Volume 4, Number 2, April – June’ 2015
ISSN (Print):2279-0977, (Online):2279-0985
PEZZOTTAITE JOURNALS
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(2012): 3.23, SJIF (2013): 5.057, SJIF (2014): 5.871
A STUDY ON CUSTOMER PERCEPTION PROCESS ON YATRA.COM
Beena Nethaji20
ABSTRACT
The study has been taken on the topic to analyze the effectiveness and various sources of customer perception process.
Customer perception is a term describing the individuals who comprise the workfare of an organization. The use of the term
‘consumer satisfaction’ to describe the workfare capacity available to devote to the achievement of its strategies has drawn
upon concept developed in Organizational psychology.
The data has been accepted by the researcher-using questionnaire and it has been analyzed. Investigation of data in a general
way involves a number of closely related operations that are performed with the purpose of summarizing the collected data
and organizing them in such a manner that answers the research questions. The whole analyses and interpretation is based on
the responses of 100 respondents who are administered with a questionnaire which contain the personal data, their views about
the recruitment and selection process and procedure.
KEYWORDS
Yatra.Com, Customer Perception Process, Consumer Satisfaction, Organizational Psychology etc.
INTRODUCTION
Customers Perception
Customer perception and Satisfaction can be defined as supplying or satisfying all wants or wishes, fulfilling conditions or
requirements, or the state of the mind anything that makes a buyer feel pleased or satisfied. The project is carried out on the
customer’s perception of the travel and tour company Yatra.com.
Company Profile
Yatra.com (NASDAQ: MMYT) is an online travel company headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana founded by Deep Karla. The
company provides online travel services including flight tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservat ions,
rail and bus tickets. In 2011 and 2012, Yatra.com made strategic acquisitions in pursuit of growth through new channels and
markets in the South-East Asia region. Recently, it launched Travel Apps for mobile devices.
Mission
“Customer is the goal, quality and customer’s perception is ambitions”
The mission of the company is to drive a strategy through the different level of sources to acquire the maximum of the travel
industry market by winning the confidence of the customer.
History and Growth
Deep Kalra, an alumnus of Institute of Management, Ahmadabad, founded yatra.com. Prior to setting up Yatra.com, Deep had
worked with GE Capital as the Vice President - Business Development (Retail) and had worked with ABN AMRO Bank and
AMF Bowling.
Yatra.com was launched in the US market in 2000 to cater to the overseas Indian community for their US-to-India travel needs.
The founding team consisted of Deep Karla, Keyed Joshi (Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer), Rajesh Magow (CoFounder & CEO - India, formerly Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer) and Sachin Bhatia (ex-Chief Marketing
Officer). After serving a long tenure of 10 years, since the company’s inception, Sachin Bhatiaquit Yatra.com as an active
member and decided to work as an independent advisor and a prime shareholder in the company.
With the victory of IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation)'s online business model which enabled the
Indian traveller to purchase railway tickets on the Internet, things started to look brighter for the travel market in India. This was
also the time when Low-Cost Carriers entered the Indian Aviation space. Yatra.com started its Indian operations in September
20
Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Bharath University, Tamil Nadu, India,
[email protected]
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Volume 4, Number 2, April – June’ 2015
ISSN (Print):2279-0977, (Online):2279-0985
PEZZOTTAITE JOURNALS
SJIF
(2012): 3.23, SJIF (2013): 5.057, SJIF (2014): 5.871
2005, offering online flight tickets to Indian travellers. To broaden its travel portfolio, the company also started to focus on nonair businesses like holiday packages and hotel bookings. On August 13, 2010, Yatra.com was listed on the NASDAQ and went
public, making a debut in the US market. Trade Analysts believed that this was an encouraging sign for both the investors and
other Indian firms. In 2011, the company strengthened focus on the mobile route by creating several travel-related Apps for all
types of mobile devices (smart phones and basic cell phones). In the same year, Yatra.com also made three acquisitions, namely,
Luxury Tours and Travel Private Limited (Singapore), Le Travenues Technology Private Limited (Gurgaon, India) and My Guest
House Accommodation (New Delhi, India).
TRAVELS AND TOURISM
Indian tourism has vast potential for generating employment and earning large sums of foreign exchange besides giving a turn
over to the countries overall economic and social development. Much has been achieved by way of increasing air seat capacity,
increasing trains and railway connectivity to important tourist destinations, four-laning of roads connecting important tourist
centers and increasing accessibility of accommodation by adding heritage hotels to the hotel industry and encouraging paying
guest accommodation. However, much more remains to be done. Since tourism is a multi-dimensional activity, and basically a
service industry, it would be necessary that all wings of the Central and State governments, private sector and voluntary
organizations become active partners in the endeavor to attain sustainable growth in tourism if India is to become a world
competitor in the tourist industry
OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
The objective of the study is to have a practical bright of the working of the organization, its decision, its brief historic al
background and its future prospects. The following can be said to be the major objectives of the study.
