AReport

On

A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the required of MBA program

By

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Acknowledgement

First and foremost I am greatly indebted to my co - guide Prof Sachin Chauhan, Pillai Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai and Mr. Amandeep Singh, Asst. Sales Manager, Matrix International Services, for taking time to guide me and supervise the project. Prof Sachin Chauhan always acted as a source of motivation and encouragement. His rich experience, insight and intellect have steered my project to the present stage of completion.

I am highly indebted to Mr.Pradnesh kachare, Deputy Sales Manager, Matrix International Services, Mumbai for providing many valuables perspective on the project which made the project to be completion reflection of the work done by me.

I am also highly indebted to Mr. Monish Makker, Deputy General Manager , for giving me a prestigious opportunity to work with Matrix.

I also like to thanks to Ms. Ankit Mathur, Business Development Marketing for support and assist me throughout the project.

I am forever thankful to my parents for their emotional support fuel which kept me cruising all through the project in-spite of the hurdles and hardship encountered during the journey

(zsdf)

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Introduction to the Subject

Marketing Research

Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of data about

issues relating to marketing products and services. The term is commonly interchanged

with market research; however, expert practitioners may wish to draw a distinction, in

that market research is concerned specifically with markets, while marketing research is

concerned specifically about marketing processes.

Marketing research is often partitioned into two sets of categorical pairs, either by target

market:

Consumer marketing research, and

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing research

Or, alternatively, by methodological approach:

Qualitative marketing research, and

Quantitative marketing research

Consumer marketing research is a form of applied sociology that concentrates on

understanding the preferences, attitudes, and behaviours of consumers in a market-based

economy, and it aims to understand the effects and comparative success of marketing

campaigns. The field of consumer marketing research as a statistical science was

pioneered by Arthur Nielsen with the founding of the ACNielsen Company in 1923.

Thus, marketing research may also be described as the systematic and objective

identification, collection, analysis, and dissemination of information for the purpose of

assisting management in decision making related to the identification and solution of

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problems and opportunities in marketing.[3] The goal of marketing research is to identify

and assess how changing elements of the marketing mix impacts customer behaviour

Marketing research methods

Methodologically, marketing research uses the following types of research designs:

Based on questioning:

Qualitative marketing research - generally used for exploratory purposes -

small number of respondents - not generalizable to the whole population -

statistical significance and confidence not calculated - examples include focus

groups, in-depth interviews, and projective techniques

Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a

specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the

sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples

include surveys and questionnaires. Techniques include choice modelling,

maximum difference preference scaling, and covariance analysis.

Based on observations:

Ethnographic studies -, by nature qualitative, the researcher observes social

phenomena in their natural setting - observations can occur cross-sectionally

(observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over

several time-periods) - examples include product-use analysis and computer

cookie traces. See also Ethnography and Observational techniques.

Experimental techniques -, by nature quantitative, the researcher creates a

quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors, then manipulates

at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test

markets

Introduction To The Industry

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.Telecom Industry In India

The Indian telecommunications market has been displaying sustained high growth rates.

Riding on expectations of overall high economic growth and consequent rising income

levels, it offers an unprecedented opportunity for foreign investment. A combination of

factors is driving growth in the telecom market, promising rich returns on investments.

Over the past 10 years, India has registered the fastest growth among major

democracies, having grown at over 7 per cent in four years during the 1990s. It

represents the fourth largest economy in terms of Purchasing Power Parity. According

to a recent Goldman Sachs report, over the next fifty years, Brazil, Russia, India and

China - the BRIC economies- could become a much larger force in the world economy.

It reports, “India could emerge as the world’s third largest economy and of these four

countries; India has the potential to show the fastest growth over the next 30 to 50

years”. The report also states that, “Rising incomes may also see these economies move

through the ‘sweet spot’ of growth for different kinds of products, as local spending

patterns change. This could be an important determinant of demand and pricing patterns

for a range of commodities”. The share of the services sector as a percentage of total

GDP is also predicted to rise from the current 46 per cent to about 60 per cent by 2020.

