Summer Internship Project

Strengths and Weaknesses of Bisleri in the market and its Distribution Channel

(Effect of price rise of Bisleri and placement of 20Ltrs of Jars in the market)

Submitted in partial fulfillment ofPGDM2010-12

Submitted by

Anshul Kumar JainRoll No – FA10014

Company Guide Faculty Guide

Mr. R. L. Narsimhan Mrs. Yukti AhujaAsst. General Manager Lecturer Bisleri Int. Pvt. Ltd. Jagan Institute of Management Studies

Jagan Institute of Management StudiesRohini, New DelhiMay - July 2011

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project work done on "Strength and Weakness of Bisleri in market and its distribution; Effect of Price hike of Bisleri in the market and placement of 20Lts. jar" is an original work carried out by Mr. Anshul Kumar Jain under my supervision and guidance.

The project report is submitted towards the partial fulfillment of Two year, full time Post Graduate Diploma in Management.

This work has not been submitted anywhere else for any other degree/diploma. The work was carried out from 2nd May 2011 to 2nd July 2011 in Bisleri International Pvt. ltd.

Mr. R. L. Narsimhan Asst. General Manager Bisleri International Pvt. Lt

Date:

Anshul Kumar Jain

PGDM-FT FA10014

JIMS Rohini

2

Acknowledgement

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd for providing me an

Opportunity for this learning experience. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. R.

Lakshmi Narsimhan Asst. General Manager who has been a great support and a source of

inspiration throughout my internship period. Without his guidance and continuous support the project

could not have been completed successfully.

This project would have been impossible without the support and co-operation of the Ms. Avantika

Dwivedi Executive HR, Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd. I am grateful to her for not only guiding me

through this project on a day to day basis, but also providing me unflinching support and endless

resources while I tried to get a foothold in my corporate experience.

I would also like to extend a warm thanks to Mr. Sunil Kumar Chhabra Senior Sales Executive for

giving me valuable insights for the project and taking the trouble of explaining the finer nuances of

their functions.

It is indeed a moment of immense gratification for me to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. J. K.

Goyal, Director of Jagan Institute of Management Studies and Prof. (Dr.) Madan Mohan, Dean of

Jagan Institute of Management Studies Mrs. Yukti Ahuja, Lecturer for providing me with an

opportunity to carry out this project study and help me create this report on “Strengths and

Weaknesses of Bisleri in market and its Distribution channel”

I would also like to acknowledge the support of JIMS for providing the valuable resources and my

professors who have taught me. Last but not the least; I would like to thanks my batch mates for

providing a helping hand as well as continuous encouragement and motivation throughout the project.

Anshul Kumar Jain

PGDM FA10014

Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini

3

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the Summer Training Project entitled "Strength and Weakness of Bisleri in

market and its distribution; Effect of Price hike of Bisleri in the market and placement of 20Lts.

jar" submitted by me to Bisleri International Ltd., for Post Graduate Diploma in Management 2010-

2012 is absolutely general and consist of original work.

Anshul Kumar Jain

PGDM FA10014

Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini

4

PREFACE

Mineral Water under the name 'BISLERI' was first introduced in Mumbai in glass bottles in two varieties - BUBBLY & STILL in 1965 by BISLERI Ltd., a company of Italian origin. This company was started by Signor Felice Bisleri who first brought the idea of selling bottled water in India.

Parle bought over Bisleri (India) Ltd. In 1969 & started bottling Mineral water in glass bottles under the brand name 'Bisleri'. Later Parle switched over to PVC non-returnable bottles & finally advanced to PET containers.

Since 1995 Mr. Ramesh J. Chauhan has started expanding Bisleri operations substantially and the turnover has multiplied more than 20 times over a period of 10 years and the average growth rate has been around 40% over this period. BISLERI command a 60% market share of the organized market. Overwhelming popularity of 'BISLERI' has made it synonymous to Mineral water & a household name.

Bisleri has developed 8 unique pack sizes to suit the need of every individual and they are present in - 250ml cups, 250ml bottles, 500ml, 1L, 1.5L, and 2L which are the non-returnable packs & 5L, 20L which are the returnable packs.

This project is based upon the agenda to analyze the market share of Bisleri bottles in particular markets of Delhi. The core aspect of the report will hover around the effect of price increase of bisleri 1lit bottle in the market. Things are also discussed related to the Distribution system and problems occurring through it in the sales of Bisleri bottles.

What are those problems and what has been the effect of price increase of Bisleri 1ltr bottle have been discussed in this report later. The project was carried out entirely in Delhi region. This project is exploratory in nature.

Retailers of Mineral Water had been inquired and first hand information is used to form this report. It was tried at the level best to cater each and every single outlet of at least every major market so that an authentic and productive result can be fetched out. Rather than asking any set pattern of questions, retailers had been asked with distinctively different questions as per there mood and convenience with the aim to fetch more and more information.

At the end of this report few observations are been quoted which were felt essential during the whole procedure. I hope this report will add little knowledge to whosoever read it.

5

Table of Content:-

S. No. Topic Page

NO.

Part A 1 Executive Summary

2 Introduction

3 Company Background

Vision

Mission

Values

Distribution channel

Industry analysis

Competitive analysis

SWOT Analysis

4 Objective

8

9

19

22

25

26

28

29

32

Part B 5 About the project

6 Literature Review

7 Research Methodology

8 Data Analysis

9 Findings

33

34

38

41

42

6

Part C 10 Conclusion

11 Recommendations and Suggestions

44

45

Research done exclusively on different retailers across

Delhi

Market Research Design

Data Analysis

Recommendations and Conclusion

46

47

48

60

Annexure 61

Bibliography 65

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Chapter 1

Executive Summary

The two month internship project with Bisleri Corporation gave me a platform to research and analysis

of the marketing strategies and business growth of the company in the field of bottled mineral water of

one of the prominent brands in Indian market.

This study of the marketing strategy was held in 3 stages as follows –

1. Understanding the marketing strategies of the Bisleri,

2. Collecting data by directly contacting the vendors in the market that included major field work,

and

3. Analyzing facts gathered in the second stage

In the first stage of the study we attempt to deeply understand the marketing strategies that are

followed in Bisleri where we noticed that people out there are very self motivated and aggressive as

far as the product is concerned, since they are dealing with the legacy of a renowned brand therefore

they are strict with the core values of the organization. Their marketing strategies include health as the

USP since Bisleri is known for their healthy mineral components.

In the second stage of the study we visited the vendors those who sales Bisleri in the central; northern

and western parts of the Delhi region. We collected data on the basis of the questionnaire that we

prepared from these vendors and for our understanding we tried to communicate with almost all of

them about the facts as to what is the brand image in the market and what they have to say about the

business relations with Bisleri.

The final stage was where we analyzed the so collected data and made our research fruitful in terms of

suggestions and recommendations as to improve the brand worth of the Bisleri in the market as per our

understanding. The recommendations included the betterment of the distribution channel, margins to

the retailers and packaging.

8

Chapter 2

Introduction

India is the tenth largest bottled water consumer in the world. In 2002, the industry had an estimated

turnover of Rs.10 billion (Rs.1, 000 crores). Today it is one of India's fastest growing industrial

sectors. Between 1999 and 2004, the Indian bottled water market grew at a compound annual growth

rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent - the highest in the world.

