Customer satisfaction At Shoppers Stop Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of The degree of Master

of Business Administration Submitted to: Bangalore University Bangalore By: Vivek Kumar Regd No 9212400268 Under the guidance of Dr. Madhusudan Zalki, Faculty of IIBS (Bangalore)

#70, 2nd Main Road, 3rd Cross, Kanaka Nagar, Nagawara, BANGALORE 560 032 2009 11
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DECLARATION

I hereby declared that this project titled Customer satisfaction at Shoppers stop , is submitted to the Punjab Technical University as a partial requirement for the award of Degree of Master of Business Administration, during the year 2009-2011It is the record of an original & independent study carried out by me, under the able guidance and supervision of Professor. Dr. Madhusudhan Zalki of International Institute of Business Studies, Bangalore. This project report has not been submitted earlier by m e or by anybody else for the award of any other degree in any University in India or abroad.

Date : Place :

Signature of the Student ( Name of the Student ) Vivek Kumar

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The toughest of endeavors in this world is not possible without the support of a helping hand which guides and motivates a person to take on any challenge head on. Inputs from such helping hand are always like very essential because more often or not certain mistakes which go unnoticed from our eyes. I VIVEK KUMAR express my thankfulness toward my faculty Dr. Madhusudhan Zalki for giving such a nice opportunity to work something related to practical exposure of retail industry & extending his untiring guidance to us, by constantly discussing the project matter and helping us in clarifying our thinking in several pertinent issues and providing a meaning full insight into the subject. VIVEK KUMAR

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction of research:

Customer satisfaction, a term frequently used in marketing, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customerexpectation. Organizations need to retain existing customers while targeting non-customers. Measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication on of how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace. Customer satisfaction is measured at the individual level,but it is almost always reported at an aggregate level. It can be, and often is, measured along various dimensions.

Introduction of the organization:

Shoppers stop is not just another hypermarket. It caters to every need of your family style. Where Shoppers stop scores over other stores is its value for money proposition for the Indian customers. Shoppers stop was founded by K. Raheja group in the year 1991. At Shoppers stop, you will definitely get the best products at the best pricesthats what we guarantee. With the ever increasing array of private labels, it has opened the doors into the world of fashion and general merchandise including home furnishings, utensils, crockery, cutlery, sports goods and much more at prices that will surprise you. And this is just the beginning. Shoppers stop plans to add much more to complete your shopping experience. The foundation of Shoppers' Stop was laid on October 27, 1991 by the K. Raheja group of companies, one of India's biggest hospitality and real estate players. The Group crossed yet another milestone with its lifestyle venture-Shoppers' Stop. With its immense expertise in the service industry and creditability, Shoppers' Stop today boasts of 37 retail outlets across the country and is planning to spread its wings with futuristic expansion plans to meet the challenges of the retail industry. A benchmark for the Indian retail industry to follow, Shoppers' Stop has progressed from a single brand shop to a Fashion & Lifestyle store for the families. Shoppers' Stop is a household name, known for its superior quality products, services and above all, a complete shopping experience. Shoppers' Stop was the first to redefine shopping experience and creating a niche for itself in the service industry. As India's first specialty chain with outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Chennai, Shoppers' Stop offers a complete range of garments and accessories for the entire family. More than 35,000 walk into Shoppers Stop everyday to feel the experience of shopping. Andheri was the first store to be opened in India. The initiative of this store was taken by B.S.Nagesh at a time when the concept of retail industry was just coming into the market. As on today, the current investors in Shoppers Stop are ICI CI, IL&FS Investments and Zodiac clothing. Their combined shareholding in Shoppers Stop is 19% while 79% is held by Raheja Group &
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balance 2% is held by its employees. It has more than 1.5 million loyal customers. The total turnover of Shoppers stop is Rs.1400 crore with worth total asset of Rs.500 crore. Total 40 store were target to opened till last year including present 37 stores.

Objectives:

I. II. III.

To study marketing strategy of Shoppers stop To study of effectiveness of sales promotion in Shoppers stop To study the customer satisfaction in Shoppers stop

Methodology: The research design was descriptive in nature. The primary data was collected by survey using structured questionnaire. Secondary data was collected through the internet. The population of study consists of customer of this segment of retail store. Sample was 100 and Sample area was Gaduda mall shoppers stop Bangalore. Non -probability judgment technique was followed. Conclusion and recommendations: Conclusion and recommendation for shoppers stop are as follows:Shoppers stop is lacking behind in some services in which it is not considered as good as compare to competitors like stock availability, music and other facilities like snacks parlor. They can go for some innovative ideas as they have always done before. Overall shoppers stop should leverage on all its strong point and let more customerSTART SOMETHING NEW. Because after all customers are the heart and soul of business, like any other.

 They should introduce more schemes, discounts, sales to increase the sales.  They should introduce Low rate Brands which will attract the middle class customers also or brands for masses.  The stores becomes a bit messy because of a large footfall & small size of stores so they should have larger outlets  They offer parking space only for the first citizen card holders which acts as a constraint for many first visitors to visit the malls.

 Shoppers stops competitors used aggressive medium of advertisement like television commercial ads, thus to gain a competitive advantage over the competitors Shoppers Stop should also use such medium of marketing.

Objectives of study

I. II. III.

To study marketing strategy of shoppers stop To study of effectiveness of sales promotion in shoppers stop To study the customer satisfaction in shoppers stop

Table of content
Sr. No

Title Acknowledgement Executive Summary Objective Introduction Research Methodology Literature Review Company Profile Competitors list SWOT Analysis Data interpretation and questionnaire Findings Conclusion Recommendations Bibliography Annexure

Page No. 2 3-5 6 8-25 26-28 30 32-56 57 57-58 60-72 74 74 74-75 75 75-79

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

TABLE & GRAPH

TABLE/ GRAPH NO. PAGE NO. 1 Bar chart showing response of 65,66,68,70,71,74,75 customers 2 3 4 Pie chart showing response of 62,65,67,70,71,74 customers Bar chart footfall showing No. of 80 81

Bar chart showing No. of footfall converted into customer

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

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Customer
A customer (also known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services. However, in certain contexts, the term customer also includes by extension any entity that uses or experiences the services of another. A customer may also be a viewer of the product or servicethat is being sold despite deciding not to buy them. The general distinction between acustomer and a client is that a customer purchases products, whereas a client purchases services. The word derives from "custom," meaning "habit"; a customer was someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase goods of the sort the shop sold there rather than elsewhere, and with whom the shopkeeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her "custom," meaning expected purchases in the futur e. The slogans "the customer is king" or "the customer is god" or "the customer is always right" indicate the importance of customers to businesses although the last expression is sometimes used ironically. However, "customer" also has a more generalized meaning as in customer service and a less commercialized meaning in not-for-profit areas. To avoid unwanted implications in some areas such as government services, community services, and education, the term "customer" is sometimes substituted by words such as "constituent" or " stakeholder". This is done to address concerns that th e word "customer" implies a narrowly commercial relationship involving the purchase of products and services. However, some managers in this environment, in which the emphasis is on being helpful to the people one is dealing with rather than on commercial sales, comfortably use the word "customer" to both internal and external customers. OBSOLETE meaning: In the early 17th century customer was defined as a "common prostitute".

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Types of customer

There are six types of customers:

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1. External Customer. These are the people and organizations who have a need for your product or service. They purchase your stuff inexchange for money. They have a budget and will give you some of it in exchange for a solution that meets their needs and expectations. Given that, I affectionately refer to external customers as ones with thebag of money. They have the financial autonomy to decide where an d how they will spend their budgetthe bag of money. The question is, who gets the bag of money, you or your competitor? Who has earned the confidence and trust of the customer? You and your competitor are vying for a piece of their budget the best solution wins. Know this: Customers vote with their money and complain with their feet. 2. Allies. These are the users of your product or service, not the ultimate decision maker. These customers usually don't have a bag of money but they play a vital role in your success. They do not make the final decision but they may have tremendous impact on the outcome. They are often closely connected to the bag of money and positioning them as an ally to your cause is critical for your success. You must earn their trust and confidence if you expect them to support you at the bag of money level. A caution about allies: They have veto power, the authority to say no. They can give you a hundred no's but can't give you the one yes needed to close the deal. I have seen countless selling hours wasted on allies with the hope of closing the deal. However, allies can be a tremendous wealth of information. Pick their brains and learn how you can differentiate yourself from the competition. Customers buy differences, not similarities. It can sometimes be difficult to ascertain who the bag of money is and who the allies are. Ask questions early in the call to determine who's who in the zoo. Shrink your sales cycle by understanding the players within your accounts. Simply ask them who else may be involved with decisions. 3. Internal Customer. These are fellow employees and managers within your place of business. They support you and make you look good to your external customers. Appreciate them and treat them with respect. Unfortunately, t hey are often the victims of your blamefest: "The jerks in production screwed up again ..." or "The idiots in shipping messed up . . ." or "Management gave me a lousy price . . ." and so it goes. Poor internal relationships can have fatal consequences foryour external customers. I recently saw an anonymous quote that supports my point. "We have
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less to fear from outside competition than from inside conflict, inefficiencies, discourtesy, and bad service." So true. Take ownership for customer concerns. Aft er all, you are an ambassador for your company, so don't abdicate responsibility for late deliveries, poor service, and inadequate support. Customers really don't care whose fault a problem is or how it happened. Customers aren't interested in fixing the b lame. They want to fix the problem. It's up to you to quarterback all of the company's resources to resolve their problem. When you work in harmony with your internal customers, external customers become the beneficiary of your internal relationships. In company after company, I see sales working in isolation from other departments. Sales cannot fly solo and expect to service the expectations of external customers. Long -term success means having your entire company and all its resources focus on its custome rs. Be aware too of your own personal internal customers, such as family, spouse, and parents. View your kids, spouse, or significant other as your personal internal customers. They also deserve respectful treatment.
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4. Repeat Customer. They are the jewels of your business. Do the job well the first time and you often get rewarded with another opportunity to serve them. And guess what? They give you more money! You may have heard that it costs up to five times as much to replace a customer as it does to kee p one. So, keep them happy. Underpromise and overdeliver. 5. Born-Again Customer. These are previous customers who no longer do business with you. For some reason they have forgotten about you or they are still upset with you. I suggest you dig up their file, give them a call, and settle any outstanding grievance. Put your ego aside and offer restitution to satisfy the customer. Do what it takes to resolve the situation. Make amends. Very frequently they will once again be receptive to doing business with y ou. They often become loyal customers provided you resolve the problem to their satisfaction. As you work with your customers, you will find the Sequential Model is applicable to all six types. Remember: Pay particular attention to your internal customers. 6. Bag of Wind. You guessed it, these people have little or no impact on the decision. They are often an easy point of entry into an account but they seldom contribute to the sales process. In fact they do more harm than good by creating a false sense of authority. There is nothing worse than wasting valuable selling hours on people who cannot help advance the sale. However, I'm not suggesting to ignore these people but rather exploit their knowledge to deepen your understanding and confidence about the account. They may also provide clarity as to who the allies are and who the bag of money is. Knowing these people can prove to be a huge advantage; knowledge is power.

