A survey of factors influencing consumers' choice of petroleum brands in Kenya: a case study of the Nairobi

Abstract

The general purpose of this study was to establish the factors that influence consumers of petroleum products in the choice of petroleum brands in the market. The study sought to answer the following objectives: identify the factors that influence consumer's choice of petroleum brands; to determine the extent to which the factors affect consumer's choice of petroleum brands; and to examine how the price, product, place and promotion (4Ps) of marketing rank in importance to the consumer choice of petroleum brands. The research adopted a descriptive research design. The target population for this study was all the small-scale consumers of petroleum products in Nairobi region. A sample of 41 stations was drawn from a list obtained from PlEA. Two customers were interviewed from each petrol station. The questionnaire was the principal tool in collecting primary data. The data was analyzed by applying both qualitative and quantitative data Various factors were identified to influence the consumers' choice of the petroleum brands to purchase. These included price; recommendations from experts and colleagues; quality of service; returns from the business; how often one frequents the petrol station as a customer; authority from the workplace; vehicle manufacturers' specifications; customers taste and preferences; conformity of equipment (e.g. LPG regulators are specific to gas cylinders of certain brands); ease of availability of substitutes; perceived quality of certain brands as compared to others; and brand loyalty that arises as a result of desire by customers to maintain a record of service for their vehicles. The 4Ps model of marketing is made up of Price, Promotion, Place and Products. According to the findings of this study, the 4Ps rank in the order of Price, Product, Place and Promotion. These findings whilst not surprising adds to the knowledge of the buying behaviour of users and extends the work that has previously been undertaken to investigate brand loyalty of consumers. The study recommends various measures towards improvement of quality and pricing of petroleum brands. It is also recommended to researchers that a research to cover the whole country would be essential to give an indication of whether or not the upcountry populace would display similar trends as Nairobi and its surroundings.