A PROJECT ON

STUDY ON EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAILING WITH REFRENCE TO

IT AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR. A CASE STUDY ON
DMART
SUBMITTED TO

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI FOR PARTIAL COMPLETION OF THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF COMMERCE
(MANAGEMENT & STUDIES)
SEMESTER VI
ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-23
SUBMITTED BY:
MR. MUJAWAR TALHA
ROLL NO: 90
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
PROF. MINNAT SHAIKH

DAAE-UL-REHMAT TRUST’S
A.E KALSEKAR DEGREE COLLEGE
ARTS, COMMERCE & SCIENCE
(AFFILIATED TO UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI)
KAUSA-MUMBRA DIST: THANE
ACCREDITED WITH B++ GRADE BY NAAC

1|Page
 A PROJECT ON

STUDY ON EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAILING WITH REFRENCE TO

IT AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR. A CASE STUDY ON
DMART
SUBMITTED TO

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI FOR PARTIAL COMPLETION OF THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF COMMERCE
(MANAGEMENT & STUDIES)
SEMESTER VI
ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-23
SUBMITTED BY:
MR. MUJAWAR TALHA
ROLL NO: 90
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
PROF. MINNAT SHAIKH

DAAE-UL-REHMAT TRUST’S
A.E KALSEKAR DEGREE COLLEGE
ARTS, COMMERCE & SCIENCE
(AFFILIATED TO UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI)
KAUSA-MUMBRA DIST: THANE
ACCREDITED WITH B++ GRADE BY NAAC

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 Certificate

This is to certify that Mr. MUJAWAR MOHAMMED TALHA ARIF has worked and duly
completed his Project Work for the degree of Bachelor of Management Studies under the Faculty
of Commerce in the subject of EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAILING and his project is entitled,
A STUDY ON EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAILING WITH REFRENCE TO IT AND ITS
IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR. A CASE STUDY ON "DMART" under my
supervision.

I further certify that the entire work has been done by the learner under my guidance and that No
part of it has been submitted previously for any Degree or Diploma of any University. It is her/ his
own work and facts reported by his personal findings and investigations.

Date of Name and Signature of

Submission Guiding Teacher

3|Page
 Declaration by learner

I the undersigned Mr. Mujawar Mohammed Talha Arif here by, declare that the work embodied
in this project work titled A “STUDY ON EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAILING WITH
REFRENCE TO IT AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR. A CASE STUDY
ON "DMART", forms my own contribution to the research work carried out under the guidance
of PROF. MINNAT SHAIKH is a result of my own research work and has not been previously
submitted to any other University for any other Degree/ Diploma to this or any other University.

Wherever reference has been made to previous works of others, it has been clearly indicated As
such and included in the bibliography.

I, here by further declare that all information of this document has been obtained and Presented in
accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct

Certified by

PROF. MINNAT SHAIKH

MUJAWAR MOHD. TALHA ARIF

Name and signature Name and Signature of the

Guiding Teacher learner

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 Acknowledgment

To list who all have helped me is difficult because they are so numerous and the depth is so
enormous.

I would like to acknowledge the following as being idealistic channels and fresh dimensions in the
completion of this project.

I take this opportunity to thank the University of Mumbai for giving me chance to do this Project.

I would like to thank my Principal Dr. Sajid Hundekar for providing the necessary facilities
required for completion of this project.

I take this opportunity to thank our Coordinator for his/her moral support and guidance.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my project guide PROF. MINNAT
SHAIKH whose guidance and care made the project successful.

I would like to thank my College Library, for having provided various reference books and
Magazines related to my project.

Lastly, I would like to thank each and every person who directly or indirectly helped me in the
completion of the project especially my Parents and Peers who supported me throughout my
project.

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 ABSTRACT
The project highlights on the topic of “EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAILING”

The main purpose of the study is to determine the brand image, perception, attitudes and behavior
of the target audience with regard to the corporate Dmart brand as well as the products and
personality of the Dmart. This also denotes the purchasing pattern of customers towards the brand.

The research methodology adopted for this study is descriptive. A descriptive study is undertaken
in order to ascertain and be able to describe the characteristics of the variable of interest in a
situation. As far as data is concerned structured undisguised questionnaire was used to collect the
primary data. The sampling technique involved in this research is stratified sample, and the
questionnaires are distributed to a sample size of 100

Analysis techniques are used to obtain finding and arrange information in a logical sequence from
the raw data collected. The tools that are used for analysis are Charts, Percentage, Analysis, and
Interval estimation.

From this study we can come to conclusion that high level of brand awareness is an important
driver with regard to influencing purchasing behavior. Majority of the customers believe that the
branded products will have a good quality, the opinion about the branded products will always be
positive among the customers. This research clearly reveals that branded products are always
status related and enhances the sales of the products. Dmart has to develop actions to enhance the
brand imagery that this group associates with the Dmart brand positively. These actions should
lead to long-term strategic and market-related benefits (e.g., market share) for Dmart within the
target audience of this study.

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Sr.no TITLE PAGE NO

1
CHAPTER-1: Introduction

1.1 Introduction to Retail

11
1.2 Types of Retailing

13
1.3 Introduction to IT

17
1.4 Consumer Behavior in IT

2 CHAPTER-2

31
2.1 Introduction to DMart

3 CHAPTER-3

34
3.1 Industry profile

4 CHAPTER-4

40
4.1Emerging Trends in IT

5
CHAPTER-5
48
5.1 Data analysis & interpretation of DMart

6
CHAPTER-6
63
6.1 Findings

7
CHAPTER-7
64
7.1 Suggestion

8 CHAPTER-8
8.1 Conclusion 65
8.2 Bibliography 67

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EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAILING IN IT SECTOR

DMART

8|Page
 CHAPTER – 1

Introduction
What is retail marketing?

According to renowned marketing consultant Philip Kotler, retailing includes all activities
involved in selling goods or services to final consumers for personal use. So, retailers are the final
business entities in a distribution channel that links manufacturers to customers. Manufacturers
make products and sell them to wholesalers. Wholesalers sell these products to the retailers, who
in turn, sell them to the end consumers.
Retail is the sale of goods and services from businesses to an end user (called a customer). Retail
marketing is the process by which retailers promote awareness and interest of their goods and
services in an effort to generate sales from their consumers. There are many different approaches
and strategies retailers can use to market their goods and services.
Retailers use various advertising and communication tools to grow awareness and considerations
with future customers. Finding the right marketing mix can lead to a profitable growth and a higher
return on investment. By considering the right advertising strategy retailers can persuade
consumers to choose to do business with their retail brand. The fundamental approach used by
modern retailers in marketing their products is the Four Ps of Retail Marketing.

Product: There are two primary types of merchandise. Hard or durable goods like appliances,
electronics, and sporting equipment. And soft goods like clothing, household items, cosmetics,
and paper products. Some retailers carry a range of hard and soft items like a supermarket or a
major retail chain while many smaller retailers only carry one category of goods, like a boutique
clothing store.
Price: Pricing is a key element to any retail strategy. The retail price needs to cover the cost of
goods as well as additional overhead costs. There are four primary pricing strategies used by
retailers:
1. Everyday low pricing: The retailer operates in thin margins and attracts customers
interested in the lowest possible price. This strategy is used by big box retailers like
Walmart and Target.
2. High/low pricing: The retailer starts with a high price and later reduces the price when the
item’s popularity fades. This strategy is mainly used by small to mid-sized retailers.
3. Competitive pricing: The retailer bases the price on what their competition is charging.
This strategy is often used after the retailer has exhausted the higher pricing strategy
(high/low pricing).
4. Psychological pricing: The retailer sets the price of items with odd numbers that consumers
perceive as being lower than they actually are. For example, a list price of $1.95 is
associated with spending $1 rather than $2 in the customer's mind. This strategy is also
called pricing ending or charm pricing.
Place: The place is where the retailer conducts business with its customers. The place can be a
physical retail location or a non-physical space like a catalog company or an e-store. While most
retailers are small, independently owned operations (over 90%), over 50% of retail sales are
generated by major retailers often called “big box retailers” (see the list of the top 20 big box
retailers below).
Promotion: Promotion is the final marketing mix elements. Promotions include personal selling,
advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and publicity. A promotional mix specifies how

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much attention to pay to each tactic, and how much money to budget for each. A promotion can
have a wide range of objectives, including increasing sales, new product acceptance, and creation
of brand equity, positioning, competitive retaliations, or the creation of a corporate image.

Retailing in India.
Retailing in India is one of the pillars of its economy and accounts for about 10 percent of its GDP.
The Indian retail market is estimated to be US$ 600 billion and one of the top five retail markets
in the world by economic value. India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the world,
with 1.2 billion people.
As of 2003, India's retailing industry was essentially owner-manned small shops. In 2010, larger
format convenience stores and supermarkets accounted for about 4 percent of the industry, and
these were present only in large urban centers. India's retail and logistics industry employs about
40 million Indians (3.3% of Indian population).

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Types of retailing in India

1. Unorganized sector

The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) defines Unorganized
sector as
'Unorganized Sector is a Sector consisting of all unincorporated private enterprises owned by
individuals or households engaged in the sale or production of goods and services operated on a
proprietary or partnership basis and with less than ten total workers.'
Unorganized retailing refers to the traditional formats of low-cost retailing, for example, the local
corner shops, owner manned general stores, paan / beedi shops, convenience stores, hand cart and
pavement vendors, etc.

Most Indian shopping happens in open markets or numerous small grocery and retail shops.
Shoppers typically wait outside the shop, ask for what they want, and cannot pick or examine a
product from the shelf. Access to the shelf or product storage area is limited. Once the shopper
requests the food staple or household product they are looking for, the shopkeeper goes to the
container or shelf or to the back of the store, brings it out and offers it for sale to the shopper.
Often the shopkeeper may substitute the product, claiming that it is similar or equivalent to the
product the consumer is asking for. The product typically has no price label in these small retail
shops; all packaged products must display the maximum retail price (MRP) above which the
product cannot be sold. It is a criminal offence to sell a product beyond the MRP of a product.
The shopkeeper can price the food staple and household products arbitrarily, and two consumers
may pay different prices for the same product on the same day but never will those prices be above
the maximum retail price. Price is rarely negotiated between the shopper and shopkeeper. The
shoppers usually do not have time to examine the product label, and do not have a choice to make
an informed decision between competitive products.

