Influencing Purchasing Decisions: The Interplay of Pricing and Product Quality for Garnier Facial Cleanser

JURISMA:


INTRODUCTION
In today's era of globalization, the competition in the business world has intensified, compelling all companies to seek new consumers and expand their market share.It has become crucial for companies to identify the most effective marketing strategies to not only survive but also thrive in this increasingly competitive landscape (Manengal & Cristiani D, 2015).According to established theories, the growing number of competitors has led to a wider array of product choices for consumers.Consequently, customers have become more discerning and cautious when evaluating products (Hatta et al., 2018).
This growth extends to various industries, including the cosmetics and modern beauty product sector.These products encompass a wide range, from cosmetics like makeup to skincare items, all created by companies with appealing designs, encompassing attractive packaging, advertisements, and promotional efforts.Aesthetic aspects are particularly significant, as they can boost self-confidence, and this is evident in the numerous brands of facial cleansers available in the current market (Arianto, 2020).
The cosmetics industry in Indonesia faces competition from local companies and many foreign cosmetics companies that import their products to Indonesia.Therefore, local cosmetic companies must be able to create higher quality products with halal attributes in order to provide a good perception and make consumers feel safe when using these products.
The increasing variety of options available in the market has made consumers more cautious when it comes to purchasing facial cleansers, especially given the extensive range of facial cleansing products currently available (Alvia et al., 2022).Facial appearance often forms the basis for initial judgments, and for many women, facial cleansers are considered a fundamental part of their skincare routine.This has prompted numerous skincare companies to cater to this demand, including PT L'Oreal Indonesia with their Garnier brand.
According to the Top Brand Index for the Facial Cleanser Category spanning from 2020 to 2022, Garnier products have consistently secured the second position.Nevertheless, there have been fluctuations in their sales performance over the past three years.In 2020, they achieved sales growth of 19.6%, which declined to 17.8% in 2021, only to rebound in 2022 with a sales increase of 18.6% (Alvia et al., 2022).This phenomenon is also seen for product sales in Pangkalpinang.
Several cosmetic stores when interviewed stated that there was a drastic decline for several face wash products and one of the biggest decreases was experienced by the Garnier brand.It's important to recognize that purchasing decisions can be influenced by a multitude of factors, and individuals invariably take various considerations into account when making their choices (Imaningsih & Rohman, 2018;Rachmawati et al., 2019).Purchasing decisions involve the cognitive process of evaluating and selecting one product from a range of options (Hermiyenti & Wardi, 2019).
While the fundamental concept of purchasing decisions remains consistent for everyone, individual characteristics, personality traits, age, income, and lifestyle all play a role in shaping the decision-making process.Numerous factors, including pricing, impact consumer decisions when it comes to buying products and services.The dimensions of purchasing decisions typically encompass recognizing a problem, seeking information, evaluating alternatives, the actual purchase, and post-purchase behavior.
Pricing policy is important when marketing a product or service because price is the single marketing mix element that generates revenue for the company.All business people have a strategy in pricing (Djaelani & Darmawan, 2021).The objective here is to outperform competitors and keep the business ahead of the game, as many companies have unfortunately faced closure due to offering prices that don't align with the market.It's imperative for costs to be in sync with the economic capacity of consumers to facilitate their purchases of goods and services.The primary consideration revolves around setting a price that matches the consumer's affordability (Hadi Brata et al., 2017).
When the price is sufficiently appealing and aligns with the consumer's purchasing power, it substantially enhances the likelihood of consumers making the decision to buy (Hafilah et al., 2019).Product price also influences purchasing decisions.Purchasing decisions are based on consumers' views of prices and the actual current prices they perceive, not prices stated by marketers.
Consumers may have a lower price limit where a price lower than that limit indicates poor quality or unacceptable quality and also a price upper limit where anything higher than that limit is considered too excessive and not worth the money spent.This phenomenon proves that the need for cosmetic products will be very high, as can be seen from the developments in the cosmetics industry that are taking place.However, why local cosmetic products such as Garnier cannot maintain a top ranking in meeting these needs, and do product quality and price variables influence people's purchasing decisions?
In addition to pricing, product quality is another crucial aspect of effective marketing (Hafidh Okta Wibowo & Saptani Rahayu, 2021).Product quality refers to the condition of a product meeting or exceeding consumer expectations, and it stands as a pivotal factor influencing purchasing decisions.The higher the quality of a product, the more likely it is to attract consumers and prompt them to choose or buy it.Product quality is intricately tied to the functions and benefits a product provides, with quality products ensuring the satisfaction of users' needs.Several prior studies have emphasized the necessity for companies to consistently enhance the quality of their products and services, as this fosters customer satisfaction and encourages repeat purchases (Imaningsih & Rohman, 2018).
The difference between this research and other research is that this research specifically looks at the influence of product price and quality on purchasing decisions for Garnier products in the city of Pangkalpinang, the sample size is only 100 people from people living in the city of Pangkalpinang.
This research needs to be carried out because existing phenomena prove that there is a need for very high cosmetic products which can be seen from the development of the cosmetics industry what happened, but why did Garnier products experience a drastic decline in sales, and there any influence between product quality and price variables influencing the decision?people buy.Based on the explanation above, the researcher felt it necessary to conduct research with the title "The Influence of Price and Product Quality on the Decision to Purchase Garnier Facial Cleanser".

