DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the Project report titled “CUSTOMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR
AND PREFERENCES WITH REFERENCE TO EXOTIC OIL PRODUCTS IN BIG
BAZAAR, GUWAHATI, ASSAM” is my original work and has not been published or
submitted for any degree, diploma or other similar titles elsewhere. This has been
undertaken for the purpose of partial fulfillment of MBA Program at ICFAI
University Nagaland.

Date: Khekuto V
Sumi
Enrolment no.:
171500200003
MBA II
Semester,
ICFAI University
Nagaland

1
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
It is really a matter of pleasure for me to get an opportunity to thank all the
persons who contributed directly or indirectly for the successful completion of the
project report, “CUSTOMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR AND PREFERENCES WITH
REFERENCE TO EXOTIC OIL PRODUCTS IN BIG BAZAAR”.
First of all I am extremely thankful to my university for providing me with this
opportunity and for all its cooperation and contribution. I also express my
gratitude to my Project mentor and guide Mr. Sanjay Sinha, Lecturer, ICFAI
University Nagaland for his guidance encouragement throughout the program. I
am also grateful to all my faculty members for their valuable guidance and
suggestions for my entire study.
I am highly thankful to our respected Company Project guide Mr. Arnab Kumar
Baruah, Category Manager-Food Bazaar-NENB and Mr. Kumar Saurabh Sen, HR
Manager, Big Bazar, Guwahati for extending their valuable time, guidance,
cooperation and giving me freedom to conduct my study in BigBazaar.

Khekuto V Sumi
Roll No.: 171500200003

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 ABSTRACT

Buying Behavior is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying
and using products. What influences consumers to purchase products or services?
Why consumers make the purchases that they make? What factors influence
consumer purchases?
While knowing a customer’s preferences may help sales, you must also look at this
as a customer service opportunity by adapting to these likes, dislikes and any
special requests a customer might have.
The study attempts to bring under one cover the entire hard work and dedication
put to complete the project work on topic “Customer Buying Behavior and
Preferences with reference to Exotic Oil Product in Big Bazaar, Guawhati, Assam”
under Retailing.
Big Bazaar, A Retailing Industry is a distinct, diverse and dynamic sector. It is an
activity of enormous economic significance to most urban areas. It generates
revenue and wealth formation, encourages investments, creates employment and
creates wealth of the economy. It is a vibrant part of our changing society and one
of the major sources of employment.
Retailing also helps society in general by providing goods and services in
reasonable price and increasing their standards of living. Retailing activity can be
viewed as a significant contributor to the economy in general.
The study has been undertaken to understand the customer buying behavior and

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preferences in Big Bazaar from one of the product sections of Big Bazaar,
Guwahati.

The research adopted Exploratory Research Design and Non-Probability Sampling

Design conducted from 100 samples. Data were collected both from primary and
secondary sources.