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Customer segmentation

In the snowmobile example, the served market consisted of one segment. But conceivably, the served market could be much broader in scope. For example, the company could decide to serve all industrial customers (large, medium, small) by offering diesel -driven snowmobiles for delivery use. The broader served market, however, must be segmented because the market is not homogeneous; that is, it cannot be served by one type of product/service offering. Currently, the United States represents the largest market in the world for most products; it is not a homogeneous market, however. Not all customers want the same thing. Particularly in well-supplied markets, customers generally prefer products or services that are tailored to their needs. Differences can be expressed in terms of product or service features, service levels, quality levels, or something else. In other words, the large market has a variety of submarkets, or segments, that vary substantially. One of the crucial elements of marketing strategy is to choose the segment or segments that ar e to be served. This, however, is not always easy because different methods for dissecting a market may be employed and deciding which method to use may pose a problem. Virtually all strategists segment their markets. Typically, they use SIC codes, annual purchase volume, age, and income as differentiating variables. Categories based on these variables, however, may not suffice as far as the development of strategy is concerned. RCA, for example, initially classified potential customers for color television sets according to age, income, and social class. The company soon realized that these segments were not crucial for continued growth because potential buyers were not confined to those groups. Later analysis discovered that there were innovators and followers in each of the above groups. This finding led the company to tailor its marketing strategy to various segments according to their innovativeness. Mass acceptance of color television might have been delayed substantially if RCA had followed a mor e traditional approach. An American food processor achieved rapid success in the French market after discovering that modern Frenchwomen liked processed foods while traditional French housewives looked upon them as a threat. A leading industrial manufa cturer discovered that its critical variable was the amount of annual usage per item, not per order or per any other conventional variable. This proved to be critical since heavy users can be expected to be more sensitive to price and may be more aware of and responsive to promotional perspectives. Segmentation aims at increasing the scope of business by closely aligning a product or brand with an identifiable customer group. Take, for example, cigarettes. Thirty years ago, most cigarette smokers chose from among three brands: Camel, Chesterfield, and
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Lucky Strike. Today more than 160 brands adorn retail shelves. In order to sell more cigarettes, tobacco companies have been dividing the smoking public into relatively tiny sociological groups and then aiming one or more brands at each group. Vantage and Merit, for example, are aimed at young women; Camel and Winston are aimed mostly at rural smokers. Cigarette marketing success hinges on how effectively a company can design a brand to appeal to a particular type of smoker and then on how well it can reach that smoker with sharply focused packaging, product design, and advertising. What is true of cigarettes applies to many, many products; it applies even to services. Banks, for example, have been vying with one another for important customers by offering innovative services that set each bank apart from its competition. These illustrations underscore not only the significance of segmenting the market but also the importance of carefully choosing segmentation criteria.

Segmentation Criteria
Segmentation criteria vary depending on the nature of the market. In consumergoods marketing, one may use simple demographic and socioeconomic variables, personality and lifestyle variables, or situation-specific events (such as use intensity, brand loyalty, and attitudes) as the bases of segmentation. In industrial marketing, segmentation is achieved by forming end use segments, product segments, geographic segments, common buying factor segments, and customer size segme nts. For a detailed account, however, reference may be made to a textbook on marketing management. In addition to these criteria, creative analysts may well identify others. For example, a shipbuilding company dissects its tanker market into large, medium, and small markets; similarly, its cargo ship market is classified into high-, medium-, and low-grade markets. A forklift manufacturer divides its market on the basis of product performance requirements. Many consumer -goods companies, General Foods, Procter & Gamble, and Coca-Cola among them, base their segments on lifestyle analysis. Data for forming customer segments may be analyzed with the use of simple statistical techniques (e.g., averages) or multivariate methods. Conceptually, the following procedur e may be adopted to choose a criterion for segmentation: 1. Identify potential customers and the nature of their needs. 2. Segment all customers into groups having a. Common requirements. b. The same value system with respect to the importance of these req uirements.

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3. Determine the theoretically most efficient means of serving each market segment, making sure that the distribution system selected differentiates each segment with respect to cost and price. 4. Adjust this ideal system to the constraints of the real world: existing commitments, legal restrictions, practicality, and so forth. A market can also be segmented by level of customer service, stage of production, price/performance characteristics, credit arrangements with customers, location of plants , characteristics of manufacturing equipment, channels of distribution, and financial policies. The key is to choose a variable or variables that so divide the market that customers in a segment respond similarly to some aspect of the marketers strategy.The variable should be measurable; that is, it should represent an objective value, such as income, rate of consumption, or frequency of buying, not simply a qualitative viewpoint, such as the degree of customer happiness. Also, the variable should create segments that may be accessible through promotion. Even if it is feasible to measure happiness, segments based on the happiness variable cannot be reached by a specific promotional medium. Finally, segments should be substantial in size; that is, they should be sufficiently large to warrant a separate marketing effort. Once segments have been formed, the next strategic issue is deciding which segment should be selected. The selected segment should comply with the following conditions: 1. It should be one in which the maximum differential in competitive strategy can be developed. 2. It must be capable of being isolated so that competitive advantage can be preserved. 3. It must be valid even though imitated. The success of Volkswagen in the United States in 19 60 can be attributed to its fit into a market segment that had two unique characteristics. First, the segment served by VW could not be adequately served by a modification to conventional U.S. cars. Second, U.S. manufacturers economies of scale could notbe brought to bear to the disadvantage of VW. In contrast, American Motors was equally successful in identifying a special segment to serve with its compact car, the Rambler. The critical difference was that American Motors could not protect that segment from the superior scale of manufacturing volume of the other three U.S. automobile producers. The choice of strategically critical segments is not straightforward. It requires careful evaluation of business strengths as compared with the competition. It also requires analytical marketing research to uncover market segments in which these competitive strengths can be significant. Rarely do market segments conveniently coincide with such obvious categories as religion, age, profession, or family income; or, in the industrial sector, with the size of company. For this reason, market segmentation is emphatically not a job for statisticians.
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Rather, it is a task that can be mastered only by the creative strategist. For example, an industrial company found that the key to segmenting customers is by the phase of the purchase decision process that they experienced. Accordingly, three segments were identified: (a) first-time prospects, (b) novices, and (c) sophisticates. These three segments valued different benefits, bought from different channels, and carried varying impressions of providers. A technology-consulting firm, Forrester Research Inc., separates people into ten categories: fast forwards, techno -strivers, hand-shakers, new age nurturers, digital hopefuls, traditionalists, mouse potatoes, gadget -grabbers, media junkies, and sidelined citizens. For example, Fast forwards own on an average 20 technology products per household. Several of their clients have found this kind of classification useful in identify ing segments to serve. Market segmentation has recently undergone several changes. These include: 16 Increased emphasis on segmentation criteria that represent softer data such as attitudes and needs. This is the case in both consumer and business -to-business marketing. Increased awareness that the bases of segmentation depend on its purpose. Forexample, the same bank customers could be segmented by account ownershipprofiles, attitudes towards risk-taking, and socioeconomic variables. Each segmentation could be useful for a different purpose, such as product cross -selling, preparation of advertising messages, and media selection. A move towards letting the data speak for themselves, that is finding segmentsthrough the detection of patterns in survey or in-house data. So-called data mining methods have become much more versatile over the past decade. Greater usage of hybrid segmentation methods. For example, a beer producermight first segment consumers according to favorite brand. Then, wit hin each brand group, consumers could be further segmented according to similarities inattitudes towards beer drinking, occasions where beer is consumed, and so on. A closer connection between segmentation methods and new product development. Computer choice models (using information about the attribute trade -offs that consumers make) can now find the best segments for a given productprofile or the best product profile for a given market segment. The growing availability of computer models (based on conjoint data) to find optimal additions to product lines products that best balance the possibility ofcannibalization of current products with competitive draw. Research on dynamic product/segment models that consider the possibility ofcompetitive retaliation. Such models examine a companys vulnerability to competitivereactions over

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the short term and choose product/segment combinations that are most resistant to competitive encroachment. The development of pattern -recognition and consumer-clustering methods that seek segments on the basis of data but also respect managerial constraints onminimal segment size and managerial weightings of selected clustering variables. The development of flexible segmentations that permit the manager to loosena clustering based only on buyer needs (by shifting a small number of people between clusters); the aim might be to increase the predictability of some external criterion, such as household profitability to a company, say, selling mutual funds.

