6.2 PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
6.2.2 INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
6.2.2.2 KEY DIMENSIONS OF THE STUDY AND BIOGRAPHICAL VARIABLES
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In addition, the following dimensions of the study did not reflect any significant correlations:-
Branding and packaging/quantity;
Savings potential/ability to pay off debt and appearance/acceptability, packaging/
quantity and partnering with MNCs, respectively;
Appearance/acceptability and functionality/performance and packaging/quantity, respectively;
Adaptability of existing products and functionality/performance;
Functionality/performance and advertising/awareness and partnering with MNCs, respectively.
Therefore, Hypothesis 1 may be partially accepted.
153 Table 6.9
Kruskal-Wallis One-way ANOVA: Key Dimensions of the Study and Age Key Dimensions of the Study Chi-Square p
Branding 2.535 0.638
Savings potential/ability to pay off debt 3.009 0.556
Price/affordability 16.496 0.002*
Quality 23.118 0.000*
Appearance/acceptability 11.988 0.017**
Adaptability of existing products 6.842 0.144
Functionality/performance 2.474 0.649
Packaging/quantity 17.527 0.002*
Advertising/awareness 5.145 0.273
Accessibility/availability 16.759 0.002*
Partnering with MNCs 14.135 0.011**
*p<0.01 **p<0.05
Table 6.9 indicates that there is a significant difference in the perceptions of BOP consumers varying in age regarding price/affordability, quality, packaging/quantity and accessibility/
availability at the 1% level of significance, and appearance/acceptability and partnering with MNCs at the 5% level of significance, respectively. No other significant differences exist.
In order to assess where the significant differences lie, mean analyses were undertaken (Table 6.10).
154 Table 6.10
Mean Analyses: Key Dimensions of the Study and Age
Key Dimensions of the Study
Age Categories
(in years) Mean
Std
Dev. N
Price/affordability 18-29 3.452 0.746 132
30-39 3.507 0.683 141
40-49 3.393 0.680 140
50-59 3.559 0.705 111
60 and over 3.196 0.759 107 Total 3.427 0.721 631
Quality 18-29 2.945 0.937 132
30-39 2.809 0.925 141
40-49 3.109 0.946 140
50-59 2.705 0.994 111
60 and over 2.626 0.742 107 Total 2.855 0.930 631
Appearance/acceptability 18-29 3.792 0.824 132
30-39 3.851 0.828 141
40-49 3.675 0.822 140
50-59 3.770 0.916 111
60 and over 4.014 0.915 107 Total 3.813 0.861 631
Packaging/quantity 18-29 3.122 0.742 132
30-39 3.101 0.735 141
40-49 3.088 0.707 140
50-59 3.198 0.753 111
60 and over 2.800 0.786 107 Total 3.069 0.751 631
Accessibility/availability 18-29 2.311 0.984 132
30-39 2.486 1.035 141
40-49 2.239 0.801 140
50-59 2.086 0.797 111
60 and over 2.019 0.832 107 Total 2.245 0.914 631
Partnering with MNCs 18-29 3.960 0.799 132
30-39 3.941 0.786 141
40-49 3.757 0.761 140
50-59 3.877 0.901 111
60 and over 3.474 1.125 107 Total 3.814 0.884 631 Table 6.10 indicates that:
Whilst the BOP consumers from all age categories have a fairly high degree of price- consciousness, the BOP consumers, who are aged 60 years and over, express a lesser
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degree of dissatisfaction with the prices of products as opposed to consumers from the other age categories. However, these BOP consumers still feel that they are unable to purchase products of a good quality because the prices are too high. Although the BOP consumers from all age categories are largely price-sensitive, the BOP consumers in the 60 years and over age category are comparatively less price-sensitive than consumers from the other age categories and are, therefore, less inclined to engage in brand switching in order to purchase the lower-priced brands that are available to them.
BOP consumers from all age categories are moderately dissatisfied with the quality of products that are currently available to them, but the BOP consumers, who are 60 years and over, express a higher degree of dissatisfaction than the consumers from the other age categories. BOP consumers, who are 60 years and older, feel that they are not fully satisfied by the products that they currently consume and are not deriving value-for- money from their purchases. The BOP consumers in this category also state that they are unable to afford the purchase of good quality products. Evidently, the BOP consumers from the 40-49 years age category are comparatively less displeased by the quality of products that they currently consume and derive a higher degree of value-for-money from their purchases than the consumers from the other age categories.
The BOP consumers in the 60 years and over age category strongly assert that they purchase products that are simple and easy to use (appearance/acceptability) and that they refrain from purchasing products that are deemed unattractive. Conversely, the BOP consumers from the 40-49 years age category place a lesser degree of importance on the simplicity and attractiveness of a product (appearance/acceptability) when making purchase decisions.
BOP consumers, in the 60 years and over age category, do not view purchase decisions, based on quantity and package sizes, as favourably as consumers from the other age categories. The BOP consumers in this category are less likely to buy luxury beauty and hair-care products to be used for special occasions, or to purchase products in small quantities in order to obtain a large assortment of products from their incomes. The BOP consumers in this category are more prone to purchasing products in large quantities in order to reap future savings.
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The BOP consumers from all age categories strongly feel that products are inaccessible to them, in that they have to travel long distances in order to make purchases from a supermarket. However, the BOP consumers who are 50 years and older, express a higher degree of dissatisfaction in terms the accessibility and availability of products than the consumers from the other age categories. Further to this, the BOP consumers who are 50 years and older ardently claim that their local rural stores and spaza shops do not carry a wide array of products to choose from.
BOP consumers from all age categories express a strong propensity to engage in joint collaborative efforts with MNCs and serve as distribution agents in rural townships and villages. In the 18-39 years age category, BOP consumers are comparatively more enthusiastic about collaborating with MNCs in order to secure employment, with a view to a better future lifestyle, than consumers from the other age categories. Conversely, the BOP consumers in the 60 years and over age category are less eager to work with MNCs than the consumers from the other age categories.
Table 6.11
Kruskal-Wallis One-way ANOVA: Key Dimensions of the Study and Highest Educational Qualification
Key Dimensions of the Study Chi-Square p
Branding 36.318 0.000*
Savings potential/ability to pay off debt 9.243 0.055
Price/affordability 18.984 0.001*
Quality 9.470 0.050
Appearance/acceptability 12.638 0.013**
Adaptability of existing products 10.284 0.036**
Functionality/performance 9.986 0.041**
Packaging/quantity 15.363 0.004*
Advertising/awareness 5.038 0.283
Accessibility/availability 5.451 0.244
Partnering with MNCs 32.218 0.000*
*p<0.01 **p<0.05
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Table 6.11 indicates that there is a significant difference in the perceptions of BOP consumers varying in highest educational qualification regarding branding, price/affordability, packaging/quantity and partnering with MNCs at the 1% level of significance, and appearance/acceptability, adaptability of existing products and functionality/performance at the 5% level of significance, respectively. BOP consumers’
perceptions of quality borders significance at the 5% level of significance. As is evident from Table 6.11, no other significant differences exist.
In order to assess where the significant differences lie, mean analyses were undertaken (Table 6.12).
Table 6.12
Mean Analyses: Key Dimensions of the Study and Highest Educational Qualification
Key Dimensions of the Study
Highest Educational
Qualification Mean
Std
Dev. N
Branding No education 3.313 0.562 96
Primary school 3.592 0.611 221 High school 3.659 0.522 239 Diploma 3.783 0.480 59
Degree 3.790 0.595 16