With over a thousand bottled water producers, the Indian bottled water industry is big by even

international standards. There are more than 200 brands, nearly 80 per cent of which are local. Most of

the small-scale producers sell non-branded products and serve small markets. In fact, making bottled

water is today a cottage industry in the country. Leave alone the metros, where a bottled-water

manufacturer can be found even in a one-room shop, in every medium and small city and even some

prosperous rural areas there are bottled water manufacturers.

Despite the large number of small producers, this industry is dominated by the big players - Parle

Bisleri, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Parle Agro, Mohan Meakins, SKN Breweries and so on. Parle was the

first major Indian company to enter the bottled water market in the country when it introduced Bisleri

in India 25 years ago.

The rise of the Indian bottled water industry began with the economic liberalization process in 1991.

The market was virtually stagnant until 1991, when the demand for bottled water was less than two

million cases a year. However, since 1991-1992 it has not looked back, and the demand in 2004-05

was a staggering 82 million cases.

Bottled water is sold in a variety of packages: pouches and glasses, 330 ml bottles, 500 ml bottles,

one-liter bottles and even 20- to 50-litre bulk water packs. The formal bottled water business in India

can be divided broadly into three segments in terms of cost: premium natural mineral water, natural

mineral water and packaged drinking water.

9

Premium natural mineral water includes brands such as Evian, San Pellegrino and Perrier, which are

imported and priced between Rs.80 and Rs.110 a liter. Natural mineral water, with brands such as

Himalayan and Catch, is priced around Rs.20 a liter. Packaged drinking water, which is nothing but

treated water, is the biggest segment and includes brands such as Parle Bisleri, Coca-Cola's Kinley and

PepsiCo's Aquafina. They are priced in the range of Rs.10-12 a liter.

Consumption of bottled water in India is linked to the level of prosperity in the different regions. The

western region accounts for 40 per cent of the market and the eastern region just 10. However, the

bottling plants are concentrated in the southern region - of the approximately 1,200 bottling water

plants in India, 600 are in TamilNadu. This is a major problem because southern India, especially

TamilNadu, is water starved.

The cost of a bottle, along with the cap and the carton, is the single biggest cost - between Rs.2.50 and

Rs.3.75 for a one-liter bottle. For water sold in big plastic jars (20-50 liters), which are also reused, or

in pouches, this cost is much lower. It is precisely owing to this that companies sell water at even Re.1

a liter in a 20-50 liter jar and still make profits. Labour and establishment and marketing costs are

highly variable and depend on the location and size of companies. Informal discussions with industry

members reveal that the gross profit of this industry can be as much as between 25 and 50 per cent.

The reason that companies do not have to bear the cost of the main raw material - water - has made

this industry highly profitable. But the real cost of the industry is huge. The cost of fast-depleting

groundwater is incalculable and so is the cost of disposal of plastic bottles and pouches. These are

hidden costs that society and the environment pay and will pay in the future. The sale of bottled water

is therefore not environmentally sound by any stretch of the imagination.

Several small players have entered the market in India to capitalize the craze, with no check on them.

There has hardly been an involvement of any statutory body in defining specific standards. The bureau

of Indian standards has got involved in the process, in September 2000, the government of India has

made mandatory for all bottled water companies to get an ISI mark, including imported water bottles

like Evian and Perrier.

10

The BIS has formulated separate standards for packaged drinking water and packaged natural mineral

water. These are a list of stringent norms and regulations dealing with the Standard Mark (ISI) —

hygiene, treatment, microbiological and chemical testing, packing and marking and labeling which

must be followed during the manufacturing and packaging process.

The BIS Packaged Drinking Water Specifications state clearly the standard to follow — drinking

water (which) means water from any potable source, including public drinking water supply systems

under IS 10500 (Indian Standard for drinking water).

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

This project provides the deep understanding of –

1. Sales and Marketing strategies used in Bisleri Co.

2. How distribution channels are designed and operated in Delhi and ncr region

3. CRM as the basic tool to keep Bisleri ahead from its competitors

4. Situation of the market shares held by different players in the current prevailing market

5. Desires of the different level of the distribution hierarchy for marketing the product effectively

6. Challenges faced by the retailers and the distributors in the course of selling the product

7. Competitors’ strategies and competitive edge as compared to other brands

8. The schemes and discount demands of retailers in terms of commissions and other help that

they seek from the company

9. Brand royalty and brand worth in the market in comparison with other available products

10. Recommendations on how to increase the sales of the company and how to cater the need of

the people via retailers.

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MINERAL WATER INDUSTRY:

One cannot think about life without water. We are blessed with adequate natural resources of water but

increasing population, alarming rate of global warming and rapid industrialization and lack of

adequate and improved management of the water supply systems resulted in the increased rate of

water consumption, wastage of water and deteriorating condition of the water supply networks and the

result is, scarcity of water. The Water shortage around the world and particularly in the developing

countries has opened new doors for bottled water Industry.

 

Bottled water is sold in a variety of packages right from 200 ml pouches and glasses, to 330 ml bottles,

500 ml bottles, to one-liter bottles and even 20- to 50-litre bulk water packs. In terms of cost the

bottled water business in India can be divided broadly into three segments, premium natural mineral

water, natural mineral water and packaged drinking water. It is obvious to found the bottled water

manufacturer in metro cities though it might be running only in one room or shop, but its surprising to

know that at present in many medium and small villages and even in some of the prosperous rural

areas you will find the local manufactures of bottled water and local brand of bottled water laying with

the well known brands on the same shelf.

Parle was the first major Indian company to enter the bottled water market in the country when it

introduced Bisleri in India 25 years ago and created “Bisleri” as the synonym of mineral water but

now that image is getting deteriorated with the entry of major international giants like Coca cola,

Pepsi, Nestle and noticeable presence of national players like Mount Everest, Manikchand, Kingfisher.

Their distribution network with professional marketing approach has resulted to capture the major

chunk of the bottled water market though they are receiving good fight from the local players as well.

One thing have to be noted in this business is that the required infrastructure and the distribution

network requirements are same for major players and small or local players but in as per my belief

where they can make difference is the only marketing and branding part.

12

Almost all the major international and national brands water bottles penetrated in the Indian market

and are available at right from the malls to railway stations to bus stations to multiplexes to grocery

stores and even at panwala's shop. It has penetrated so deeply in to market and now it’s become very

common to consume bottled water whereas before few years it was considered as the rich people's

choice and fashion to consume bottle water. Thanks to low pricing and aggressive marketing strategies

adopted by the multinationals. Some surveys show that truck drivers on highways form a major chunk

of bottled water drinkers. Penetration in rural areas is another significant factor that is likely to play a

key role in the development of the bottled water trade.

CURRENT SCENARIO OF MINERAL WATER INDUSTRY

The best beverage for India in new millennium seems to be water. In recent years, the bottled driving

water market has been witnessing high –decibel levels of activity, with a host of new entrants swelling

the clutter. With over 200 players jostling to be the thirst quenching favorite of the Indian consumer,

the business is growing at a very fast pace almost 50% annually and Bisleri enjoying the lion’s share

in the market so the future prospects are high indicating it in the growth stage of the product life cycle

AIMS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMPANY:

Genesis

The name that epitomizes mineral water today was first introduced in Mumbai in the early 60's. In

1965 Signor Felice Bisleri an Italian by origin, came up with the idea of selling bottled water in India.

His company Bisleri Ltd. offered mineral water in two variants - bubbly and still.

In 1969 Parle bought over Bisleri (India) Ltd. and started bottling Mineral water in glass bottles under

the brand name 'Bisleri'. In due course Parle switched over to PVC non-returnable bottles and finally

advanced to PET containers.