Customer service

Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. According to Turban et al. (2002), Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation." Its importance varies by products, industry and customer; defective or broken merchandise can be exchanged, often only with a receipt and within a specified time frame. Retail stores will often have a desk or counter devoted to dealing with returns, exchanges and complaints, or will perform related functions at the point of sale; the perceived success of such interactions being dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest, "according to Micah Solomon quoted inInc. Magazine. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. A customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer has of the organization. Some have argued that the quality and level of customer service has decreased in recent years, and that this can be attributed to a lack of support or understanding at the executive and middle management levels of a corporation and/or a customer service policy. To address this argument, many organizations have employed a variety of methods to improve their customer satisfaction levels, and other KPIs.

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Types of customer service:

There are 8 Types of Customer Service

1. High Touch Customer Service This is a popular style of customer service in high -end stores. Theres a well refined script that involves approaching customers when they enter and saying something they can agree with (e.g. isnt it a nice day?), wandering off and straightening things, then watching them and re-approaching when they express interest in something and proceeding with a soft sell. When done correctly this leads to great experiences for customers and companies. . 2. Low Touch Customer Service

Customer service characterised by a low level of personal contact with customers, low touch customer service is primarily automated or provided by vending machines, such as automatic telling machines at banks, self-service petrol pumps at garages, etc. 3. Bad Touch Customer Service Employees are in the store but are not helpful. They follow you around and try to make sales but dont actually have the information or authority to provide good service. This is often the result of commission based pay for medium to low priced go ods. Making returns is impossible, and customer loyalty takes a back seat to this weeks sales. 4. Transparent Customer Service You can see exactly how things are working and are welcome to manage things at thelevel you like. San Francisco Taquerias (and Subway) work like this: you can see all the food being prepared, and you can talk to the customer service person the whole time and get your burrito exactly how you like it (super veggie, black beans, no onion, tomato, or cilantro, green salsa, extra avocado). 5. Understanding but Inflexible Customer Service This is sometimes a hard one to spot. The customer service person listens to you, tries to understand your problem, acknowledges how frustrating it is, then tells you that the
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company is prepared to do absolutely nothing to remedy the situation. Some of my better Verizon experiences were with senior customer service people who would listen to me and talk with me for as long as I wanted, then do nothing. It actually made me feelbetter to be heard, even though I knew it was just a trick. 6. Clueless Customer Service This one is frighteningly common, especially in call centers. The Customer Service person is given no training whatsoever, and is generally reading from a set script . They dont work for the company, dont understand the product, dont use the product, and are primarily judged by how fast they can get you off the phone. You can never get the same person twice, so you have to re-describe your problem to each person. If your question is outside the set scripts they can do literally nothing for you. 7. Evil Customer Service The goal is to trick customers into paying more or agreeing to something by using extremely specific language and refusing to stop talking. It sounds like theyre saying one thing when theyre actually saying another. Rather than doing what you ask they bully you into doing what the company wants. 8. Perfect Customer Service The perfect customer service is one which results in customers advocates for the company, creating referral, retention and profitable growth. becomin g

 5 tips of perfect customer service

I.

Your customer service representatives are more valuablethan the customer service they provide. If you think that by paying them low wages, giving no benefits and no bonuses and providing little or no training you would expect them to give their best performance, then you are mistaken. A happy customer service repr esentative usually means that they will keep your customers happy as well.

II.

Your sales representative will treat your customers they same way you will treat them. The employees tend to adopt the manners of their management, the same way they take after their parents. If you would address your employees

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enthusiastically everyday day; so would they to the customers. When a customer complains of your representatives being rude, then the fault lies at your feet.

III.

You should know your customers inside out. We all want to feel special and important. When we go to a shop, we want to be called out by our name and the representative should remember important things about us like what our favourite colour is, what our favourite meal is or what our favourite drink is . A customer service representative should know all this about his customer, if the customer comes on regular basis. Do your customers know who you are? You should be so good in dealing with customers that if they see you in the market they should call youout by name. It is often seen in some firms and organizations that they put their managers and employees pictures on the main offices or store entrances so that the customers would know the face of the person who is in charge. This can increase the confid ence they have in your company by associating a human face with your company. For excellent customers, be prepared to go the extra mile. If a customer is regular and brings in steady money, you should make every effort to retain them. Details like thank you notes, birthday cards and gifts will go a long way to insure they stay a customer.

v.

vi.

Customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction, a term frequently used in marketing, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is defined as "the number of customers, or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services exceeds specified satisfaction goals. Within organizations, customer satisfaction ratings can have powerful effects. They focus employees on the importance of fulfilling customers expectations. Furthermore, when these ratings dip, they warn of problems that can affect sales and profitability. These metrics quantify an important dynamic. When a brand has loyal customers, it gains positive word-of-mouth marketing, which is both free and highly effective. In researching satisfaction, firms generally ask customers whether their product or service has met or exceeded expectations. Thus, expectations are a key factor behind satisfaction. When customers have high expectations and the reality falls short, they will
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be disappointed and will likely rate their experience as less than satisfying. For this reason, a luxury resort, for example, might receive a lower satisfaction rating than a budget moteleven though its facilities and service would be deemed superior in absolute terms.

Purpose to know customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction provides a leading indicator of consumer purchase intentions and loyalty. Customer satisfaction data are among the most frequently collected indicators of market perceptions. Their principal use is twofold
1. Within organizations, the collection, analysis and dissemination of these data send a

message about the importance of tending to customers and ensuring that they have a positive experience with the companys goods and services

2. Although sales or market share can indicate how well a firm is performing currently,

satisfaction is an indicator of how likely it is that the firms customers will make further purchases in the future. Much research has focused on the relationship between customer satisfaction and retenti on. Studies indicate that the ramifications of satisfaction are most strongly realized at the extremes. On a five -point scale, individuals who rate their satisfaction level as 5 are likely to become return customers and might even evangelize for the firm . (A second important metric related to satisfaction is willingness to recommend. This metric is defined as "The percentage of surveyed customers who indicate that they would recommend a brand to friends." When a customer is satisfied with a product, he or she might recommend it to friends, relatives and colleagues. This can be a powerful marketing advantage.) Individuals who rate their satisfaction level as 1, by contrast, are unlikely to return. Further, they can hurt the firm by making negative comment s about it to prospective customers. Willingness to recommend is a key metric relating to customer satisfaction.

Measuring customer satisfaction

Organizations need to retain existing customers while targeting non -customers. Measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication on of how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace. Customer satisfaction is measured at the individual level, but it is almost always reported at an aggregate level. It can be, and often is, measured along various dimensions. A hotel, for example, might ask customers to rate their experience with its front desk and check -in service, with the room, with the amenities in the room, with the restaurants, and so on.
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Additionally, in a holistic sense, the hotel might ask about overall satisfaction with your stay. As research on consumption experiences grows, evidence suggests that consumers purchase goods and services for a combination of two types of benefits: hedonic and utilitarian. Hedonic benefits are associated with the sensory and experiential attributes of the product. Utilitarian benefits of a product are associated with the more instrumental and functional attributes of the product (Batra and Athola 1990) Customer satisfaction is an ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service to product/service. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables which correlate with satisfaction behaviours such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other options the customer may have and other products against which the customer can compare the organization's products.

Factors affecting customer satisfaction:

 Factors influencing customer satisfaction: Marketing researchers have identified four distinct factors, which influence the customer satisfaction, which are as follows:

I.

Product: Basic design: How familiar designers are with customer needs, what incentives drive the designing, manufacturing and quality control.

II.

Sales activity: What messages the company sends out in its advertising and promotion programmers, how it chooses and monitors its sales force / intermediaries, and the attitudes that it projects to the customer. The figure 2 is a classical example of positive messages sent to customer through its promotion.

III.

After- sales: Guarantees, parts and service, feedback, complaints, handling, and overall responsiveness to a customer with a problem.

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IV.

Culture: Intrinsic values and beliefs of the firm as well as the tangible and intangible symbols and systems it uses to initial these into employee behavior at all levels.

Marketers when studying satisfaction must understa nd that a distinction has to be made between ones core product offering and ones supplements (or sometimes called value added service).

 Chart showing the factors influencing customer satisfaction:

Product

After-sales

Customer satisfaction

Sales activity

Culture

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Retail in India
Retailing consists of those business activities involved in the sale of goods and services to consumers for their personal, family, or household use. Retailing comprises of four elements customer orientation, coordinated effort, value-driven, and goal orientation. The word "Retail" originates from a French-Italian word. Retailer - someone who cuts off or sheds a small piece from something. Retailing is the set of activities that markets products or services to final consumers for their own personal or household use. It does this by organizing their availability on a relatively large scale and supplying them to customers on a relatively small scale. Retailer is a Person or Agent or Agency or Companyor Organization who is instrumental in reaching the Goods or Merchandise or Services to the End User or Ultimate Consumer. The topic customer satisfaction at shoppers stop present in any retail store greatly influences the customer satisfaction level a nd the customer perception towards that store. Merchandising is one of the hot issue in todays retail competition world which is very important for all the retail store to follow that. This study was done to know that, do shoppers stop is really satisfying with its merchandising Mix to the customers and also to find out how the store envirnoment influences the shopping behaviour of the customer and to know which section in the shoppers stop have good merchandising mix and to know how the store environment can be improved.