2. Organized sector.
Organized sector in India is defined as

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'Organized sector is a sector consisting of all incorporated enterprises which are engaged in the sales
or production of goods and services operated as private limited or limited organizations governed
by Companies act and having more than ten total workers.' With this definition, Organized Retail
Sector will be characterized as:
● Company owned retail setups

● Part of the employees are on the direct payroll of the company (some may be on the contract
also)
● Employees will be governed by minimum wages act
● These outlets can be "standalone company owned showroom" or "The retail space" in any
of the supermarket or mall, etc.
● Practically there may be less than ten worker though
Organized retailing, in India, refers to trading activities undertaken by licensed retailers, that is,
those who are registered for sales tax, income tax, etc. These include the publicly traded
supermarkets, corporate-backed hypermarkets and retail chains, and also the privately owned
traditional large retail businesses who constantly keep upgrading to the market dynamics and
change like Saravana Stores, Pothys, The Chennai Silks who operate in a specific region or a part
of the country. Dynamics of retail are quite different in India, owing to different climatic and
cultural and language differences in the demographic profile.

Organized retailing actively started with the entry of Shoppers Stop, Westside, Pantaloons,
Pyramid - Crossroad, all being department store formats in the mid to late 1990s and was absent
in most rural and small towns of India till 2010. Supermarkets and similar organised retail
accounted for just 4% of the market.

What is IT?

Information technology (IT) is the use of any computers, storage, networking and other physical
devices, infrastructure and processes to create, process, store, secure and exchange all forms of
electronic data. Typically, IT is used in the context of business operations, as opposed to
technology used for personal or entertainment purposes. The commercial use of IT encompasses
both computer technology and telecommunications. Information technology (IT) refers to
everything that businesses use computers for. Information technology is building communications
networks for a company, safeguarding data and information, creating and administering databases,
helping employees troubleshoot problems with their computers or mobile devices, or doing a
range of other work to ensure the efficiency and security of business information systems. Demand
for professionals in this field is high and growing, and people entering the field have a range of
career paths to choose from. From checking email on our phones to crunching numbers on our
laptops to organizing a teleconference over cloud-based software, it’s hard to overstate the
importance of information technology in the workplace.

IT in retail

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With the increasing globalization of retailing, both in terms of their points-of-sale and their points-
of-supply; the information technology (IT) spend in the retail sector has increased significantly.
IT plays an increasingly important role in the management of complex retail operations.

Market knowledge, as well as control of data and information, is key to obtaining a competitive
advantage in the retail sector. Markets are continuing to grow and become more complex; the
simple process of retailing has started to deploy more advanced retail information systems to cope
with all the transactions involved.

Today, retailers need to transform their IT capabilities for multiple reasons, including:
To increase the company’s ability to respond to the evolving marketplace through enhanced speed
and flexibility.

To collect and analyze customer data while enhancing differentiation.

To work effectively; retailers need one system working across stores (or even across national
borders) to make sure the most effective use of stock and improve business processes.
Retailers are beginning to notice that technology’s role is one of an enabler. Essentially, information
technology can speed up processes and deliver cost saving benefits to the company.

Advantages and Disadvantages of IT in retail

1. Automating processes

Automating a process renders many advantages to the retailers. It reduces costs, increases
accuracy, reduces processing times, enables quick decisions and speeds up customer service. For
example, EPOS (electronic point of sales) uses scanning systems. It ensures accurate prices,
enables checkout staff to work faster, and it eliminates the need to fix price labels on goods. All
these factors reduce the cost considerably.

2. Collecting data about the customer

The purchase details of individual shoppers are collected and analyzed. Product extensions and
promotions are based on the analysis of purchasing patterns of different types of shoppers.

Demographic information about the customers is known from a loyalty card database. The entries
in the loyalty card are related to transaction data furnished by EPOS. These data can be further

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used to profile a customer base. This facilitates specific offers to be made to certain types of
customers.

A retailer may send mail order catalogue to all loyalty card holders who have bought in the
previous year. Moreover, internet and e-commerce sites use previous transactions information to
personalize their sites for each shopper by offering them product items that have been related to
their last few transactions. They automatically greet them by name when they enter the site.

3. Feedback on marketing decisions

Analysis of EPOS data helps the retailer in knowing the effect of promotion, prices, new products
and packaging changes. Retailers can assess the impact of changes in layout or merchandising of
stores in terms of category sales, competitor brands, gross profit and sales in the store. Innovative
product ideas may be tested against the realities prevailing in the market. In short, the EPOS data
analysis helps the company in

a. evaluating its promotions

b. Calculating customer price responsiveness for core and seasonal products.
c. Predicting the outcome of its newly adopted policies.
d. Planning its promotional measures.
4. Communication

The store’s manager indulges in effective communication with his suppliers. He sends documents
such as purchase orders, stock and sales information over third party communication networks.
This is electronic commerce. This method works fast and costs less. It is sufficient for stores to
place their orders one or two days in advance against seven days earlier in the traditional paper
based method.

Store computers transmit EPOS data to the head office on a daily basis. So, the senior manager is
able to assess the performance of every store and product group.
Stock replenishment is done automatically. The computer system receives daily EPOS data from
each store and next day’s stock requirements are known.

The system automatically sends the requirement electronically overnight to the distribution center.
So, delivery of merchandise is possible the very next day.

Effective communication reduces the lead time. It is the time taken between sending an order and
receiving the merchandise.

5. Tools for planning the business

1. With the use of sophisticated computer software packages, retailers are able to
a. Plan, budget and forecast,
b. Choose the most successful location; and
c. Control their business.

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2. Model decision making, statistical packages of sales forecast and data mining tools are available
for retailers.

3. Retailers can also use geographic information systems (GIS).

5. Socio demographic data along with company transactions data and intelligent analytical tools
are used to forecast sales in different stores.

5. Adding value to the retail transaction

Customers prefer IT assisted transactions to traditional retailing because IT assisted transactions
provide speed, accuracy and convenience. For example, ATMs are used at any time of day. Thus,
use of IT adds value to retailing.

6. Technology enabled shopping

Selling goods over the internet is becoming popular. Electronic means of selling include the
following.

1. Products: Grocery, clothing, footwear, music, books, videos, cameras, photographic goods,
computer hardware and software, pharmacy goods etc.

2. Services: Retail banking, personal insurance, financial service, real estate, stocks and shares,
Tourism, florists, entertainment tickets, virtual education, information services, etc.
Thus, IT is transforming the nature of products, processes, companies, industries and even
competition itself. The spectacular reach of IT is widely accepted today.

Limitations of Using Information Technology in Retailing

1. Originally IT was used by retailers to automate control services such as finance, payroll, and
management accounts. Electronic point of sales systems can be afford only by a very few
department stores. Basically, retailing is a highly dispersed business. Retailers have to incur
enormous amounts of expenditure on installation of IT equipment in their retail business.

2 Retailing involves a wide array of products. So, a complex system is required to handle a large
number of product lines.

3. In retail stores, staff may have limited knowledge about computers. So, computer specialists are
to be employed to deal with the automation process. Only the largest retailers can afford to
employ technically qualified people.

4. The costs of routine investment in the automation process is very high.

5. Many IT projects fail and the risk of such failure is too high for retailers.

6. According to Prof. John Sawson, many retailers concentrate on operational improvement rather
than transformational ones. The expected payoff from IT has not been fully realized. Retailers
devote only a small amount of their budgets to IT.

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7. Getting the full benefits of IT may actually take a longer time. Retailers should learn how best
to exploit the new systems. Many U.K. grocers invested in EPOS in the 1980s. But only a few
made effective use of information about customer’s shopping behavior. Only after making heavy
investments and learning from experience, retailers could create IT based stock replenishment
systems.

8. IT alone has not produced a performance advantage in the retail industry.

In Spite of the above limitations in using Information Technology for competitive advantages,
firms have gained advantages such as flexible culture, strategic planning and improved supplier
relationships. Advantage lies in people and systems rather than systems alone. To derive full
competitive advantage of IT requires long-term investment.

Applications of IT in retailing
Globally, various retail organizations are trying to improve their supply chain efficiency through
the implementation of technology in the following forms
1. EDI
2. Bar Coding
3. RFID Tags
4. Electronic article surveillance
5. Electronic shelf labels

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 1. EDI

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the electronic interchange of business information using a
standardized format; a process which allows one company to send information to another
company electronically rather than with paper. Business entities conducting business
electronically are called trading partners.

Many business documents can be exchanged using EDI, but the two most common are purchase
orders and invoices. At a minimum, EDI replaces the mail preparation and handling associated
with traditional business communication. However, the real power of EDI is that it standardizes
the information communicated in business documents, which makes possible a "paperless"
exchange.

The traditional invoice illustrates what this can mean. Most companies create invoices using a
computer system, print a paper copy of the invoice and mail it to the customer. Upon receipt, the
customer frequently marks up the invoice and enters it into its own computer system. The entire
process is nothing more than the transfer of information from the seller's computer to the
customer's computer. EDI makes it possible to minimize or even eliminate the manual steps
involved in this transfer.

The process improvements that EDI offers are significant and can be dramatic. For example,
consider the difference between the traditional paper purchase order and its electronic counterpart:

A Traditional Document Exchange of a Purchase Order

● Buyer makes a buying decision, creates the purchase order and prints it.
● Buyer mails the purchase order to the supplier.
● Supplier receives the purchase order and enters it into the order entry system.
● Buyer calls supplier to determine if purchase order has been received, or supplier
mails buyer an acknowledgment of the order

An EDI Document Exchange of a Purchase Order

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 ● Buyer makes a buying decision, creates the purchase order but does not print it.
● EDI software creates an electronic version of the purchase order and transmits it
automatically to the supplier.
● Supplier's order entry system receives the purchase order and updates the system
immediately on receipt.
● Supplier's order entry system creates an acknowledgment and transmits it back to
confirm receipt.

