What is Consumer Buying Behavior?

Definition of Buying Behavior: Buying Behavior is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using products. Need to understand:

why consumers make the purchases that they make? what factors influence consumer purchases? the changing factors in our society.

Consumer Buying Behavior refers to the buying behavior of the ultimate consumer. A firm needs to analyze buying behavior for:

Buyers reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firms success. The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix (MM) that satisfies (gives utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the what, where, when and how consumers buy. Marketers can better predict how consumers will respond to marketing strategies.

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Stages of the Consumer Buying Process

Six Stages to the Consumer Buying Decision Process (For complex decisions). Actual purchasing is only one stage of the process. Not all decision processes lead to a purchase. All consumer decisions do not always include all 6 stages, determined by the degree of complexity...discussed next. The 6 stages are: 1. Problem Recognition(awareness of need)--difference between the desired state and the actual condition. Deficit in assortment of products. Hunger--Food. Hunger stimulates your need to eat. Can be stimulated by the marketer through product information--did not know you were deficient? I.E., see a commercial for a new pair of shoes, stimulates your recognition that you need a new pair of shoes. 2. Information search-o Internal search, memory. o External search if you need more information. Friends and relatives (word of mouth). Marketer dominated sources; comparison shopping; public sources etc. A successful information search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives, the evoked set. Hungry, want to go out and eat, evoked set is

3.

4. 5. 6.

chinese food indian food burger king klondike kates etc Evaluation of Alternatives--need to establish criteria for evaluation, features the buyer wants or does not want. Rank/weight alternatives or resume search. May decide that you want to eat something spicy, indian gets highest rank etc. If not satisfied with your choice then return to the search phase. Can you think of another restaurant? Look in the yellow pages etc. Information from different sources may be treated differently. Marketers try to influence by "framing" alternatives. Purchase decision--Choose buying alternative, includes product, package, store, method of purchase etc. Purchase--May differ from decision, time lapse between 4 & 5, product availability. Post-Purchase Evaluation--outcome: Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction. Cognitive Dissonance, have you made the right decision. This can be reduced by warranties, after sales communication etc. After eating an indian meal, may think that really you wanted a chinese meal instead.

o o o o

Handout...Pillsbury 1-800#s
1-800 #s gives the consumer a way of communicating with the marketer after purchase. This helps reduce cognitive dissonance when a marketer can answer any concerns of a new consumer. Return to Contents List

Types of Consumer Buying Behavior

Types of consumer buying behavior are determined by:

Level of Involvement in purchase decision. Importance and intensity of interest in a product in a particular situation. Buyers level of involvement determines why he/she is motivated to seek information about a certain products and brands but virtually ignores others.

High involvement purchases--Honda Motorbike, high priced goods, products visible to others, and the higher the risk the higher the involvement. Types of risk:

Personal risk Social risk Economic risk

The four type of consumer buying behavior are:

Routine Response/Programmed Behavior--buying low involvement frequently purchased low cost items; need very little search and decision effort; purchased almost automatically. Examples include soft drinks, snack foods, milk etc. Limited Decision Making--buying product occasionally. When you need to obtain information about unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category, perhaps. Requires

a moderate amount of time for information gathering. Examples include Clothes-know product class but not the brand. Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement, unfamiliar, expensive and/or infrequently bought products. High degree of economic/performance/psychological risk. Examples include cars, homes, computers, education. Spend alot of time seeking information and deciding. Information from the companies MM; friends and relatives, store personnel etc. Go through all six stages of the buying process. Impulse buying, no conscious planning.