Indian Retail Industry : Indian retail industry is the largest industry in India, with an employment of around 8% and
contributing to over 10% of the country's GDP. Retail industry in India is expected to rise 25% yearly being driven by strong income growth, changing lifestyles, and favorable demographic patterns. It is expected that by 2016 modern retail industry in India will be worth US$ 175 - 200 billion. India retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries with revenue expected in 2007 to amount US$ 320 billion and is increasing at a rate of 5% yearly. A further increase of 7-8% is expected in the industry of retail in India by growth in consumerism in urban a reas, rising incomes, and a steep rise in rural consumption. It has further been predicted that the retailing industry in India will amount to US$ 21.5 billion by 2010 from the current size of US$ 7.5 billion. Shopping in India has witnessed a revolution with the change in the consumer buying behavior and the whole format of shopping also altering. Industry of retail in India which has
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become modern can be seen from the fact that there are multi - stored malls, huge shopping centers, and sprawling complexes which offer food, shopping, and entertainment all under the same roof. Indian retail industry is expanding itself most aggressively; as a result a great demand for real estate is being created. Indian retailers preferred means of expansion is to expand to other regions and to increase the number of their outlets in a city. It is expected that by the end of 2010, India may have 600 new shopping centers. In the Indian retailing industry, food is the most dominating sector and is growing at a rate of 9 % annually. The branded food industry is trying to enter the India retail industry and convert Indian consumers to branded food. Since at present 60% of the Indian grocery basket consists of non- branded items. Indian retail industry is progressing well an d for this to continue retailers as well as the Indian government will have to make a combined effort. Indian retailing industry has seen phenomenal growth in the last five years. Organized retailing has finally emerged from the shadows of unorganized reta iling and is contributing significantly to the growth of Indian retail sector. The India Retail Sector Analysis report helps clients to analyze the opportunities and factors critical to the success of retail industry in India. Indian retail industry is going through a transition phase. Most of the retailing in our country is still in the unorganized sector. The spread out of the retails in US andIndia shows a wide gap between the two countries. Though retailing in India is undergoing an exponential growth, the road ahead is full of challenges.

KEY CHALLENGES:
 Location  Pricing  Merchandise  Target audience

Types of Indian retail

   

Convenient stores Specialty stores Super markets Hyper markets

   

Branded stores Departmental stores Discount stores Shopping markets

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CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

27

 Statement of the problem

While it is critical to be in sync with the overall business objectives of the organization, it is also critical to be in tune with information requirements of users, and the value they find in services provided by the Info Center.

In order to be perceived as integral assets to their organizations, most information professionals are concerned with expanding their activities, and serving more customers better. Building on a loyal customer or user base is the best an d easiest way to grow your business. Just as companies find it costs approximately five times more to acquire new customers than it costs to keep a customer, Info Centers will find it most cost effective to grow by building on the services now provided to loyal, committed customers. To continue earning that customer loyalty, information professionals must keep tabs on the satisfaction levels and perceptions of value held by Info Center users. Strategies to develop new business should always be balanced by s trategies to retain existing business and ensure ongoing satisfaction of existing customers.

There are also real bottom-line reasons for measuring customer satisfaction. Positive results from customer satisfaction studies will make a strong statement in support of continued funding for Info Center activities.

 Need for studying customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction provides a leading indicator of consumer purchase intentions and loyalty. Customer satisfaction data are among the most frequently coll ected indicators of market perceptions. There was a time when customers were less critical and vocal if not totally satisfied when dealing with a business. This is not the case today. Today, customers are becoming increasingly more demanding, less to learnt and very critical when not having their expectations met. There was a time when the choices available on where and who to deal with was limited. The power belonged to the business owner, customers had nowhere else to go and therefore customer satisfaction was not so important. Today, customers have lots of choice on where and who to dealwith. As a result the power has now shifted to the customer. If they feel you can not satisfy their expectations they will simply vote with their feet and deal with someone who will satisfy their needs.
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 Methodology

I.

Primary source of data

Personal interaction with customers Structured questionnaire

II.

Secondary source of data

 Websites of shoppers stop

www.corporate.shoppersstop.com www.shoppersstop.com www.scribd.com

Other retail related websites

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CHAPTER 3 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

30

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Merchandise mix and the store envirnoment present in any retail store greatly influences the customer satisfaction level and the customer perception towards that store.Merchandising is one of the hot issue in todays retail competition world which is very important for all the retail store to follow that. This study was done to know that, do customers are really satisfied with the merchandising Mix present in the Shoppers stop and also to find out how the store envirnoment influences the shopping behaviour of the customer and to know which section in the Shoppers stop have good merchandising mix and knows how the store environment can be improved.

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CHAPTER - 4 COMPANY PROFILE

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Company profile

Shopperss Stop

In general satisfaction is a persons feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his/her expectations. If the performance falls short of expectations, the c onsumer is dissatisfied. If the performance matches the expectations the customer is satisfied. Shoppers stop is not just another hypermarket. It caters to every need of your family style. Where Shoppers stop scores over other stores is its value for money proposition for the Indian customers. Shoppers stop was founded by K. Raheja group in the year 1991. At Shoppers stop, you will definitely get the best products at the best pricesthats what we guarantee. With the ever increasing array of private labels, it has opened the doors into the world of fashion and general merchandise including home furnishings, utensils, crockery, cutlery, sports goods and much more at prices that will surprise you. And this is just the beginning. Shoppers stop plans to add much more to complete your shopping experience. The foundation of Shoppers' Stop was laid on October 27, 1 991 by the K. Raheja group of companies, one of India's biggest hospitality and real estate players. The Group crossed yet another milestone with its lifestyle venture-Shoppers' Stop. With its immense expertise in the service industry and creditability, Shoppers' Stop today boasts of 37 retail outlets across the country and is planning to spread its wings with futuristic expansion plans to meet the challenges of the retail industry. A benchmark for the Indian retail industry to follow, Shoppers' Stop has progressed from a single brand shop to a Fashion & Lifestyle store for the families. Shoppers' Stop is a household name, known for its superior quality products, services and above all, a complete shopping experience. Shoppers' Stop was the first to redefine shopping experience and creating a niche for itself in the service industry. As India's first specialty chain with outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Chennai, Shoppers' Stop offers a complete range of garments and accessories for the entire family. More than 35,000 walk into Shoppers Stop everyday to feel the experience of shopping. Andheri was the first store to be opened in India. The initiative of this store was taken by B.S.Nagesh at a time when the concept of retail industry was just coming into the market. As on today, th e current investors in Shoppers Stop are ICICI, IL&FS Investments and Zodiac clothing. Their combined shareholding in Shoppers Stop is 19% while 79% is held by Raheja Group &
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balance 2% is held by its employees. It has more than 1.5 million loyal customers. The total turnover of Shoppers stop is Rs.1400 crore with worth totalasset of Rs.500 crore. Total 45 store were target to opened till last year including present 37 stores.

Corporate profile: Vision:

To be a global retailer in India & maintain no.1 position in Indian market in Department Store Category.

Mission:
Nothing but the best

To strive & achieve nothing but the best in terms of processes, practices & deliverables.

Values:
The following values help Shoppers Stop in achieving its mission & vision:  We shall not take what is not ours  The Obligation to Dissent (against a viewpoint that is not acceptable)  We shall have an environment conducive to openness  We shall believe in innovation  We shall have an environment conducive to development  We shall have the willingness to apologize and/or forgive  We shall respect our customer's rights  We shall be fair.

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Tagline:
Start something new

Board of Directors:

Mr. Chandru L. Raheja Chairman and Non-Executive Director Mr. Chandru L. Raheja, 70, is the Chairman and Non -Executive Director of our Company. He is a law graduate from Mumbai. Mr. Raheja has extensive experience with the real estate, hospitality and retail industries across India.

Mr. Ravi C. Raheja Non-Executive Director Mr. Ravi C. Raheja, 39, is the Non-Executive Director of our Company. He is a management graduate from London Business School. Designated as the Group President at the K. Raheja Corp, Mr. Raheja has over 18 years industry experience with special focus on the groups

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Mr. Neel Raheja Non-Executive Director Mr. Neel Raheja, 36, is the Non-Executive Director of our Company. He is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Masters in Commerce and Law Graduate from Mumbai University and has over 15 years of experience in real estate development, hospitality and retail.

Mr. B. S. Nagesh Customer Care Associate, Vice Chairman and Non-Executive Director Mr. B. S. Nagesh, 52, is the Vice Chairman and Non-Executive Director of our Company. He holds a degree of Masters in Management Studies from the Benares Hindu University. He has been with our Company since its inception in 1991.

Mr. Gulu L. Mirchandani Independent and Non-Executive Director Mr. Gulu L. Mirchandani, 67, is the Independent and Non -Executive Director of our Company. He is an alumnus of BITS, Pilani and holds a degree in BE (Mechanical). Mr. Mirchandani presently serves as the chairman and managing director of Mirc Electr onics Limited.
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Mr. Shahzaad Dalal Independent and Non-Executive Director Mr. Shahzaad Dalal, 52, is the Independent and Non -Executive Director of our Company. He is a Management Graduate from Northeast Louisiana University (USA). He is the Vice Chairman of IL&FS Investment Managers Limited (IIML) one of Indias leading Private Equity Fund Managers.

Prof. Nitin J. Sanghavi Independent and Non-Executive Director Prof. Nitin J. Sanghavi, 62, is the Independent and Non -Executive Director of our Company. He holds Bachelors in Science from Saurashtra University, Masters in Science and PhD in Retail Franchising from The University of Manchester.

Mr. Deepak Ghaisas Independent and Non-Executive Director

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Mr. Deepak Ghaisas, 53, is the Independent and Non-Executive Director of our Company. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant and Company Secretary. He leads strategy development, visioning and conceptualisation of breakthrough business models for Gencoval Group,

Mr. Nirvik Singh Independent and Non-Executive Director Mr. Nirvik Singh, 46, is the Independent and Non-Executive Director of our Company. He is a post graduate from St. Xaviers College, Kolkata. Mr. Singh brings to our board his keen sense of marketing communications.