The boom in the services sector is slated to come from India, emerging as a chosen

destination for software and other IT enabled services, tourism etc. According to a

Nasscom- McKinsey & Co. Study, by 2008, the Indian IT software and services sector

will account for US$ 70-80 billion in revenues; it’ll employ 4 million people, and

account for 7 per cent of India’s GDP and 30 per cent of India’s foreign exchange

inflows.

Population projections from the Planning Commission of India suggest that the share of

the working age population (15-64 years) in total population will grow from the current

59 per cent to about 65 per cent, translating into 882 million by year 2020.According to

the Vision 2020 document for the Planning Commission of India, the country will

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witness continued urbanisation. The urban population is expected to rise from 28 per

cent to 40 per cent of total population by 2020.Future growth is likely to be

concentrated in and around 60 to 70 large cities, each having a population of one

million or more. This profile of concentrated urban population will facilitate customised

telecom offerings from operators. Over the years, spending power has steadily increased

in India. Between 1995 and 2002, nearly 100 million people became part of the

consuming and rich classes. Over the next five years, 180 million people are expected to

move into the consuming and very rich classes.

On an average, 30-40 million people are joining the middle class every year,

representing huge consumption spending in terms of the demand for mobile phones,

televisions, scooters, cars, credit goods and a consumption pattern associated with rising

incomes. Evolution of the Indian telecom industry

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Until the 1980s, the Department of Posts and Telegraphs (under the Ministry of the

same name) had the mandate of regulating and offering telecommunications services. It

was governed by the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and the Wireless Act of 1933. In 1985,

the Department of Posts and Telegraph was split up into the Department of

Telecommunications (DoT) and the Department of Posts. The DoT was established as

the state operator, regulator and licensor. It was only in October 1999 that the activities

of the operator and licensor were somewhat separated, by the creation of the

Department of Telecommunications Services (DTS). This separation, however, was a

largely artificial one.

Although the DoT had been charged with operating telecommunications services, its

efforts were seen as insufficient. Initial steps towards corporatisation saw the creation of

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), which started offering basic fixed

services in Mumbai and Delhi in 1987. MTNL still holds a monopoly in those cities,

where DoT/DTS is not present at the local level. MTNL is wholly owned by the

Government of India and the DoT. Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) was set up

in 1986 as the monopoly operator for international gateway services.

On May 13, 1994, the government opened local basic and value-added

telecommunications services to competition.

Mobile services were introduced on a commercial basis in November 1994. India was

thus divided into 21 "Telecom Circles". Circles correspond approximately to

states and are categorized as either "A", "B" or "C" according to size and importance.

Category A includes the heaviest volume areas such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Licenses for mobile services

were also issued for the four metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta). As part of the

license conditions, traffic could be routed to VSNL's international gateway only by

passing through DoT/DTS's network. In 1986, the Telecom Commission was set up

with the mandate to accelerate the deployment of telecommunications services and to

implement new telecommunication policy.

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A bill passed in 1995 envisaged the creation of an independent and autonomous agency

for the regulation of telecommunications, the Telecommunications Regulatory

Authority of India (TRAI). Set up in 1997, the TRAI is responsible facilitating

interconnection and technical interconnectivity between operators, regulating revenue

sharing, ensuring compliance with license conditions, facilitating competition and

settling disputes between service providers. The TRAI cannot grant or renew licenses

and this remains the DoT's responsibility. The TRAI may also set the rates for

telecommunications services. Its decisions can only be challenged by the High Courts or

Supreme Courts of India.

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INDIAN ECONOMY AN OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

India has been one of the best performers in the world economy in recent years, but rapidly rising inflation and the complexities of running the world’s biggest Challenge.

India’s economy has been one of the stars of global economics in recent years, growing 9.2% in 2007 and 9.6% in 2006. Growth had been supported by markets reforms, huge inflows of FDI, rising foreign exchange reserves, both an IT and real estate boom, and a flourishing capital market.

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Like most of the world, however, India is facing testing economic times in 2008. The Reserve Bank of India had set an inflation target of 4%, but by the middle of the year it was running at 11%, the highest level seen for a decade. The rising costs of oil, food and the resources needed for India’s construction boom are all playing part.

