ABSTRACT

This research project 'influence of Sales Promotion on Consumer Brand Switching: A study of consumers of Milo of Nestle foods in Aba, Abia State" studied the relationship between Sales Promotion and consumer Brand Switching. The objectives of the study were to generally explore the reasons consumers of beverage switch especially when the brand is being promoted How marketing tools such as promotion affects consumers brand choice behavior and how consumers respond to such sales promotional tools in brand switching. Related literature was sought for and used to reveal and establish what had already been done by known authors in their' different studies such as Bell. D. Chiang, .1 and Padmanabha .V. (1999) who revealed that the supervisor effect of sales promotion is on the buyers who switch from other brand rather than on the existing buyers. The study was carried out using survey research design and the instrument of questionnaire. Topman's formula was used to determine the sample size from a total population of 55 selected using pilot survey, having segment Aba north into 5 different groups: Eziama street. Anya-Umunna street. Uchenna-Christian street. Ahukanna street,and Uche street. Questionnaire was distributed to 210 respondents; being the sample size. The responses of the consumers were presented and analyzed using simple percentage and frequency table, and the hypotheses were tested using chi-square techniques. The findings shows that sales promotion indeed influences brand switching as well as retaining consumers who switched from a brand continually consume the promoted brand. It was also discovered that such factors like price and quality determine whether a consumer will switch to a promoted brand or not. The study theref0re recommends that management of Milo of Nestle foods Should continually employ better promotional strategies that will stand their Milo brand out amongst other beverage brands in order to gain more customer patronage which could in turn bring about customer retention.