Variables influencing the decision of customers for shopping from organized retail outlets - A comparative study

The main purpose of this paper is to study the various variables influencing the decision of customers for shopping from organized retail outlets. Such variables include the availability of all necessary goods under the same roof, 365×7* service, acceptability of debit/credit cards, comparison between different brands of products and price. This study also investigates the variables which play the significant role in selection of particular organized retail outlet. For this purpose following variables are explored: role of advertisement, payment for any service, advice by family/friends, location and quality of goods and services being offered by the organized retail outlet. The study is descriptive in nature and is based upon organized retail outlets intercept survey with 500 respondents across a range of demographics. Judgment sampling technique is used in present study and statistical tool used is Chi-square test and ANOVA. Analysis was done using the SPSS for window (version 10.0) computer software and set at 0.05% level of significance. The result indicate that availability of all necessary goods under the same roof in organized retail outlets turns out to be the most influencing variable. The 365×7* service being offered by organized retail outlets is found the second important consideration among respondents. It is interesting to note that price and acceptability of debit/credit cards is to be found the least effective variables which influence the respondent's decision for shopping from organized retail outlets. Further it is found that economic benefit turns to be the most effective variable in the selection of Big Bazaar, Reliance mart and Spencer for shopping, while taking decision for shopping from Vishal mega mart and malls advertisement has been found the most influencing variable for respondents.