2. Bar Coding and its advantages

Bar coding is a series of parallel vertical lines (bars and space) that can be read by barcode
scanners. It is used worldwide as part of product packages, as price tags, carton labels, on invoices
even in credit bills.
When these barcodes are ready by scanners, the details of the data are made available to the users.
Bar coding has been in use extensively for the past 25 years worldwide and is now used by many
organizations’ to increase their efficiency.
In point-of-sale management, barcode systems can provide detailed up-to-date information on the
business, accelerating decisions and with more confidence. For example:

Fast-selling items can be identified quickly and automatically reordered.

Slow-selling items can be identified, preventing inventory build-up.
The effects of merchandising changes can be monitored, allowing fast-moving, more profitable
items to occupy the best space.
Historical data can be used to predict seasonal fluctuations very accurately.
Items may be reprised on the shelf to reflect both sale prices and price increases.
This technology also enables the profiling of individual consumers, typically through a voluntary
registration of discount cards. While pitched as a benefit to the consumer, this practice is
considered to be potentially dangerous by privacy advocates.[which?]
Besides sales and inventory tracking, barcodes are very useful in logistics and supply chain
management.

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When a manufacturer packs a box for shipment, a Unique Identifying Number (UID) can be
assigned to the box.
A database can link the UID to relevant information about the box; such as order number, items
packed, quantity packed, destination, etc.
The information can be transmitted through a communication system such as Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI) so the retailer has the information about a shipment before it arrives. Shipments
that are sent to a Distribution Centre (DC) are tracked before forwarding. When the shipment
reaches its final destination, the UID gets scanned, so the store knows the shipment's source,
contents, and cost.
Barcode scanners are relatively low cost and extremely accurate compared to key-entry, with only
about 1 substitution error in 15,000 to 36 trillion characters entered.

3. RFID Tags

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. In short it refers to small electronic devices that
consist of a small chip and an antenna. The chip typically is capable of carrying 2,000 bytes of
data or less.
The RFID device serves the same purpose as a barcode or a magnetic strip on the back of a
credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identification for that object. And, just as a
barcode or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must
be scanned to retrieve the identifying information. In addition, the RFID tag may be of one
of two types.
● Active RFID tags have their own power source; the advantage of these tags is that
the reader can be much further away and still get the signal. Even though some of
these devices are built to have up to a 10 year life span, they have limited life
span.
● Passive RFID tags, however, do not require batteries and can be much smaller
and have a virtually unlimited life span.
RFID tags can be read in a wide variety of circumstances, where barcodes or other optically read
technologies are useless

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Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior involves the psychological processes that consumers go through in

recognizing needs, finding ways to solve these needs, making purchase decisions (e.g., whether
or not to purchase a product and, if so, which brand and where), interpret information, make
plans, and implement these plans (e.g., by engaging in comparison shopping or actually
purchasing a product).

Sources of influence on the consumer the consumer faces numerous sources of influence.

Often, we take cultural influences for granted, but they are significant. An American will usually
not bargain with a store owner. This, however, is a common practice in much of the World.
Physical factors also influence our behavior. We are more likely to buy a soft drink when we are
thirsty, for example, and food manufacturers have found that it is more effective to advertise their
products on the radio in the late afternoon when people are getting hungry. A person’s self-image
will also tend to influence what he or she will buy—an upwardly mobile manager may buy a
flashy car to project an image of success. Social factors also influence what the consumers buy—
often, consumers seek to imitate others whom they admire, and may buy the same brands. The
social environment can include both the mainstream culture (e.g., Americans are more likely to
have corn flakes or ham and eggs for breakfast than to have rice, which is preferred in many Asian
countries) and a subculture (e.g., rap music often appeals to a segment within the population that
seeks to distinguish itself from the mainstream population). Thus, sneaker manufacturers are
eager to have their products worn by admired athletes. Finally, consumer behavior is influenced
by learning—you try a hamburger and learn that it satisfies your hunger and tastes good, and the
next time you are hungry, you may consider another hamburger.

Consumer Choice and Decision Making: Problem Recognition. One model of consumer
decision making involves several steps. The first one is problem recognition—you realize that
something is not as it should be. Perhaps, for example, your car is getting more difficult to start and
is not accelerating well. The second step is information search—what are some alternative ways
of solving the problem? You might buy a new car, buy a used car, take your car in for repair, ride

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the bus, ride a taxi, or ride a skateboard to work. The third step involves evaluation of alternatives.
A skateboard is inexpensive, but may be ill-suited for long distances and for rainy days. Finally,
we have the purchase stage, and sometimes a post-purchase stage (e.g., you return a product to the
store because you did not find it satisfactory). In reality, people may go back and forth between the
stages. For example, a person may resume alternative identification while evaluating already
known alternatives.

Consumer involvement will tend to vary dramatically depending on the type of product. In
general, consumer involvement will be higher for products that are very expensive (e.g., a home,
a car) or are highly significant in the consumer’s life in some other way (e.g., a word processing
program or acne medication).

It is important to consider the consumer’s motivation for buying products. To achieve this goal,
we can use the Means-End chain, wherein we consider a logical progression of consequences of
product use that eventually lead to desired end benefit. Thus, for example, a consumer may see
that a car has a large engine, leading to fast acceleration, leading to a feeling of performance,
leading to a feeling of power, which ultimately improves the consumer’s self-esteem. A handgun
may aim bullets with precision, which enables the user to kill an intruder, which means that the
intruder will not be able to harm the consumer’s family, which achieves the desired endstate of
security. In advertising, it is important to portray the desired end-states. Focusing on the large
motor will do less good than portraying a successful person driving the car.

Information search and decision making. Consumers engage in both internal and external
information search. Internal search involves the consumer identifying alternatives from his or her
memory. For certain low involvement products, it is very important that marketing programs
achieve “top of mind” awareness. For example, few people will search the Yellow Pages for fast
food restaurants; thus, the consumer must be able to retrieve one’s restaurant from memory before
it will be considered. For high involvement products, consumers are more likely to use an external
search. Before buying a car, for example, the consumer may ask friends’ opinions, read reviews
in Consumer Reports, consult several web sites, and visit several dealerships. Thus, firms that
make products that are selected predominantly through external search must invest in having
information available to the consumer in need—e.g., through brochures, web sites, or news
coverage.

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A compensatory decision involves the consumer “trading off” good and bad attributes of a
product. For example, a car may have a low price and good gas mileage but slow acceleration. If
the price is sufficiently inexpensive and gas efficient, the consumer may then select it over a car
with better acceleration that costs more and uses more gas. Occasionally, a decision will involve
a non-compensatory strategy. For example, a parent may reject all soft drinks that contain
artificial sweeteners. Here, other good features such as taste and low calories cannot overcome
this one “non-negotiable” attribute.

The amount of effort a consumer puts into searching depends on a number of factors such as the
market (how many competitors are there, and how great are differences between brands expected
to be?), product characteristics (how important is this product? How complex is the product?
How obvious are indications of quality?), consumer characteristics (how interested is a consumer,
generally, in analyzing product characteristics and making the best possible deal?), and situational
characteristics (as previously discussed).

Two interesting issues in decisions are:

● Variety seeking (where consumers seek to try new brands not because these brands are
expected to be “better” in any way, but rather because the consumer wants a “change of pace,”
and
● “Impulse” purchases—unplanned buys. This represents a somewhat “fuzzy” group. For
example, a shopper may plan to buy vegetables but only decide in the store to actually buy
broccoli and corn. Alternatively, a person may buy an item which is currently on sale, or one
that he or she remembers that is needed only once inside the store.

A number of factors involve consumer choices. In some cases, consumers will be more motivated.
For example, one may be more careful choosing a gift for an in-law than when buying the same
thing for one self. Some consumers are also more motivated to comparison shop for the best
prices, while others are more convenience oriented. Personality impacts decisions. Some like
variety more than others, and some are more receptive to stimulation and excitement in trying new
stores. Perception influences decisions. Some people, for example, can taste the difference
between generic and name brand foods while many cannot. Selective perception occurs when a
person is paying attention only to information of interest. For example, when looking for a new

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car, the consumer may pay more attention to car ads than when this is not on the horizon. Some
consumers are put off by perceived risk. Thus, many marketers offer a money back guarantee.
Consumers will tend to change their behavior through learning—e.g., they will avoid restaurants
they have found to be crowded and will settle on brands that best meet their tastes. Consumers
differ in the values they hold (e.g., some people are more committed to recycling than others who
will not want to go through the hassle). We will consider the issue of lifestyle under segmentation.

The Family Life Cycle Individuals and families tend to go through a "life cycle:" The simple life
cycle goes from

For purposes of this discussion, a "couple" may either be married or merely involve living
together. The breakup of a non-marital relationship involving cohabitation is similarly considered
equivalent to a divorce.

In real life, this situation is, of course, a bit more complicated. For example, many couples undergo
divorce. Then we have one of the scenarios:

Single parenthood can result either from divorce or from the death of one parent. Divorce usually
entails a significant change in the relative wealth of spouses. In some cases, the noncustodial
parent (usually the father) will not pay the required child support, and even if he or she does, that
still may not leave the custodial parent and children as well off as they were during the marriage.
On the other hand, in some cases, some non-custodial parents will be called on to pay a large part
of their income in child support. This is particularly a problem when the noncustodial parent
remarries and has additional children in the second (or subsequent marriages).

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In any event, divorce often results in a large demand for:

● Low-cost furniture and household items

● Time-saving goods and services

Divorced parents frequently remarry, or become involved in other non-marital relationships;

thus, we may see

Another variation involves

Here, the single parent who assumes responsibility for one or more children may not form a
relationship with the other parent of the child.

