Brand Awareness and Retailer Preference in the Incense Stick Market: Empirical Evidence from Major Agarbathi Brands, South India

Abstract

This study investigates brand awareness levels among retailers and the multi-dimensional factors shaping their preference and stocking behaviour toward incense sticks (agarbathi), across eleven competing brands in the South Indian market. A descriptive, cross-sectional research design was adopted. Primary data were collected via a structured questionnaire administered to 214 retailers across convenience stores, departmental stores, supermarkets, and specialty stores in Tamil Nadu, India, between November 2024 and January 2025. Convenience sampling was employed. Analysis utilised weighted averages, rank-order analysis, cross-tabulations, Pearson chi-square tests, multiple OLS regression, and bootstrap mediation analysis. Cycle Pure commands the highest retailer brand awareness (174/214 retailers). Significant variation exists in awareness-to-stocking conversion rates across brands — ranging from 100.0% for Cycle Pure to 13.3% for Hari Darshan and Tataf — identifying critical distribution efficiency gaps at different tiers of the competitive landscape. Six hypotheses derived from the study's conceptual model are all confirmed (p < 0.001): Brand Equity Signals (β = 0.51) and Retailer Decision Factors (β = 0.38) jointly drive Retailer Brand Preference; demographic characteristics moderate these effects; Preference strongly predicts Stocking Willingness (β = 0.67) and Market Performance (β = 0.59); and Stocking Willingness partially mediates the Preference–Performance relationship (indirect β = 0.234, 39.6% mediation). This paper contributes the retailer-centric, hypothesis-tested analysis of brand preference in India's USD 1 billion incense stick industry, providing empirically grounded strategic guidance for brand positioning, channel development, and rural market penetration.