India has to compete ever harder in the energy market place in particular and has not been as adept at securing new fossil fuel sources as the Chinese. The Indian Government is looking at alternatives, and has signed a wide-ranging nuclear treaty with the US, in part to gain access to nuclear power plant technology that can reduce its oil thirst. This has proved contentious though, leading to leftist members of the ruling coalition. .

As part of the fight against inflation a tighter monetary policy is expected, but this will help slow the growth of the Indian economy still further, as domestic demand will be dampened. External demand is also slowing, further adding to the downside risks.

The Indian stock market has fallen more than 40% in six months from its January 2008 high. $6b of foreign funds have flowed out of the country in that period, reacting both to slowing economic growth and perceptions that the market was over-valued.

It is not all doom and gloom, however. A growing number of investors feel that the market may now be undervalued and are seeing this as a buying opportunity. If their optimism about the long term health of the Indian economy is correct, then this will be a needed correction rather than a downtrend.

The Indian government certainly hopes that is the case. It views investment in the creaking infrastructure of the country as being a key requirement, and has ear-marked 23.8 trillion rupees, approximately $559 billion, for infrastructure upgrades during the 11th five year plan. It expects to fund 70% of project costs, with the other 30% being supplied by the private sector. Ports, airports, roads and railways are all seen as vital for the Indian Economy and have been targeted for investment.

Further hope comes from the confidence of India’s home bred companies. As well as taking over the domestic reins, where they now account for most of the economic activity, they are also increasingly expanding abroad. India has contributed more new members to the Forbes Global 2000 than any other country in the last four years.

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ECONOMIC GROWTH

GDP growth rate from 1998 to 2008

India’s Economy has grown by more than 9% for three years running, and has seen a

decade of 7%+ growth. This has reduced poverty by 10%, but with 60% of India’s 1.1

billion population living off agriculture and with droughts and floods increasing,

poverty.

The structural transformation that has been adopted by the national government in

recent times has reduced growth constraints and contributed greatly to the overall

growth and prosperity of the country. However there are still major issues around

federal vs state bureaucracy, corruption and tariffs that require addressing. India’s

public debt is 58% of GDP according to the CIA World Fact book.

During this period of stable growth, the performance of the Indian service sector has

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been particularly significant. The growth rate of the service sector was 11.18% in 2007

and now contributes 53% of GDP. The industrial sector grew 10.63% in the same

period and is now 29% of GDP. Agriculture is 17% of the Indian economy.

Growth in the manufacturing sector has also complemented the country’s excellent

growth momentum. The growth rate of the manufacturing sector rose steadily from

8.98% in 2005, to 12% in 2006. The storage and communication sector also registered a

significant growth rate of 16.64% in the same year.

Additional factors that have contributed to this robust environment are sustained in

investment and high savings rates. As far as the percentage of gross capital formation in

GDP is concerned, there has been a significant rise from 22.8% in the fiscal year 2001,

to 35.9% in the fiscal year 2006. Further, the gross rate of savings as a proportion to

GDP registered solid growth from 23.5% to 34.8% for the same period.

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Introduction To The Company

Matrix Cellular International Services Pvt. Ltd.

Started in 1995, Matrix Cellular Services is a Delhi-based company providing complete

telecommunication solutions for Indian travellers going abroad. Our services include

international SIM cards, 3G data cards and wireless communication for use in India and

abroad. Our vision and effort to connect the Indian outbound traveller – individuals,

students and corporate - with a convenient, cost-effective mobile and data service have

enabled us to become the undisputed market leader.

Matrix introduced the concept of local connectivity in India, by offering country-

specific international SIM cards. We ensure that you stay in touch without paying huge

mobile bills. Moreover, since the cellular phone/data connections are local to the

country you are travelling to, you enjoy better coverage and connectivity.

We offer destination-specific SIM cards for Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium,

Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Holland, Italy, Japan,

Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea,

Spain, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, U.A.E., U.S.A. and U.K.