Mr. Govind Shrikhande Customer Care Associate & Managing Director Mr. Govind Shrikhande, 50, is the Managing Director of our Company. He is a graduate of Technology from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Mumbai, and is a management graduate from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune. Mr. Shrikhande has been with our Company for more than ten years

Business Partners:
Launched as India's premier retail chain for branded apparel and accessories, Shoppers' Stop has systematically progressed from only branded apparel to private label garments to home furnishings, and finally into books and music - all focused on our customers' lifestyle requirements and aspirations. In 2000, SSL diversified into Bookstore Retailing by acquiring
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51% stake in Crossword which it later increased to 100% in 2005. SSL has also ventured into various categories like cosmetics through MAC, mother an d infant care through Mothercare, home solutions through Home Stop, food and beverages (F&B) through Brio andDesi Caf, gaming and entertainment through Timezone, Ladies non-apparel and accessories through its luxury format, Arcelia, and into airport retailing through its 50:50 joint venture (JV) with the Nuance group. SSL also has 19% stake in the hyper -mart format of HyperCity and has plans to increase it by 51% by end of June-2010.

 Shopperss Stores sister store are:

Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social interaction where authors and poets hold court, where children are regaled, where people gravitate to be informed, to be entertained, even enlightened. The name embodies the vision of Crossword as a place and space for people who seek information, knowledge or just the pleasure of reading. Crossword stocks the widest range of Books Movies- Music- Toys- Stationery- Magazines and CD ROMs. With its large childrens section and its focus on making the store a friendly, safe, fu n-filled place, Crossword attracts many families who normally dont think of visiting bookstores. Services like Dial-a-book, Fax-a-book and Email-a-book enable customers to shop from their homes; and when they come to the store, the unobtrusively helpful t saffs assist them in finding the right book, the right CD or the right gift for the right occasion. Facilities like the Crossword Gift Vouchers, the friendly Return, Exchange & Refunds policy, the Cafes within the stores and the unique store experience m ake it easy and enjoyable for customers to shop at Crossword. Over 2.5 lacs loyal customers are rewarded through the Crossword Book Rewards Program with points, discounts, exclusive discounts & offers and more. eWords, a monthly e-newsletter with reviews of new books, news about in store events and bestseller lists, is currently mailed to these Members. Among the numerous writers who have visited the store are Sir V S Naipaul, Arundhati Roy, Vikram Chandra, Vikram Seth, Kiran Nagarkar, Kiran Desai, Amit av Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Shobhaa De, Charles Handy, Ricardo Semler and Jack Canfield. Crossword bookstores also promote the reading habit among children with a weekly activity every Sunday morning across various stores. Promotional events include Pictiona ry contests, quizzes, slide shows and the annual affair with Santa and his elves. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull came for a
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signing, so did Macho Man Randy Savage, the WWF champion. Crossword also launched the Crossword Book Award in 1998 to recognise and rew ard the best of Indian writing. Since its inception in 15th October 1992, Crossword has received wide recognition for its achievements; articles on retailing in India invariably feature Crossword. It has been featured in Advertising Age International, USA, as one of the Marketing Superstars for 1994. The Bookseller, UK, has also described it as being on the cutting edge of retailing in India. Crossword was ranked the 6th most admired retailer in India by Business world for the year 2006; it was the only book retailer in the top 10. Crossword won the Reid & Taylor Award for Best Retailer of the year Leisure & Specialty at the India Retail Summit 2005 & 2007& 2009. Crossword won the Retailer of the Year Award - Leisure (Books, Music and Gifts Category) at the Images Retail Awards 2005 & 2007 & 2010. Crossword received the Federation of Indian Publishers Award for excellence in Publishing for the year 2004 on 18th June 2005 at the hands of Shri Arjun Singh, Minister of Human Resource Development. Crossword, with Sixty three stores, across Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Bengalooru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune & Vadodara is Indias fastest growing chain of bookstores.

HomeStop is a complete home solution chain offering design, style, quality, convenience and value to the consumer. HomeStop provides high quality products required for homes with a deeper product assortment. HomeStop, the first of its kind of premium home concept store from Shoppers Stop Ltd is the destination to transform your dream house into a reality. Presently in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai & Navi Mumbai. HomeStop offers a choicest range of home products to give your house that unique look and feel you always wan ted. From the kitchen to the dining room, the bathroom to the drawing room, HomeStop has everything that will add a special touch and exclusivity to your space. It is one -stop-shop for all your home needs ranging from home decor to furniture & recliners , bath accessories to bedroom furnishings, mattress to draperies, carpets, kitchen accessories and appliances to modular kitchen, health equipment and anything else one can think of.
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HomeStop houses some of the most reputed national and international brand s under one roof. High end crockery from Corelle, premium steel utensils from Magpie and Art dnox, exclusive down feather pillows and fine bedding, bed linen and furnishing from Stop, Ivy, Fern, Portico, Maspar, Bombay Dyeing and home appliances from Ph illips and Morphy Richards, bathroom linen from Welspun.

Brio makes Shoppers Stop Ltd foray into Food and Beverage which was a step towards franchised coffee bars . Brio the cafe bistro is designed provides customers a place to relax, revive and reflect. It has a classic yet sophisticated ambiance. Brio has 20 outlets in select cities. Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), the retail division of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading (ABCTL), has signed an MoU with Shoppers Stop to run its BRIO outlets.

Desi Caf and their operations have been taken over by Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), the retail division of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading (ABCTL), has signed an MoU with Shoppers Stop to run its Desi Cafe outlets.

Hyper City provides customers a wide variety of range of products for shopping in a large and modern retail environment. It offers a contemporary range of products, sourced from both local and international markets. The product range covers: Foods and Groc ery, Home ware, Home Entertainment, Hi-Tech, Appliances, Furniture, Sports, Toys & Fashion.

Shopper s Stop Ltd. has ventured into catalogue Stores, call and collect stores, internet retail website and telephone orders through its subsidiary, Gateway M ultichannel Retail (India) Limited under the name of HyperCITY-Argos . Currently there are 5 stores operating at Thane.

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MAC (Make-up Art Cosmetics), a leading brand of professional cosmetics, was created in Toronto, Canada in 1984 to support the spec ial needs of professional makeup artists a collection of colors, products and tools that meet the demanding lighting and studio conditions under which the pros work. The companys popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from makeup artists, models, photographers and journalists around the world. MAC opened its first location in India in 2005 and is now available in thirteen stores nation-wide. M.A.C. and Shoppers Stop Ltd. entered into a non exclusive retail agreement with cosmetics major Estee Lauder to open up M.A.C. Cosmetics stores in India. M.A.C. Makeup-Art Cosmetics - the professional brand of choice, is the first brand under the Estee lauder Group of Companies portfolio to enter the Indian retail market. Currently there are 9 M.A.C.

arcelia
Arcelia is a new retail concept aiming at the growing accessories and cosmetics segment, with a strong emphasis on experience and indulgence and primarily caters to discerning women shoppers. It retails cosmetics, fragrances, fine jewelry, footwear, handbags.

If mom knows best, heres something that will help her make an informed choice. Mothercare PLC is the largest specialist retailer for infant and toddler care. In a short span Mothercare has 21 stores across 7 cities in India, namely - Mumbai (7), Pune (2), Hyderabad (3), Bangalore (2), Chennai, Jaipur (1), Delhi & NCR and (4) Kolkata. .Mothercare stocks a variety of products for mothers and their babies, toddlers and children till eight years of age the focus being on style, function and safety. Renowned for its uniformly high standards of quality worldwide, Mothercare also offers a wide range of the safest and the most
42

comfortable, yet trendy maternity products. Its products for would -be moms include maternity nightwear, pregnancy and labour essentials, literature and even swimwear. For new mothers, the products have been divided into four categories newborns 0-3 months, infants 3-18 months, toddlers 18-36 months and kids 3-8 years. There are pushchairs, car seats and travel equipment, nursery furniture, cots & cribs, you name it. Here, one can also find bedding, mattresses, highchairs, clothing & shoes, bathing & changing products, child safety products and not to mention, books & toys too. In fact, one can safely ass ume that there is no baby care and maternity product that you will not find in here.

Nuance Group with Shoppers Stop makes an entry into airport retailing. The alliance is marked with a joint venture with The Nuance Group AG of Switzerland, the worldsleading airport retailer. Shopper's Stop Ltd. is handling the retail operations at the duty free zones in international terminals. The joint venture company, called Nuance Group (India) Private Limited. is operating outlets at the International airports atBengaluru and Hyderabad.

Time zone Shoppers Stop forayed into the Entertainment sector by acquiring 45% stake in Timezone Entertainment Private Limited which is in the business of setting up and operating Family Entertainment Centers (FECs). It has 5 outlets in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai.

Clinique
In 1967, Carol Phillips had been an editor at Vogue magazine for more than 25 years. Always looking to provide extra service to her readers. Carol had met with Dr. Norman Orentreich for an article entitled Can Great Skin Be Created? At the time the predominant attitude toward skincare was to cover ra ther than care. This groundbreaking article actually helped transform the beauty industry; telling people that great skin actually could be created with the proper products and care. Soon after the article was published she and Dr. Orentreich were challenged by Leonard Lauder to create a Allergy Tested, 100% Fragrance Free line of skin care customized for peoples specific needs. The result was Clinique which was based upon the groundbreaking 3 -Step Skin Care System.
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Clinique operates Five stores in India today; We have two freestanding stores in: Delhi, select city walk Saket and Mumbai Palladium Mall. In Addition we have Clinique counters in Gurgaon, Shoppers stop Inorbit Mall andOasis center, Bangalore. Every Clinique counter and store offers Free skincare and make up consultations as well as a range of Dermatologist developed, allergy tested, 100% fragrance free products custom fit to the Indian skin needs for both Male and Female.

