Research of consumer satisfaction and loyalty in the regional market of mineral water

A customer purchases a certain product to satisfy their own desires in accordance with their needs and financial resources. Since a person is persistent in embodying their desires, the main goal of manufacturers, marketers and advertisers is to satisfy the demand. Diversity of the customer preferences depends on a variety of factors affecting their formation, therefore, there is a need for regular marketing research in order to study the target audience, that will fully satisfy its needs and create customer loyalty, which is the key to the financial success of the company. The main objective of the study is to identify the customer satisfaction and loyalty towards bottled mineral water in the Republic of Crimea to develop the promising strategic areas which could increase the competitiveness of the Crimean mineral water manufacturers at the regional market. To achieve this goal, specialized methods of marketing research were used, including a personal survey and an Internet-based survey, as well as a focus group to identify the most popular and often purchased respondents' mineral water brands represented in the region. The novelty of the study is the theoretical and methodological approach developed by the authors to build a profile of the target audience and study customer satisfaction and loyalty. In addition, the measures aimed to shape customer satisfaction and loyalty towards the regional market of bottled mineral water in the Republic of Crimea were proposed. During an empirical study, a characteristic of the target group of mineral water customers in the Republic of Crimea was compiled, and a frequency analysis of the bottled water purchases in the region was carried out, as a result the groups of buyers, including active, moderate and passive ones, were pointed out. The retail formats which are the most suitable ones to buy mineral water were identified: supermarkets and convenience stores. This is explained by the consumption principles for the necessities - to buy them in the trading sites next to the place of residence. With the factor analysis, the most significant factors for the customers, that affect the choice of mineral water, were identified - taste and price. The preferences of customers regarding the brands offered for sale in the region are examined. Commitment and customer loyalty levels towards the mineral water brands of Crimean and other (Russian, Georgian) manufacturers were differentiated. The analysis of customer attitudes towards the Crimean water market found that the net promoter score is -17.14, the customer loyalty index is -48.8, and the customer satisfaction index is 70.43%. The estimates show a rather high customer satisfaction with the Crimean waters, but insufficient customer attachment, which is associated with the low reputation of the Crimean mineral water manufacturers, as well as their inefficient distribution on the market. The research examined customer preferences to describe a target portrait of the regional mineral water market, and to identify the customer satisfaction and loyalty levels, as well as to outline the strategic areas for further development of the mineral water market in the Republic of Crimea with three marketing strategies: a stimulating strategy, remarketing and synchromarketing. In the future, the results of the study could serve as a methodological basis for further development and substantiation of measures to ensure the competitiveness of Crimean mineral water manufacturers in the regional market.