13

Expansion

Under the leadership and vision of Mr. Ramesh J. Chauhan, Bisleri has undergone significant

expansion in their operations. The company has witnessed an exponential growth with their turnover

multiplying more than twenty times in a short span of 10 years. The average growth rate over this

period has been around 40% with Bisleri enjoying more than 60% of the market share in the organized

mineral water segment.

Currently Bisleri has 11 franchisees and 8 plants across India, with plans of setting up 4 new plants on

the anvil. The overwhelming popularity of 'Bisleri' and the fact that it is the pioneers of the bottled

water industry in India has made us synonymous to Mineral water and a household name. So naturally

'When you think of bottled water, you think Bisleri'.

Rigorous Research and Development and stringent quality controls have made it a market leader in

the bottled water segment. Bisleri has always been committed to offering every Indian pure and clean

drinking water. Hence Bisleri water is put through multiple stages of purification, ozonisation and is

hygienically packed for final consumption.

To maintain strict quality controls in every unit, Bisleri not only purchase caps from approved

vendors, we also manufacture our own bottles, in-house. To be at par with International standards,

they have recently procured the latest state-of-the-art machinery which has not only helped us

improve packaging quality but has also reduced raw material wastage and doubled production

capacity.

You can rest assured that you are drinking safe and pure water when you consume Bisleri. Bisleri is

free of impurities and is 100% safe. Enjoy the sweet taste of Purity.

DIFFERENT PRODUCTS OF BISLERI:

1. VEDICA

2. MINERAL WATER

3. MOUNTAIN WATER

14

1. VEDICA:

Vedica Natural Mountain Water comes to you in all its untouched purity, right from its source.

Gushing from an aquifer with intense pressure, the natural mountain water is pushed above the ground

surface to a height of 5 meters above ground level, powerfully and consistently. The underground

geological origin guarantees that there is no external Contamination, since the mouth of the water

source is covered from rocks on all sides. Besides, being naturally fortified with silica, the spring is

naturally free form any Microbial infection or pollution. Vedica Natural Mountain Water is also low

on sodium, making it the perfect choice for the health conscious. It has a high proportion of sulphates,

which work as natural detoxifying agents. And it’s clear, sweet taste proves that it is free of calcium

carbonate and magnesium carbonate salts, which give some mineral waters a chalky taste.

Scientifically put, the Total Dissolved Solids in Vedica Natural Mountain Water is225mg/ltr. It is also

high in sulphates, the natural detoxifying agents. Ensuring that all you get with Vedica Natural

Mountain Water is the sweet taste of purity.

Vedica Natural Mountain Water is available in 500 ml and 1 liter bottles

Our new Vedica is the most alkaline water there is.  Vedica pH is 7.7, Himalayan pH is 7.3 & Evian

pH is 7.2.  For those who are not so skeptical about the benefits of the alkaline lifestyle, alkaline water

helps to neutralize acids and remove toxins from the body - it is a great cleanser and helps to detoxify

our system.

15

Comparative study of Chemical Parameters of Vedica, Himalayan, Evian and Volvic

SR. NO. PARAMETER VEDICA HIMALYAN EVIAN VOLVIC1 PH 7.7 7.3 7.2 7.0

2TDS at 180 deg.C

(ppm)225 330 309

130

3 Calcium (ppm) 47 62 78 11.54 Chlorides (ppm) 13 8 4.5 13.55 Bicarbonates (ppm) 201 63 357 716 Sulphate (ppm) 19 --- 10 ---7 Magnesium (ppm) 13 15 24 88 Sodium (ppm) 14 20 5 11.6

2. MINERAL WATER:

This product is bottled drinking water at its best. Bisleri with added minerals has a TDS count (total

dissolved solids count) of approximately 100. It contains minerals such as magnesium sulphate and

potassium bicarbonate which are essential minerals for healthy living. They not only maintain the pH

balance of the body but also help in keeping you fit and energetic at all times.

Bisleri with added minerals is also put through multiple stages of purification to ensure the elimination

of all forms of bacteria. This makes the water you drink completely safe to consume. Bisleri with

added minerals is available in 250ml cups, 250ml bottles, 500ml bottles, 1 liter bottles, 1.5 liter

bottles, 2 liter bottles and 5 and 20 liter cans.

PURIFICATION:

Every drop of Bisleri water is purified as per international standards to ensure that your Bisleri

experience always remains pure and satisfying for longer.

16

3. MOUNTAIN WATER:

For over 30 years, Bisleri has been the pioneer in the bottled water industry with its innovations and an

eye for perfection. And ever since it was established in 1969, Bisleri has constantly searched for

inspiration in nature.

This search has now led us to the new Natural Mountain Water. Inspired by nature, it comes to you

from a pristine source situated in the beautiful and scenic mountains of Northern India.

Natural Mountain Water resonates with the energy and vibrancy of health and well-being. It is packed

with the goodness of nature's minerals which will refresh your senses and rejuvenate you. We invite

you to experience our Natural Mountain Water - The sweet taste of purity.

NATURAL SOURCE:

Ground Water Conditions (non policy)

The water contained in deeper aquifers (water bearing zones) are under hydraulic pressure. Due to

high piezometric head and recharge area being at higher elevation, the wells are under artesian

conditions and it makes the water to flow freely without pumping i.e. under automatic conditions.

Auto-flow of the tube well is 10,000 liters per hour (167 liters per minute). However on pumping it

yield 20,000 liters per hour.

The plant area falls within the spring line. Artesian conditions are confirmed to the Tarai zone, south

of the spring line. Confined aquifers occur where ground water is confined under pressure, being

overlain by relatively impermeable strata. In a well, penetrating such an aquifer, the water will rise

above the bottom of the confining bed. If the water level rises above the top of the confining layer,

above the ground surface, free flowing/auto flow conditions results.

17

Hydroogical Setup

There are plenty of moist and water logged areas around the spring line particularly during monsoon

season. The sand and gravel associated with the finer fraction are the major aquifers in this zone.

These are generally in continuity and are recharged through them by downward percolation and

consequent lateral outflow within the zone.

The plant area falls within the spring line. Artesian conditions are confirmed to the Tarai zone, south

of the spring line. Confined aquifers occur where ground water is confined under pressure, being

overlain by relatively impermeable strata. In a well, penetrating such an aquifer, the water will rise

above the bottom of the confining bed. If the water level rises above the top of the confining layer,

above the ground surface, free flowing/auto flow conditions results.

Genesis

The origin of natural mineral water proposed to be drawn from the aquifer at a depth ranging from the

aquifer at a depth ranging from 62.50 m to 79.30 m below ground level is meteoric. Ground water

movement is through sediments comprised of sand, gravel, pebble & boulder of quartzites, which act

as natural and most hygienic filters. The coarser sediments (sand & gravel) occur alternating with clay

beds, which act as natural caps. Since the material (sand & gravel) water bearing zones which have

been tapped in the tube well are composed of quartzites which contain mainly Sio2, hence there are no

chances of mixing any constituents with the ground water. In view of the above the quality of water is

also not likely to be changed on pumping and with seasonal changes. The aquifers, which have been

tapped, are under artesian conditions and water flows automatically.

18

Chapter 3

COMPANY BACKGROUND

In 1967, Bisleri an Italian company, started by Signer FeliceBisleri, first brought the idea of selling

bottled water in India. It started a company called Bisleri India. In 1969, Ramesh Chauhan, the

Chairman of Parle Exports, bought over the brand. In those days, Bisleri packaged drinking water was

available in glass bottles.