The purchase of the same product does not always elicit the same Buying Behavior. Product can shift from one category to the next. For example: Going out for dinner for one person may be extensive decision making (for someone that does not go out often at all), but limited decision making for someone else. The reason for the dinner, whether it is an anniversary celebration, or a meal with a couple of friends will also determine the extent of the decision making. Return to Contents List
Factors affecting consumer buying behavior Why do we need to learn about consumer buying behavior? The simple answer is that no longer can we take the customers for granted. Consumer buying behavior determines how our consumers decide to buy our product and what are the various factors responsible for this decision? Out of 11000 new products introduced by 77 companies, only 56% are present after 5 years. Only 8% of new product concepts offered by 112 leading companies reached the market. Out of that 83% failed to meet marketing objectives. What we need to understand here is why consumers make the purchases that they make, what factors influence consumer purchases and changing factors in our society The central focus of marketing is the consumer. To devise good marketing plans, it is necessary to examine consumer behavioral attributes and needs, lifestyles, and purchase processes and then make proper marketing-mix decisions. The study of Consumer behavior includes the study of what they buy, why they buy, how they buy, when they buy, from where they buy, and how often they buy. An open-minded consumer-oriented approach is imperative in todays diverse global marketplace so a firm can identify and serve its target market, minimize dissatisfaction, and stay ahead of competitors. Final consumers purchase for personal, family, or household use. Major Factors affecting consumer buying behavior

Cultural factors affecting consumer buying behaviour: Cultural factors have a significant impact on customer behavior.Culture is the most basic cause of a persons wants and behavior. Growing up, children learn basic values, perception and wants from the family and other important groups. Marketers are always trying to spot cultural shifts which might point to new products that might be wanted by customers or to increased demand. Social factors affecting consumer buying behaviour: A customers buying behavior is also influenced by social factors, such as the groups to which the customer belongs and social status. Each culture contains sub-cultures groups of people with share values. Sub-cultures can include nationalities, religions, racial groups, or groups of people sharing the same geographical location. Sometimes a sub-culture will create a substantial and distinctive market segment of its own. For example, the youth culture or club culture has quite distinct values and buying characteristics from the much older gray generation Similarly, differences in social class can create customer groups. In fact, the official six social classes in the UK are widely used to profile and predict different customer behavior. In the UKs socioeconomic classification scheme, social class is not just determined by income. It is measured as a combination of occupation, income, education, wealth and other variables

Consumer purchases are influenced strongly by or there are four factors. 01. Cultural Factor 02. Social Factor 03. Personal Factor 04. Psychological Factor.

01. Cultural Factor :

Cultural factor divided into three sub factors (i) Culture (ii) Sub Culture (iii) Social Class o Culture: The set of basic values perceptions, wants, and behaviours learned by a member of society from family and other important institutions. Culture is the most basic cause of a persons wants and behaviour. Every group or society has a culture, and cultural influences on buying behaviour may vary greatly from country to country. o Sub Culture : A group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations. Each culture contains smaller sub cultures a group of people with shared value system based on common life experiences and situations. Sub culture includes nationalities, religions, racial group and geographic regions. Many sub culture make up important market segments and marketers often design products. o Social Class: Almost every society has some form of social structure, social classes are societys relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members share similar values, interests and behaviour. 02. Social Factors :-

A consumers behaviour also is influenced by social factors, such as the (i) Groups (ii) Family (iii) Roles and status o Groups : Two or more people who interact to accomplish individual or mutual goals. A persons behavious is influenced by many small groups. Groups that have a direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups. Some are primary groups includes family, friends, neighbours and coworkers. Some are secondary groups, which are more formal and have less regular interaction. These includes organizations like religious groups, professional association and trade unions. o Family: Family members can strongly influence buyer behaviour. The family is the

the most important consumer buying organization society and it has been researched extensively. Marketers are interested in the roles, and influence of the husband, wife and children on the purchase of different products and services.