Estee Lauder

When Estee Lauder established her beauty business in 1946, she had four products and a mission to show as many women as I can reach not only how to be beautiful but stay beautiful. Over 60 years later, Estee Lauder, the flagship brand of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., has fulfilled countless womens dreams to look and feel beautiful. The brand is a global leader in skincare, makeup and fragrance and is renowned for high -quality, innovative and technologically advanced products.Estee Lauder currently has three freestanding stores in India located in Mumbai in the Palladium at Lower Parel, New Delhi at Select City Walk, Saket and UB City in Bangalore. All locations feature the brands best selling products around the globe as well as products chosen specif ically for Indian consumers. Key global products include Est & eacute;e Lauders Re -Nutriv luxury skin care line, Time Zone and Perfectionist CP+. Iconic products such as Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex, Double Wear Stay -In-Place Foundation and fragrances including Est & eacute;e Lauder classic range of Private Collection perfumes, Pleasures and Pure White Linen are all available in India.

Customer Profile Shoppers Stops customers fall between the age group of 16 years to 35years, the majority of them being families and young couples with a monthly household income above Rs. 20000 and an annual spend of Rs.15000. A large number of Non- Resident Indians visit the shop for cultural clothes in the international environment they are used to which means people from abroad are also interested in shopping in Shoppers stop. Their target customers are upper middle class and upper class.

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Customer Rewards Shoppers Stops customer loyalty program is called The First Citizen

. The program offers its members an opportunity to collect points and avail of special benefits. Currently, ShoppersStop has a database of over 2.5 lakh members who contribute to nearly 65% of the total sales of Shoppers Stop. They also offer a co -branded credit card with Citibank for their members. The Company has pioneered Indias first retail loyalty program - First Citizens. The First Citizens base grew from 781,000 to 10, 13,000 over customers in this year. During the current year, the First Citizens contributed 65% of the Companys annual sale s. The First Citizen program has 3 tiers - Classic Moments (entry level), Silver Edge and Golden Glow. Members fall into the various tiers on the basis of their spends with the company. First Citizens also earn differential reward basis on their current t ier of membership. First Citizens receive: Reward points on all their spends. Reward points can be redeemed for a wide variety of merchandise at Shoppers Stop. Exclusive schemes, benefits and promotions. Extended and exclusive shopping hours - specially during the festive season. Special previews before the sale periods. Invitations to exclusive events - both in-store as well as those organized outside the stores. Home delivery of altered merchandise. Exclusive First Citizens lounge at select stores to relax after hectic shopping. First Citizens always stay updated with all details pertaining to their membership as well as the best of offers and privileges available, through a unique service launched last year- First Citizens First Through this service First Citizens get all the information that they want on their mobile phones simply by sending an SMS. In the coming year your Company proposes to announce some ground breaking programs for its First Citizens which will not only enhance front end sales but will also strengthen customer loyalty for the company.
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International Affiliations: Shoppers Stop is the only retailer from India to become a member of the prestigious Intercontinental Group of Departmental Stores (IGDS). The IGDS consists of 29 experienced retailers from all over the world, which include established stores like Selfridges (England), Karstadt (Germany), Shanghai No. 1 (China), Matahari (Indonesia), Takashimaya (Japan), C K Tang (Singapore), Manor (Switzerland) and Lamcy Plaza (Dubai). This membership is restricted to one member organization per country/region.

Objective of Shoppers Stop: Their main objective is to make their customer satisfy and then profit through sales, employee added after all every organization works to earn money which is possible through good sales and if our customers are not satisfy then it will be difficultfor us. So we put our effort on retaining our customers because retaining old customers is more profitable than making new customers. And if we analyze this statement then we come to know that their 65% of their customers are their first citizen customers. Today people goes for variety and shoppers stop is doing that, they offer total 250 brands to their customers which act as their strength and help them retaining as well as making new customers. They believe in producing quality so they offer quality prod ucts basically international brands like Louis Phillip, Black Berry, Police, DKNY, Ferrari, etc. Shoppers Stop aims to position itself as a global retailer. The company intends to bring the worlds best retail technology, retail practices and sales to India. Currently, they are adding 4 to 5 new stores every year Types of Retail Outlets: Shoppers Stop is known as multi-Brand retail outlet because of their verity of Products. They offer various products like apparels, Accessories, Toys, Fragrances, Beaut y Products, Travelling products, Home Appliances, etc. They offer various products like Apparels, Fragrance & Beauty, Home & Travel, Gift ideas. Under this they have different Categories, Brands and Styles to offer customers. They have many other showroomsof Shoppers Stop in Delhi and NCR, so we can say that they have long chain of retail outlets. They also offer online purchasing which means that they are using new technology to increase their sales.

Brands Offered:
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Shoppers Stop retails products of domestic and international brands such as Louis Philippe, Pepe, Arrow, BIBA, Gini & Jony, Carbon, Corelle, Magppie, Nike, Reebok, LEGO, and Mattel. Shoppers Stop retails merchandise its own labels, such as STOP, Kashish, LIFE and Vettorio Fratini, Elliza Donatein, Acropolis etc. The company also licensees for Austin Reed (London), an international brand, whos mens and womens outerwear are retailed in India exclusively through the chain.

Different brands offered under each category are given as below:

APPARELS  Arrow  Louis Phillipie  Park Avenue Parx  Van Heusen  Zodiac  Stop  Caliber  Blackberries  Scullers  Givo  Orly Jewellery  Facet  Carbon  Sparkles  Tanishq FQ Musics
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 Lee  Levice  Pepe  Killer  Lee Cooper  Wrangler  Spykar  Life  Allen Solly  Provouge  Wills

 Swaroski  Gili  Oyzsterbay  Sarvoski

 Estelle

 Planet M  Music World Home Dcor  Yamini  Four Seasons  Viva  Welspun  Borosil  Corning Ware  Pedrini  Pyren

Hair Styling  Habbibs Books  Crossword Fragrances  Christian Dior  Ysl  Davidoff  Joop  Diesel  Lancaster  Nicos  Jil Sander Sunglasses  Ray Ban Watches  Casio
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 Calvin Klein  Boucheron  Police  J'del Pozo  Myrurgia  Etienne Aiger  Xm

 Esprit

 Fossil

 Titan

Shoes  Lee Cooper  Red Tape  Picasso Stores

 Stop  Life

Shoppers Stop is one of the leading retail stores in India. Shoppers Stop began by operating a chain of department stores under the name Shoppers Stop in India. Currently Shoppers Stop has thirty seven (37) stores across the country and Four stores under the name HomeStop. Shoppers Stop has also begun operating a number of specialty stores, namely Crossword Bookstores, Mothercare, Brio, Desi Cafe, Arcelia. Shoppers Stop retails a range of branded apparel and private label under the following categories of apparel, footwear, fashion jewellery, leather products, accessories and home products. These are complemented by cafe, food, entertainment, personal care and various beauty related services.

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The list of main stores are given below:

North
New Delhi  Andrew Ganj, Near south extension, Khel Gaon Marg, New Delhi-110049 Jaipur  Gauravtowers2,plot no 2, Indira palace, Malviya Nagar, Jaipur -302017. Gurgaon  Mgf, Metropolitan mall, Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, Gurgaon, Haryana

East

Kolkata
10/3 Lala Lajpatrai road (Elgin road),Kolkata -700020.

West
Andheri (Mumbai)
211-D, S.V. road, Andheri (west), Mumbai-400058.

Chembur (Mumbai)
Krushal commercial complex, M.G. Road, nr. Chembur flyover, Mumbai-400079.

Mulund(Mumbai)
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Nirmal lifestyle, L.B.S marg, Mulund (w)

Bandra (Mumbai)
Suburbia, linking road, Bandra (west), Mumbai -400050.

Kandivili(Mumbai)
41, Naman Plaza, opposite Thatai Bhatia Hall,Shanker lane, S.V. road, Kandivili (west).

Pune Wakdewadi, Mumbai-Pune highway, Shivaji nagar,Pune-411005.

South
Bangalore Raheja point, 17/2 Ashok Nagar, Magrath road, Bangalore-560025 Chennai No.2 Harrington road, Chetput, Chennai-600031.

Hyderabad Opp. Aladdin mansion, 1-22-251/1, Begumpet, Hyderabad -500016

Retail Area

Total retail area of Shoppers Stop and its various formats total s to 1.6 million sq. ft. No. of retai outlets:

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Sr. No.

Formats
Shoppers Stop HomeStop.

No. of stores

No. of cities
12

Remark

1. 2.

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03

03

3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Crossword Mothercare Hypercity Hypercity Argos

48

14

19 01 05

08 01 01 03 03 02 02 04 Airport retailing Catalogue stores

Brio 8. Desicafe 9. M.A.C 10. Arcelia 11. Nuance 12. Timezone

20 03 04 02 02 05

 Manpower
Every Shoppers Stop employee is termed as Customer Care Associate to emphasize the belief that the customer always comes first. The total number of customer care associates stands at 3754 in the year end March 31, 2011.