RESEARCH METHOD
This research is a type of causal associative research using a quantitative approach.Causal associative research is research that aims to test the influence between two or more variables, namely looking for cause and effect between the independent variable and the dependent variable.The independent variables used in this research are price and product quality.Meanwhile, the dependent variable used in this research is purchasing decisions.The quantitative approach is a method of processing data to describe the state of the company which is then analyzed based on existing data.This research is research about something or events that have occurred without any direct manipulation of variables and without creating certain conditions.The population in this study were all buyers of Garnier cosmetics in Pangkalpinang, the research sample was 100 people and used a purposive sampling technique.
There are two sources of data used in this research, namely primary data in the form of distributing questionnaires to Garnier consumers and secondary data in the form of books, previous research and journals.The data collection technique used to obtain primary data in this research was using a questionnaire.The scale used to measure each answer to the questionnaire in this study uses a Likert scale.The Likert scale is used to measure the attitudes, opinions and perceptions of a person or group of people about social phenomena.These social phenomena have been specifically determined by researchers, which are hereinafter referred to as research variables.
The analysis used in this research is multiple linear regression analysis (multiple regression).Multiple linear regression analysis is used to analyze the influence of the independent variables (price and product quality) on the dependent variable, namely purchasing decisions.
The Hypothesis Testing Design starts from the Classic Assumption Test which consists of the Normality Test.Normality testing in this research was carried out with the help of the SPSS 29.00 for Windows program, followed by multicollinearity testing which aims to find out whether in the regression model there is a correlation between the dependent variables, as well as carrying out a heteroscedasticity test which aims to test whether in the regression model there is inequality of variance from the residue of one observation.to other observations.The next stage is testing the hypothesis, testing the feasibility of the model and conducting a multiple coefficient of determination test Coefficient of Determination (R2) to measure how far the model's ability to explain variations in the dependent variable.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Descriptive statistical analysis serves the purpose of examining data by elucidating the characteristics of the subjects under investigation, focusing on their inherent attributes rather than drawing overarching conclusions (Sugiyono, 2013).This information will be outlined in Table 1.Table 1 provides the mean value for each individual question item related to the pricing variable, as indicated in the questionnaires.An average value of 3.81 was obtained for each question regarding pricing.This shows that the respondents' response to pricing is high.For the measurement of product quality variables, we can see the average value in Table 2. Out of the 8 inquiries regarding product quality posed to the respondents, Table 2 displays the count and average for each question item, resulting in an overall average score of 3.87 for product quality.This average indicates a high level of response regarding product quality, and this information will be detailed in Table 3.There are 10 questions related to purchasing decisions about the product.Table 3 displays the count and average for each question item, resulting in an overall average score of 3.83 for the purchasing decision variable.This average signifies a high level of response from the participants regarding their purchasing decisions, and this information will be presented in Table 4. Table 4. shows the validity test conducted by researchers before distributing questionnaires.Of the 8 questions regarding price, 8 question items regarding product quality and 10 question items regarding purchasing decisions, after calculating, each statement in the research instrument yielded a "r count" value exceeding 0.194.This implies that all the questions in the research instrument are considered valid.
For the reliability test itself, the Cronbach alpha value at price obtained a value of 0.935, then product quality 0.945 and purchasing decisions 0.945.All of these values are greater than the standard, namely 0.65, which means that all research instruments are declared reliable.For more details, it can be seen in Table 5. and Table 6.Table 5 and Table 6 present the outcomes of the multiple linear regression analysis, thus yielding the multiple linear regression equation as depicted in Equation 1 in the study.