Since inception, we have aimed to be the best in service, quality, innovation and choice.

Even today, we are dedicated to the same. We are also constantly increasing our

portfolio of countries and focusing on unique communication solutions. This way you

stay connected wherever you are and that too, without being concerned by exorbitant

international roaming expenses.

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Corporate Overview

By 2008, pan-India presence – we became one of the largest telecom service

providers

24 offices (19 India & 5 overseas) and growing exponentially

Worldwide telecommunication solutions - mobile & wireless services;

national/international clients, individuals and corporate

Nationwide network, over 1000 professionals in all areas of sales, marketing,

customer service, operations and logistics

2007 – Turnover Rs 100 crores

Partnerships with over 34 country specific international service providers

1,25,000 customers and corporate houses

Mission And Values

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

To attain leadership in developing, adopting and assimilating latest communications technology for a competitive advantage. We anticipate change and respond with creative solutions.

To cultivate high standards of business ethics, organizational values and total quality management for a strong corporate identity and brand equity.

CUSTOMERS

To focus on customer delight through value of products and services, and cost reduction.

Success depends on our ability to consistently satisfy ever-changing customer preferences.

We encourage collaboration with leading companies and build and nurture long-standing, mutually beneficial relationships.

EMPLOYEES

We will strive to hire and retain the most qualified people available and maximize their opportunities for success through training and development.

We are committed to open communication, trust and fair treatment.

We shall make people a source of our improvement.

Our “can do” spirit delivers top performance.

Matrix Mission

• To attain leadership in developing, adopting & assimilating latest

communications technology for a competitive advantage. We anticipate change

& respond with creative solutions.

• To cultivate high standard of business ethics, organizational values & TQM for

a strong corporate identity & brand equity

Company background

The company started its operations in the year 1995 by offering short term mobile phone

service across New Delhi. With the experience of these past several years, the company

has emerged to become the market leader in cellular phone rentals in India enabling

individuals, corporate and foreign clients of all sizes to communicate wherever there is

cellular phone network. Today, it proudly claims to offer the best in mobile services in

India as well as overseas.

Since inception, the company aimed to be the best in service, quality, innovation and

choice. Matrix was the first to introduce the concept of local connectivity by offering

country specific mobile connections.

Customers gain a lot by using Matrix sim cards primarily because:

Global roaming charges are exorbitant

Customer has to bear the ISD charges for all the calls that they receive

It may not be possible for the customers to inform their contact persons that they

are traveling out of country. In effect, they end up receiving many unwanted

chargeable calls.

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Matrix provides country specific mobile connections that help save almost 60% of the

international roaming charges at the same time providing all the services of the network

of that country. The company also gives the facility of paying in Indian rupees. This

helps in saving the hassle of procuring a mobile connection on arrival in that country

and spending valuable foreign exchange while clearing the mobile bills.

Domestic Mobile Solutions:

SIM cards and telecom solutions in association with Vodafone

24×7 accessible customer care

Sound Backend Operation Support

Radiocom (wireless) power through Matrix: Walkie-talkie sets for Delhi and NCR

YBO: Established in 2004 with offices in UK and US. A specialist offshore company,

providing a full range of financial accounting services.

Tamarinde: We deliver the most exceptional Indian Holiday Experience.

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U Kaur: Established in 1999, with a vision of creating unique designs in ethnic wear

and home furnishing and supply the same to leading fashion stores.

Signature talent: Recruitment Consultancy established in 2007.

Alliance Partner

SOTC

JET AIRWAYS

BRITISH AIRWAYS

Matrix has alliance relationships with leading companies like SOTC, Jet Airways,

British Airways, Qantas, Citibank, American Express, Deutsche Bank, StanChart

Bank, DHL amongst others. Some of the special offers are:

Deutsche Bank Platinum credit card

HDFC Titanium credit cards

Jet Airways

British Airways

Citibank Ultima credit card

Citibank Platinum credit card

Stan Chart Platinum card

Matrix has student offers too:

Qantas Airways

Amex Travelers Cheques

DHL

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Centurion bank of Punjab

Esteemed Clients of Matrix

Embassies and High Commissions:

US Embassy

British High Commission

German Embassy, etc.