Integrating all the possibilities discussed, we get the following depiction of the Family Life
Cycle:

Generally, there are two main themes in the Family Life Cycle, subject to significant exceptions:
● As a person gets older, he or she tends to advance in his or her career and tends to get greater
income (exceptions: maternity leave, divorce, retirement).
● Unfortunately, obligations also tend to increase with time (at least until one’s mortgage has
been paid off). Children and paying for one’s house are two of the greatest expenses.

Note that although a single person may have a lower income than a married couple, the single
may be able to buy more discretionary items.
Note that although a single person may have a lower income than a married couple, the single
Influencers may be able to buy more discretionary items.
Family Decision Making: Individual members of families often serve different roles in
decisions that ultimately draw on shared family resources. Some individuals are information
gathers/holders who seek out information about products of relevance. These individuals often
have a great deal of power because they may selectively pass on information that favors their
chosen alternatives. Do not ultimately have the power decide between alternatives, but they may
make their wishes known by asking for specific products or causing embarrassing situations if
their demands are not met. The decision makers have the power to determine issues such as:

● Whether to buy;
● Which product to buy (pick-up or passenger car?)
● Which brand to buy; ● Where to buy it; and ● When to buy.

Note, however, that the role of the decision maker is separate from that of the purchaser. From
the point of view of the marketer, this introduces some problems since the purchaser can be
targeted by point-of-purchase (POP) marketing efforts that cannot be aimed at the decision
maker. Also note that the distinction between the purchaser and decision maker may be
somewhat blurred:

● The decision maker may specify what kind of product to buy, but not which brand ●
The purchaser may have to make a substitution if the desired brand is not in stock ●
The purchaser may disregard instructions (by error or deliberately).

It should be noted that family decisions are often subject to a great deal of conflict. The reality
is that few families are wealthy enough to avoid a strong tension between demands on the
family’s resources. Conflicting pressures are especially likely in families with children and/or
when only one spouse works outside the home. Note that many decisions inherently come down
to values, and that there is frequently no "objective" way to arbitrate differences. One spouse
may believe that it is important to save for the children’s future; the other may value spending
now (on private schools and computer equipment) to help prepare the children for the future.
Who is right? There is no clear answer here. The situation becomes even more complex when
more parties—such as children or other relatives—are involved.
Some family members may resort to various strategies to get their way. One is bargaining—one
member will give up something in return for someone else. For example, the wife says that her
husband can take an expensive course in gourmet cooking if she can buy a new pickup truck.
Alternatively, a child may promise to walk it every day if he or she can have a hippopotamus.
Another strategy is reasoning—trying to get the other person(s) to accept one’s view through
logical argumentation. Note that even when this is done with a sincere intent, its potential is
limited by legitimate differences in values illustrated above. Also note that individuals may
simply try to "wear down" the other party by endless talking in the guise of reasoning (this is a
case of negative reinforcement as we will see subsequently). Various manipulative strategies
may also be used. One is impression management, where one tries to make one’s side look good
(e.g., argue that a new TV will help the children see educational TV when it is really mostly
wanted to see sports programming, or argue that all "decent families make a contribution to the
church"). Authority involves asserting one’s "right" to make a decision (as the "man of the
house," the mother of the children, or the one who makes the most money). Emotion involves
making an emotional display to get one’s way (e.g., a man cries if his wife will not let him buy
a new rap album).

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The Means-End Chain. Consumers often buy products not because of their attributes per se
but rather because of the ultimate benefits that these attributes provide, in turn leading to the
satisfaction of ultimate values. For example, a consumer may not be particularly interested in
the chemistry of plastic roses, but might reason as follows:

The important thing in a means-end chain is to start with an attribute, a concrete characteristic
of the product, and then logically progress to a series of consequences (which tend to become
progressively more abstract) that end with a value being satisfied. Thus, each chain must start
with an attribute and end with a value. An important implication of means-end chains is that it
is usually most effective in advertising to focus on higher level items. For example, in the flower
example above, an individual giving the flowers to a significant other might better be portrayed
than the flowers alone.

Attitudes. Consumer attitudes are a composite of a consumer’s (1) beliefs about, (2) feelings
about, (3) and behavioral intentions toward some “object”—within the context of marketing,
usually a brand, product category, or retail store. These components are viewed together since
they are highly interdependent and together represent forces that influence how the consumer
will react to the object.

Beliefs. The first component is beliefs. A consumer may hold both positive beliefs toward an
object (e.g., coffee tastes good) as well as negative beliefs (e.g., coffee is easily spilled and stains
papers). In addition, some beliefs may be neutral (coffee is black), and some may be differ in
valance depending on the person or the situation (e.g., coffee is hot and stimulates-good on a
cold morning, but not good on a hot summer evening when one wants to sleep). Note also that
the beliefs that consumers hold need not be accurate (e.g., that pork contains little fat), and some
beliefs may, upon closer examination, be contradictory.
Affect. Consumers also hold certain feelings toward brands or other objects. Sometimes these
feelings are based on beliefs (e.g., a person feels nauseated when thinking about a hamburger
because of the tremendous amount of fat it contains), but there may also be feelings which are
relatively independent of beliefs. For example, an extreme environmentalist may believe that
cutting down trees is morally wrong, but may have a positive affect toward Christmas trees
because he or she unconsciously associates these trees with the experience that he or she had at
Christmas as a child.

Behavioral intention. The behavioral intention is what the consumer plans to do with respect to
the object (e.g., buy or not buy the brand). As with affect, this is sometimes a logical
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consequence of beliefs (or affect), but may sometimes reflect other circumstances--e.g., although
a consumer does not really like a restaurant, he or she will go there because it is a hangout for
his or her friends.

Changing attitudes is generally very difficult, particularly when consumers suspect that the
marketer has a self-serving “agenda” in bringing about this change (e.g., to get the consumer to
buy more or to switch brands). Here are some possible methods:

● Changing affect. One approach is to try to change the effect, which may or may not involve
getting consumers to change their beliefs. One strategy uses the approach of classical
conditioning try to “pair” the product with a liked stimulus. For example, we “pair” a car
with a beautiful woman. Alternatively, we can try to get people to like the advertisement
and hope that this liking will “spill over” into the purchase of a product. For example, the
Pillsbury Doughboy does not really emphasize the conveyance of much information to the
consumer; instead, it attempts to create a warm, “fuzzy” image. Although Energizer Bunny
ads try to get people to believe that their batteries last longer, the main emphasis is on the
likeable bunny. Finally, products which are better known, through the mere exposure effect,
tend to be better liked—that is, the more a product is advertised and seen in stores, the more
it will generally be liked, even if consumers to do not develop any specific beliefs about the
product.
● Changing behavior. People like to believe that their behavior is rational; thus, once they
use our products, chances are that they will continue unless someone is able to get them to
switch. One way to get people to switch to our brand is to use temporary price discounts
and coupons; however, when consumers buy a product on deal, they may justify the
purchase based on that deal (i.e., the low price) and may then switch to other brands on deal
later. A better way to get people to switch to our brand is to at least temporarily obtain
better shelf space so that the product is more convenient. Consumers are less likely to use
this availability as a rationale for their purchase and may continue to buy the product even
when the product is less conveniently located.
● Changing beliefs. Although attempting to change beliefs is the obvious way to attempt
attitude change, particularly when consumers hold unfavorable or inaccurate ones, this is
often difficult to achieve because consumers tend to resist. Several approaches to belief
change exist:
● Change currently held beliefs. It is generally very difficult to attempt to change beliefs that
people hold, particularly those that are strongly held, even if they are inaccurate. For
example, the petroleum industry advertised for a long time that its profits were lower than
were commonly believed, and provided extensive factual evidence in its advertising to
support this reality. Consumers were suspicious and rejected this information, however.
● Change the importance of beliefs. Although the sugar manufacturers would undoubtedly
like to decrease the importance of healthy teeth, it is usually not feasible to make beliefs
less important--consumers are likely to reason, why, then, would you bother bringing them
up in the first place? However, it may be possible to strengthen beliefs that favor us--e.g.,
a vitamin supplement manufacturer may advertise that it is extremely important for women
to replace iron lost through menstruation. Most consumers already agree with this, but the
belief can be made stronger.
● Add beliefs. Consumers are less likely to resist the addition of beliefs so long as they do
not conflict with existing beliefs. Thus, the beef industry has added beliefs that beef (1) is
convenient and (2) can be used to make a number of creative dishes. Vitamin manufacturers
attempt to add the belief that stress causes vitamin depletion, which sounds quite plausible

to most people.
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● Change ideals. It is usually difficult, and very risky, to attempt to change ideals, and only
few firms succeed. For example, Hard Candy may have attempted to change the ideal away
from traditional beauty toward more unique self-expression.

One-sided vs. two-sided appeals. Attitude research has shown that consumers often tend to react
more favorably to advertisements which either (1) admit something negative about the
sponsoring brand (e.g., the Volvo is a clumsy car, but very safe) or (2) admits something positive
about a competing brand (e.g., a competing supermarket has slightly lower prices, but offers less
service and selection). Two-sided appeals must contain overriding arguments why the
sponsoring brand is ultimately superior—that is, in the above examples, the “but” part must be
emphasized.

Perception Our perception is an approximation of reality. Our brain attempts to make sense out
of the stimuli to which we are exposed. This works well, for example, when we “see” a friend
three hundred feet away at his or her correct height; however, our perception is sometimes
“off”—for example, certain shapes of ice cream containers look like they contain more than
rectangular ones with the same volume.

Subliminal stimuli back in the 1960s, it was reported that on selected evenings, movie goers in
a theater had been exposed to isolated frames with the words “Drink Coca Cola” and “Eat
Popcorn” embedded into the movie. These frames went by so fast that people did not
consciously notice them, but it was reported that on nights with frames present, Coke and
popcorn sales were significantly higher than on days they were left off. This led Congress to
ban the use of subliminal advertising. First of all, there is a question as to whether this
experiment ever took place or whether this information was simply made up. Secondly, no one
has been able to replicate these findings. There is research to show that people will start to
giggle with embarrassment when they are briefly exposed to “dirty” words in an experimental
machine. Here, again, the exposure is so brief that the subjects are not aware of the actual words
they saw, but it is evident that something has been recognized by the embarrassment displayed.

