ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to appraise the effect of consumer perception on the demand for made in Nigeria shoes in Aba metropolis. Perception is a mental feeling which involves how individuals see, feel, touch and associate with their environments and how they make meanings out of such associations. The interpretations made leads to their decisions on what next to do. In Nigeria, both local and imported shoes exists side by side. However some Nigerians prefer the foreign shoes to the neglect of the domestic ones. The objective of this study therefore is to identify the various factors that determine how consumers in Aba metropolis perceive both foreign and locally-made shoes and its consequent effect on the demand for locally made shoes. Having obtained from the national population commission report of 2004 that Aba has an estimated population of 1,020,900 inhabitants, the researcher used the Taro Yamani model to obtain the sample size to be 399 and took a random sample of this number. From this sample size, primary data were collected and out of the 399 questionnaires that were administered, 240 were returned while 159 were either not returned or were invalidated. In analyzing the data collected, tables and percentages were used to analyze the information from the respondents and the model specification for the hypotheses formulated was the Pearsons Conelation model. This model seeks to establish the degree of relationship between the dependent variable (demand) and the independent variable (consumer perception). At the end, it was observed that the presence of imported shoes, have increased competition in the shoe industry in Aba metropolis resulting to low patronage of locally made shoes. Equally observed is the fact that consumers would prefer the imported shoes due to the higher quality and higher prices that are associated with them as it helps them create a class of higher personality among their peers. This is one of the reasons why many of the locally made shoe manufacturers place foreign labels and trade marks on their products. In the light of the foregoing, it was observed that government is not doing enough in the creation of an enabling environment for the production of made in Nigeria shoes. The researcher recommends that manufacturers of locally made shoes should endevour to improve the production techniques and technology of their products and that Nigerian consumers should be properly educated and enlightened on patriotism, a concept that will make them patronize locally made products in Nigeria. The use of foreign labels, trademarks and packages by local shoe manufacturers is both unethical and unpatriotic and should be discouraged by government.