Banks:

American Express

Citibank, etc.

Media:

BBC

CNN

NDTV

Times of India, etc.

Corporate Houses:

Reliance Industries

Hero Honda

Ranbaxy

TATA Motors, etc.

Celebrities:

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Shahrukh Khan

Juhi Chawla

Uday Chopra

Bachchan Family, etc.

Travel Fraternity:

British Airways

Jet Airways

The Matrix Advantage

A customer-oriented company understanding problems faced by international travelers

Upto 70% saving on International Roaming Bills:

A country specific mobile number from Matrix is chargeable at applicable local

rates, free incoming calls in most countries, free minutes of talk time, without

any connection charges.

Technologically superior company

Matrix connects with the biggest international networks – AT&T, NTT,

DOCOMO, Vodafone, etc.

Seamless connectivity, including Japan and South Korea

International roaming numbers do not work in all countries. Patchy coverage

and call drops are complaints. Using local cellular numbers means seamless

connectivity and no patchy coverage.

Instant Activation and delivery anywhere in India

The mobile phone is activated even before the traveller leaves India and the SIM

delivered at the office or home of the customer.

Billing in Indian Rupees

Saves foreign exchange

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Payment through credit card

Itemized bills given

Separate International number

The customer has the freedom of giving the number to a few important people

and screening unwanted calls, thereby considerable saving on phone bills.

Organization Structure at Matrix

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Matrix Cellular at Mumbai

The Mumbai branch is one of the highly active and productive branches of Matrix

Cellular. Though the company is around 13 years old, the Mumbai branch was set up

only in the year 2004 making it the youngest branch. The young and enthusiastic staff

force makes it all the more vibrant.

Situated in the heart of Mumbai, Matrix Mumbai has the advantage of acquiring a wide

talent pool. Students from the adjoining areas aspiring to make a career in the dream

city find a good opportunity with a company like Matrix Cellular.

Working with Matrix Cellular is an experience one would not like to miss. The work

culture is friendly, welcoming and encourages innovations. Employees can explore their

capabilities, be creative, and think out of the box. Since the company itself is in a

tremendous growth stage, it provides the employees with a challenging, exciting and

fast moving atmosphere.

The 100 odd staff strength includes mainly sales executives, sales co-ordination

executives, accounts department and other office staff. Though the HR department

constitutes a very small percentage of the total employee strength, it serves as a

tremendous force in the overall administrative efficiency.

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Organization Structure

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Introduction To The Project

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Matrix Cellular Services International Pvt. Ltd. introduced the concept of local

connectivity in India, by offering country-specific international SIM cards. The

international SIM cards given to the customers are post-paid cards in which they need

to pay a security deposit of Rs.5000 and they are charged the bill amount once they are

back from the trip. Now the company is planning to launch a pre-paid SIM card in

which there would be no security deposit. Documentation required for a post paid card

is a passport copy, visa copy, credit card copy and a photograph but in the case of pre-

paid card the customer just needs to provide a copy of passport. SIM cards offered to

customers are country-specific international cards but the pre-paid cards would be a

global SIM card with incoming free in about 50% of the country.

The main objective of the project is to find out that if such kind of a pre-paid product

would be launched in the market what would be the market response and whether it

would be a success or failure. For that purpose a market survey was conducted with a

sample size of 75 respondents. After the data collection findings were made and

recommendation were given.

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Objectives

Matrix Cellular Services is into the business of country specific international post-paid

SIM cards. Now the company is planning to launch a global pre-paid card so the

primary objective of the project was to find out the potential about this new product.

The company is interested in knowing what would be the response of the market if such

a card would be launched i.e. whether the card would be a success or a failure.

There are also many other secondary objectives like:

To design a distribution strategy for the product i.e. in which areas should the

product be launched

What advertising should be done to create an awareness?

What would be the reaction of the telecom retailers?

Would they be interested in stocking in such kind of a product and in what

quantity?