Organizational buyers A large portion of the market for goods and services is attributable to
organizational, as opposed to individual, buyers. In general, organizational buyers, who make
buying decisions for their companies for a living, tend to be somewhat more sophisticated than
ordinary consumers. However, these organizational buyers are also often more risk averse.
There is a risk in going with a new, possibly better (lower price or higher quality) supplier whose
product is unproven and may turn out to be problematic. Often the fear of running this risk is
greater than the potential rewards for getting a better deal. In the old days, it used to be said that
“You can’t get fired for buying IBM.” This attitude is beginning to soften a bit today as firms
face increasing pressures to cut costs.

Organizational buyers come in several forms. Resellers involve either wholesalers or retailers
that buy from one organization and resell to some other entity. For example, large grocery chains
sometimes buy products directly from the manufacturer and resell them to end consumers.
Wholesalers may sell to retailers who in turn sell to consumers. Producers also buy products
from sub-manufacturers to create a finished product. For example, rather than manufacturing
the parts themselves, computer manufacturers often buy hard drives, motherboards, cases,
monitors, keyboards, and other components from manufacturers and put them together to create
a finished product. Governments buy a great deal of things. For example, the military needs an
incredible amount of supplies to feed and equip troops. Finally, large institutions buy products
in huge quantities. For example, UCR probably buys thousands of reams of paper every month.

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Organizational buying usually involves more people than individual buying. Often, many
people are involved in making decisions as to (a) whether to buy, (b) what to buy, (c) at what
quantity, and (d) from whom. An engineer may make a specification as to what is needed, which
may be approved by a manager, with the final purchase being made by a purchase specialist who
spends all his or her time finding the best deal on the goods that the organization needs. Often,
such long purchase processes can cause long delays. In the government, rules are often
especially stringent—e.g., vendors of fruit cake have to meet fourteen pages of specifications
put out by the General Services Administration. In many cases, government buyers are also
heavily bound to go with the lowest price. Even if it is obvious that a higher priced vendor will
offer a superior product, it may be difficult to accept that bid.

Impact of it on consumer behavior

As we all know, nowadays, consumer behavior is prejudiced by various aspects. With
technological advancements, the market has seen a tremendous shift in consumer behavior. As
a result of the technological impact influencing consumer behavior, most company leaderships
face an unending challenge to meet consumer expectations. Because of the advent of information
technology, consumer behavior seems to be more influenced by internet-enabled smartphones
and tablets. Technology has literally placed the power in the consumer’s hands. Today, a typical
customer expects a prompt response and fast service from any business. To keep up with
consumer expectations, all businesses are facing huge challenges. How and why has technology
changed the way consumers behave? Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind as you
reinvent your strategies to keep up with the consumers.
Customers are connected
Nearly everyone is living two lives, an energetic online life, and an exhausting disconnected one.
We are altogether associated at some stage through our system of companions. We likewise
claim in excess of one gadget that keeps us refreshed. This implies we blossom with being
dynamic and educated on the web, and Exact Target Marketing content confirmed this from a
research they did, whereby 91% of purchasers demonstrated that access to content across all
gadgets was imperative.
Data innovation progressions fuel the network that unites the world as one major network, from
the advanced mobile phones to super-quick information. This pattern isn’t going to change since
presently kids as youthful as 5 years know how to work a smartphone. LinkedIn even brought
down its age breaking point to 13 years to gain on the technology adoption rate.
Organizations need to meet consumers where they are and fulfill their refined needs. On the off
chance that your target market invests more energy in Instagram or Facebook or Twitter, be
available and react to them on the same platform. Are you doing what’s necessary to use
innovation and handle the educated customer?
Consumers Desires have changed
Before, as an organization, you set the times that you were open for business, and customers
needed to endure it or remain without that specific product. Technology has completely changed
that, with the introduction of online business and smartphones, customers can get to products
whenever they want. They have raised desires on what is satisfactory consumer behavior and
what isn’t. As a business, you need to stay aware of the changed buyer conduct or be bankrupt.
For instance, if a customer needs to buy something on the web during the evening and has a
question, they hope to find prompt solutions. If they don’t they pick another provider from the
countless accessible online who can meet their prompt needs.
Customers currently comprehend the power they have and will utilize it when not happy with an
administration. A basic articulation of their disappointment on your social media that isn’t

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reacted to promptly will ignite uproar from different customers who approve of your products
and services.
New correspondence channels
Previously, an organization gave customer service through emails – that did not get immediate
reactions – and telephone calls. These two specialized devices had their own particular
difficulties and favored the organization more; it was at their circumspection what data to give
out.
This age nonetheless, is extremely revived. Social networking sites and live chat puts you
directly before your customer; you can’t forfeit your customer to keep up your brand position.
As a matter of fact, when you don’t react to a question, you harm your brand reputation since
that data is available to a great many people.
The upside of these new devices is that you have a more extensive data gathering pool; you can
quickly track your innovative work by using the big data. You should give customers choices
and with alternatives that are tuned in to their ways of life and life stages, and work to convey
the quick, individual, and helpful customer service that they truly appreciate.
All in all, we have seen the development of technology and its effect on buyer conduct. We have
taken a glimpse at three different ways that consumers conduct, from associated customers to
changing desires and new communication tools. I trust the declaration “Customer is the King”
has never been experienced by organizations like in this information technology era.
Today customers know they are powerful and authoritative, what actions are you taking to
extinguish their instant information thirst.

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 CHAPTER – 2

Introduction to DMART

Avenue Supercars Limited, DMart, is an Indian retail corporation that operates a chain of
hypermarkets in India. It was founded by Radhakrishna Damani in 2002, with its first branch in
Powai's Hiranandani Gardens. As of 31 December 2019, it had 196 stores in 72 cities across 11
states in India including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, National Capital Region, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh,
Daman and Punjab.
DMart is promoted by Avenue Supermarts Ltd. (ASL). The company has its headquarters in
Mumbai. As of 31 March 2019, DMart had a total of 7,713 permanent employees and 33,597
employees hired on contractual basis.
After the IPO listing (as Avenue Supermarts Ltd.), it made a record opening on the market on
the National Stock Exchange. After the close of the stock on 22 March 2017, its market value
rose to ₹39,988 crore. This pegged it as the 65th most valuable Indian firm, ahead of Britannia
Industries, Marico and Bank of Baroda.
As of 21 November 2019, the market capitalization of DMart is close to ₹114,000 crore, making
it the 33rd largest company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

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 OVERVIEW

DMart is a one-stop supermarket chain that aims to offer customers a wide range of basic home
and personal products under one roof. Each DMart store stocks home utility products - including
food, toiletries, beauty products, garments, kitchenware, bed and bath linen, home appliances
and more - available at competitive prices that our customers appreciate. Our core objective is
to offer customers good products at great value.

DMart was started by Mr. Radhakrishna Damani and his family to address the growing needs of
the Indian family. From the launch of its first store in Powai in 2002, DMart today has a well-
established presence in 271 locations across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, NCR, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Rajasthan. With
our mission to be the lowest priced retailer in the regions we operate, our business continues to
grow with new locations planned in more cities.
The supermarket chain of DMart stores is owned and operated by Avenue Supermarts Ltd.
(ASL). The company has its headquarters in Mumbai.

* The brands D Mart, D Mart Minimax, D Mart Premia, D Homes, Dutch Harbor, etc. are brands
owned by ASL.

FOUNDERS
DMart is owned and operated by Avenue Supermarts Ltd. (ASL) – a company founded by Mr.
Radhakrishna Damani. Mr. Radhakrishna Damani is respected in the business world as an astute
investor in the Indian equity market, he has built a company that constantly strives towards
developing a deep understanding of customer needs and satisfying them with the right products.
A firm believer in core business fundamentals and strong ethical values, Mr. Damani has built
DMart into an efficient, large and profitable retail chain that is highly respected by customers,
partners and employees alike.

OUR MISSION
At DMart, we research, identify and make available new products and categories that suit the
everyday needs of the Indian family. Our mission is to provide the best value possible for our
customers, so that every rupee they spend on shopping with us gives them more value for money
than they would get anywhere else

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 CHAPTER – 3

INDUSTRY PROFILE

THE IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE RETAIL SECTOR

With the increasing globalization of retailing, both in terms of their points-of-sale and their
points-of-supply; the information technology (IT) spend in the retail sector has increased
significantly. IT plays an increasingly important role in the management of complex retail
operations.
Market knowledge, as well as control of data and information, is key to obtaining a competitive
advantage in the retail sector. Markets are continuing to grow and become more complex; the
simple process of retailing has started to deploy more advanced retail information systems to
cope with all the transactions involved.
Today, retailers need to transform their IT capabilities for multiple reasons, including:
• To increase the company’s ability to respond to the evolving marketplace through enhanced
speed and flexibility.
• To collect and analyze customer data while enhancing differentiation.
• To work effectively; retailers need one system working across stores (or even across national
borders) to make sure the most effective use of stock and improve business processes.
Retailers are beginning to notice that technology’s role is one of an enablers. Essentially,
information technology can speed up processes and deliver cost saving benefits to the company.
The retail industry faces many specific challenges related to IT management, including:
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• Customer data many retailers struggle with information overload because they’re required to
collect and sift through mass amounts of data, then convert it into useful information in a
customer-centric industry.
• Transparency and tracking
Retailers must increase transparency between systems, as well as obtain better tracking to
integrate systems from manufacturer through to the consumer while obtaining customer and
sales information.
• Global data synchronization
Due to radio frequency identification/electronic product coding, the entire supply chain has
become more intelligent. Retailers must enable the use of real-time data to watch inventory
levels. In addition, radio frequency identification tagging positions the company to be able to
safeguard its shipments by allowing products to be tracked from manufacturer through the entire
supply chain.
• PCI Security Compliance
PCI Security Compliance addresses the retailer’s internal security setup and practices, in order
to mitigate payment security risks. Every business engaged in credit card payment processing is
required to comply with PCI Security Standards. If a retailer collects or stores credit card
information that becomes compromised, the retailer may lose the ability to accept credit card
payments. Other possible consequences include lawsuits, insurance claims, cancelled accounts,
and government fines.
The retailers who take advantage of outsourcing IT will obtain optimal advice and benefits from
outsourcing. Many retailers have turned towards IT outsourcing as a way to control costs and
improve their service delivery.
Have questions about IT for your retail store? We are here to help you. Contact us today by
calling {phone} or emailing our {city} IT support team at {email}. We look forward to helping
you with all your IT needs.