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Awards:
y Received the following awards from the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI): Retail Professional of the year - Mr. B.S. Nagesh (For 3 consecutive years) Advertising Campaign of the year - Shoppers Stop (For 3 consecutive years) Department Store of the Year at the Star Retailer Awards Value Retailer of the Year to HyperCITY at the Star Retailer Awards. Emerging Market Retailer of the Year at World Retail Congress Awards Mr. B. S. Nagesh has been inducted into the World Retail H all of Fame (The first Indian to be bestowed with this honour) Retail Destination of the Year at the Images Fashion Forum (For 4 consecutive years) Most Admired Retailer Technology Application at Images Retail Forum Most Admired Retailer Leisure Category to CROSSWORD at Images Retail Forum Most Admired Retailer Retail Design & Visual Merchandising to HyperCITY at Images Retail Forum Mr. B.S. Nagesh has been elevated as Vice Chairman of Shoppers Stop Ltd., Mr. Govind Shrikhande has been elevated as Customer Care Associate & President & CEO of Shoppers Stop Ltd.
August 17, 2009 y

y y y y y

y y y y
y

Shoppers Stop makes a cut at World Retail Congress 2009

April 07, 2009

Shoppers Stop Limited and Cafe Coffee Day enter into MOU
February 05, 2009

Shoppers Stop recognized as Most Respected Company in the RetailSector By Business World February 09, 2011

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Shoppers Stop First Citizen Loyalty Programme wins Customer & Brand Loyalty Award in Retail Sector at the 4TH Loyalty Summit January 28, 2011

PROMOTOR
K Raheja Corp
K Raheja Corp is a success story spanned across decades and continues to achieve higher targets relentlessly for quality performance and service in diverse fields of real realty business, hospitality sector and retailing outfits. The group has made an impact on the supply side of the modern day living. A style that has been the dream of new class of consumers, a style encompassing the whole range of consumption pattern of the young and the upcoming consumers that has become synonym with the brand K Raheja Corp. The group has pioneered the trend of setting world class hotels and convention centers across the country with enhanced facilities to meet the business and leisure needs of the international and domestic traveler. The higher standards set by the group in its pursuit to position India on par with the developed economies of the world and witha vision to be and remain at the commanding height of Real Estate Business

MARKETING STRATEGIES FOLLOWED BY SHOPPERS STOP

Shoppers Stop basically follows 2 marketing strategies: 1. Guerrilla marketing 2. Interactive marketing

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1. Guerrilla marketing is an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget. Typically, guerrilla marketing tactics are unexpected and unconventional; consumers are targeted in unexpected places, which can make the idea that's being marketed memorable, generate buzz, and even spread virally. Guerilla Marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, pr stunts, any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. More innovative approaches to Guerilla marketing now utilize cutting edge mobile digital technologies to really engage the consumer and create a memorable brand experience. Principles of guerrilla marketing Guerrilla Marketing is specifically geared for the small business and entrepreneur. It should be based on human psychology instead of experience, judgment, and guesswork. Instead of money, the primary investments of marketing should be time, en ergy, and imagination. The primary statistic to measure your business is the amount of profits, not sales. The marketer should also concentrate on how many new relationships are made each month. Create a standard of excellence with an acute focus instea d of trying to diversify by offering too many diverse products and services. Instead of concentrating on getting new customers, aim for more referrals, more transactions with existing customers, and larger transactions. Forget about the competition and concentrate more on cooperating with other businesses. Guerrilla Marketers should always use a combination of marketing methods for a campaign. Use current technology as a tool to empower your business. 2. Interactive marketing is a strategies adopted by then retailers where they allow customers to customize the product as per their preference. This strategy is mainly followed by service industries like hotels but Shoppers Stop is able to carve out this facility in a retail store. The concept that has already made a debut at Shoppers Stop outlets in Mumbai, allows customers who are referred to as guests to go through various stages of activity in creating their own teddy bear (or other stuffed toy), including choosing a stuffed animal, stuffing it, giving it a heart, stitching, fluffing, naming and dressing it. And though the toys are priced at a premium level ranging between Rs 595 and Rs 1,295 for a stuffed animal and add-ons such as sound chips, clothes and accessories coming at extra costthe interactive shopping experience also adds on an element of entertainment for young customers and can turn into a family affair as well.
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 Use of CRM, ERP & SCM at Shoppers Stop: CRM:

Retail chain Shoppers Stop Ltd, is eyeing over 50 per cent sales this year from its customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives. The company has also lined up an aggressive expansion plan targeting smaller towns and cities in the country. B.S.Nagesh, managing director and CEO of Shoppers Stop, told FE that the company has given a new direction to its CRM initiatives after it acquired a business intelligence software called Business Solutions about eight months ago. The new software helps generate intelligent data from Shoppers Stop customer base of about 2,30,000. The company then collects this data and touches base with customers via direct mailers informing them of all new promotions that is currently on and also updates them about the upcoming events. Shoppers Stop cla ims that it has taken its CRM initiatives to a new height and now calls its loyalty programmes Customer Experience Management. If we find from the data that a customer had bought a pair of trousers, we tell him about a new range of shirts that we have ju st brought into our store, says Mr. Nagesh. We are planning to open 45 outlets within year. We have identified 21 new locations including Kanpur, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ahmadabad and Indore, among others to set up these outlets, Mr. Nagesh said.

ERP:
Shoppers Stop was the first few retailers to use scanners and barcodes and completely computerize its operations. Today it is one of the few stores in India to have retail ERP (Enterprise resource planning) in place, which is the best retail planning system n i the world. With the help of the ERP, they are able to open new stores faster and get information about merchandise and customers online, which reduces the time in taking quick decision.

SCM:
Understanding the importance of distribution and logistics in ensuring that merchandise is available on the shop floors has led Shoppers Stop to streamline its supply chain. The company has developed process manuals for each part of the logistics chain. These modules include vendor management, purchase order manage ment, stock receiving systems, purchase verification and inventory buildup, fixing of price and store tags, dispatch of stocks to the retail floor and forwarding of bills for payment. If we talk about various brands then the answer is that they have a direct tie ups with different companies and companies deliver all the needed products to their door -step means deliver all the goods to every shoppers
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stop showroom. But there are some companies which do not provide them these services so for those they have their own carrier.

Controllable & Uncontrollable Factors:

Controllable & Uncontrollable factors are those which are directly or indirectly affect the retail outlet. The difference between these two factors is that one can be controlled by the retailer and another cannot be controlled. The variables which are controllable can be change according to the retailers but if we talk about uncontrollable factors then the retailer have to change him/her according to those factors. There are various Controllable &uncontrollable Factors. When we ask about these factors to the employee of Shoppers Stop, he told us the following important things:

Controllable Factors of Shoppers Stop

 Pricing  Store Location  Managing a business/workforce

Pricing
He told us that setting price of a product is in our hands. This is our decision that how much profit we want to make by selling our products. Sometimes we have to set our prices according to the competition.

Store Location
Selecting the location for the store is in the hands of retailers because before selecting the location they have to check many factors like walking traffic, competitor, parking, infrastructure, etc. They also have to decide that they want to buy the site or they will take it on rent. So after deciding all these things they reach to the final decision.

Managing a Business/Workforce

57

He told us that managing the workforce means a lot to them, because they have to decide that what type of people they need what type of training our empl oyees need, and what will be the salary of our employees .All these things can be controlled by the retailer.

Uncontrollable Factors of Shoppers Stop

 Government Policies  Seasons  Inflation Rate  Technology  Infrastructure

Government Policies
Government policies or Legal Restriction cannot be controlled and the big example of thisis sealing of illegal shops. The taxes and duties which retailers have to pay to the government.

Seasons
He told us that natural climates cannot be controlled andthey have to go according to that like in winters they have to change their theme and products also. He also told us that a sometimes season plays a negative role like in rainy season their sales goes down. So these things cannot be controlled and they can only launch new marketing strategies to attract the customers.

Inflation Rate
He told us that as we all know that now inflation rate is more that 12% so it is creating more problems for us because due to this people are getting more aware of saving mone y and due to which our sales is also affected. If we analyze the global market then we will see that every sector is going down except one or two. And retail sector is also not doing well these days. Against this we cant do anything, we can only wait.

Technology
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He told us that day by day the technology is upgrading and the problem is that the new competitor comes with new technology because of which they also have to upgrade their technology which results more expenditure, which is not good for any busi ness.

Competitors:
In India, as we analyzed we find only few competitors for Shoppers Stop & those are mainly foreign players and also Individual stores. The name of few competitors is given below:
y y y y y y Lifestyle Globus Central Pantaloons Westside Ebony

 Situational Analysis:
Situational Analysis includes current organizational mission, current ownership and management alternatives, and current goods/services category. AsI have explained above about the mission management alternatives, current products, so now hereI have done the SWOT analysis of Shoppers Stop.

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y SWOT analysis of Shoppers Stop

Strength
y y y y y Variety Range Different Brands Pioneer Loyal customer y y y y Low risk Good financial position Presence across various segments Parikrama the festival

Weakness
y Very high prices: They provide international Brands due to which their prices are very high. Less Schemes: They do not offer so much schemes, they offer schemes only on special occasions like Diwali, Independence Day, etc. Less Discounts : They offer less discount in their schemes, they basically offer 10% to 20% discount Competition from standalone stores Late entry into value retailing Store makeover expenditure

y y y

Threats
y y y y y y Government Policies Entrance of New Players High attrition Lesser consumer spending Entry of foreign players Unorganized sector
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Independent stores

Opportunities
y y y y y Awareness about the brands Quality Youngsters Higher disposable income Collaborate y y y Private levels Tier 2 & tier 3 cities Enter new segments. consumer goods

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CHAPTER 5 DATA INTERPRITATION

62

Questionnaire to the customer who shop at the store:

1. Do you frequently visit shoppers stop? Table: 1 Response Yes No No of customer 72 28

Chart 1:

Inference: From the above chart we can ascertain that majority of customers i.e., around 72% of customers frequently visits to the store and 28% of the customer visits the store rarely.

2. How frequently do you shop at shoppers stop super Centre? Table:2

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Response Every week Once in two week Once in three week Once in a month

No of customer 16 24 34 26

Chart 2:

Inference: From the above table we can analyze that the majority of the customer i.e. 34out of 100 customer visits store once in three week , followed by 26 customer once in a month. Thus we can say that majority of customer visit shoppers stop once in three week, may be during weekends. We can conclude that the customer do not visitshoppers stop for their petty daily purchase, they are visit to other stores 3. Why do you shop at shoppers stop? Table: 3

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Reason Low price Product variety Quality Location

No. of customers 42 26 08 24

Chart 3:
No. of customers, price Low price

Low , 42

Product variety
Quality

Location
No. of customers, Produc t variety, 26

No. of customers, Locati on, 24

No. of customers, Quality ,8

Inference: From the data collected we can determine that most of the customer visits the store by perception that product are low price i.e. 42% and 26% for the product variety and 24% for the location. From this we can say that shoppers stop have expand their product variety.and other 8% of the consumers are visit seeking the quality. 4. Do You feel that you find different variety of products in shoppers stop super centre? Table: 4

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Response Yes No

No of customer 69 31

Chart
No of customer No 31 31%

4:

Yes No

No of customer Yes 69 69%

Inference: From the data collected , we can conclude that majority of the customer that is 69 customer out of 100 customer said that they find different variety of product inshoppers stop and 31 customer said they dont.

