Effectivity wise ranking of interpersonal sources of information in the consumer decision making process of select consumer durables: evidence from the “low-literate” consumers of Kolkata

This paper deals with the sources of information which the “Low-Literate” people of Kolkata happen to use in getting to have product information about the select band of durable commodities considered for the study. We have tried to rank them in accordance with their effectivity as a source of information in their decision making process. It has been observed that out of the five distinct sources considered ‘Word-of-Mouth’, ‘Sales People’ and ‘Imitation Behavior’ are the most effective sources, while sources like ‘Advertisement’ and ‘Packaging’ are not that effective for these set of consumers. It has also been observed that a source of information is not product specific but it serves the consumers in getting to know of multiple durables considered for the purpose of the study.