The influence of branding on product acceptance in the Tanzanian market: the case of consumers of cosmetics in Kinondoni municipality in Dar es Salaam

The thrust of this study was to assess the branding influence on product acceptance in the Tanzanian market, the case being consumers of cosmetics in Kinondoni Municipality in Dar es Salaam Region. The study was guided by three specific objectives which aimed at examining the influence of brand name, brand equity and brand image on product acceptance in the market. The study used a sample size of 50 randomly selected respondents who are consumers of cosmetics. Moreover, purposive sampling was used to select 5 key informants who were 3 sellers of cosmetic product in the same area and 2 officers from TFDA. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods in collecting and analyzing data and it adopted the descriptive research design. The Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was employed in data analysis to ascertain frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Multiple regression analysis was further used in the data analysis. The findings of the study reveal that for a product to be accepted in the market, it is influenced by brand image, brand name and brand equity. However brand equity which was determined by assessing brand loyalty, brand awareness and brand association was found to carry significant weight when users make cosmetics purchase decision. From the findings of the study it is recommended that companies should focus their marketing strategies to build a strong good reputation in the market place so that the brand image can create strong beliefs in the customer’s mind which will influence customers to purchase the product. Furthermore, the study recommends for companies dealing with cosmetic products to use their sales personnel to provide training on the usage of their products to customers since the findings indicated that customers are likely to use products which they could predict the outcome, hence increasing awareness become more important.