Roles and Status :A person belongs to many groups, family, clubs, organizations. The persons position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and status. For example. M & X plays the role of father, in his family he plays the role of husband, in his company, he plays the role of manager, etc. A Role consists of the activities people are expected to perform according to the persons around them.
o

03. Personal Factors :It includes i) Age and life cycle stage (ii) Occupation (iii) Economic situation (iv) Life Style (v) Personality and self concept. o Age and Life cycle Stage: People changes the goods and services they buy over their lifetimes. Tastes in food, clothes, furniture, and recreation are often age related. Buying is also shaped by the stage of the family life cycle. o Occupation : A persons occupation affects the goods and services bought. Blue collar workers tend to buy more rugged work clothes, whereas white-collar workers buy more business suits. A Co. can even specialize in making products needed by a given occupational group. Thus, computer software companies will design different products for brand managers, accountants, engineers, lawyers, and doctors.
o Economic situation :A persons economic situation will affect product choice o Life Style : Life Style is a persons Pattern of living, understanding these forces involves measuring consumers major AIO dimensions. i.e. activities (Work, hobbies, shopping, support etc) interest (Food, fashion, family recreation) and opinions (about themselves, Business, Products) o Personality and Self concept : Each persons distinct personality influence his or her buying behaviour. Personality refers to the unique psychological characteristics that lead to relatively consistent and lasting responses to ones own environment.

04. Psychological Factors : It includes these Factors. i) Motivation (ii) Perception (iii) Learning (iv) Beliefs and attitudes

Motivation :-

Motive (drive) a need that is sufficiently pressing to direct the person to seek satisfaction of the need Perception :o The process by which people select, Organize, and interpret information to form a meaningful picture of the world. Learning:o Changes in an individuals behaviour arising from experience. Beliefs and attitudes :o Belief is a descriptive thought that a person holds about something o Attitude, a Persons consistently favourable or unfavourable evaluations, feelings, and tendencies towards an object or idea

Singaporean consumer buying behavior towards detergent powder across hypermarket and supermarket retail formats [permalink]
Singaporean rapid growth of household consumption in the competitive market of hypermarket and supermarket retailer have present the unique pattern of consumer buying behavior, since there are few consideration before the buying decision is made. Detergent powder buying decision will represent the characteristic consumer behavior; including what factors is most affecting the decision-making. The research identifies non-marketing and marketing variables as the factors affecting consumer decision making towards buying detergent powder. Using the multiple regression analysis on SPSS statistic, it is found that the marketing and non-marketing factor does affect the consumer buying behavior. The most affecting factor in the detergent powder buying decision is the promotion of the product, also cultural and personal condition of the consumer. personal-image factors have positive relationship and significant but price have positive relationship but not significant towards customer satisfaction. from this 3 new factors, quality factors have the most dominant contribution towards customer satisfcation

MARKETING MIX

n the previous lesson you learnt that marketing identifies consumers needs and

supplies various goods and services to satisfy those needs most effectively. So the businessman needs to: (a) produce or manufacture the product according to consumers need; (b) make available it at a price that the consumers find reasonable; (c) supply the product to the consumers at different outlets they can conveniently approach; and (d) inform the consumers about the product and its characteristics through the media they have access to. So the marketing manager concentrates on four major decision areas while planning the marketing activities, namely, (i) products, (ii) price, (iii) place (distribution) and

(iv) promotion. These 4 Ps are called as elements of marketing and together they constitute the marketing mix. All these are inter-related because a decision in one area affects decisions in other areas. In this lesson you will learn about the basic aspects relating to these 4Ps viz., product, price, place and promotion.

OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson, you will be able to : explain the concept of marketing mix and its components; explain the meaning of product and its classification; state the various factors affecting pricing decisions; describe different methods of pricing; state the meaning of channels of distribution; identify the various channels of distribution; state the factors affecting choice of a channel of distribution; and explain the concepts of promotion and promotion mix.
Senior Secondary Notes

