Oh God Shave Me! (Consumer Behaviour)

The most interesting thing about consumers is no one can exactly predict how they will behave or how they won’t behave.

Sample the following:

1. Why is it that women have not taken kindly or enthusiastically to machines that can automatically knead chapatti or poori dough? 
2. Why is it that an obviously convenient product like a cream that does not allow hair to grow on a man’s face becomes a successful product? (only 1 out of 100 surveyed men wanted to buy but not for the intended product use)
3. Why is it that during Deepavali time demand for I-litre paints (usually customers buy paint in 20 litre cans) goes up in the state of Maharashtra?
4. Why do products with names like Pantene, Hero Puch, or Chik Shampoo don't sell well despite being excellent products?
5. Why is that antacid sells more in Gujarat than any other state in India?
6. Why does Glycodin (a cough syrup) sell well in shops near student hostels?
7. Why is small washing machines sell very well in Punjab?
8. Why that is Tractors In India are spacious and roomier than tractors in USA and other developed countries?

The answers for the above are very enlightening:

1.  Kneading of dough is an intensely emotional experience for the lady. It is like giving birth to a baby. Very painful but at the same time very satisfying. That is why women can’t give a convincing answer for their preference for the traditional method of making dough by hand.
2. Shaving of the beard again is a very intense manly activity. It is very assuring for a man to be reminded that he is a man albeit in a very painful way. All the time smooth beard is very feminine. The only man who wanted to buy the product wanted to use the product to remove underarm hair permanently.
3. The cattle-loving farmers use the 1-litre paint to decorate the horns of their cows and buffaloes. This was encashed by Asian paints which introduced exclusive paints for painting the horns of livestock.
4. These words have very negative meanings; the first is a woman’s undergarment, the second sounds like fresh vomit and the third means semen in Marathi!
5. An antacid is not used for curing acidity but rather to make very soft and fluffy Dokla.
6. Glycodin is a very cheap and easy way of getting intoxicated. That is why the label tells the users not to drink and drive.
7. The small washing machines are used to make tonnes and tonnes of lassi for customers (The resident detergent adds to the taste?)
8. In USA a tractor is a tractor – it is used to irrigate the fields. In India a tractor is more than a tractor, it is a rural vehicle. It carries the family to the market and to social gatherings like marriage and is the lifeline that connects the village to the nearest town.

Keeping all this in mind it is a very brave man who can confidently say that he knows the exact behavior of his customers. Well.....well his customers will teach him a lesson that he will not forget in a lifetime. Ask Rahul Bajaj. He will only very eagerly tell you the story of customers who happily deserted the company and made Bajaj Chetek what it is today – a dodo.

Keywords: Consumer Behaviour, Chapatti Dough, Shaving Cream, Deepavali Paint Demand, Product Naming, Antacid Usage, Glycodin Sales, Small Washing Machines, Tractor Usage, Emotional Experience, Shaving is an Intense Manly Activity, Traditional Methods, Cultural Significance, Market Perception, Customer Insights.