Being a returnable package owing to various other problems such as breakage and weight, in 1972-73,

Bisleri was made available in PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) bottles. After this plastic packaging was

introduced, things started to change, and sales increased rapidly.

The upsurge in the sales of Bisleri started in 1993 as Ramesh Chauhan sold off the Parle stable of

brands, including Thumps Up, Limca and Gold Spot. Recognising the potential of the packaged

drinking water market, he then went on to concentrate on making Bisleri a top selling brand in India.

THE PRESENT

It was around the year 1995, when Parle Exports took charge of the brand operations and the business

took off in the market. With factories across India and a strong distribution network, Bisleri

established itself as a force to reckon with in the domestic packaged drinking water market.

Earlier the packaged drinking water market consisted of five star hotels, tourists and foreigners. As a

marketing strategy, a conscious decision was taken by the company that only 40% of the sales should

come from these outlets and 60% from general market, i.e. paanwallas, street shops, general stores and

even non-tourists.

This brought about a sea change in the perception in the consumer's mind about consumption of

Bisleri. Earlier, drinking bottled water was considered to be more of a status symbol. That thinking has

slowly changed to the point where today, not drinking Bisleri is considered as being behind the times.

Such has been the presence and penetration of the Bisleri brand in the bottled water segment.

About few years ago, in 1998, a strategy was adopted to concentrate aggressively on the home market.

The habit of boiling water or using electronic gadgets was not adequate, since the source of water

itself was unreliable.

19

FUTURE PLANS

Bisleri was the first to market bottled water in a totally virgin market and naturally people associate

the brand with bottled water. Now Bisleri is perhaps already ten steps ahead of its competitors and will

endeavor to widen its gap in the times to come.

Bisleri's brand positioning stresses on pure, clean and safe drinking water.

Some of the future plans to maintain the top spot that Bisleri commands in the Indian market are:

New pack sizes in bottles and cups

Increase the distribution network with an investment of over 200 crores

Strengthen presence in traditionally weak areas by setting up 12 new bottling facilities at

a cost of Rs. 150 crores.

While the controversy over European standards is going on in India, Bisleri, the acknowledged Indian

market leader, is now set to sell still and sparkling waters in Europe and America.

Bisleri is confident of entering the European market and has been tested by the Central Food &

Technology Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore. The CFTRI-tested Bisleri water using European

standards and found 'not detected' for all pesticides specified.

This European launch will silence critics who had raised issues concerning Bisleri's water quality, a

company press release said. The company stands proud by its high international quality and has the

confidence to take the European market by storm.

Says Parle Bisleri chairman Ramesh Chauhan: "The fact that we have reached out to international

markets is an acknowledgement of our quality and our penchant for safety and purity."

It has developed 8 unique pack sizes to suit the need of every individual. It is present in 250ml cups,

250ml bottles, 500ml, 1L, 1.5L, and 2L which are the non-returnable packs & 5L, 20L which are the

returnable packs. Till date the Indian consumer has been offered Bisleri water, however in its effort to

bring something refreshingly new, it has introduced Bisleri Natural Mountain Water - water brought

from the foothills of the mountains situated in Himachal Pradesh.

20

Hence its product range now comprises of two variants: Bisleri with added minerals & Bisleri

Mountain Water.

Bisleri Water is put through multiple stages of purification, ozonised & finally packed for

consumption. . Rigorous R&D & stringent quality controls has made it the market leader in the bottled

water segment. Strict hygiene conditions are maintained in all plants.

In its endeavor to maintain strict quality controls each unit purchases performs & caps only from

approved vendors. It produces its own bottles in-house. It has recently procured the latest world class

state of the art machineries that put it at par with International standards. This has not only helped it

improve packaging quality but has also reduced raw material wastage & doubled production capacity.

The company that recently launched its premium brand with medical values Vedica, is expecting a 50

per cent growth in sales from this brand.

Promoters

Parle was established in 1929 as a confectionery manufacturing unit by late Shri Jayanti Lal Chauhan.

In 1967, Mr. Ramesh. J. Chauhan son of Late Shri Jayanti Lal Chauhan, a MIT and MBA Graduate

from University of Boston, USA, took over the helm of the Group. It was due to his foresightedness

the group bought Italian Mineral Water Company – Bisleri in 1969 that has grown to become the

Leading Brand BISLERI in Indian market. Presently BISLERI enjoys number one position in the

water market.

The Group also was a pioneer in Indian market for introducing aerated drinks like Thumps up, Limca,

Citra and Gold Spot. These products were later sold to MNCs in 1993. Presently the focus of

organization is on packaged and mineral water marketed under the brand name Bisleri.

21

Bisleri International Pvt. Limited (BIPL) has the history of being the undisputed leader with constant

growth and development in an ever-changing environment. Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd is 40 years

old. It has presently 8 own manufacturing units, 11 franchisee and 32 contract packing facilities across

India. We will be expanding the business to reach far & wide. Our plants are now equipped with

sophisticated machinery & state of the art technology.

Bisleri’s VisionIts vision is to be the dominant player in the branded water business where the second player is less

than 20% of its business.

Bisleri’s MissionIt is in the business to serve the customer. He is the most important person. He is the only one who

pays. He deserves the best quality and presentation at a worth of the price. It must have world class

quality, at the lowest production & distribution cost. This will make it an unbeatable leader, and will

have satisfied loyal customers.

Bisleri’s valuesIntegrity, Leadership, Teamwork, Co-operation, Quality, Passion, and Openness & Transparency.

Organisational Structure

• Senior Sales Manager

• ASM under the Senior Sales Manager

• ASM has zones divided such as north, east, west, south and central

• Sales Executive for ASM in all the 5 zones

• 5 Corporate Sales person for all the 5 zones

• Their truck drivers are their salesmen

22

Product Range

Value Chain

Every drop of Bisleri water is purified as per international standards to ensure that your Bisleri

experience always remains pure and satisfying for longer. The following is a brief understanding of

the water treatment process :

CHLORINATION:

Kills micro organisms. Remove organic matter.

ARKAL FILTER:

Removes suspended matter and turbidity.

23

CARBON FILTER:

Removes residual chlorine & odours

REVERSE OSMOSIS:

Removes organic material. Controls total dissolved solids in the water.

ADDITION OF MINERALS:

For the purpose of maintaining a balanced mineral content.

MICRON FILTRATION:

Additional safety measures to guarantee purity.

OZONATION:

Ensures water remains bacteria free for longer life.

24

Distribution Channel

They have appointed Distributor for each area to sell their products and have also approaches to the

Retailers.

It’s a battle that Bisleri can win by sheer distribution muscle. Bisleri has a largest distribution network

across the country, further it plans to increase its network in southern and eastern region which will

prove a great advantage for the company.

BISLERI appoints a sales representative to each distributor. The salesmen are divided among the

territories defined by the distributor.

25

The distributor has 5 routes. Out of the 5 routes, one is the main route and the other four are sub

routes. The salesmen have to handle these routes. This helps in avoiding horizontal conflict and leads

to better focus and evaluation of sales performance of the salesmen.

The company sales person makes a visit once every week on Friday. Every Friday a report is given by

the sales representative to the area head. Communication regarding stock replenishment, etc. takes

place over phone. The person of the company whom the distributors communicate with is the Sales

Executive. At times the company deploys its own men to do the distribution job for the Distributor

also. Distribution Weakness: Company is not addressing the compliant from distributor and end user.