102
MODULE -5 Marketing

20.1 CONCEPT AND COMPONENTS OF MARKETING MIX

Marketing involves a number of activities. To begin with, an organisation may decide on its target group of customers to be served. Once the target group is decided, the product is to be placed in the market by providing the appropriate product, price, distribution and promotional efforts. These are to be combined or mixed in an appropriate proportion so as to achieve the marketing goal. Such mix of product, price, distribution and promotional efforts is known as Marketing Mix. According to Philip Kotler Marketing Mix is the set of controllable variables that the firm can use to influence the buyers response. The controllable variables in this context refer to the 4 Ps [product, price, place (distribution) and promotion]. Each firm strives to build up such a composition of 4Ps, which can create highest level of consumer satisfaction and at the same time meet its organisational objectives. Thus, this mix is assembled keeping in mind the needs of target customers, and it varies from one organisation to another depending upon its available resources and marketing objectives. Let us now have a brief idea about the four components of marketing mix. Product : Product refers to the goods and services offered by the organisation. A pair of

shoes, a plate of dahi-vada, a lipstick, all are products. All these are purchased because they satisfy one or more of our needs. We are paying not for the tangible product but for the benefit it will provide. So, in simple words, product can be described as a bundle of benefits which a marketeer offers to the consumer for a price. While buying a pair of shoes, we are actually buying comfort for our feet, while buying a lipstick we are actually paying for beauty because lipstick is likely to make us look good. Product can also take the form of a service like an air travel, telecommunication, etc. Thus, the term product refers to goods and services offered by the organisation for sale. Price: Price is the amount charged for a product or service. It is the second most important element in the marketing mix. Fixing the price of the product is a tricky job. Many factors like demand for a product, cost involved, consumers ability to pay, prices charged by competitors for similar products, government restrictions etc. have to be kept in mind while fixing the price. In fact, pricing is a very crucial decision area as it has its effect on demand for the product and also on the profitability of the firm. Place: Goods are produced to be sold to the consumers. They must be made available to the consumers at a place where they can conveniently make purchase. Woollens are manufactured on a large scale in Ludhiana and you purchase them at a store from the nearby market in your town. So, it is necessary that the product is available at shops in your town. This involves a chain of individuals and institutions like distributors, wholesalers and retailers who constitute firms distribution network (also called a channel of distribution). The organisation has to decide whether to sell directly to the retailer or through the distributors/wholesaler etc. It can even plan to sell it directly to consumers. The choice is guided by a host of factors about which you will learn later in this chapter.
Business Studies 103 Notes MODULE-5 Marketing

Promotion: If the product is manufactured keeping the consumer needs in mind, is rightly priced and made available at outlets convenient to them but the consumer is not made aware about its price, features, availability etc, its marketing effort may not be successful. Therefore promotion is an important ingredient of marketing mix as it refers to a process

of informing, persuading and influencing a consumer to make choice of the product to be bought. Promotion is done through means of personal selling, advertising, publicity and sales promotion. It is done mainly with a view to provide information to prospective consumers about the availability, characteristics and uses of a product. It arouses potential consumers interest in the product, compare it with competitors product and make his choice. The proliferation of print and electronic media has immensely helped the process of promotion. Marketing Mix : A birds eye view Price Place (Distribution) Target Customer Product Promotion Having acquainted ourselves with the broad nature of the four components of marketing mix, let us now learn some important aspects of each one of these in detail in the following

Surf

Dominating the washing powders markets in Pakistan for four decades; Surf has continued to change according to consumer needs. Being a pioneer, Surf had to work hard to gain acceptance in the early days. To educate housewives about its use, house to house demonstration were organized in Lahore and Karachi. Free sample and coupons were also distributed to recruit consumer. There has been no looking back since the brand has undergone numerous product quality improvements to offer best cleaning results. Over the year, there has been a shift from cartons to poly ags and emergence of low unit price packs. With continuous technological innovations, the brand has always managed to fight off competition. Surf Excel, which hit the shops recently, has already gained a reputation for the best in the market

MISSION STATEMENT
We are the leading consumer products company in Pakistan, a multinational with deep roots in the country. We serve the everyday needs of all consumers everywhere for foods, hygiene and beauty through branded products and services that deliver the best quality and value.

