Influence of Marketing Promotions on Lifestyle Consumption by the Middle Class: A Case of Customers of Selected Premium Restaurants in Nairobi

Abstract

Marketing promotions are an assured way of increasing sales performance, brand loyalty, market share and general business performance for various products and services. Lifestyle consumption by the middle class is rooted in economic and demographic patterns determined by factors such as employment and income levels. This study sought to assess the influence of marketing promotions on lifestyle consumption by the middle class. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The study population was all customers who visited the four highest selling restaurants. The target population consisted of 165 customers drawn from the premium restaurants in Nairobi that have installed point of sale systems which can be used to analyze customers’ spend per visit. The study used simple random sampling technique to select respondents because this technique offers every member of the target population an equal chance of being included in the study and this gave a sample size of 117 respondents. Data was collected using a questionnaire and later analyzed using Statistical Package for Social (Sciences SPSS) version 22. The data was presented using frequency tables and figures. The study revealed that the most common reason why respondents visited a specific restaurant in order of importance were for a casual meeting or meal with friends or family, for a sales promotion, to have a meal, to relax and for a business meeting. The study recommends that the top management of premium restaurants in Nairobi should offer conducive amenities for customers to hold casual meetings with friends and families. Premium restaurants should ensure that the entry and participation mechanics of promotions are easy to understand by the customers. The government should subsidize premium

restaurants in Nairobi which shall go along to reduction of VAT and therefore reducing the cost of meals.