Industry Analysis

Potters Five Forces Model

□ Substitutes

□ New Entrant

□ Bargain Power of Supplier

□ Bargain Power of Customer

□ Industry Rivals

26

Industry Rivals

Rivals divided into organized and unorganized

Organised

Coke’s Kinley, PepsiCo’s Aquafina, Mohan Meakins, SKN Beweries and Parle Agro’s Bailley.

Unorganised

Local water brands such as H2GO, Blue Label, Kwencher, Yes, etc.

New Entrants

HUL water purifier Pureit

Various new local brands (unorganized players)

Shaw Wallace is also in a process to enter the bottled market in the premium segment.

Substitutes

Soft drinks Water purifiers Tap water

27

Coconut water Vending Machine water The most economical drink -nimbu pani

Bargain Power of Supplier

When the company’s suppliers are able to:raise price and reduce quantity

Then the supplier power would be high

Packaging (PET bottles) Labeling material

Bargain Power of Customer

Buyer’s demand

1. Better quality or service2. Set competitors against each other

At the expense of sellers profitability

Reason:

1. Industry where many brands fighting for existence and their shareLarge number of choices available to retailerLow switching cost for retailer

Prices of other products are more of less the same1. Brand Loyalty of customer is very low

Competitive Analysis

28

SWOT Analysis

Analysis of the company on the following parameters :

Strength

Weakness

Opportunities

Threats

29

Strength

• Market leader-the biggest strength of Bisleri lies in it being a market leader is the bottled water

industry.

• Brand-Bisleri has a very good brand image to the extent that its name is synonymous to

mineral water

• Customer Loyalty-Bisleri’s customers are hard core brand loyal and this it enjoys good

consumer loyalty.

• Number Of Variants- Bisleri is available in a large number of variants which makes it

consumer friendly as per their requirement.

Weakness

• Distribution Network-The distribution network of Bisleri is very weak due to which it is

loosing its market share.

• Dissatisfied distributors & retailers-Bisleri does not give good profit margin and incentives to

its distributors and retailers because of which they are not motivated to increase its sales

volume

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• Capacity-Bisleri is not able to meet the market requirements because its production capacity is

not increasing due to which even the distributors do not receive the requirement quantity on

time.

• Advertisement-Bisleri does not focus much on advertisement and media which is very

important for a brand to sustain it in the market.

• Price-Bisleri is considered to be very high priced especially its 20Ltrs jar at Rs 75 with security

Rs 150 in price sensitive market.

• Awareness-The customer are not aware of the 7 stage purifying process of Bisleri and the

added minerals which are available.

• For example: - local sellers fill the bottle of BISLERI with impure water and the bottles are

purchased by illiterate customers as BISLERI water but they buy water of low quality. In this

way brand of BISLERI gets affected.

Opportunities

• Scarcity-The metropolitans and big cities have a scarcity of pure drinking water which

Bisleri can cater.

• Marketing Strategy-Bisleri can focus on better marketing strategies to regain its lost market

share and also tap new markets.

• New Corporates and MNC’s –Bisleri should focus more on the corporates and mnc’s who

deal in bulk to increase its market share.

• Export-Bisleri can exploit the market abroad with its Himalayan and Vedica water meant

especially to export.

• Prospective- The bottled water industry in India is estimated at about Rs 1,000 crore and is

growing at 40 per cent. "By 2010, it will reach Rs 4,000 - 5,000 crore with 33 per cent

market for natural mineral water.

• Increase in production: BISLERI is eyeing the Market and is in the process of increasing

the production by setting 4 new plants adding to its 23plants. This will increase the

production capacity of the company.

31

Threats

• Increasing competition-The competition is increasing as the market share of Kinley and

Aquafina is rising.

• Competition from local brands as selling Rs. 10 per bottle and providing larger margin to the

retailers and distributors.

• Price sensitive customer-People focus more on low price.

• Increasing Duplicity-The duplicity in the market is rising inspite of steps taken by the

management.

• Unorganised sector-The local brands in the unorganised market are of very low price and

people are ready to take them which are eating away the market.

HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES

Human Resource Policies of the company are based upon the belief that the success of the company is primarily

dependent on its people and that the development of the greatest potential of each employee is good both for the

employee and the business and ultimately leads to the growth of the Organization.

In view of this basic premise, a comprehensive set of policies is laid down in the subsequent pages of this

manual. In its design and implementation, these policies will aim at attracting retaining and motivating

personnel to achieve higher goals and attain greater opportunities for advancement in their business career.

The guiding principles of these policies are:

1) To be pro-active, fair, competitive and a leader in business

2) To encourage and facilitate employees potential with regard to the Organizational goals.

3) To enhance and develop potential employees career growth.

32

4) To offer compensation commensurate with responsibilities, performance.

5) Achievement as we believe in “BEST REWARDS FOR BEST PERFORMANCE”.

DISTRIBUTION PATTERN

Bisleri retail distribution muscle is indeed great. Bisleri has around 80000 outlets in the country with

about more than 14000 in each metro, Delhi and Mumbai. Mr. Chauhan intends to increase it to 10

Lakh outlets and use more than 2500 trucks to across the nation.

OBJECTIVES

1. To study the present market position of BISLERI in mineral water covering bottles of 250ml,

250ml(cup), 500ml, 1L, 2L, 5L, 20L (in particular 1L bottle) in competition with other brands such as

KINLEY, AQUAFINA, BONAQUA, BAILLEY, KINGFISHER and other local brands such as

H2GO, etc in DELHI region.

To conduct a comparative study of different brands of mineral water available in Delhi.

To study the effect of price increase in Bisleri 1L bottle in market.

To identify Strength and Weakness of Bisleri in Market and Distribution.

To perform SWOT analysis.

Chapter 4

About the project

The two month internship project with Bisleri Corporation gave me a platform to research and analysis

of the marketing strategies and business growth of the company in the field of bottled mineral water of

one of the prominent brands in Indian market.

33

This study of the marketing strategy was held in 3 stages as follows –

1 Understanding the marketing strategies of the Bisleri,

2 Collecting data by directly contacting the vendors in the market that included majorly field

work, and

Analyzing facts gathered in the second stage

In the first stage of the study we attempt to deeply understand the marketing strategies that are

followed in Bisleri where we noticed that people out there are very self motivated and aggressive as

far as the product is concerned, since they are dealing with the legacy of a renowned brand therefore

they are strict with the core values of the organization. Their marketing strategies include health as the

USP since Bisleri is known for their healthy mineral components.

In the second stage of the study we visited the vendors those who sales Bisleri in the central; northern

and western parts of the Delhi region. We collected data on the basis of the questionnaire that we

prepared from these vendors and for our understanding we tried to communicate with almost all of

them about the facts as to what is the brand image in the market and what they have to say about the

business relations with Bisleri.

The final stage was where we analyzed the so collected data and made our research fruitful in terms of

suggestions and recommendations as to improve the brand worth of the Bisleri in the market as per our

understanding. The recommendations included the betterment of the distribution channel, margins to

the retailers and packaging.

Chapter 5

Literature Review

1. Bisleri continues to lead in the packaged water industry.

Source: The Hindu, Dated: 17 Feb.2003

34

Bisleri continues to lead in the Rs 700-1,000 crore organized, packaged water market with an estimated 40 per cent market share, followed by Kinley at 28 per cent and Aquafina with an 11 per cent share. In terms of volumes, the North and West remain Bisleri’s biggest performing markets, despite the brand’s sustained national-level presence. MR RAMESH CHAUHAN is the vintage boss of the 250 crore PARLE BISLERI LIMITED. The brand has some 18 manufacturing locations spread across the country. The mainstream competition is in the form of coca-cola India’s Kinley, Aquafina from Pepsi foods and nestle India’s pure.