Our bands capture the hearts of consumers through outstanding communication Through managing a responsive supply chain, we maximize value from suppliers to customers We are exemplary through our commitment to business ethics, Safety, Health, Environmentalist and involvement in the community.

Current Market Situation

Market Description

Product Review
A comparison of cost price with sale price of Products in product line. Surf Excel Quantity 25 grams 50 grams 115 grams 500 grams 1000 grams 2000 grams Cost Price in Rupees 4.7 9.5 19 110.50 199.50 385 Sale Price in Rupees 5 10 20 115 210 405

Unilever Products B.C.G Matrix

Question mark Star

Ponds skin cream

Cash cow

Surf Excel Sun silk Shampoo

Dog

Lifebuoy Shampoo

Surf Excel: Surf Excel is a product of Unilever which is at growth stage as it has large market. In Market Surf Excel 50 grams has huge market share with respect to other Sashes. While demand of 500 grams is very low.50 grams is facilitating the class B and Lower B. And 500 grams are facilitating the Class A and Class B+.

A Review of Competition

Ariel
History When we talk about P & G then question arises what stands for it, basically it stands for Proctor & Gamble. Basically it came into existence in 1837 in queen city of west. William Procter quickly established himself as a candle maker. James Gamble apprenticed himself to a soap maker. Soon they started to work combine in 1837, a bold new enterprise was born: Procter & Gamble.On April 12, 1837, William Procter and James Gamble start making and selling their soap and candles. On August 22, they formalize their business relationship by pledging $3,596.47 apiece. The formal partnership agreement is signed on October 31, 1837.

They are also in the process to facilitate on the base of providing washing powder. Need Use for the purpose to wash the cloths Customer Benefit Ariel is associating the brand with customer on the bases to give them superior quality and makes the ground for customer to provide a theme which cause to have happiness. TARGET MARKET OF ARIEL Ariel has adopted the strategy of market aggregation. ARIEL target market includes Middle Class, Upper Middle Class and Upper Classes of the population of Pakistan. The Ladies of Pakistan who are very conscious about their family. MARKETING POSITIONING Ariel is considered to be a trusted and premium brand of Pakistan. Procter and Gamble is positioning their product in the best of their customer satisfaction. As charging money they are positioning their product as best use as well as providing quality in response. They are focusing on the quality and they are also in a motive to facilitate the customer as providing a whole range which they can.

Price Comparison with different Players

Brand Name Surf Excel

Quantity 1000 grams

Price in rupees 210

Ariel Brite Express Power Bonus

1000 grams 1000 grams 1000 grams 1000 grams

210 170 125 60

A Review of Distribution

Distributors
Distributors are the institution through which availability of products is possible. Unilevers distributors have a very good relationship with them. and the important thing is that they must integrated into total marketing mix because of time and money required to setup an efficient channel. Unilever has Six distributors in

Lahore which are as follow.

Allied Marketing at Gulberg II Shahzad Brothers Enterprises at Murgi Hana Sigma at Kotlakhpat

Munner & Phips at Sham Nagar Munner & Phips at Ravi Road Munner & Phips at Johar Town

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES
Unilever uses the following multiple channel of distribution.

Wholesaler Distributor

Retailer Consumer Company Consumer Retailer Distributor Company

Unilever uses a lot of distributors and retailers to supply its products in each market where the final customer might reasonably look for it. While appointing a distributor for a particular area, management uses its own judgment to select such a person that has a potential to operate effectively.At present Situation for Surf Excel they are

focusing by intensive manners and for new products like Surf Excel Matic they are focusing the distibution channal by Exclusive manners.

Effect of Distribution on sales trend

Designing of channel for Surf Excel Unilever has adopted the method of intensive distribution for Surf Excel because the target market of this product is segmented for washing cloths using any method. The customer want to purchase this product from nearest shop as this is convenience product.

