buying Behavior and Brand preferences towards Backpack

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the differences in buying behavior and preferences between men and women during the purchase of a backpack. In 2015, the retail sales value of the casual bag segment in India is expected to be about 687 million U.S. dollars. The total retail sales value of the Indian luggage market is forecasted to be about 1.87 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 (Statista.com). Luggage market is broadly divided into Travel, Casual and Business bags. Casual bags contribute about 35 (www.analystassociation.com) in the luggage market. Casual bag consists of Backpacks, shoulder bags, wheeled duffle bags, etc. The main focus of our study was Casual bags, more specifically backpacks. A qualitative and a quantitative analysis were done. The quantitative analysis included a survey including respondents of about 236. To capture the functional value of the findings factors like price, durability, capacity, comfortableness while carrying, mode of purchase and additional accessories where considered while framing the questionnaire. For capturing the social value and emotional value behind the consumer’s preferences brand was taken into consideration. For capturing the epistemic value factors like type of colors and design was taken into consideration. Qualitative research included an observational research and a focused group discussion. The observational research was also conducted that lead to similar findings. The buying behavior of men and women in a well-known Bag retail was conducted for a day. The results indicated that men gave more importance to functionality, whereas women stressed on design, color and price of the bag. The focused group discussion also leads to similar results. The findings of the analysis indicated that there were indeed a stark difference in the preferences while purchasing a backpack, between men and women. It showed that men give more importance to utilitarian factors like durability and quality of zip. On the other hand, it indicates that women give more importance to epistemic values such as design. It was also found that both the groups don’t give much importance to color.