The document summarizes research into the purchasing behaviors of Indian women regarding diamond jewelry. It conducted interviews of the author's mother and sister to understand their decision making process and brand preferences. Key findings include: 1) Both women are classified as "Practical Loyalists" who only purchase from a few acceptable brands like Mehta Jewelry and Kirtilal Jewelry if products meet all their important criteria. 2) Important criteria include the 4Cs of diamonds as well as purity, variety, and design. 3) Their motivations include social status and prestige, influenced by their peer groups. 4) Both engage in routinized and dissonance-reducing buying

1. PRAXIS BUSINESS SCHOOL
Consumer Behaviour Project – Diamond Jewellery
A report
Submitted to
Prof. Prasenjit Das Purkayastha
In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the course
Consumer Behaviour
On 5th February 2013
By
Arunachalam Ramanathan
B11010
1

2. BACKGROUND:
The Indian Kings once used diamonds, which are now considered to be as precious stones, as
paperweights! Later, the preciousness was created in the minds of the consumers as royal
families wore them as jewels. This created the aspiration for the common man to buy the
diamond jewels as it portrayed their richness to their society. This evolution in the mindset of
the people about diamond jewels, created the urge to understand about the current consumers’
buying behaviour and their perception about diamond jewellery.
DESIGN OF THE STUDY:
Target Group:
Women who have purchased atleast three diamond jewels
Age: Above 30 years
Occupation: Homemaker
No. of interviewees: 2
My Sister: 30-45 years
My Mother:>45 years
Methodology to be used:
A questionnaire will be given to the interviewee, so that their decision making process can be
understood. After this, an in-depth interview will be conducted and will be personally
observed (during their purchase of a diamond jewel). The interview will be recorded in an
audio format.
2

3. THE FAMILY AND SOCIAL CLASS:
Mother Sister
Type of Family Nuclear Nuclear
Household Size 3 4
Location Urban – Metro Urban – Metro
Major Age Subcultures Baby Boomers Generation X
Dynamics of Husband- Joint Wife Dominated
Wife Decision Making
Traditional Family Life Post-Parenthood Parenthood
Cycle
Social-Class Profiles Upper Middle Class Upper Middle Class
Stereotype Relationship-dictated Achievement driven
Only Savings Oriented Partly Savings Oriented
The stereotypes of the women explain the Dynamics of Husband-Wife Decision Making.
CRITERIA OF EVALUATION:
The parameters that are considered by the respondents to choose their preferred jewel shop
are:
Mother’s
Criteria of
Evaluation:
Very Important Important Not Important
• Purity of • Customer Service • Ambience of the
Gold/Platinum • Jewel Making Shop
Sister’s Criteria of Very Important
• 4C’s – Carat Charges • Peer
Evaluation: Weight, Cut, ClarityGold/Platinum Wastage recommendation
• Purity of • Jewel
and Colour Charges
• 4C’s – Carat Weight, Cut, Clarity and Colour
• Dosham (daag) free
• Dosham (daag) free Advertisement
• diamond
diamond
• Variety of Jewels
• Variety of Jewels
• Design of the Jewels
• Design of the Jewels
• Jewel Making Charges
• Jewel Wastage Charges
• Ambience of the Shop
• Customer Service
• Brand Name of the Jewel Shop
• Peer recommendation
• Advertisement
3

4. KNOWLEDGE OF BRANDS:
Sister’s Knowledge of Brands:
Acceptable
(Evoked Set): Purchased:
Kirtilal, Mehta
Kirtilal, Mehta Jewellery
Known Brands: Jewellery
Tanishq, Kirtilal, Khazana Unacceptable
Jewellery, Mehta (Inept Set):
All
Jewellery, GRT Jewellers, Jos
Brands Tanishq, Khazana
Alukkas, Joy Alukkas, Nalli
Jewellers, Kalyan Jewellery, GRT
Jewellers, PC Jewellers Jewellers, Jos
Alukkas, Joy
Alukkas, Nalli
Jewellers, Kalyan
Jewellers
Acceptable
(Evoked Set): Purchased:
Kirtilal, Mehta
Known Brands: Kirtilal, Mehta Jewellery
Tanishq, Kirtilal, Khazana Jewellery
Jewellery, Mehta Unacceptable
Jewellery, GRT (Inept Set):
Jewellers, Jos
Alukkas, Joy Tanishq, Khazana
All Brands Alukkas, Nalli Jewellery, GRT
Jewellers, Kalyan Jewellers, Jos
Jewellers Alukkas, Joy
Unknown Brands: PC Alukkas, Nalli
Jewellers Jewellers, Kalyan
Jewellers
Mother’s Knowledge of Brands:
BUYING ROLES:
Mother Sister
Initiator Herself Herself
Influencer Husband/Children Mother
Decider
Whether to buy Husband Herself
What to buy Herself Herself
Which shop to buy Herself Herself
When to buy Herself Herself
Buyer Husband and Her Herself
4