Primary Objective
 To identify the customer need and the perspective requirement of the customer.
Secondary Objectives
 To examine the customer need.
 To search the market for the consumer by which the customer can get the services easily from the company.
 To identify the areas of concern where the company lack in promoting the customers perception.
 To find out the corrective measures taken up by the company to enhance its business with respect to customer’s
perception.
SCOPE OF STUDY
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It gives information to prospective customer.
Help us gain independent knowledge about the customer perception of the complete travel online company.
The studies help companies to get additional research information.
It facilities evaluation of brand names and customers satisfaction.
LIMITATIONS
Follow set of limitations were encountered during the research process:
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The research topic for the project is new and therefore, secondary data was retied upon including the data collected from
the internet together a bird’s eye view of the entire industry. The research process may have been biased of the content
of the source is not authenticated, as it is generally perceived.
The research has an objective of suggesting an alternative marketing strategy to creatures to access the present market
trends and position of radicalization in the state.
However, the primary data research process had little to offer on the current market operation of the company and thus
the researcher has relied upon the secondary data available for preparing questionnaire and to know the industry.
Research was confined to the city of Gurgaon only.
Response from customer may be a biased. So as many as 100 respondents was surveyed.
NEED OF STUDY
I have chosen the subject to understand the following points:
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To understand the need of analyzing the customer’s perceptions of various resource management organization.
To assess the industry’s progress through the customers perception point of view of company.
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Volume 4, Number 2, April – June’ 2015
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PEZZOTTAITE JOURNALS
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SJIF
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To understand the assessment of the company based on the survey customer.
To understand the psychology of market observers behind the customers perceptions analysis of Yatra.com.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Consumer perception applies the concept of sensory perception to marketing and advertising. Just as sensory perception relates
to how humans perceive and process sensory stimuli through their five senses, consumer perception pertains to how individuals
form opinions about companies and the merchandise they offer through the purchases they make. Merchants apply consumer
perception theory to determine how their customers perceive them. They also use consumer perception theory to develop
marketing and advertising strategies intended to retain current customers -- and attract new ones.
“A person’s feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived performance (or outcome) in
relation to his or her expectations.” Customer perception and Satisfaction can be defined as supplying or gratifying all wants or
wishes, fulfilling conditions or desires, or the state of the mind anything that makes a customer feel pleased or contented.
Self-Perception
Self-perception theory attempts to clarify how individuals develop an understanding of the motivations behind their own behavior.
Self-perception by consumers relates to values and motivations that drive buying behavior, which is also an important aspect o f
consumer perception theory.
Price Perception
Two factors that shaped price perception were the perceived quality of the products or service in question and cost compariso ns
with merchants offering similar merchandise or services.
Benefit Perception
"It's good, and it's good for you. The researchers found that consumers tend to reject general, unproven claims of improved
nutrition, especially concerning high nutritional value for foods that are traditionally viewed as unhealthy The perceptions
consumers have of a business and its products or service have a striking effect on buying behavior.
Influencing Perception
Consumers continually synthesize all the information they have about a company to form a decision about whether that company
offers value. In a sense, consumer perception approximates reality, notes the book “Consumer Behaviour,” by Atul Kr. Sharma.
Businesses attempt to influence this perception of reality, sometimes through trickery and manipulation but often just by
presenting themselves in the best possible light. For example, advertisements often trumpet the quality and convenience of a
product or service, hoping to foster a consumer perception of high value, which can pay off with increased sales.
Risk Perception
Consumer risk perception is another factor businesses must take into account when trying to support buying behaviors.
Customer Retention
Successful businesses do not relax once a customer makes a purchase. Rather, they continue to foster perceptions that result in
profitable behaviors.
Perception & Motivation in Organizational Behavior
Motivating employees to complete their work correctly and on time is one of the major tasks of management. Changing an
employee's perception of his place within a company is sometimes an effective way of improving organizational behavior
constructively. Employees who recognize that they have a greater control over their work lives will likely be more motivated to
excel within the organizational structure.
Perceptions Affecting Motivation
A worker's social perception of others within the organization can affect his motivation to complete work successfully to a large
degree. Motivation within an organization remains high if a worker perceives that there are opportunities for personal
development or professional advancement, if he feels talented of completing tasks properly and is involved with various
organizational decision-making and goal-setting processes. Motivation can be reduced if the worker perceives a lack of
opportunity for growth, a lack of participation or a lack of opportunities to reveal any creativity.
