Client Name

Ismail Industries Limited

Faculty Advisor

Mr. Ammar Habib

SBS Thought Leadership Areas

Behavioural Studies

SBS Thought Leadership Area Justification

In terms of the area of thought leadership, the current ELP can be considered to fall under the IBA School of Business Studies Thought Leadership Area of Behavioural Studies. This is because it seeks to explore the different behavioural dimensions of consumer decision-making – i.e., the cognitive and the situational factors involved as well as habitual consumer behavior – for a product category, namely, the staple food category, branded flour (atta).

Contrary to the assumption that consumers always act as rational decision-makers, the current research understands the fact that in certain product categories that are relatively high Introduction involvement and high frequency, like atta, decision making involves automatic and routinized responses based on trust and habit formed through repeated purchase, rather than thorough evaluation of alternative choices.

In addition, the research seeks to examine the impact of various retail stimuli on consumer perceptions of value. These include factors related to shelf display, brands presence, packaging features, and competitive position in conventional trade outlets and modern trade formats.

Moreover, from a behavioural aspect, the current research takes into consideration the concept of bounded rationality – i.e., the use of heuristics like "familiar brand," "easy availability," Availability bias also comes into play because products that are easily available in the store would tend to be selected more often, further highlighting the need for better retail execution.

Furthermore, it is important to recognize that even in such basic FMCG products like staple foods, emotional trust in a brand could prove itself to be a critical point of difference, especially when operating in mature markets that are highly competitive. With time, continuous interaction with a brand through consistent consumption experiences results in brand loyalty and habitual purchases.

In conclusion, this study makes an important contribution to Behavioral Studies because it highlights the influence of various factors on consumer decisions when purchasing their everyday FMCG needs. There are implications for marketers and FMCG companies looking to establish brand positioning and retail execution capabilities within the branded atta market of Pakistan, particularly within the 5 kg and 10 kg pack sizes.

Aligned SDGs

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Aligned SDGs Justification

This project is related to several Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations. In particular, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) have been taken into consideration during the preparation of this project.

Food processing industries as well as FMCG businesses are vital for Pakistan's economic progress due to their significant role in the process of production, transportation, selling, and employment generation. Through developing the local food products, Ismail Industries and other similar companies make an important contribution to economic development. This means that the findings of this project will allow not only improving the performance of businesses but also enhancing the economic activity in the country.

Another SDG that can be considered relevant for this study is SDG 12 since branded food products involve standardization, quality control measures, and product traceability. These characteristics can help consumers make reasonable purchases as well as set high quality standards in the food sector. Additionally, this project relates to SDG 12 through the analysis of consumers' demands and preferences. 

NDA

No

Abstract

This Experiential Learning Project (ELP) entitled, “Market Mapping of Branded Pakistani Atta in the 5 & 10 kg Category” aims to analyze the market structure, the dynamics, and competitive environment of the branded flour (atta) in the country, the role of execution, availability, and consumer behavior in brand performance in this FMCG staple category.

This research project focuses on behavioral and retail execution factors in a high frequency purchase category. The atta range in Pakistan has seen growing competition owing to the trend of packaged foods consumption, development of retail formats, as well as the emergence of established brands and private labels. In this respect, it becomes necessary for a company to be aware of consumer buying behavior and retail execution in order to ensure sustainable growth. In light of the foregoing, the present research aims at exploring the determinants of brand performance and areas of improvement for Ghiza.

A blend of quantitative and qualitative approach will be adopted in the following research that utilizes primary data from modern trade and organized trade retail audit and customer behavior surveys with the assistance of secondary data from FMCG market reports. Through quantitative methods, an assessment of brand positioning, availability gap, and competition will be analyzed in the case of Sunridge, Bake Parlor, Ashrafi, Punjab Atta, and private labels retailer brands with focus on 5kg and 10 kg packs.

The qualitative results emphasize the behavioral factors behind consumers’ purchasing decisions related to staple foods, which mainly involve behavioral routines that are driven by considerations of trust and familiarity rather than rigorous evaluation. Factors that include visibility of the products, availability, pricing signals, and in-store communication greatly affect consumers' perceptions of accessibility and brand selection.

Among key results, it was found that the marketing performance of Ghiza is hindered not so much by the product’s quality, but more by low brand awareness and poor retail visibility and distribution channels. In this regard, consumers rely significantly on accessibility and bounded rationality, where accessible products win at the point of purchase.

Recommended strategies would include improving the distribution channel, shelf visibility, in-store communication, and consumer awareness.

This research is relevant to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) because of its emphasis on FMCG distribution networks, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) because of its stress on standardized, transparent, and knowledge-based consumer choice in the packaging food industry.

In all, the research helps Ghiza gain an evidence-based and behavioral insight into retail performance, consumer decisions, and competitive strategy in Pakistan’s branded atta industry.

Document Type

Restricted Access

Document Name for Citation

Experiential Learning Project

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