Retail Industry Sectors: Types of Retail

A marketplace is a location where goods and services are exchanged. The traditional market
square is a city square where traders set up stalls and buyers browse the merchandise. Now retail
goods are generally sold in a number of different establishments. Convenience Stores, specialty
stores, department stores, supermarkets & hypermarkets, discount stores, multichannel stores
are some models used by the retail industry to provide goods to end customers.
Retail – Industry Sectors:

Retail goods are generally sold in a number of different establishments. Retailers can be
classified by a retail store strategy mix, which is an integrated combination of hours, location,
assortment, service, advertising, and prices, etc. Retail establishments typically classified into
the following sectors:

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1. Convenience Stores:

Small stores that sell a variety of products, such as newspapers, magazines, candy, soft drinks,
tobacco products, and lottery tickets. Convenience Store is generally a well situated, food
oriented store with a long operating house and a limited number of items. These stores are
usually located in urban neighborhoods or along busy roads. Convenience stores are often open
longer hours than other types of retail establishments, making them convenient for customers.
However, prices are often higher than in other types of stores. Consumers use a convenience
store; to fill in items such as bread, milk, eggs, and candy, etc.

2. Specialty Stores:

Specialty stores are the retail establishments that specialize in the selling of a single type or
specific range of merchandise and related items. These establishments typically concentrate their
efforts on selling a single type or very limited range of merchandise. They concentrate on the
sale of a single line of products or services, such as Audio equipment, Jewelry, Beauty and
Health Care, Clothing, Musical Instruments, Sewing Shops, and party supply stores. A typical
specialty store gives attention to a particular category and provides a high level of service to the
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customers. Even the branded stores also come under this format. Consumers are not confronted
with racks of unrelated merchandise.

Example: Music World for audio needs, Tanishq for jewelry and McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and
Nirula's for food services.

3. Department Stores:

Department stores are large retail establishments that are made up of a number of sections, or
departments. A specific group of products is available in each department, each of which
specializes in selling a particular grouping of products. For example, under this
compartmentalized arrangement, consumers go to one area of the store to purchase tableware
and another area to acquire bedding. These typically are very large stores offering a huge
assortment of "soft" and "hard goods; often bear a resemblance to a collection of specialty stores.
A retailer of such stores carries a variety of categories and has a broad assortment at an average
price. A department store usually sells a general line of apparel for the family, household linens,
home furnishings, and appliances. They offer considerable customer service.

Example: Large format apparel department stores include Pantaloon, Ebony, Pyramid, Shoppers
Stop, and Westside.

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4. Supermarkets & Hypermarkets:

Supermarkets and hypermarkets are retail establishments that were primarily involved with
selling food. Many supermarkets carry other household products as well.

Supermarkets are very similar to grocery stores, but they generally are larger and carry a wider
selection of products. The supermarkets can be anywhere between 20,000 and 40,000 square
feet (3,700 m2). A supermarket typically carries small house hold appliances, some apparel
items, bakery, film developing, jams, pickles, books, audio/video CDs, etc.

A hypermarket is a large retail facility, or superstore, that carries a very wide variety of products
under one roof, including groceries and a variety of non-food items. This is a self-service store
consisting mainly of grocery and limited products on non-food items. Hyper Markets is a special
kind of combination store that integrates an economy supermarket with a discount department
store. A hypermarket generally has an ambiance which attracts the family as a whole.

These retail establishments, which were primarily involved in providing food to consumers, have
increasingly ventured into other product areas in recent years. They account for the vast majority
of total food-store sales in America.

Example: SPAR supermarket, In India, the Government-run Super bazaar, and Kendriya
Bhandar in Delhi are good examples of a supermarket. Similarly in Mumbai, we have Apna
Bazar and Sahakari Bhandar. Pantaloons Retail India Ltd. (PRIL) through its hypermarket "Big
Bazar”.

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5. Discount Stores:

Discount stores are stores that typically sell a broad range of products at lower prices than other
retail establishments. However, they generally also offer lower levels of service than higher
priced retailers. These stores tend to offer a wide array of products and services, but they
compete mainly on price. They offer an extensive assortment of merchandise at affordable and
cut-rate prices. Normally retailers sell less fashion-oriented brands. These retail outlets offer
consumers a trade-off: lower prices (typically on a broad range of products) in exchange for
lower levels of service. Indeed, many discount stores operate under a basic ‘‘self-service’’
philosophy.

6. Multichannel Stores:

These are retail establishments that sell products to consumers through a variety of channels,
including catalogs, mail order, telemarketing, the Internet, and vending machines. They are also
known as mail-order businesses and other non-store retailing establishments. The customer can
shop and order through the internet or mail or other mediums and the merchandise is dropped at
the customer's doorstep.

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 CHAPTER – 4

EMERGING TRENDS IN RETAIL WITH REFRENCE TO IT

Trend #1 Eliminating Delayed Gratification

Today’s consumers want their demands fulfilled as quickly as possible. It wasn’t too long ago
that online shoppers believed it was reasonable to wait weeks for their products to arrive. Now,
about a decade later, consumers are beginning to expect free overnight shipping from online
retailers. This coupled with the fact that more people than ever are choosing to shop from home,
means that retailers must be prepared to deliver on expectations.

Retailers need to respond to this trend by creating processes that allow order fulfilment to be as
agile as possible. This requires precisely forecasting your customer’s demand by tracking
purchase cycles within your market, and stocking products accordingly.

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Trend #2 Streamlining Online and
Offline Experiences for Hyper Personalization

Personalization has been a mainstay in retail innovation for most of the decade. In 2022, this
trend is expected to continue as retailers take a more holistic look at customer data. Instead of
using a customer’s data to send them targeted advertisements and promotions, retailers will use
personalized people-based marketing insights to create simple, streamlined shopping processes.
For today’s time-pressed consumers, this is a significant value-add. At a time when many people
would prefer to shop online only, creating a personal experience based on customer insights can
help to fill the gap that would otherwise be filled by a salesperson in-store.
Retailers should use information about a customer’s likes, needs, and values to provide the most
relevant experiences to customers. So, if a customer visits your online storefront, they should
view personalized recommendations based on their recent search and past purchases, both online
and offline. It’s critical that marketers consider how these efforts will be measured, as attribution
models like media mix modeling and multi-touch attribution cannot effectively provide the
granular, cross-channel insights needed to make informed decisions for future media planning.
Instead, they should consider taking advantage of marketing technology that can derive a more
comprehensive unified marketing measurement.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also created a clear need for adaptability. Many marketers have
found themselves struggling to keep up as their historical data and usual benchmarks for
performance no longer apply. In 2022 and onward, a flexible marketing antics will be critical to
keeping up with unforeseen changes in the marketplace. Marketers should re-evaluate if their
current solutions can take this fact into consideration. If not, they should consider platforms that
leverage intelligent algorithms like Bayesian learning and forgetting, which enables marketers
to collect only the most relevant data.

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Trend #3 Leverage Experiences
Powered by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

AI marketing and machine learning will be leveraged to create personalized recommendations

based on the real-time needs of customers. This allows them to make simpler, instant decisions,
leading to a better customer experience.
An example of this would be Peapod, a grocery delivery service, which leverages a service called
“Order Genius,” that creates personalized recommendations for online grocery shoppers. It
creates a smart grocery list that can be fulfilled in moments by considering a customer’s past
purchases and their purchase cycles. So, Order Genius will suggest that a shopper that previously
ordered bread reorders it on a weekly basis, while recommending that the same customer only
repurchases deodorant on a monthly basis. This personalized approach to grocery shopping
makes the process simpler for customers, improving their experience.

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Trend #4 Socially Integrated Visualized Search

Have you ever seen a passerby with an outfit that you liked, and wondered where they bought
it? Retailers are providing an answer to this situation by optimizing their product offerings for
visual search. Visual search allows users to simply take a picture of the outfit – or download a
photo of a similar outfit – and search for articles of clothing within the picture. Then, a search
engine like Google will provide a list of matching items, giving users an easy path to purchase.
To prepare for the emergence of visual search, retailers should ensure they have a presence on
image-based platforms like Instagram or Pinterest. For example, fashion brands should
constantly provide new photographs that model their newest clothing. Then, customers can use
an application like Google Lens to identify exactly what piece of the outfit they’d like to shop
for from that photo.
As image search becomes more sophisticated, retailers can also use it alongside marketing AI to
create product innovations. With this technology, customers could link their Instagram or
Pinterest to their customer profile, allowing the retailer to analyze the photos within. From there,
they could curate a list of recommended items that suit a shopper’s existing outfits or general
sense of style.

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Trend #5 E-Commerce Shopping on social media

According to Forbes, roughly 15,000 retailers closed their brick-and-mortar stores in 2020. As
a result, many social media platforms have introduced ecommerce shopping experiences. For
example, Instagram recently announced the Shop tab, which gives users an opportunity to search
for and connect with brands, creators, and products. Alternatively, many brands are taking
advantage of influencer-based marketing by partnering up with popular content creators for
sponsored partnerships and affiliate marketing. As these digital platforms continue to bring the
shopping experience directly to consumers, brands should consider how they can leverage them
to gain actionable insight into their target audience for even further personalization.

