A STUDY ON PREFERENCES OF FEMALE CUSTOMERS IN THE PURCHASE DECISION OF CARS IN CHENNAI

In the recent years, women's driving four wheeler has become a very common sight all over the India. According to a survey, 85% of women are in the driving seat for all purchases. Yet, many independent marketing and communication agencies reveal that 80% of women believe that the automotive industry as a whole is not doing a good job at representing women, and 88% of women do not see themselves represented in the sector's advertising or websites. For years, women have been considered as primary decision makers for most household products and forward thinking companies have found ways to capitalize on this by developing marketing plans that address women's multifaceted lifestyles, by evaluating and retraining existing sales and customer service forces to better serve women's needs and interests. Many studies show that women feel advertising has made them aware of different cars in the market. Also many women agree about the perceived exclusivity of car ads in the ads being aimed only at men. This study employs Conjoint Analysis to ask to know the preference of Women in Cars. Results of the study are discussed with future directions for research.