5. Do you prefer private level brand to purchase?

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Table: 5 Response Yes No No of customer 57 43

Chart 5:
No of customer, es, 57
Y

No of customer, No, 43

Yes No

Inference: Here from the above pie chart, 57 customer said that they find specific brand that they look in shoppers stop and 43 customer said No, from this we can conclude thatshoppers stop have different variety of product not that much variety of product and the y have to rethink about the brand available in their store and they have to expand their brand availability. 6. How much time do you spend while shopping at shoppers stop super Centre?

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Table: 6 Response 30-60 minutes 1-2 hrs 2-3 hrs Above 3 hrs No of customer 22 18 34 26

Chart 6:
30-60 minutes 1-2 hrs No of customer Above 3 hrs 26 26%

No of customer customer,

No of

2-3 hrs Above 3 hrs

30-60 minutes , 22, 22%

No of customer 2-3 hrs 34 34%

No of customer 1-2 hrs 18 18%

Inference: From the chart , we came to know that 34 customers out of 100 customer shop up to the period of 2-3 hours and by 26 customer shop up to the duration of above 3 hrs , this means shoppers stop have more product to shop. 8. Do you agree that this store has modern-looking equipment and fixtures?

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Table: 8 Response Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neutral Somewhat agree Strongly agree Chart 8:
No of customer, Somewhat agree, Strongly disagree

No of customer 06 11 31 47 05

No of customer, Neutral, 3 1

Somewhat disagree
Neutral

Somewhat agree
Strongly agree

No of customer, Strongly disagree, 6

No of customer, Somewhat disagree, 11

No of customer, Strongly agree,

Inference: From the above chart, we get to know that most of the customer is somewhat satisfied with modern fixtures and equipment present inside theshoppers stop.

9. The store layout at this store makes it easy for customers to find what they need Table: 9

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Response Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neutral Somewhat agree Strongly agree

No of customer 18 36 26 12 08

Chart 9:

No of customer, Somewh at disagree, 36 No of customer, Neutral, 26

No of customer, Strongly disagree, 18

Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neutral Somewhat agree Strongly agree

No of customer, Somewh at agree, 12

No of customer, Strongly agree, 8

Inference : From the above that, we come to know that majority of the customer said that the store layout is not up to the mark, i.e. they are not satisfied with the store lay out present in the shoppers stop. 10. The store layout at this store makes it easy for customers to move around the store?

Response

No of customer

70

Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neutral Somewhat agree Strongly agree

No of customer, Strongly agree, 11, 11%

07 13 28 41 11

Table: 10

Chart 10
No of No of customer, Strongly customer, Somewh disagree, 7, 7% at disagree, 13, 13%

No of customer, Somewh at agree, 41, 41%

No of customer, Neutral, 28, 28%

Inference : From the data collected with this question, we come to know that may of the responses was somewhat agree that, the store layout at this store makes it easy for customers to move around the store. 11. How is the cleanliness/Hygienic of floor inside the store? Table: 11 Response Excellent Good No of customer 30 18

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Ok Bad

42 10

Chart-11
No of customer Bad 10 10%

No of customer Excellent 30 30% Excellent

No of customer Good 18 18%

No of customer Ok 42 42%

Good
Ok Bad

Inference: From the data collected with this question, 42 out of 100 customer to respond about cleaning of store is ok, 10 customer respond is bad, 30 customer is excellent, and 18 customer respond is good , the inside store cleanliness , so to improve the cleanliness inside the store,

12. How is the internal environment of the store? Table: 12 Response Excellent Good Ok Bad No of customer 42 28 20 10

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Chart-12
No of customer, Excellent, 4 2 No of customer, Good , 28 Excellent No of customer, Ok, 20 Good Ok

Bad No of customer, Bad, 10

Inference From the data collected with this question, we come to know that may of the responses most of the customers responses is excellent, the inside store environment, but still to improve the inside the store environment, 13. How do you rate shopping in the shoppers stop? Table: 13 Response good for shopping good environment inside shoppers stop Other No of customer 43 39

18

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Chart-13
No of customer, good for shopping , 43 No of customer, good environment inside shoppers stop , 39

No of customer, Other, 18

Inference : From this table and respones of the cutomer, out of 100, 43 customers are fell to enter good shopping in supercentre, 39 customers fell good enviroment inside theshoppers stop supercentre , and 18 customers fell other resons to ent er the shoppers stop.

14. Which section do you visit first when you enter shoppers stop super centre? Table: 14 Response Casual mens section Casual womens section No. of customer 46 28

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Apparel Formal section

16 10

Chart: 14

10 16

46

Casual mens section Casual womens section Apparel

28
Formal section

Out of 100 people 21 were ladies, 46% of people said they will prefer to visit casual for men section 28 people said they will prefer to visit casual for women 16 people said they will prefer to see fashion apparel

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Only 10 people who were office worker and more than 35 yr old, said they will prefer Formal section rather than other section.

CHAPTER 6
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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FINDINGS

Shoppers stop is popular because of these reasons: They provide guaranteed best products at the best prices  Wide range of fashion garment & accessories under one roof  Affordable price and good product range for middle class

CONCLUSITION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion and recommendation for shoppers stop are as follows: Shoppers stop is lacking behind in some services in which it is not considered as good as compare to competitors like stock availability, music and other facilities like snacks parlor. They can go for some innovative ideas as they have always done before. Overall shoppers stop should leverage on all its strong point and let more customerSTART SOMETHING NEW. Because after all customers are the heart and soul of business, like any other. I. II. They should introduce more schemes, discounts, sales to increase the sales. They should introduce Low rate Brands which will attract the middle class customers also or brands for masses. The stores becomes a bit messy because of a large footfall & small size of stores so they should have larger outlets They offer parking space only for the first citizen card holders which acts as a constraint for many first visitors to visit the malls. Shoppers stops competitors used aggressive medium of advertisement like television commercial ads, thus to gain a competitive advantage over the competitors Shoppers Stop should also use such medium of marketing.

III. IV. V.

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VI. VII. VIII. IX.

Always pay attentions on customers suggestions and complains Check out system should be fast Sales representative should have good product knowledge Billing system should be more fast

Bibliography and Annexure

Bibliography:
I. II. III. IV. V. www.shoppersstop.com www.corporate.shoppersstop.com www.scribd.com www.netmba.com www.google.com

Annexure:
Questionnaire

I.

II.

III.

Do you frequently visit shoppers stop? a) Yes b) No How frequently do you shop at shoppers stop? a)Every week b) Ones in two weeks c)ones in three weeks d)ones in a month Why do you shop at shoppers stop? a) Low price b) Product variety c) Quality d) Location

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IV.

V.

Do You feel that you find different brands of garment in shoppers stop? a) Yes b) No Do you prefer private level brand to purchase? a) Yes b) No

Vi. How much time do you spend while shopping shoppers stop? a) 30-60 min d) Above 3 hours b) 1-2 hours c) 2-3 hours

vii. Which section do you visit first when you enter shoppers stop super centre? a) Food b) Apparels c) House hold d) Electronic section viii. Do you agree that this store has modern-looking equipment and fixtures? a) Strongly disagree c) Neutral b) Somewhat disagree

iX. The store layout at this store makes it easy for customers to find what they need a) Strongly agree c) Somewhat agree e) neutral b) Strongly digree d) Strongly agree

X. Do you think, this store has good parking facilities? a) Yes b) No

Xi. How is the cleanliness/Hygienic of floor inside the store? a) Excellent d) Not good b) Good c) O.K

xii. Do you think, this store has good parking facilities?

a) Yes
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b) No

xiii. How do you feel about playing music inside the store when you are shopping? a) It must b) Good , can be played

c) sometimes ok

d) it is not needed

xiv. Do you agree that this store has modern-looking equipment and fixtures? a) Strongly disagree c) Somewhat agree e) Neutral b) Somewhat disagree d) Strongly agree

SALES ANALYSIS OF SHOPPERS STOP

Customer Entry The opening of new stores coupled with attractive advertising enabled the Company to attract higher number of customers in new as well as existing stores. Retailers measure entry as footfalls, which is the number of people entering the stores. This is computed through manual count in all stores during trading hours .

YEAR 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

NO. OF CUSTOMER (in millions) 12.2 14.6 18.3 19.9 25.6 30.1

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NO. OF CUSTOMER
35 30 25 20
15 10 5 0 NO. OF CUSTOMER

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

(No. of customer in million)

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Conversion Ratio:
Conversion is the ratio of the number of transactions (Cash Memo) versus the total customer entry into the stores. Tracking conversion helps the retailer understand the productivity of his front-end store employees and the attractivenes s of the Merchandise and services. Consequent to recent stores being part of malls, the customer entry has increased but the conversion ratio has dropped. However in absolute numbers customers converted have shown growth in 2 years.

Year 2 26 27 28 29 2

no. of customer converted (in thousand

3 7 39
2 37

69  872

no. of customer converted

Series Series2 Series3

26

27

28

29

37

39

37

69

872

Chart showing no. of footfalls converted into customer (in thousands)

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 No. of footfalls converted into customer (in thousands)

In year 2005 -317 In year 2006-394 In year 2007 512 In year 2008 - 587 In year 2009 - 691 In year 2010 - 872

83