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Trend #6 Transparency and Value based Branding

Roughly 71% of consumers prefer to purchase from brands that they feel align with their
personal values. Growing concerns around data privacy and recent political unrest means that
people expect transparency from today’s brands - and now more than ever, they expect to see
companies “walking the-walk.” Otherwise, they run the risk of incurring reputational damage
that can have long-lasting effects on brand equity and perception, even among loyal customers.

Trend #7 Shopping Assistance via

Smart Home Speakers and Chatbots

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The smart speaker market is growing rapidly, with market revenue projections of 35.5 billion in
the next 5 years. These devices, such as the Amazon Echo or Google Home, allow customers to
order something without ever having to look at a screen. Additionally, retailers are turning away
from the use of face-to-face customer support and instead are leveraging chatbots and virtual
assistants to guide users through their online shopping experience. As these trends continue to
grow, retailers will need to consider how they can optimize their strategies to meet customers
where they are.

Trend #8: Retailers Engaging In Omnichannel Marketing

In the new era of ECommerce sales, omnichannel marketing is an excellent way to turn one-
time buyers into repeat customers. Omnichannel marketing is the integration of various channels
to create a cohesive brand experience.

A potential customer interacts with many touch points along the buyer’s journey before deciding
to purchase a product or service. This means that it would be wise to reach a customer by various
channels during each stage of the buying cycle. For example, digital advertising, websites, and
social media are all ways to reach your potential buyers.

This method will create a seamless buying experience for the consumer and increase the
probability that he or she will become a repeat customer.

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Preparing for Emerging Retail Marketing Trends
2020 brought rapid, unprecedented change across the retail industry, potentially changing the
way customers shop moving forward. Retail marketers must be prepared to continuously adapt
to these changes and the resulting trends in the coming year if they want to maintain a
competitive edge in the 2022 retail marketplace. Although a soundproof strategy is central to
properly executing these retail trends, it’s important to ensure your organization has good data
intelligence, high data quality, and a centralized marketing measurement platform location to
store and analyze data. With the right tools, expertise, and processes, retailers can ensure they’re
staying competitive in a constantly shifting marketing landscape.

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 CHAPTER – 5

Data analysis & interpretation of DMart

A Study on Customer Satisfaction towards D Mart Retail Outlet in
Mumbai city

Abstract:

Currently the retailing industry is booming industry in India. It has been considered as equal
competent with IT industry. D-MART is one of the renowned retail companies in India. It is famous
for its low price and good quality products. It has its branches all over the India. Retailing is one
such step in the marketing chain of activities that facilitates the distribution function. Initially it
was considered as just another step in the marketing chain and the function was accepted as
obvious. As the competition increased globally, differentiation became more and more difficult.
Consumer purchasing power increased as economy opened up into more market-oriented mode.
Often used and final link with the ultimate consumer, marketers thought of using it for
differentiating and positioning. So, retailing ceased to be considered as an outgrowth of traditional
marketing activity, rather it was recognized as an important business proposition in its own accord,
which ultimately helps marketing in performing its function and successfully satisfying the
objectives. Therefore, retailing emerged as a discipline and considerable thinking and research
went into it for the development and substantiation. The research paper considers understanding
customer’s satisfaction towards DMART. The objectives of the study are to understand customer
satisfaction towards various products sold by DMART and also analyses the satisfaction level of
customer experience while shopping at DMART. DMART is one such big retail giant that has a
wide market with verity of product lines. It has introduced its own brands of products to its
customers. This research study mainly focuses on the marketing activities and consumer response
towards D-MART. Research methodology adopted in the study is descriptive in nature and non-
probability convenience sampling technique was used with a sample size of 100 respondents
through online structured questionnaire with Google forms. Data collected was later analyzed and
interpreted using SPSS software. The findings and suggestions provided in the research study will
certainly help DMART to make necessary changes to provide enhanced customers to its customers
in the said outlet.

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Introduction:
Customer satisfaction is defined as a measurement that determines how happy customers are
with a company’s products, services, and capabilities. Customer satisfaction information,
including surveys and ratings, can help a company determine how to best improve or changes
its products and services.

Avenue super marts ltd doing business as Dmart is an Indian chain of hypermarkets in India
founded by Radhakishandamani in the year 2002, with its first branch in Powai’s Hiranandani
gardens. As of 31 December 2019, it had 196 stores in 72 cities across 11 states in India
including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan National capital region, Tamil nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Daman and Punjab.

DMart is a one-stop supermarket chain that aims to offer customers a wide range of basic
home and personal products under one roof. Each DMart store stock home utility products -
including food, toiletries, beauty products, garments, kitchenware, bed and bath linen, home
appliances and more - available at competitive prices that our customers appreciate. Our core
objective is to offer customers good products at great value.

Objectives of the Present study:

• To understand the retail industry
• To analyses the customer satisfaction towards the products sold by DMart.
• To analyses the satisfaction level of customer experience while shopping at D-mart.

• Scope of the study is D Mart, Karnataka. It is helpful to D Mart to understand the customer
satisfaction. To understand the satisfaction level of customers while shopping at d mart

Need for the Study:

India is having a huge customer base having different choices and behavior. To satisfy their
need is a different task. To advise this Indian retail has changed Kirana to retail outlets and
has become the need in India. Different retail outlets are offering different schemes and
promotional strategies. Thus, a study is being conducted to know the effective marketing
strategies needed to attract new as well as retaining customers.

Limitations of the study: The research in conducted in Mumbai city and limits to respondent’s
data to Mumbai city only.

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Review of Literature:

Furnell (1992) found in the study that customer satisfaction enhances the customer loyalty,
reduce the customer churn, decrease the costs of failed marketing, signifies the price
sensitivity of customers, create new customers, enhance the effect of advertising, lowers the
cost of operations and finally improves the reputation.

Hamburg and Koshare (2004) studied the role of perceived fairness and customer satisfaction
on the repurchase intention after a price increase. Their findings of the study suggested that
perceived fairness has a positive impact on the repurchase intention while satisfaction
moderates this relationship.

Martinson (2007) researched the effect of the corporate store image on customer satisfaction
and store loyalty in grocery retailing and deduced that the brand image of the store is an
important aspect for the customer satisfaction. If the retailers understand and address the need
of the customers, the customers are satisfied.

Zeelie (2008) indicated that value for money, the price level and special offers are both
satisfiers and dissatisfies; price perceptibility, price process ability and price fairness tend to
be dissatisfiers only; and price advertising and products in the upper price range are
indifferent requirements. Fonseca (2009) by adopting a new technique and a new conceptual
model of customer’s satisfaction expressed that in order to estimate the global customer
satisfaction measure; one should appeal to methodologies recognizing that satisfaction must
be understood as a latent variable, quantified through multiple indicators.

Sánchez-Fernández and Iniesta-Bonillo (2009) studied the relationship between consumer

satisfaction and economic value. They suggested an operational tool to measure economic
value of designing suitable strategies to create and deliver value to customers by retailers.

Torben et al. (2011) detected that the level of satisfaction among the customers with various
retailers cannot be understood by matching expectations with products & services, but may
also be based mental justification of the customer. Hamburg and Koshare (2004) studied the
role of perceived fairness and customer satisfaction on the repurchase intention after a price
increase. Their findings of the study suggested that perceived fairness has a positive impact
on the repurchase intention while satisfaction moderates this relationship.

Dr. Girish K. Nair & Harish K. Nair (2013) conclude that “the customer perception of retail
service quality is an important segment to the emerging and the existing retailers in the
market. As the study reveals that perception of service quality is influenced by the various
natures among various customers, even some of the general factors like Personal interaction,
physical aspects are the dimensions on which customer perception remains constant and
common to the entire customer on a majority basis. So the retail outlets have to frame their
own strategies in order to attract the customers on a longer basis.

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Research Methodology

Descriptive research
Descriptive Research is used to describe features of a population or phenomenon being
studied. It does not answer questions about how/when/why the features occurred. Rather it
addresses the “WHAT” question. This research generally precedes explanatory research. The
method involved range from survey which describes the status, the correlation study which
investigates the relationship between variables, to developmental studies which seek to
determine changes over time.

Source of Data:

Primary data: The primary data is collected from through survey using structured questionnaire

Secondary Data: The secondary data was taken from various websites, books, journals,
magazines, news clippings etc. Data regarding various research papers to support research
objectives was also taken from online web sources.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

1. What are the factors that influence you to visit Dmart?

Shopping experience 76.5%

Word of mouth 5.9%

Attracted by AD 0%

All products undergone roof 17.6%

Interpretation: The above analysis shows that out of 100 respondents, 76.5% of them are

influenced by shopping experience to visit DMart, 5.9% of them by ‘word of mouth’, which means
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the word of mouth generate positive attitude towards the store. No one is attracted by
advertisement. 17.6% of them visit DMart as they get all the products under one roof which
influences the strong conviction about the store.

Frequency

Price 64.7%

Durability 23.5%

Uniqueness 11.8%

Prestige 0%

Style 0%

Total 100

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2.What you normally see for in a product?

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above graph shows that the majority of the respondents see for ‘Price’ in a product.
23.5% are see durability of product. 64.7% respondents are seeing for a price of a product
whether the price is low or high for a particular product. 11.8% see the uniqueness of a
product. There are 0 respondents in prestige and style

The displays in D Mart influenced your purchase decision?

Frequency

YES 47.1%

NO 11.8%

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 MAYBE 41.2%

Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis shows that among 100 respondents, 11.8% of them have
selected the option ‘NO’ because the display products not properly kept in
proper way .41.2% of them have selected the option ‘MAYBE’ which give more
connivance for displaying product and also lighting environment display
products influences the customers to purchases the products 47.1% of them
have selected the option ‘Agree’ Hence the above graph shows that the majority
of respondent are of ‘AGREE’ Opinion with the displays in Dmart influencing
their purchasing decision.

