PREDICTORS OF CONSUMER PREFERENCE TOWARDS PACKAGED DRINKING WATER IN ODISHA

Water is considered to be a prime natural resource, a basic human need and the elixir of human, faunal and floral life. According to experts, water is ranked second essential thing in this world next to oxygen. One can live without food for many days, but one can only survive for a few days without water. The availability of packaged drinking water for human consumption at recent times is a boon to humankind. The rise in health consciousness, increase in the tourism sector and the wide availability of packaged drinking water, had raised the per capita consumption of bottled water in India. The study has made an attempt to analyse the consumer preference towards packaged drinking water in Odisha. The literature related to the study was thoroughly reviewed and five independent variables (demographic & socio-economic factors, marketing factors, psychological factors, sensory factors and social influence) were identified as predictors for consumer preference towards packaged drinking water. The aim of the study is to empirically test the cause and effect relationship between those variables. The research involves data from both primary and secondary sources to reach at a specific conclusion. Purposive samples of 352 were selected from the population in the study area. The data collection instrument that found suitable and used in this study was a questionnaire with seventy-six questions in total. Statistical tool SPSS 20 has been applied to classify and analyse the data collected in the survey undertaken. The data were processed with the help of appropriate analytical tools like mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, and regression analysis. Multiple determinants shape consumer behaviour toward packaged drinking water. Thus, consumers' preferences, behaviour and their perception of packaged drinking water are heterogeneous and depend not only on the appearance and sensory properties but also on psychological, demographical, socio-economical, marketing and social aspects.