Impact Of Rapid Increasing Sales Promotion Activities On The Sale Of Consumer Goods

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The success of any marketing depends largely on the understanding of the consumer and the way he consumers a particular product. In the past, when goods were scarce and economic activities were low. There were usually little or no need to promote products or services since consumers were willing to make efforts to seek for the products that they need.
Today, all these urge changed by increased economic activities and production technology has made it possible to produce goods on a large scale and availability of so many businesses in almost every aspect of modern commerce.
Marketing philosophy has unfolded the secrets of consumer goodwill and patronage as the satisfaction of their needs and wants with the right product, a reasonable price, effective promotion and a good distribution system, for the consumers to be well informed and stimulated to patronize a product or service, they have to be aware of its existence quality, price and availability.
When little or no competition exist, advertising and personal felling is usually relied upon to bring in the buyers, but with the existence of many sellers in the market, other innovation promotion are called for and sales promotion is resorted to.
The efforts made in sales promotion are directed toward encouraging prompt buying activities by giving attractive and appealing incentives to the prospective buyers.
The study will evaluate customers’ satisfaction, repeat purchase, favorable sales promotion, increase sales volume, market share as well as organization profitability and goodwill.
Nigerian Bottling Company plc started its operation in Nigeria in 1953 by holding franchise for coco-cola international. This means that the formula of the concentrate and recipe of the products have not been released to the Nigeria bottling company but the formula and syrup of the mixture is given to them to help them bottle the products. The Nigerian bottling company started with one flavor “coke” as a major product, now has May flavors. A journal interview with the company chairman Mr. H.S Adedeji (1975) showed that the company is the largest produces of soft drinks. Nigerian bottling company has branches. It has about 36 or more products plants chart. It spreads its products all over the country like Owerri, Aba, Afikpo, Onitsha, Kaduna, Benin, Lagos, Uyo and Port-Harcourt. The company makes about 70 percent of soft drinks consumed in Nigeria and has branched out to non-soft drink businesses mostly agriculture.

1.2 DEFINITION O THE PROBLEM
The Nigerian bottling company is influenced by seasonal fluctuation and climate change coupled with depression in the economy. This phenomenon influences the consumption pattern of coca-cola drinks. Markets often lead to sales decline, erosion of market square, low capacity utilization, reduction in overall industrial output and colossal loss of profit
Despite the magnitude and relative importance of sales promotion, critics of sales promotion activities do not capture new long-term buyers, instead leads to attract customers. Many view it as money consuming and wasteful venture. So the question is could sales promotion it adopted as one of the problem solving behaviour help organization to achieve their sales objective?
It is in the light of this question that the researcher was motivated to conduct a study on sales promotion with reference to the Nigeria Bottling Company Plc.

1.3 A STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
As sales promotion activities of consumer goods in Nigeria have expanded rapidly in recent times, a research is carried out on the Nigeria Bottling Company Plc with view to finding out what impact sales promotion activities have on the sale of consumer goods.
The objectives of the study are as followed:
a. To determine the role sales promotion play on the sale of consumer goods
b. To find out the effects sales promotion have on the demand of consumers
c. To find out how sales promotion can increase the sales of products (mineral soft drinks) especially those period when normal sales are sluggish.

1.4 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
The following hypothesis is to be tested
1. Hypothesis I
Ho: Sales promotion has a negative impact in organization.
H1: Sales promotion has a positive impact in organization
Hypothesis 2
H1: Sales promotion does not encourage customers
Ho: Sales promotion encourages customers.
Hypothesis 3
Ho: Sales promotion reduces the profit of the distributors of N.B. C Plc
H1: Sales promotion improves the profit of the distributors of N.B.C Plc

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study seeks to identify the role sales promotion plays in marketing strategies and achievement of organization goals. It signifies to provide a basis for Nigeria bottling company on the type of sales promotion activities to adopt. The study is relevant in the sense that it will serve as reference connected with the present research problems. It will also benefit the investors in their area of business. Scholars, government etc will equally benefit from this study. It will furnish information which serves as reference point for organization that carries out sales promotion in motivating and gathering channel supports and consumer patronage.

1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The problem encountered in this study includes, insufficient fund, inadequate contact with some respondents, illiteracy level and prejudice etc.
Marketing research generally involves cost in terms of survey, administration production and collection of concluded research work. As a student with limited financial resources, those costs become more glaring and difficult to settle and therefore stretched the financial position of the researcher.
Some respondents never completed the questionnaire as they continue to postpone attention to them and even when completed, misplace them.
With high rate of illiteracy in this part of the world, some respondents never understood what was required of them and why the research was being carried out. They therefore never answered any of the questions.
Another limitation of the study is time. In the collection of questionnaire, several repeal calls were made and sometimes the respondents never actually answered the questions.