2. A Good selection of products is available are D Mart?

Frequency

Dis agree 11.8%

Neutral 41.2%

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 Agree 41.2%

Highly agree 5.9%

Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis states that among 100 respondents, 11.8% respondents selected the option
‘Disagree’ because the customer are not convinced about the available products . 41.2%
respondents selected the option ‘Neutral’,41.2% respondents selected the option ‘Agree’,
because the customer are more convinced and also more good quality of the products which
influences the customer more loyal to the store and which leads to the positive image about the
products. 5.9% respondents selected the option ‘Highly Agree’. Hence Majority respondents
are agreeing that there is a good selection of products is available at D-Mart.

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Products sold at D Mart is good value for money?

Frequency

Disagree 5.9%

Strongly 17.6%
disagree

Neutral 17.6%

Agree 41.2%

Strongly agree 17.6%

Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

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The only 5.9% are disagree with the product sold in D Mart are value for money. 17.6%
respondents are neutral with this matter. 41.2% respondents are agreeing that products
sold in D Mart are value for money. 17.6% respondents are highly agreed and 17.6%
respondents strongly disagree, with this matter because it sold the products which are
valuable for money.

3. Product available are D Mart are trendy and of latest fashion?

Frequency

Not satisfied 41.2%

Good 47.1%

Satisfied 11.8%

Highly satisfied 0

Total 100

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Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis states that among 100 respondents, 41.2% respondents selected the option
‘not satisfied’ because not latest product are also available which leads to negative image
in the customers mind about the latest products 47.1% respondents selected the option
‘good’ and 11.8% respondents selected the option ‘satisfied’ means the customer are more

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products and also latest products will generate positive word mouth of the store and which leads to
more customers are purchasing the products 0% respondents selected the option ‘highly satisfied’
and hence Majority of the respondents are satisfied with product available at D-Mart are trendy and
of latest fashion.

4. Variety of substitutes is available, in case needed product is not

available?

Frequency

Disagree 17.6%
Neutral 29.4%
Agree 47.1%
Highly 5.9%
agree
Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis states that among 100 respondents, 17.6% respondents selected the option
‘Disagree’, because the not variety of the products are not available. 29.4% respondents
selected the option ‘Neutral’ and 47.1% respondents selected the option ‘Agree’, means the
variety of the products are which increases the purchase behaviors. And more the number
the variety of the products which influences’ the customer are more loyal to the variety of
brands which increases the strong conviction about the products. 5.9% respondents selected
the option ‘Highly Agree’ and hence the above graph shows that the majority of the
respondents ‘Agree’ that the varieties of substitutes are available in case the needed products
are not available.

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D Mart can manage high crowd density at its store?

Frequency

YES 58.8%

MAYBE 35.3%

NO 5.9%

Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis shows that among 100 respondents, 5.9% respondents selected the option
‘No’, because the not aware about the store and hence which leads to not satisfied about the
58.8% respondents selected the option ‘YES’, 35.3% respondents selected the option
‘MAYBE’, because the customer are regularly visit the store and also the more densely
crowd will increases positive image about the store which leads to strong conviction about
the store. The above graph shows that the majority of respondents are satisfied with the
management of Dmart in accordance with high crowd density at its store.

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5. How do you find the ambiance at D Mart store with respect to
lighting, temperature and cleanliness?

Frequency

Neutral 29.4%

Good 52.9%

Excellent 17.6%

Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis shows that among 100 respondents, 29.4% respondents selected the option
‘Neutral’, and 52.9% respondents selected the option ‘Good’, means ambiance which
influences the customer more delightful about the store also increases perception behavior
17.6% respondents selected the option ‘Excellent’. As per the above graph the majority of
respondents have found ‘good’ ambiance at Dmart store with respect to lighting, temperature
& cleanliness.

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6. The billing system followed at D Mart is found to customer friendly?

Frequency

Not satisfied 5.9%

Good 52.9%

Satisfied 17.6%

Highly satisfied 17.6%

Total
100

Analysis and Interpretation:

As per the above analysis out of 100 respondents,5.9% respondents selected the option ‘Not
satisfied’, because the customers felt the billing system not proper in the D-mart. 52.9%
respondents selected the option ‘Good’, 17.6% respondents selected the option ‘Satisfied’,
because the billing technology will influence the customers are it can easily accessible to the
customer and also the staff worker which leads to customer will not wait in the billing counter
which enhance the customer are more delightful about the store.17.6% respondents selected
the option ‘Highly satisfied’. Hence as per the above graph, the majority of respondents are
found to be satisfied with the customer friendly billing system

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7. Variety of substitutes is available, in case needed product is not
available?

Frequency

Disagree 17.6%
Neutral 29.4%
Agree 47.1%
Highly 5.9%
agree
Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis states that among 100 respondents, 17.6% respondents selected the option
‘Disagree’, because the not variety of the products are not available. 29.4% respondents
selected the option ‘Neutral’ and 47.1% respondents selected the option ‘Agree’, means the
variety of the products are which increases the purchase behaviours. And more the number
the variety of the products which influences’ the customer are more loyal to the variety of
brands which increases the strong conviction about the products. 5.9% respondents selected
the option ‘Highly Agree’ and hence the above graph shows that the majority of the
respondents ‘Agree’ that the varieties of substitutes are available in case the needed products
are not available.

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8. D Mart can manage high crowd density at its store?

Frequency

YES 58.8%

MAYBE 35.3%

NO 5.9%

Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis shows that among 100 respondents, 5.9% respondents selected the option
‘No’, because the not aware about the store and hence which leads to not satisfied about the
58.8% respondents selected the option ‘YES’, 35.3% respondents selected the option
‘MAYBE’, because the customer are regularly visit the store and also the more densely
crowd will increases positive image about the store which leads to strong conviction about
the store. The above graph shows that the majority of respondents are satisfied with the
management of Dmart in accordance with high crowd density at its store.

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9. How do you find the ambiance at D Mart store with respect to
lighting, temperature and cleanliness?

Frequency

Neutral 29.4%

Good 52.9%

Excellent 17.6%

Total 100

Analysis and Interpretation:

The above analysis shows that among 100 respondents, 29.4% respondents selected the option
‘Neutral’, and 52.9% respondents selected the option ‘Good’, means ambiance which
influences the customer more delightful about the store also increases perception behavior
17.6% respondents selected the option ‘Excellent’. As per the above graph the majority of
respondents have found ‘good’ ambiance at Dmart store with respect to lighting, temperature
& cleanliness.

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10. The billing system followed at D Mart is found to customer friendly?

Frequency

Not satisfied 5.9%

Good 52.9%

Satisfied 17.6%

Highly satisfied 17.6%

Total
100

Analysis and Interpretation: As per the above analysis out of 100 respondents, 5.9%
respondents selected the option ‘Not satisfied’, because the customers felt the billing system
not proper in the D-mart. 52.9% respondents selected the option ‘Good’, 17.6% respondents
selected the option ‘Satisfied’, because the billing technology will influence the customers are
it can easily accessible to the customer and also the staff worker which leads to customer will
not wait in the billing counter which enhance the customer are more delightful about the
store.17.6% respondents selected the option ‘Highly satisfied’. Hence as per the above graph,
the majority of respondents are found to be satisfied with the customer friendly billing system

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CHAPTER- 6

FINDINGS
Major findings of the study:

• 17% respondents have the shopping experience will influence to visit D-Mart.
• 30% respondents will see the price in a product.
• The display in a D-Mart influenced the purchase decision is neutral.
• 68% are agreeing that selection of products is available at D-Mart.
• The respondents are agreeing that products sold at D-Mart are good value for money.
• The availability of trendy and latest fashion product is satisfied by respondents.
• Satisfaction of respondents is 47% out of 100 respondents for managing crowd.
• 71% is neutral with the ambiance at D-Mart.
• Billing system is friendly to customer is satisfied.
• 58% are satisfied with staff helpfulness.
• 92% are saying parking system is good.
• 91% are satisfied with overall service provided by store. 91% will recommend the
D-Mart shopping for others.

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CHAPTER 7
SUGGESTION
Suggestions:

➢ The company has to give more advertisement on its company and products because
Respondents know it’s by added are only of 17%.
➢ The company give attention to product durability because 37% are looking durability
in product while buying them.
➢ The display in store may improve by adding attractive things in it. New things like
more attractive colors on the display which attract the children and new trendy items
which attract the youngsters and things which attract the old people.
➢ The company has to maintain its products as it. How they maintain the products
availability as it is. It will attract the customer and they will not change their
shopping place.
➢ Company should not raise their product price. As most of the Indians are living in
middle class family they look for the price of the products so it has to maintain the
same price for the products.
➢ The company has to look after the substitute goods.
➢ Company has to improve their ambiance because 71% are neutral.
➢ It has to maintain the current billing system.
➢ The company has to maintain the staff as it is and provide training based of need
assessment.

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 CHAPTER-8

CONCLUSION

Conclusion:

D mart is a hypermarket as it provides various kinds of goods like apparels, grocery,

stationary, food items, electronic items, leather items, watches, jewellery, crockery,
decorative items, chocolates and many more. It completes all socially stores of different
product which provides good at a discounted rate all throughout the year. It holds a large
customer based and it seemed from the study that the customer is quite satisfied with Dmart.
The customers are also satisfied with some services like complaints & return handling,
packaging / gift wrapping, information from the store, safety of personal things, alteration,
refreshment facilities, shopping carts as well as the pricing of these services. However, many
services fall short of the expectations of the customers, e.g. parking, baby strollers, fitting /
trial room, personal assistance in selecting merchandise, washrooms and drinking water,
billing facilities, store environment, warranties. It can be concluded that customer satisfaction
is very important. Thus, though customer satisfaction does not guarantee repurchase on the
part of the customers but still it plays a very important part in ensuring customer loyalty and
retention. Therefore, organizations should always strive to ensure that their customers are
very satisfied.

References:
1. Fornell, C. (1992), “A national customer satisfaction barometer: the Swedish experience”,
Journal of Marketing, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 6-21.

2. Hamburg, C. and Koschate, N. (2004), “How do consumers react to price increases”,

International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 26 No. 4.

3. Söderlund, Magnus and Rosengren, Sara (2007), “Receiving word-of-mouth from the service
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