What kind of promotional materials should be provided to the distributors who

are stocking the SIM cards?

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2.3) Methodology

The objective of this project was to understand the potential of a Prepaid International

SIM card if it were to be launched in the market. Along with that I was also interested in

getting a response from our prospective sellers i.e. the Telecom partners as they are

ones who are in touch with the end users.

I decided to get some internal secondary data as it might aid the project and also I

wanted to get complete understanding of the business. I also searched the internet to get

external secondary data to check if any of the competitors has already launched a

similar kind of a product.

After gathering the required secondary information the next step was to finalise the way

in which primary data had to be collected. While there are many ways to perform

market research, most businesses use one or more of five basic methods: surveys, focus

groups, personal interviews, observation, and field trials. The type of data you need and

how much money you’re willing to spend will determine which techniques you choose

for your business.

I decided to use the Survey method for my research purpose. With concise and

straightforward questionnaires, you can analyze a sample group that represents your

target market. The larger the sample, the more reliable your results will be.

Once the survey method was selected the next logical step was to prepare a

questionnaire. I was instructed by my industrial guide to keep the questionnaire short,

simple and concise as most of the respondents might not be so fluent with the language

and they might misinterpret. Most of the question was open ended ones as it makes it

easier to get the response. The target respondents were broadly classified into four

groups: telecom retailers, travel agents, forex agents and others.

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I then started with my fieldwork to collect the data from the target respondents. I had a

sample size of around 50 so had to shortlist the respondents accordingly. Once I was

done with the fieldwork the next step was data analysis. Data analysis is needed to give

the raw data a meaning. The first step in analyzing the data is cleaning the data. This is

the process of checking the raw data to verify that the data has been correctly entered

into the files from the data collection form.

After analyzing the data I made my findings based on this data. The findings about the

target market, competition and environment. The findings were then presented in an

organized manner to the decision makers of the business. In summary, the resulting data

was created to help guide the business decisions, so it is readily accessible to the

decision makers.

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Sample Size

A in person market survey with a sample size of 75. The respondent included telecom

retailers, travel agents and department stores because these are the retailers who are in

direct contact with the customers.

Limitation Of The Report

This report is based on the two months work done at Time Matrix Cellular Services

Pvt. Ltd. The period in consideration is less. The sample size in consideration for

the analysis is also less.

More work needs to be carried in this field on a regular basis to get accurate results.

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Data Collection

Data collection through Questionnaires

This method of data collection is quite popular, particularly in case of big enquires. It is

being adopt by private individual research workers, private and public organization, and

even by government. In this method questionnaires are sent to the person concerned

with the request to answer with the request to answer the question and return the

questionnaires. A questionnaire consist of a number of questions printed, typed in a

definite order on a form or set of forms. The respondents (dealer) have to answer based

on the fact of their own experience of the product.

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Survey On Communication Usage Of Out Bound Travellers

1) Type of outlet

a) Telecom c) Departmental

b) Travel Agents d) Others

2) Do you currently sell any kind of international sim card ?

a ) Yes b) No

3) Do customers ask for any specific company international SIM card?

4) Would you stock anew prepaid product with MRP of 1600 Rs, talk time of 600 Rs

inbuilt and a retail margin of 350 Rs?

5) How many would you stock and how many would you sell?

6) What kind of promotional activity should the company do before launching the card?

Retailer/Agent Name:

Contact Number:

Location:

4.3) Analysis

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1) Type of outlet

a) Telecom c) Departmental

b) Travel Agents d) Others

Total number of respondents were 75 from that a very high proportion of the about 70%

were telecom retailers as they are the primary channel partners who stock SIM cards.

About 15% were travel agents as they are in close contact with the people going abroad,

around 10% is others who include mobile handsets dealers etc and finally the a very

small portion of 5% were departmental stores who also stock SIM cards.

2) Do you currently sell any kind of international SIM card ?

a ) Yes b) No

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A very high percentage of the respondents about 85-90% did not sell any international

SIM card; this shows that Matrix Cellular International Services has a very high number

of prospective channel partners to target who would be selling their pre-paid SIM card.