Market Potential
Detergent Market is growing by 16% intensively. At present Consumer prefer detergent on the base of quality. Pakistani Peoples are moving from rural areas to urban areas as life style is changing. Advertising is promoting the detergents by comparing the functionality of different detergents and laundry Soaps. Increase awareness of usage benefit of detergent.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths
Enjoying economies of scale Good will in the market Strong financial position Surf has become the generic name in detergents Have Strong distribution channel in Pakistan Abundant financial resources Well-known brand name Well brand image Committed employees

Weakness
Huge inventory stocks of raw material Weak spending on R & D Internal operating problems

Opportunities
Rapid market growth Changing customers needs & wants as life style change To create relation with society on the social marketing basis Pakistan peoples moves from soap to detergent

Threats
There is very tough competition in detergents markets Low profit margins Smuggled brands of CHINA New competition in the market Increases in taxes Increases in prices due to fuel prices

Objectives
The objectives of the Surf Excel is

To meet the everyday needs of people everywhere to anticipate the aspirations of consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services, which raise the quality of life. Total commitment to exceptional standards of performance and productivity, to working together effectively and to a willingness to embrace new ideas and learn continuously. To maintain highest standards of corporate behavior towards employees, consumers and the societies and world to acquire success. The major points are as fallows. Sales growth Revenue Market positioning Enhance Market shares Customer satisfaction Goodwill & reputation

Issues
Laundry detergent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search

Laundry powder

Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance that is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) that is added for cleaning laundry. In common usage, "detergent" refers to mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less

affected by "hard water." In most household contexts, the term detergent refers to laundry detergent vs hand soap or other types of cleaning agents. Most detergent is delivered in powdered form.[1]

Contents
[hide]

1 History 2 Chemistry of detergents 3 Components o 3.1 Builders o 3.2 Bleach o 3.3 Enzymes o 3.4 Other ingredients 4 Environmental concerns 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History
From ancient times, chemical additives were recognized for their ability to facilitate the mechanical washing with water. The Italians used a mix of sulfur and water with charcoal to clean cloth. Egyptians added ashes and silicates to soften water. Soaps were the first detergents.[2] The detergent effects of certain synthetic surfactants were noted in Germany in 1917, in response to shortages of soap during World War I. In the 1930s, commercially viable routes to fatty alcohols were developed, and these new materials were converted to their sulfate esters, key ingredients in the commercially important German brand FEWA, produced by BASF, and Dreft, the US brand produced by Procter and Gamble. Such detergents were mainly used in industry until after World War II. By then, new developments and the later conversion of aviation fuel plants to produce tetrapropylene, used in household detergents, caused a fast growth of domestic use in the late 1940s.[3] The use of enzymes for laundry was introduced in the early part of the 1900s by Otto Rohm. Only in the latter part of the century with the availability of thermally robust bacterial enzymes did this technology become mainstream.[4] At the present time, soap has largely been displaced as the main cleaning agent in developed countries. Soap is, by weight, relatively ineffective, and it is highly sensitive to deactivation by hard water. By the 1950s, soap had almost been completely replaced by branched alkylbenzenesulfonates, but these detergents were found to be poorly biodegradable. Linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LABs), however, proved to be both highly effective in cleaning and more biodegradable than the branched relatives. LABs remain the main detergents used domestically. Other detergents that have been developed include the linear alkylsulfonates and olefinsulfonates, which also resist deactivation by hard water. Both remain specialty products, for example only an estimated 60 million kilograms of the sodium alkylsulfonates are produced annually.[5] During the early development of non-soap surfactants as

commercial cleaning products, the term syndet, short for synthetic detergent, was promoted to indicate the distinction from so-called natural soaps.

