The Effect of marketing mix elements on customer satisfaction in the LPG industry in Nairobi County, Kenya
Date
2025
Authors
Nyambura, A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
The liquid petroleum gas (LPG) industry is experiencing unprecedented growth as the world shifts towards clean energy options. Therefore, as the market expands, competition is expected to intensify. The dynamics of LPG business are not far different from conventional business models, meaning customer satisfaction, as a source of strategic competitive advantage, also applies to the trade of LPG products and services. The concept of the marketing mix as a driver of customer satisfaction has long been established. However, there is limited empirical evidence highlighting how the elements of the marketing mix influence the satisfaction of consumers in the LPG industry, especially in low- and middle-income countries. As such, this study sought to fill this knowledge gap by examining the effect the marketing mix has on customer satisfaction in the LPG industry of Nairobi County. The study focused on product, price, promotion, and place elements of marketing mix which also constituted the independent variables and their effect on customer satisfaction which constituted the dependent variable. The study was underpinned in the consumer decision-making theory as the anchoring theory and the expectancy disconfirmation theory which provided the additional supporting framework. The study adopted positivism philosophy as the research philosophy and followed a descriptive cross-sectional research design. The target population for the study was households using LPG in Nairobi County from whom a sample of 400 respondents was drawn using a simple random sampling technique. Primary data was gathered using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via SPSS software. Findings of descriptive statistics suggest respondents remained neutral regarding customer satisfaction and perceptions towards product mix, promotion mix, and place mix. However, they were dissatisfied with the price mix. Inferential statistics indicate the 4P’s of marketing mix account for 75.9% of customer satisfaction in Nairobi County’s LPG market. The product mix (β=.668, p<.05), price mix (β=.117, p<.05), and place mix (β=.220, p<.05) had significant positive effect on customer satisfaction whereas the effect of promotion mix (β=.063, p>.05) was nonsignificant. Therefore, this research concludes that out of the 4P’s of marketing, product, price, and place elements are significant predictors of customer satisfaction in Nairobi County’s LPG sector. Based on the finding, this research recommends industry players and regulators to formulate strategies and policies on around these elements in order to drive customer satisfaction and subsequently promote the uptake of LPG. In addition, since this research focused only on the 4P’s of marketing, further research on the rest of marketing mix elements would be instrumental.
Keywords: Marketing mix, customer satisfaction, LPG, product, price, place, promotion.
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Full - text thesis
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Citation
Nyambura, A. (2025). The Effect of marketing mix elements on customer satisfaction in the LPG industry in Nairobi County, Kenya [Strathmore University]. http://hdl.handle.net/11071/15764