Changing Perceptions to Improve Motivation
Worker output and motivation can be affected by changing the working conditions that are causing negative organizational
behaviors. Reducing the size of work groups may allow an employee to feel as though he has a greater input in the work output.
Providing time for easy social interaction can improve social intimacy among coworkers and help produce a camaraderie that
improves work interactions.
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Volume 4, Number 2, April – June’ 2015
ISSN (Print):2279-0977, (Online):2279-0985
PEZZOTTAITE JOURNALS
SJIF
(2012): 3.23, SJIF (2013): 5.057, SJIF (2014): 5.871
Social Perception
Social perception, or the way one individual views others, affects behavior within an organization .Wrongful social perceptio ns,
such as fundamental attribution error that arises when one person mistakes another person's charac teristics as the cause of a
negative event, can lead to problems in organizational behavior.
Perceived Public Service Efficacy
A 2008 paper published by the American Review of Public Administration introduced the concept of perceived public service
efficacy to describe the way an employee's perception of his work can affect work motivation and organizational behavior.
According to co-authors Craig Boardman and Eric Sundquist, when employees perceive that their work benefits the public,
reports of both job satisfaction and organizational commitment increase.
Organizational Behavior & the Importance of Quality Management
Companies, including your small business, have an internal culture that is unique. Organizational behavior involves understanding
and managing human behavior in an organization. Quality management involves a company changing its processes to improve its
customers' experiences. Combining organizational behavior with quality management helps a company stay competitive in an
increasingly competitive market.
International Competition
Business competition increases as more businesses operate not only on a national level, but also internationally. Companies
suddenly have to deal with more players in their marketplace, meaning these companies must utilize all of their resources
efficiently and effectively. One resource companies have traditionally taken for granted, but are increasingly managing, is the
people in the company, according to Bill Ahl of "Entrepreneur" magazine.
Organizational Culture
Introducing quality management into a company's organizational behavior involves modifying the organizational culture inside
the company. Management must engage in activities that alter the company's culture in a way that increases the quality of a
customer's experience, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as referral business from existing customers.
Management must help employees realize the importance of changing the organization's culture quickly to stay ahead of the
competition and to keep the company viable; otherwise, employees may resist changes to the culture they view as unnecessary.
Culture for Quality
In companies where quality management has been fused with organizational behavior, employees proactively manage the
customer's experience to ensure satisfaction. Employees need to have the authority and ability to provide optimal customer
service, part of which involves employees being trained on the needs of both customers and the company's stakeholders,
according to Tiona VanDevender of Free Quality. Part of training and empowering employees to act for the good of customers
and stakeholders is involving employees in organizational planning, including the formulation of organizational goals and
strategies for realizing those goals. Employees who are involved in the planning process feel more ownership of company
objectives.
Financial Incentives
Companies that effectively manage their internal culture stand to gain a competitive edge over their competition, since these
companies tap their employees' potential more fully. Since a company stands to gain financially by altering the organizational
culture, incentivizing employees with various rewards for participation in crafting, implementing and promoting the new culture
helps employees feel valued and even more invested in the company's culture. Incentives may include a greater paycheck,
increased personal time or even group recognition of an employee's efforts.
Perception Methods in Marketing
Marketing that builds consumers’ trust will earn sales, Perception methods are used in advertisements and promotional tools to
build a brand image that consumers will perceive as trustworthy, valuable and suited to their own needs and self-images. As a
marketer, the more you understand how your prospective customers think, the more effective your methods will be.
Connecting and Comparing
Knowledge of your target consumers can reveal the desires, interests and priorities they are most emotional about. Designing
advertising that speaks to those needs and resonates emotionally will get consumers’ attention. Additionally, consumers have to
know what you are offering and how it compares to competitors. Tying the emotional benefits of your offer to a price your
consumers can afford feeds a perception that you understand consumers better than competitors do, and that your offer delivers
high value.
INTRODUCTION
Tourism is not only a growth engine but also an employment generator. According to the Economic Survey 2011-12, the sector
has the capacity to create large-scale employment both direct and indirect, for diverse sections in society, from the most
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Volume 4, Number 2, April – June’ 2015
ISSN (Print):2279-0977, (Online):2279-0985
PEZZOTTAITE JOURNALS
SJIF
(2012): 3.23, SJIF (2013): 5.057, SJIF (2014): 5.871
specialized to unskilled workforce. It provides 6-7 per cent of the world’s total jobs directly and millions more indirectly through
the multiplier effect as per the UNs World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The importance of tourism as a creator of job
opportunities can be understood from the fact that in India every one million invested in tourism creates 47.5 jobs directly and
around 85-90 jobs indirectly. In comparison, agriculture creates only 44.6 jobs and manufacturing a mere 12.6 jobs. Moreover,
tourism is the third largest foreign exchange earner after gems, jeweler, and readymade garments 2.
Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs)
During 2011, FTAs in India were 6.31 million with a growth of 9.2% over 2010. FTAs during 2012 were 6.65 (provisional)
million with a growth of 5.4%, as compared to the FTAs of 6.31 million during 2011.
Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) from Tourism
Tourism is an important sector of Indian economy and contributes substantially in the country’s Foreign Exchange Earnings.
FEEs from tourism, in rupee terms, during 2011 was Rs.77,591 core (provisional), with a growth of 19.6%, as compared to the
FEEs of Rs.64,889 core (provisional) during 2010. During 2012, the Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) fro m tourism registered a
growth of 21.8% from Rs.77,591 to Rs.94,487 cores (provisional) when compared to FEEs during 2011. A statement giving FTAs
in India and FEEs from tourism for the years 2000 to 2012 is given below:
Table-1
Sources: Authors Compilation
Domestic Tourism
The domestic tourist visits during the year 2011 are estimated to be 851 million, showing a growth of 13.8% over 20103.
Products and Services
 Rail and Bus tickets: Yatra.com sells online rail tickets [ to its customers offering features like return tickets with single
payment option, flexi-search and automatic alerts and updates on the availability of tickets. It also offers bus tickets
across different categories like Volvo, Air Conditioned, Non Air Conditioned, Deluxe, Semi-Deluxe and Sleeper
vehicles.
 Cab Service: In May 2010, the company introduced online cab rental services on its website offering travellers an
option to book a chauffeur-driven car in major metropolitan cities within India.
Hotels and Holiday Packages
The company offers hotel reservations in India and international cities alike. There are approximately 10,000 branded properties
that can be searched and compared online on the company’s website.
Travel Solutions on Mobile
In 2012, Yatra.com launched travel-centric mobile applications (Apps) for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and other types of basic
phones. It offers services like flight and bus bookings, hotel reservations and holiday packages. It also caters to other travel
solutions like requesting for e-tickets, making cancellations, tracking status of refunds and other travel alerts. The travel itineraries
available on the Apps can be shared on Facebook.
Work Culture
The company has been consistently ranked among the Top 10 “Great Places to Work for in India” by the Great Place to Work®
(GPTW) Institute, a study by The Economic Times, for four years in a row starting from 2010 to 2013.
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Volume 4, Number 2, April – June’ 2015
ISSN (Print):2279-0977, (Online):2279-0985
PEZZOTTAITE JOURNALS
SJIF
(2012): 3.23, SJIF (2013): 5.057, SJIF (2014): 5.871
FINDINGS
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Customers are satisfied with the various travel offers of Yatra.com, because it produces low cost and it produces offers
for middle class people.
Television is important source for effective sales promotion.
Customers are using Yatra.com packages for travel features.
Customer generally buys offers for best package and cost.
Customers are satisfied with on line assistance of Yatra.com, which related with post-delivery.
Generally, customers prefer to buy cars on the time of occasion because at that time companies provide cash discount
and various offers.
Yatra.com believes that their best brand can come in light by the people.
SUGGESTION
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The finance through loan facility should be given to the middleclass people.
The advertisement interior design should change to make customer attractive.
The number of dealers should be increased.
Events, campaigns and other demonstrations should be done frequently.
The promotions should be made according to customer’s perception.
The promotional strategy should help in changing consumer’s mind and attracting them towards the products.
On line, assistance should be given and there should be a 24*7 Helpline.
CONCLUSION
From the whole analysis, this has been concluded that various people have car and most of the people use to take cars from
Yatra.com on line Travel Company. The people are satisfied with the availability of products and happy with the sales promotion
strategy of Yatra.com on line Travel Company. The perception of people is very much positive. Therefore, it is clear that the
customer’s perception towards the sales promotion strategy of Yatra.com on line Travel Company is very much positive, and
customers provide whatever suggestions if dealer will implement than companies as well as dealer will get a lot of profit.
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Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lbKyO54P1k
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Retrieved from http://www.travelmall.co.in/(S(ray5edsagcowknalney2wic0))/services.aspx
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Retrieved from https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070604075744AALcgyK
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Retrieved from http://www.trcollege.net/articles/74-development-and-impact-of-tourism-industry-in-india
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11. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/perception-motivation-organizational-behavior-13609.html
12. Retrieved from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makemytrip
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