5. CONSUMER DECISION:
Both the respondents are ‘Practical Loyalists’ and they follow a ‘Conjunctive Decision
Rule’ (Non-Compensatory rule). They establish a minimum acceptable level for each
attribute present in the criteria of evaluation. Since, they are very particular about all the
attributes, they have very less acceptable brands such as Mehta Jewellery and Kirtilal
Jewellery.
CONSUMER MOTIVATION:
Mother Sister
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy: Maslow’s Need Hierarchy:
Basic Need: Custom in a marriage Social Affiliation: Social
Needs Social Affiliation: Social Status Status
Esteem: Prestige
McClelland’s Trio of Needs Theory McClelland’s Trio of Needs Theory
Need for Affiliation Need for Affiliation
Motives To show their peer about the financial wealth of my family
Consumer Both the respondents have frequently bought diamond jewellery and hence, have
Behaviour well-established set of criteria (High LOI in the product). They prefer to buy
diamond jewellery either from Mehta or Kirtilal Jewellery (Very less acceptable
brands).
Routinized Response Behaviour
Dissonance Reducing Buying Behaviour
CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT:
The Diamond Jewellery falls under ‘High Involvement and High Thinking’ quadrant of the
‘Learn-Feel -Do Hierarchy Matrix’.
Process:
Learn: The respondents learn a lot about diamond jewellery by going through the list
of parameters (criteria of evaluation)
Feel: After evaluating the parameters, the respondents visualise/trial the experience
by wearing the diamond jewel
Do: After experiencing it, the respondents come to a conclusion about their purchase
5

6. CONSUMER LEARNING:
Mother Sister
Motivation To show prestige and financial To show prestige and financial wealth
wealth of my family of my family
(Cognitive Arousal) (Cognitive Arousal)
Cues On seeing my peer group On seeing my peer group or any
advertisement
Response Will purchase only when my father Will start saving money on a monthly
has surplus cash in hand or will basis (like Recurring Deposit or join
purchase for a very important any scheme conducted by Mehta
function Jewellery or Kirtilal)
The stereotype explains the ‘Response (Consumer Learning)’ as my mother (relationship-
dictated) is dependent on my father’s income (or prefers to purchase in exchange of gold
jewels) whereas my sister (achievement driven) is self-dependent and saves her own money.
PERSONALITY:
Mother Sister
Consumer Dogmatism Low Low
Social Character Other-directed Inner-directed
Need for Uniqueness High High
Optimum Stimulation Level Low Low
Both the respondents prefer variety and trendy diamond jewels. (Consumer
Dogmatism- Low).
Both the respondents prefer unique diamond jewels. (Need for Uniqueness: High)
Both the respondents are not willing to take a risk in purchasing a diamond jewel
from shops that they are unaware and from the unacceptable jewel shops as it is of
high investment. (Optimum Stimulation Level: Low)
o Incident:My mother mentioned that she purchases gold jewel from Tanishq
because it is a part of the Tata group, which is known for its trust. But, she lost
the trust or got the suspicion about the diamond jewels that were displayed as
they were categorised into:
 Consumers who are particular about daag-free diamonds
 Consumers who are not particular about daag-free diamonds
 Consumers who prefer American diamonds (artificial diamonds)
The respondents differed only in their ‘Social Character’ as it is explained by their
stereotypes.
6

7. Cognitive Personality Factors:
Mother Sister
Need for Cognition:
High, if the respondent is responsive to High High
product related information in an
advertisement
Interpersonal Influence:
Value expressive, if consumers enhance
their social standing to be similar to Value Expressive Value Expressive
those with whom they compare
themselves
Mother Sister
Consumer Materialism:
Happiness, if respondents consider that the Happiness Happiness
possessions are necessary for well-being and
satisfaction in life
Fixated Consumption Behaviour: Yes Yes
Yes, if respondents display their possessions
Consumer Ethnocentrism:
Yes, if the respondent feels if it is No Yes
inappropriate to purchase foreign-made
products
CONCLUSION:
Based on the study conducted on my mother and sister, it was found that, both the
respondents have the same decision rule, motivational factors, learning process and
personality traits. They differed in their ‘Buying Roles’, ‘Social Character’ and ‘Response to
the Cue’ as they were an outcome of their stereotype.
Hence, new brands (as unacceptable brands have failed to earn the trust) have to earn the trust
amongst families having a relationship-dictated mother and an achievement-driven daughter
(who are well aware about the product category) by meeting their criteria of evaluation.
7