2. Bisleri v/s Coca Cola over Maaza.

Source: Journal of Intellectual Property Rights, Dated: 1Oct.2009

The interesting case on the allegedly unauthorized use of the MAAZA Trademark closely contested between Coca Cola and Bisleri International. To briefly recount the facts for our newer readers, in this case, Bisleri Sales Ltd. previously Golden Agro Products, was the registered proprietor of the TM Maaza as well as the owner of the secret base etc. used to manufacture the product. The company then amalgamated with Bisleri International. As far back as 1993, Coca Cola and Bisleri Intl. entered into an agreement to "irrevocably" transfer all the rights as to technical knowhow and a general as well as specific assignment as to goodwill, etc. The agreement also, importantly, contained a negative covenant that allowed Coca Cola to use the MAAZA trademark in India, but nowhere else. Thus, when Coca Cola company confronted Bisleri with information received as to the sale of beverages under the MAAZA mark in Turkey, they were answered with a legal notice stating that not only were they allowed to sell in Turkey without infringing the mark, and that they planned to sell in India as well.

3. Pesticide found in raw water sample collected from Bisleri Plant (Shivaji Marg).

Source: Centre for Science & Environment (CSE), Dated: 20Dec.2006

Heptachlor, one of the pesticides, was detected in one raw water sample collected from Bisleri Plant (Shivaji Marg); its concentration level was 0.0005 mg/l. The Bureau of Indian Standards has provided

35

standards for different physical and chemical parameters for drinking water in IS 10500:1991, packaged drinking water(other than natural mineral water) in IS 14543:1998, and for natural mineral water in IS13428:1998. According to these standards for packaged drinking water and packaged natural mineral water specification, individual pesticide residues are covered under the relevant rule of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, according to which it should be below detectable limits when tested in accordance with the “relevant methods.

Why we are getting pesticides in bottled water?

Pesticide residues were detected in raw water samples (underground samples),which is the source of water for the various manufacturers.

Treatment technology given to the raw water is not sufficient for the removal ofpesticides.

The entire portion of water is not subjected to reverse osmosis; a portion of wateris subjected to reverse osmosis and mixed with pretreated water to maintain themineral content as per IS specifications.

Also, many consumers found bacteria and algae in the 20 liter jar of Bisleri. One had also complained of having cockroach in a Bisleri water bottle.

4. Indian Bottled Water Industry is growing exponentially.

Source: infochangeindia.org, indiastat.com

YEAR MILLION CASES1990-91 2.21991-92 2.61992-93 3.51993-94 4.71994-95 6.51995-96 8.51996-97 11.51997-98 15.51998-99 201999-2000 262000-01 332001-02 44.52002-03 55.62003-04 68.152004-05 822005-06 972006-07 112.852007-08 129.85

36

2008-09 146.8*2009-10 164.45*2014-15 265*

* Estimated Projects(Prediction)

5. Mount Everest Mineral Water v/s Bisleri over the trademark Himalayan.

Source: Economic Times, Dated: 30 June.2009

There is a legal battle being waged between Mount Everest Mineral Water (hereinafter referred to as

MEMW) and Bisleri for the Trademark “Himalayan”. MEMW had registered the Trademark

“Himalayan”, in the year 1994. MEMW recently won an interim injunction, given by the Delhi High

Court against Bisleri, whereby:

1) Bisleri has agreed to stop using the domain name www.bislerihimalayan.com.

2) Bisleri will not use the word “Himalaya” in large font. It will write “Himalaya” as a descriptive

word in small font to denote origin of the water.

The injunction seems to have been given by the courts on the basis of the fact that MEMW had

registered the trademark in the year 1994. But when one looks closely at the issue, we can find that

there exists a conflict between GI’s and Trademarks.

Mount Everest Mineral Water commenced operations in 1991 with its plant at Dhaula Kuan in

Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh. The company was promoted by Dadi Balsara, an NRI from

Singapore. The company’s first public issue came in 1995. The Tata group, through Tata Tea, acquired

31.73% stake in the company partly by purchase of shares from investors and partly by preferential

allotment.

Himalayan natural mineral water is endowed with the wellness of vital organic minerals. The water is

untouched and unprocessed, and has a unique taste which takes 20 years of percolation to acquire, as it

makes its way to the underground aquifer located in the Shivalik range of the Himalayas. Situated

about 130 meters below the earth’s surface, the Himalayan aquifer is one of the largest and most

pristine sources of natural mineral water in the world.

37

Himalayan is bottled at source and this lends the brand its strong intrinsic heritage. Himalayan is

internationally accredited by the US FDA, the European Union, the health ministries of Japan and

France, and Institute de Fresenius Germany. An IS / ISO 9001-2000 certified company with an

HACCP compliant bottling plant, Himalayan is the only internationally accepted natural mineral water

from India.

6. Bisleri to expand its product offering.

Source: Pitch Magazine, August Edition, 2009

Bisleri which is the leader in the packaged drinking water bottle industry has increased its product

offering by introducing its soda in the market. The move is set to further strengthen its market position

and give impetus to its growth.

Chapter 6

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

38

A Research methodology defines the purpose of the research, how it proceeds, how to measure

progress and what constitute success with respect to the objectives determined for carrying out the

research study.

The appropriate research design formulated is detailed below.

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH: This kind of research has the primary objective of development of

insights into the problem. It studies the main area where the problem lies and also tries to evaluate

some appropriate course of action.

The research methodology for the present study has been adopted to reflect these realities and help

reach the logical conclusion in an objective and scientific manner. The present study contemplated an

exploratory research.

NATURE OF DATA:

PRIMARY DATA: Data which is collected through direct interviews and by raising

questionnaires to retailers.

SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data is already available and published. Various internet sits,

newspaper, magazines were searched in order to find information useful for completion of this project.

SAMPLING DESIGN:

Simple Random Sampling to select the sample.

SOURCES OF DATA: 1. Primary Data which included the input received directly from the

Retailers through interview.

2. Secondary data from the industry manual, policy manual, books and

Internet etc.

It could be internal and external source of data.

Internal source: Which originates from the specific field or area where research is carried out e.g.

publish broachers, official reports etc.

39

External source: This originates outside the field of study like books, periodical, journals, newspapers

and internet.

DATA COLLECTION:

PRIMARY DATA: It has been obtained by conducting a survey in the following areas:

Vikaspuri

Janakpuri

Dwarka

Bagadola Village

Amberhigh Village

Raj Nagar

Palam Village

Mahavir Enclave

Tilaknagar

Paschim vihar

Mayapuri

Punjabi Bagh (East and West)

Madhipur Village

Rajouri garden

Rajendra Place

Patel nagar

Karol Bagh

Uttam Nagar

Moti Nagar

Hari Nagar

Kirti Nagar

Ramesh Nagar

Cannaught Place

ITO

KG Magh

40

Barakhamba Magh

Central Sectariat

Paschim Puri

Bhagwati Nagar

Rohini

Rithala

Pitampura

METHOD: Interview method used with the retailers and asking about the bottled drinking water they

were selling and convincing them to keep Bisleri.

Chapter 7

Data Analysis

41

1. EFFECT OF PRICE RISE OF BISLERI ON SALES: There has been price rise on certain

packs of Bisleri i.e. 1 lt and 500 ml. In our survey we tried to find out what was the impact of

this price rise.