𝒀 = 𝟏, 𝟖𝟕𝟑 + 𝟎, 𝟒𝟐𝟔𝑿 𝟏 + 𝟎, 𝟕𝟔𝟎𝑿 𝟐
(1) The constant coefficient is 1.873, indicating that even in the absence of pricing and product quality variables, purchase decisions may still occur, influenced by other external factors not covered in the study.The price variable holds a positive coefficient of 0.426, signifying that a 1% increase in the price variable can sway consumers towards purchasing Garnier facial cleanser, assuming that product quality remains constant.
Furthermore, the product quality variable carries a positive coefficient of 0.760, which implies that a 1% increase in product quality can also lead consumers to decide in favor of purchasing Garnier facial cleansers, assuming the price remains fixed.These details can be found in Table 7. Table 7 provides the t-count values and significance levels for each variable.The research hypothesis is tested with a confidence level of 5% (0.05) to determine acceptance or rejection.Here are the individual results for each variable: For [H1] Hypothesis Testing of the Influence of Pricing on Purchasing Decisions: The t-count value of 3.481 exceeds the t-table value of 1.984, and the significance level of 0.001 is less than 0.05.Consequently, we can conclude that Ho is rejected, and H1 is accepted, signifying that the pricing variable has a positive and significant impact on purchasing decisions for Garnier facial cleansers.
For [H2] Hypothesis Testing of the Influence of Product Quality on Purchasing Decisions: The t-count value of 6.878 surpasses the t-table value of 1.984, and the significance level of 0.000 is less than 0.05.This leads to the conclusion that Ho is rejected, and H2 is accepted, indicating that the product quality variable positively and significantly influences purchasing decisions for Garnier facial cleansers.

F test
The F test, in the context of statistical analysis, assesses the equality of variances between two or more groups.It determines whether the variations observed between the group means are statistically significant or simply the result of random sampling variation.At the end of the sentence, Table 8. presents the results of the F test.Table 8 displays the results of the F-count test, with a value of 149.641, which is greater than the F-table value of 3.09.Additionally, the significance level is 0.000, which is less than 0.05.Therefore, Ho is rejected, and H3 is accepted.This signifies that the ANOVA regression model is a good fit, indicating that both price and product quality collectively have a positive and significant impact on purchasing decisions for Garnier facial cleansers.Table 9 provides the determination of the R-squared (R2) value.Table 9 displays the obtained R-squared (R2) value, which is 0.750, indicating that pricing and product quality collectively explain 75% of the variance in purchasing decisions.The remaining 25% of purchasing decisions can potentially be influenced by external factors not considered in the study.

Influence of Pricing on Purchase Choices
The research findings clearly demonstrate that pricing has a positive and significant impact on purchasing decisions.In other words, when Garnier offers more attractive pricing, the residents of Pangkalpinang City are more inclined to make purchasing decisions.
[H1] Pricing significantly influences and positively affects purchasing decisions.This strengthens the research conducted by (Imaningsih & Rohman, 2018;Iwan Sahara et al., 2020;Limpo et al., 2018) whose research results show that price has a positive and significant effect on purchasing decisions.This is in line with research conducted by (Arianto, 2020) the title "The Effect of Product Quality and Price on Purchasing Decisions" published by the Competitive journal, where product quality has a positive influence on purchasing decisions at boutiques.

