CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1           BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The topic of this research work is “The consumer’s perception of branding and packaging on sales of cosmetics products”.

The American marketing association defines a brand as a name, term, design, symbol or any feature that identifies one seller’s goods or services as distinct from those of other sellers. The legal term for brand is trademark. A brand may identify one item a family of items or all items of that seller. According to Oswald (2002), it used for the firm as a whole, the preferred term is trade name.

A brand can take many forms including a name, sign, symbol, colour, combination or slogan. The word branding began simply as a way to tell one person’s cattle from another by means of hot iron stamp. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identify its affects the personality of a product, company or service.

A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept like breast cancer awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service or business. A commodity brand is a associated with commonly golf milk, is an example of a commodity brand in the automatic industry, brand were originally called morgues and morgues are still often used as a synonym for brand in reference to motor vehicles (Leech, 2005). The word brand is sometimes used as a metonym, referring to a company that is strongly identified with a brand. Packaging is the science, art, technology of enclosing or protecting of products for distribution, storage, sales and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale and end-use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sales and end-use.

Higgins (2003), pointed that packaging contains, protects, preserves, in forms and sells. In many countries it is fully integrated into government, business, institutional, industrial and personal use. Packager labeling (en-GB) or labeling (en-US) is any written electronic or graphic communications but associated label.

The researcher decided to use Onitsha main market cosmetic trades as his case study for this work. He will attempt to find out how the consumers perception of branding and packaging affects the sale of their cosmetic products.

Recommendations will be made to the manufacturers and marketers of such cosmetic products as to the models of improvement.

1.2           STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

These will reveal the problem of this study.

1. A great lacuna between the sales of some cosmetic product and those of others.
2. Inventory problem.
3. Steady decline in sales generally.
4. Step decrease in project.
5. Trades switch to other product lines.
6. Non-availability of many cosmetic products.

1.3           OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This research work has the following objectives.

1. The bringing of the sales gap for many cosmetic products.
2. To reduce the stock piling of inventory of the products.
3. To halt the decline in sales generally.
4. To reverse the in profits.
5. To retain many cosmetics readers in the product line.
6. To make for availability of many cosmetic products.

1.4           SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This work is important because;

1. It will make for the solution of the packaging and branding problems of several cosmetic firms.
2. It will synthesize a connection with respect to the Onitsha main market cosmetic’s traders.

1.5           RESEARCH QUESTION

The prominent questions of this work are hereby a big sales gap between many cosmetics;

1. Why is there a big sales gap between cosmetic products?
2. How can the stop chipping cosmetics inventories be reduced?
3. In what ways can the general decline in cosmetic product sales be halted?
4. Why is there a decrease in the prices of cosmetic traders?
5. How can many cosmetics traders be retained in cosmetic product lines?
6. What are the major obstacles to the availability of many cosmetic products?

1.6           HYPOTHESIS

The Null hypothesis (Ho) for the study states that: branding and packaging have no effect on the sales of cosmetic products in Anambra State.

The Alternative hypothesis (Hi) states: branding and packaging have a significant effect on the sales of cosmetic product in Anambra State.

1.7           SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is limited to the branding and packaging of others forms of products for instance, those of industrial were not discussed.

Due to the lumping together of branding and packaging, certain detailed issues concerning the two concepts, such as brand equity were only given seat attention.

1.8           DEFINITION OF TERMS

The definitions of these terms were found to be appropriate.

1. 1.    Product mix: This is a set of all product and items that a particular seller offers for sale to buyers.
2. 2.    Product line: This is a group of product within a product mix that are closely related within because they functions in a similar manner or are sold to the same customer groups or are marketers through the same types of outlets or full within given ranges.
3. 3.    Products items: This is a distinct unit with a product line that is distinguishable by size, price, appearance or some characteristics.
4. 4.    Planning: Arrangement for something outlines drawing or considered in audience it is a conscious effort to map out strategies on how to produce and market the product.
5. 5.    Development: Development or being developed as regard causing to grow larger, taller or more mature.
6. 6.    Cosmetic: Preparation, substance (especially one that adds colour) designed to make the skin or hairs beautiful.