| dc.description.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. | en |
