ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES AND THEIR IMPACT IN MARKETING SKIN CARE PRODUCT IN NIGERIA

1.1 Introduction

Skin care products are the medicinal preparations intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body that manifest beneficial topical actions and provide protection against degenerative skin conditions (Ribeiro et al., 2015). Natural skin care products improved skin tone, texture, and appearance by delivering nutrients necessary for healthy skin. Preparations of natural ingredients have been traditionally used for centuries for skin care purposes; nowadays they are becoming more popular in modern formulations due to consumers concerns about synthetic ingredients/chemical substances. The use of plants for medicinal purposes is as old as humanity and plants were the main source of all personal care and cosmetics before the use of synthetic substances with similar properties (Fatima et al., 2013).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

In the last few years, there has been an exponential growth in the field of herbal skincare and cosmetic products and they are gaining popularity both in developing and developed countries. Given the inherent economic potential in the exploitation of natural resources in ecosystems, plant extracts, essential oils, vegetable oils and bioactive complexes exhibit a huge potential to be used in skincare and cosmetic products in order to beautify and maintain the physiological and biochemical balance and healthy condition of the human skin.

The skin care product category remains the largest category in the beauty business and its global value sales will reach $630 billion by 2017. The general market demand growth rate for natural and organic skincare products alone is growing faster than the overall market growth rate. The global demand for organic skin care products is expected to reach $13.2 billion by 2018. Health awareness around the globe drives the natural and organic skin care product market, igniting a major shift from synthetic to organic skin care products. Organic skin care products in North America represented about 35% of the global organic personal market in 2014 and the natural cosmetics market hit $30 billion last year, predicted to have an annual growth rate of 10% until 2019.

Since herbal skin care products is a growing business in Nigeria, it would be worthy to study consumers’ value of herbal skin care products in Nigeria. Thus, this paper aims to study the buying motives of herbal skin care products in Nigeria and the roles of that consumer value and marketing mix variables have on consumers’ buying motives of herbal skin care products in Nigeria. Cosmetics and skin care products have played many varied and important roles in human history. Colored cosmetics have been used to prepare for entry into battle, to heighten the excitement surrounding courtship, and to adorn the dead before burial. Skin care products have influenced everything from religious practices to the health of the general population.

Observations made on advertisements of skin care products will always use beautiful models or famous celebrities as a natural draw. Photos or videos are carefully scripted and beautifully presented. Captions added to them are carefully worded sentences to awe and inspire the potential buyers, and if it is a television commercial, narration is done in the most provocative and attractive oration to invoke the potential customers’ interest. Claims are made of the many benefits or advantages of using such products and reinforced by the beautiful image presented by the models representing or promoting such skincare products.

Therefore, in Unilever PLC where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to examine the environmental influences and their impact in marketing skin care product in Nigeria.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that skin is a physical barrier to withstand pressure and trauma, recognize sensations and pain, protects the body from the external environment such as pollution and radiation, sunlight, keeping out harmful microbes and chemicals, and helps to regulate temperature, fluid balance and excretion, involved in endocrine function through the production of Cholecalciferol (D3) by epidermis.

Sundarsan (2007) asserts that the role of advertising is essentially to fulfill the traditional desire of firms to reach the ever-increasing population so that their products may receive optimum exposure. However, the specific role advertising plays in brand patronage, increased sales, revenue and profits for local firms and has continued to generate fierce debates among advertisers, practitioners and marketing communications scholars.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine environmental influences and their impact in marketing skin care product in Nigeria using Unilever PLC as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To identify the impact of exposure of information in skincare product marketing on customers' buying behaviour.
2. To examine whether the models used in marketing that influence the purchase of skin care products.
3. To examine the buying motives of customers who patronize skin care cosmetics products.
4. To find out the impact of the usefulness of various techniques of marketing skincare products on customers' buying behaviour.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• What is the impact of exposure of information in skincare product marketing on customers' buying behaviour?
• What are the models used in marketing that influence the purchase of skin care products?
• What is the buying motives of customers who patronise skin care cosmetics products?
• What is the impact of the usefulness of various techniques of marketing skincare products on customers' buying behaviour?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There are no significant factors influencing the marketing of skin care product in Unilever Nigeria PLC
• H1: There are significant factors influencing the marketing of skin care product in Unilever Nigeria PLC

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1.7 Significance of Study

The results of the study will provide cosmetic manufacturing firms with important insights into the factors that affect the purchasing behavior of consumers within their target market. These consumers select cosmetic products based on various factors and this study will help industry players to understand how they come about making decisions pertaining to beauty product purchasing.

This study can help marketers, particularly in beauty specific firms, to understand the important aspects of consumer behavior in the cosmetics industry. By understanding consumer behavior, marketers can tailor their marketing strategies based on consumer needs thereby meeting their needs more effectively.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the environmental influences and their impact in marketing skin care product in Nigeria using Unilever Nigeria PLC as a case study.

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.10 Definition of Terms

Marketing: Marketing is the process of teaching consumers why they should choose your product or service over those of your competitors, and is a form of persuasive communication.

Digital Marketing: Digital marketing is the component of marketing that utilizes internet and online based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services

Business Expansion: Business expansion is a stage of a company’s life that is fraught with both opportunities and perils. On the one hand, business growth often carries with it a corresponding increase in financial fortunes for owners and employees alike.

Promotion Channels: In marketing, promotion refers to any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or issue.

Customer Relation: Customer relations describe the ways that a company will engage with its customers to improve the customer experience.