Consumer Characteristics and Consumption Patterns of Soft Drinks

Abstract

A soft drink is generally treated as very common product aimed at a very casual consumption. Normally, not much of attention is paid to this product, which has almost become ‘commoditized’. But, a deeper and more careful observation would reveal that soft drinks are strong demographic descriptors of their consumers. Key insights into the characteristics and consumption patterns of consumers can be obtained through an incisive study of the soft drinks market. This research paper makes a concerted effort at unearthing the demographic details and consumption contours of the soft drink users in Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi, Allahabad, and Lucknow - the five representative cities of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India. It has been conclusively established through this research that the residents of these five cities - which are demographically similar in nature - exhibit varying consumption patterns when it comes to soft drinks. It was also found that demographic variables like age, gender, educational qualification, income, and marital status do not significantly impact the consumption of soft drinks, whereas employment status is a key influencer of the same.