Influence of Product Quality on Purchase Choices
The research findings make it evident that product quality exerts a positive and substantial impact on purchasing decisions.In other words, when Garnier offers higher-quality products, the residents of Pangkalpinang city are more inclined to make purchasing decisions.
[H2] Product quality significantly influences and positively affects purchasing decisions.This also supports research conducted by (Alvia et al., 2022;Anggita & Ali, 2017;Arianto, 2020;Nirma Kurriwati, 2019) which states that product quality has a positive effect on purchasing decisions.the better the product quality, the greater the influence on someone to make a purchase.

The Influence of Pricing and Product Quality on Purchase Choices
The research outcomes indicate that both pricing and product quality have a positive and noteworthy impact on purchasing decisions.In other words, when Garnier offers better pricing and product quality, the residents of Pangkalpinang City are more likely to make purchasing decisions.
[H3] Pricing and product quality significantly influence and positively affect purchasing decisions.This supports the research conducted by (Albari, n.d.;Arjuna & Ilmi, 2020;Hatta et al., 2018;Mbete & Tanamal, 2020) and the results of the study state that price and product quality will have a positive influence on influencing someone to purchase a product.(Arifin et al., 2021;Dian Wisika Prajanti & Raya Ds Karanggedang, 2019;Hafilah et al., 2019) Also states that Product Quality and Price together have a positive and significant effect on Purchasing Decisions.

CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of the conducted research, several conclusions can be drawn.Firstly, pricing demonstrates a positive and significant impact on purchasing decisions.These results are consistent with prior research, specifically the study conducted by Cindy Magdalena Gunarsih et al. in 2021, which asserts that price significantly influences the purchasing decisions at the Pelita Jaya Building Store in Buyung on Amurang.Essentially, the majority of consumers base their purchasing decisions on the price of the item.
Secondly, product quality also exerts a positive and significant influence on purchasing decisions.Customers often consider product quality as a crucial factor before making a purchase.This is because consumers seek products that meet their expectations, ultimately determining their satisfaction.While high-quality products may sometimes come with a higher price tag, it is worth noting that not all research findings align with this notion.For instance, a study titled "The Influence of Product Quality and Price on Consumer Purchasing Decisions at the Nazurah Hijab Shop in Kubang Tungkek, Limapuluh Kota Regency," conducted by Maiza et al. in 2022, indicates that product quality has no significant impact on consumer purchasing decisions at that particular store.These results suggest that product quality alone does not consistently influence consumers' buying choices.
Lastly, it is observed that both price and product quality jointly have a positive and significant effect on purchasing decisions.This corroborates previous research conducted by Hariandy Wangean & Mandey in 2014, as well as Maiza et al. in 2022, which demonstrates that both product quality and price significantly affect consumer purchasing decisions at the Nazurah Hijab Shop in Kubang Tungkek, Limapuluh Kota Regency.In conclusion, it can be inferred that the combined influence of product quality and price significantly impacts consumer purchases at this specific store.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The research findings reveal an R2 value of 0.750, indicating that the combined impact of product price and quality on purchasing decisions accounts for 75%.The remaining 25% of purchasing decisions may be subject to influence from external factors not explored in this study.Future researchers may consider expanding their research scope by introducing additional variables, such as brand image and consumer confidence, to further enhance the understanding of this topic.sLike other research, this research also has limitations, namely that the object studied is only Garnier products.Future research could use Wardah and Nivea products as well as other cosmetic products as research objects.Apart from that, the number of samples in this research is also limited to only the people of Pangkalpinang, for future research you can use a wider research sample, namely the people of the Bangka Belitung Islands Province.
The implications of this research for the Garnier company itself, the company must understand that price has a crucial role in the decision-making process of purchasing, namely the role of price allocation will help buyers in get goods or services that have the best benefits in accordance with purchasing power.while product quality also has an influence on purchasing decisions.In this case, the company must be able to prepare quality products at rational prices and be able to compete with similar products to be able to win competition in the cosmetics industry.

Table 1 . Description of Garnier Facial Cleanser Pricing
Source:Processed SPSS Output, 2022