As Bisleri is the first one to hike the price in comparison to other brands which were available

at the old prices. But they are also on the way to hike price. This increase of price in mineral

water industry is because of increase in price of performs and many other reasons.

EFFECT ON SALES

NO EFFECT SALES WILL DECREASE

Source : Primary data collected by interview method and submitted to the organization.

FINDINGS

Some problems faced by the company:

42

Huge demand for the 1Ltr and 500 ml bottle but the lack of supply on time destroyed many

customers of the company.

There is a large extent to which duplicity of 20Ltrs jar of Bisleri is prevalent in the market.

Schemes provided by the other players in the market were attractive to the companies. Other

companies are offering hot and cold dispenser with very low number of bottles while Bisleri

provides it on buying of 120 bottles per month.

No advertisement, schemes and promotion of Bisleri

Either no trucks are visiting or if visiting it is in very low frequency this creates the supply

problem

Few complaints are as follows:

They had complaints about Bisleri

Not treated properly by the company and salesmen

Irregular supplies

Attractive schemes by Kinley and AquaFina.

PLAN OF ACTION

Major Problem is inconsistency in supplies by the truck or the dealer of the company so

company should try to make it possible that it should serve as many companies in one area as

possible, by its own trucks. following problems will be tackled by it:

Personal links of company can be established instead of dealer’s links that can provide

other in absence of Bisleri.

Creates the positive image of the company.

Develops trust in the consumer that he is directly served by the company and product is

genuine.

Some dealers sometimes provide the 20 liter jar at the prices which less than the

company creates fiasco which can be eliminated.

43

Providing some attractive schemes to attract market such as discount to heavy buyer,

dispenser should be available on 90 bottles instead of 120 bottles.

Providing effective after sales service.

DIRECT COMPETITORS

Aquafina(Pepsi) - All India Kinley(Coke) - All India Bisleri (Parle) - All India Bailley - Mumbai Catch(Satyapal Dharampal) - All India Atlas premium - Delhi Ganga(t-series) - All India Golden Eagle - solan Hello - All India Himalayan - All India Jal - Delhi Kingfisher(Kingfisher) - Delhi, Mumbai Nakshatra - Chennai Nestle Pure Life - Delhi No 1 McDowell - All India Paras - Delhi Pristine - Nilgiris Raindrops - Chennai Rail neer - Railway

Chapter 8

Conclusion

44

For a FMCG company like Bisleri, sales promotion forms an important activity to increase the

sales and also to come in direct contact with the customers.

The water industry has a lot of scope for more growth since water is a necessity and there is an

acute shortage of water especially in Delhi and NCR.

A major earning was about the distribution network and its role in Bisleri

During the project, another important learning was that Bisleri focuses only on increasing sales

and not on marketing but strong marketing strategy and their implementation is important to

retain brand loyalty and regain the lost market share.

While dealing with the retailers, understanding their psychology and demography is very

important, i.e. identifying whether they are converted or not.

Promote the company’s customer care number and encourage the customer to enquire about

Bisleri brand more frequently.

The company should have a central distribution centre for every division (north, south and east

and west) to ensure timely delivery and proper check on duplicity.

Chapter 9

Recommendations

Some general recommendations may be listed below for the Delhi market:

45

Company should concentrate on consistent supplies in companies because in companies

availability of water at right time is very important.

Distributor should not be allowed to work where the company truck can visit. And a clear

distinction is made between the areas of distribution each distributor.

As many customers are uncomfortable with the prices on which Bisleri is available so to attract

and retain the customers Bisleri should offer good schemes and price flexibility for big

consumers like companies and government undertaking where Bisleri is supplied. Many offers

can be given like some discounts to old customers for a particular month as a loyalty bonus,

other could be retention discount in customer is switching over to another brand.

To boost up the sales salesman motivation must be boosted up, so to enhance their motivation

company should create competition within the company by setting the week and fortnight

targets and contests can be organized between salesmen.

Bisleri should concentrate on advertising because the earlier advertisement of Bisleri is quite

successful but now from a long time there is no advertisement from Bisleri.

Try to supply as many corporate as possible directly from the company vehicle instead of

dealer. Since almost all the dealers are involved in supplying more than one brand, they try to

establish their own links in company and try to supply the water in which they have maximum

margin, rather than the quality water. Also they try to retain customer as their own instead of

retaining them as Bisleri’s customer.

Research done exclusively on Retailers

Market Research

46

Objective of Study

To know about the awareness of Bisleri as a brand not as a synonyms of water

To find the market share of Bisleri prevalent in the market

Sample size and collection of Data

The sample size was the retailers across Delhi.

The sample size was taken from North Delhi, South Delhi and West Delhi.

Collection of data was done through an exploratory research by preparing a questionnaire. We

collected data of nearly 50 retailers dealing in packaged drinking water.

Limitations of the Study

The sample size and the data collected was according to the convience of reaching them.

The respondent might have not given the right answers and given accordingly to their choices.

Market Research Design

Exploratory Market Research

47

The exploratory approach attempts to discover general information about a topic that is not well

understood by the marketer. For instance, a marketer has heard news reports about a new Internet

technology that is helping competitors but the marketer is not familiar with the technology and needs

to do research to learn more. When gaining insight (i.e., discovery) on an issue is the primary goal,

exploratory research is used.

The basic difference between exploratory and descriptive research is the research design. Exploratory

research follows a format that is less structured and more flexible than descriptive research. This

approach works well when the marketer doesn’t have an understanding of the topic or the topic is new

and it is hard to pinpoint the research direction. The downside, however, is that results may not be as

useful in aiding a marketing decision. So why use this method? In addition to offering the marketer

basic information on a topic, exploratory research may also provide direction for a more formal

research effort. For instance, exploratory research may indicate who the key decision makers are in a

particular market thus enabling a more structured descriptive study targeted to this group.

We did exploratory research at the initial phase of our research because at this stage the problem was

not well define for that we analysis the secondary data and through that we could find the problem of

our research.

Descriptive research

Next after problem definition we did the descriptive research. This research is the most commonly

used and the basic reason for carrying out descriptive research is to identify the cause of something

that is happening. For instance, this research could be used in order to find out what age group is

buying a particular brand of beer, whether   a company’s market share differs between geographical

48

regions or to discover how many competitors a company has in their marketplace. However, if the

research is to return useful results, whoever is conducting the research must comply with strict

research requirements in order to obtain the most accurate figures/results possible.

Based upon them is the following analysis:

Source : Primary Data collected

1. Do you prefer packaged drinking water?

YES NO

Analysis: According to the survey of retailers at the metro stations 90% said yes and 10% voted for no

as they sold Rupee 1 per glass.

2. Are you aware of the following brands in packaged drinking water?

BISLERI KINLEY AQUAFINA OTHERS

YesNo

49

Analysis: The most of the retailers at the metro stations were aware of the major brands…..which were like 90% knew about Bisleri, 70% for

Kinley and 60% for Aquafina while 50% kept local brands.

3. Which brand of packaged drinking water does customer often ask ?

BISLERI KINLEY AQUAFINA OTHERS or LOCAL

Analysis: According to the survey of retailers 60% said the most sold brand was Bisleri followed by

Kinley to which 19% agreed while 8% said that Aquafina was sold most and 13% for others.

