Customers’ Relationship Experience in Small Scale Retail Stores - A Case Study

The Indian Retail Industry is the largest among all the industries, accounting for over 10 per cent of the country's GDP and around 8 per cent of the employment. The Retail Industry in India has come forth as one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries with several players entering the market. One of the major challenges for retailers, irrespective of their size of operations, is to create experiences to the customers differently to that of competitors. Small scale retail units are challenged with the emergence of corporate retailing on a big scale in recent years. In order to face the competition and to protect the business interest of the small scale retailers need to develop loyal customer base by providing service that are capable of creating positive experiences to the customers. This paper presents the customers’ perceptions on the relationship experiences maintained by the small scale retailers. The parameters used to assess the customers’ perception include recognize the regular customers, preferential treatment, hospitality, price concession, credit facility and quick & positive response. The findings are expected to benefit the small scale retailers to identify the areas that require further improvements and help in providing customer satisfaction and building loyal customer base.