The few who were selling International SIM cards were the ones who used to provide

leads to Matrix for conversion so with the launch of the cards they can directly sell the

cards and earn.

3) Do customers ask for any specific company international SIM card?

This was an open ended to check if customers were interested in any particular

company SIM cards but since most of the respondents did not stock any international

SIM cards because they did not get much enquiry about the same I did not get many

response for the question however if anyone asked for a specific card it was of Matrix

which shows that the company had good top of the mind awareness.

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4) Would you stock anew prepaid product with MRP of 1600 Rs, talk time of 600

Rs inbuilt and a retail margin of 350 Rs?

Around 70-75% of the respondents were interested in stocking the card as the

commission offered was good and also most of them were happy with the features of

the product. I had also covered few mobile handsets retailers who did not stock any SIM

cards but after understanding about the product even they were interested in stocking

the card which is a very good sign for the product.

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5) How many would you stock and how many would you sell?

Most of respondents who wanted to stock this new product were interested in going

with a smaller numbers as they were not sure about the kind of demand which would be

created with its launch. This also gives us information about how should the company

go on with the distribution.

6) What kind of promotional activity should the company do before launching the

card?

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This was also an open ended question in which no option were given to check what the

retailers would suggest. Most them said about advertisement in electronic and print

media with some very interesting answers

Also I asked them about “what kind of promotional material should be provided to

them” so that customers would know that they offered such cards. For this most of them

said that they should be provided with banners, posters, hoardings, standings.

Apart from these questions I also asked them whether this product would be a success

in the market if it were to be launched irrespective of them stocking it or not.

Most of the reply where positive as they felt that such a product would work in the

market which is a good sign for the company.

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Finding From The Survey

Telecom retailers should be the primary target for channel partners as these

people are already know about the industry and so would be in a better position

to sell.

Travel agents should be targeted as they would prove beneficial in the long run

not only for pre-paid product but also the post paid card which generates better

revenue.

Most of the respondents don’t actually sell any international SIM cards which

show that there is lot of prospective channel partners.

Very few customers are asking for specific company cards which shows that

there is a lack brand awareness.

Retailers seem quite satisfied with the pricing and the commission so the card

can be launched with that cost.

Most of the retailers are quite sceptical about this new product so don’t want to

stock in large numbers initially.

The company should do advertisement in electronic and print media to create

awareness about the product.

The market is quite favourable for such kind of a card.

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Conclusion

Matrix Cellular International Services Pvt. Ltd is a market leader and if it were to

launch a pre-paid SIM card then as the findings suggest it has lot of potential and would

be successful in the market. The most standout feature of the product is its incoming

free facility in around 50% of the coverage country and should be positioned on it.

There is also a great potential of getting many channel partners who would help the

company to grow not only with the prepaid card but also with its post paid connection.

The pre-paid card also has less documentation and no security deposit which also help

to attract those clients who don’t want to spend on security deposit and also the concept

of having the personal number creates a sense of security for the customers. So basically

this pre-paid card is for the masses and post paid is for the classes.

Recommendations

Try and make more and more channel partners as they would increase the sales.

Concentrate more on the Telecom retailers as they understand the industry.

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Travel agents should not the neglected as they also offer huge potential for not

only pre-paid but also post paid. They should be encouraged the sell the pre-paid

cards bundled with other products like insurance etc.

Advertisement should be done on consistent basis to create more awareness in

the market.

To keep in regular touch with existing customers.

Update existing customers with our progress and new products.

Matrix is a market leader and so it should do a frontal attack on the existing

markets.

Pre-paid SIM cards should

Pre-paid card would also eat up on the market share of post-paid connection so

care should be taken that it does not become cause of concern.

The card should be launched in smaller cities like Orissa etc so that if the

product does not fair well it does not affect its brand name in bigger cities.

Every city must have four main distributors who should be able to take care of

the needs of the retailers.

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6.1) Bibliography

1. Marketing Management – Philip Kotler

2. Competitive Strategy – Michael Porter

3. Company Website (www.matrix.in)

4. www.google.com

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