[edit] Chemistry of detergents

Main article: detergent

Many kinds of molecules and ions can serve as high-efficiency surfactants. They are often classified according to the charge of the molecule or ion, the three main classes being anionic, neutral, and cationic detergents. Anionic detergents are most commonly encountered for domestic laundry detergents. Detergents are ions or molecules that contain both polar and nonpolar components. The polar component allows the detergent to dissolve in the water, whereas the nonpolar portion solubilizes greasy ("hydrophobic") materials that are the usual target of the cleaning process. An estimated 6 billion kilograms of detergents are produced annually for domestic markets.[5]

Three kinds of anionic detergents: branch alkylbenzenesulfonates, linear alkylbenzenesulfonates, and a soap.

[edit] Components
Modern detergent formulations - the entire product vs just the surfactant - contain several components. Three main ingredients are builders (50% by weight, approximately), the alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactant (15%), and bleaches (7%).[5]

[edit] Builders
Builders are water softeners. These chemical compounds are agents that remove calcium ions by complexation or precipitation. Typical builders are sodium carbonate, complexation agents, soap, and zeolites. They function by sequestering or precipitating the problematic ions. One of the most common builders is sodium triphosphate, which is used on very large scale for this application.

[edit] Bleach

Main article: Bleach

The main targets of bleaches are of vegetable origin include chlorophyll, anthocyanin dyes, tannins, humic acids, and carotenoid pigments. Most bleaches in laundry detergents are oxidizers, e.g., sodium perborate or sodium hypochlorite, In addition, other agents are added as "bleach activators", to enhance the effectiveness of the bleaching agent; a popular one is tetraacetylethylenediamine.

[edit] Enzymes
Main article: Biological detergent

Many laundry detergents contain enzymes. The amounts of enzyme can be up to about 2% by weight of the product. These agents are required to degrade recalcitrant stains composed of proteins, fats, or carbohydrates. Each type of stain requires a different type of enzyme, i.e., protease for proteins, lipases for greases, and amylases for carbohydrates.

[edit] Other ingredients

Many other ingredients are added depending on the specific application. Such additives modify the foaming properties of the product by either stabilizing or counteracting foam. Other ingredients increase or decrease the viscosity of the solution, or solubilize other ingredients. Corrosion inhibitors counteract damage to washing equipment. "Dye transfer inhibitors" prevent dyes from one article from colouring other items. "Antiredeposition agents" are used to prevent fine soil particles from reattaching to the product being cleaned. Carboxymethyl cellulose is used for this purpose.[5] A number of ingredients affect aesthetic properties of the item to be cleaned or the detergent itself before or during use. These agents include optical brighteners, fabric softeners, and colourants. A variety of perfumes are also components of modern detergents, provided that they are compatible with the other components and do not affect the colour of the cleaned item. The perfumes are typically a mixture of many compounds, a popular component being cyclohexyl salicylate, which is related to oil of wintergreen.[5]

[edit] Environmental concerns

Early in the introduction of sulfonate-based detergents, concerns were voiced over the low rates of biodegradation of the branched alkylbenzenesulfonates. This problem was addressed by the introduction of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates.[6] A more profound problem arises from the heavy use of sodium triphosphate, which can comprise up to 50% by weight of detergents. The discharge of soluble phosphates into natural waters has led to problem with eutrophication of lakes and streams. The replacement of sodium triphosphate by zeolites offers some relief to this problem.[5] With respect to the phosphate additives, between 1940 and 1970 "the amount of phosphates in city wastewater increased from 20,000 to 150,000 tons per year."[7] With the increase in phosphates, algal blooms grew splendidly on the excess phosphorus and consumed most of the oxygen in the waters, killing fish and plants.[7]

In 2004, the European Union introduced regulations to require biodegradability in all detergents,[8] and intends to ban phosphates in domestic products from 2013.[9] Australia began phasing out the use of phosphates in its detergents in 2011, with an all-out ban expected to take effect in 2014.[10] Pursuant to findings published in 2006 by the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design indicating that liquid detergents are "much more environment-friendly" than powdered detergents, Israel's Ministry of the Environment began recommending that consumers prefer liquid detergent over powdered ones "for laundry which is not heavily stained."[11]