4. Do you think packaged drinking water has a seasonality effect?

YES NO

BISLERI

KINLEY

AQUAFINA

OTHERS

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

NOYES

BISLERI KINLEYAQUAFINAOTHERS and LOCAL

50

Analysis: Most of the retailers at metro stations felt that there is a change in the consumption of package water with change seasons.

4. Please scale your satisfaction level for the brand you’re using on the basis of the

following:

Price:

Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

YesNo

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Uncertain

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

OthersAquafinaKinleyBisleri

51

Analysis: The 52% of the retailers were satisfied with the price of Bisleri followed by Kinley, Aquafina and others.

Quality:

Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

Analysis: The 44%the retailers at the metro stations were very satisfied with the Bisleri and similarly followed with Kinley and Aquafina while 40% were uncertain about the quality of the other local brands they keeping.

Service:

Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Uncertain

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

OthersAquafinaKinleyBisleri

52

Analysis: The retailers were mostly satisfied more with the service of Kinley and Aquafina other than Bisleri.

Packaging:

Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

Analysis: The packaging of the Kinley was mostly liked by retailers and similarly by the customers followed by Aquafina and Bisleri

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Uncertain

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

OthersAquafinaKinleyBisleri

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Uncertain

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

OthersAquafinaKinleyBisleri

53

6. What factors can change the brand preference of the customer?Q-QualityP-PriceS-ServicePK-Packaging

Q&P Q&S P S Packaging

Analysis: The customer preferred Quality and

Service then followed by Packaging and then Quality and Service and etc.

7. As a retailer what matters you most?

Profit Margin Quality of Water Service of Company Packaging

38

22

10

6

24

Q&P -Quality and Price Q&P Q&S -Quality and Service Q&S P-Price P S-Service S PK-Packaging PK

54

Analysis: The most of retailers at metro station gave importance to profit margin then followed by

Quality of Water they providing and Service of Company.

8. On which brand do you get more margins?

a) Bisleri b) Aquafina

c) Kinley d) Others

Profit Margin

Quality of Water

Service of Company

Packaging

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

46

28

22

4

Key Factors

Key Factors

55

26

44

26 4

a) Bislerib) Aquafina c) Kinleyd) Others

Analysis: The retailers get the maximum margin on Aquafina i.e. Rs 4 per bottle while Kinley and

Bisleri were similar

9. Do you feel there is growth in the mineral water market in the last 5 years?

a) Yes b) No

YesNo

Analysis: The 70% retailer felt there will be growth in the mineral water in the near future.

56

10. If answer to above question is yes, then what do you think is the reason for this

growth?

a) Increase in Health consciousness of people

b) Increase in Advertisements

c) Scarcity of drinking water

d) Others

50

30

10 10a) Increase in Health consciousness of peopleb) Increase in Advert-isementsc) Scarcity of drinking waterd) Others

Analysis: The major portion of the retailers felt that the growth in the near future will be because of

the increasing health awareness and due to advertisement.

11. What is the future prospect of this market?

a) Excellent b) Good

c) Average d) Poor.

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Analysis: The 60% of the retailers felt that there is excellent prospect of the market in the future.

12. How do you rate Bisleri as compared to other brands?

Very Good Good Standard Bad

Very Good Good Standard Bad05

1015202530354045

Comparison

60%20%

15%

5%

Prospecta) Excellent b) Good c) Average d) Poor.

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Analysis: The major of the retailers at metro stations felt that Bisleri is a good brand as compared to others and 30% considered it very good because of minerals added in it.

13. Are you satisfied with Bisleri’s awareness programme, sales campaign, and advertisements?

YES NO DON’T KNOW

Analysis: The retailers at metro stations were not satisfied with the services of the Bisleri that was approx 50%.

14. If you have any problem with the service then what would you do?

RESOLVE IT CHANGE THE BRAND GIVE A CHANCE

YES NO

DON’T KNOW

05

101520253035404550

30

50

20

59

36

27

37

RESOLVE ITCHANGE THE BRANDGIVE A CHANCE

Analysis: The major of the retailers try to change the brand and followed by 36% of which try to

resolve the problem and then giving another chance.

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Conclusions and Recommendations.

Some general recommendations may be listed below for the Delhi metro stations are :

Company should concentrate on consistent supplies to the retailers and vendors because timely

delivery is very important.

Metro Station sites should be taken care since water was always the necessity for travelers be it

long distance or inter city and the record number of people travel by metro daily.

Easy to carry Bisleri bottles should be supplied more frequently for the inter city daily travelers

at the metro stations.

Large number of metro stations (more than 100) helps us to cater a major share in the market.

Since metro is used by the people of all strata who prefer packaged drinking water therefore

these counters should be tapped.

These counters could also be used to display the brand Bisleri in all the major crowded metro

stations as well. This comes under direct publicity.

ANNEXURE

QUESTIONNAIRE

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Dear Sir/Madam,

As a student of PGDM 2010-2012, Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini I am doing a

project on “MARKETING AND SALES ANALYSIS” at Bisleri. I will be grateful for the valuable

inputs you give to the following questions. Your responses shall be kept completely confidential, will

be merged with other responses and used only for statistical purposes.

NAME: __________________________________________

Metro Station: _____________________________________

Shop Name: ______________________________________

PHONE NUMBER: ________________________________

1. Do you prefer packaged drinking water?

YES NO

2. Are you aware of the following brands in packaged drinking water?

BISLERI KINLEY AQUAFINA OTHERS

3. Which brand of packaged drinking water does customer often ask ?

BISLERI KINLEY AQUAFINA OTHERS or LOCAL

4. Do you think packaged drinking water has a seasonality effect?

YES NO

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5. Please scale your satisfaction level for the brand you’re using on the basis of the following:

Price: Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

Quality:

Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

Service:

Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

Packaging:

Brand Name Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied UncertainBisleriKinleyAquafinaOthers

6. What factors can change the brand preference of the customer?Q-QualityP-PriceS-Service

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PK-Packaging

Q&P Q&S P S Packaging

7. As a retailer what matters you most?

Profit Margin Quality of Water Service of Company Packaging

8. On which brand do you get more margins?

a) Bisleri b) Aquafina

c) Kinley d) Others

9. Do you feel there is growth in the mineral water market in the last 5 years?

a) Yes b) No

10. If answer to above question is yes, then what do you think is the reason for this

growth?

e) Increase in Health consciousness of people

f) Increase in Advertisements

g) Scarcity of drinking water

h) Others

11. What is the future prospect of this market?

a) Excellent b) Good

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c) Average d) Poor.

12. How do you rate Bisleri as compared to other brands?

Very Good Good Standard Bad

13. Are you satisfied with Bisleri’s awareness programme, sales campaign, and advertisements?

YES NO DON’T KNOW

14. If you have any problem with the service then what would you do?

RESOLVE IT CHANGE THE BRAND GIVE A CHANCE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS & JOURNALS–

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Kotler Philip, “Marketing Management” New Delhi, Prentice Hall of India, 2009(13th edition)

Britannica Encyclopedia

Mr. Hari Sundar(2008), “Indian Packaged drinking water industry”, Advertising Express page

no-55

Francis Buttle, “Customer Relationship Management” (second edition)

OTHERS –

Internet

Magazines

INTERNET

www.bisleri.com

http://www.icmrindia.org/free%20resources/casestudies/reinventing-bisleri2.htm

www.finewaters.com

www.wikipedia.org

www.tradeindia.com

www.indiaresource.org

www.kingfisherworld.com

www.fosters.com

www.parleagro.com

www.bottledwaterindia.org

www.prenhall.com/kotler

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