CONTENTS
,,

1. Introduction 5-6

2. Objectives of the study 7

3. Scope of the study 7

4. Importance of study 8

5. Limitations of the study 8

6. Research Methodology 9-10

6.1 Area of the study

6.2 Research Design

6.3 Sampling design

6.4 Sample size

6.5 Data Collection

6.6 Tools of Analysis

7. Company Profile 11-25

7.1 Future Retail Ltd.

7.2 Manifesto (Rewrite Rules. Retain Values.)

7.3 Group Mission

7.4 Core Values

7.5 Business Profile

7.6 Board of Directors

7.7 Companies of future group

7.8 Products Profile

7.9 SWOT Analysis

8. Theoretical perspective of Retailing 26-32

9. Data Analysis and Interpretation 33-46

10. Findings and Suggestions 47-50

10.1 Findings
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 10.2 Suggestions/Recommendations

11. Conclusion 51-52

ANNEXURE(S) 53-55

Questionnaire

Bibliography

1. Introduction

5
Introduction
As customer’s tastes and preferences are dynamic in nature, the market scenario is
also changing from time to time. Today’s market scenario is very different from
that of the market scenario before 1990. There have been many factors
responsible for the changing market scenario. It is the changing tastes and
preference of customer which has bought in a change in the market. Income level
of the people has changed; life styles and social class of people have completely
changed now than that of olden days. There has been a shift in the market demand
in today’s world. Technology is one of the major factors which is responsible for
this paradigm shift in the mark. New generation people are no more dependent on
the market and far off departmental stores. Today we can see a new era in market
with the opening up of many departmental stores, hyper market, shopper’s stop,
malls, branded retail outlets and specialty stores. In today’s world shopping is not
any more tiresome work rather it’s a pleasant outing phenomenon now.
My study is based on an ongoing survey on customers of a hypermarket named Big
Bazaar of Future Retail. Big bazaar is a new type of market which came into
existence in India since 1994. It is a type of market where various kinds of
products are available under one roof. My study is on determining the customer’s
buying behavior of customer’s in big bazaar and the satisfaction level of customers
in big bazaar. My study will find out the current status of big bazaar and determine
where it stands in the current market.

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This market field survey will help in knowing the present customers tastes and
preferences. It will help me in estimating the customer’s future needs, wants &
demands.

2. Objectives of the Study

• To find out the buying behavior of the customers in the Health oil Section
under foodbazar, BigBazar.
• To determine the deference between other health oils and Exotic Oils.
• To identify the preferences of the customers on health oil.
• To create awareness about the availability of exotic oils among the new
customers in Big Bazar, Guwahati.
• To know the satisfaction level of customers in Exotic oil products in Big
Bazaar.
3. Scope of Study

The scope of this research is to identify the buying behavior of customers of Big
Bazaar, Guwahati, Assam. This research is based on primary data and secondary
data. Due to time constraint only limited number of persons contacted. This study
only focuses on urban buying behavior of customers. The study does not say
anything about rural buying behavior of customer because rural
norms/status/attitude & acceptance of the rural customers differs with urban
customers. The scope of research is limited for urban area like Guwahati. It
provides help to further the research for organized retail sector in urban areas. It

7
aims to understand the skill of the company in the area like technological
advancement, competition in management.

4. Significance of the Study

The study shows customers buying pattern with Big Bazaar in Guwahati area. Its
provide guideline for further research in Guwahati area for organized retail.
Research says about customer buying behavior towards Big Bazaar, Guwahati. The
study rate the customer satisfaction level with Big Bazaar, Guwahati area. The
research is also important to identify Market size, growth and Market Potential of
Big Bazaar in Guwahati. The research shows future Scenario of Big Bazaar in
current perspective. The study shows Opportunities and challenges for Big Bazaar
respect of internal & external environment. Research says about main competitors
in the field of organized retail sectors. The study provides guideline to further
extension of Big Bazaar. The study provides help to know the customers
satisfaction with Big Bazaar stores.

5. Limitations of the Study

Although all effort was taken to make the result of the survey as accurate as possible,
there were certain constraints during the study.
1. Some customers were not willing to give appointment due to their busy schedule.

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2. Due to very large size of the population, only selected samples of customer were

contacted.

3. Due to fast pace of life, some customers were unable to justify to the questionnaire.

4. Personal biases might have come while answering the questionnaire.

6. Research Methodology

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Research Methodology
Technology, customers tastes and preferences play a vital role in today’s
generation. Research Methodology is a set of various methods to be followed to
find out various information regarding market strata of different products and its
position. Research Methodology is required in every industry for acquiring
knowledge of their products and brings changes.
6.1. Area of study:
The study is exclusively done in the area of marketing. It is a process requiring
care, sophistication, experience, business judgment, and imagination for which
there can be no mechanical substitutes.
6.2. Research Design:
Exploratory Research
6.3. Sampling Design:
Non Probability sampling- Convenience sampling
6.4. Sample Size:
100(Customers)
6.5. Data Collection:
Data is collected from various customers through personal interaction. Structured
questionnaire is prepared for collecting data. Data is collected with mere
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interaction and formal discussion with different respondents. Some other relevant
information collected through secondary data
6.6. Tools of Analysis:
The market survey about the techniques of marketing and nature of expenditure is
carried out by personally interacting with the customers in Big Bazaar, Guwahati,
Assam.

7. Company Profile (Future Retail Ltd.)

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7.1. Future Retail Ltd.
Overview
As India’s leading retailer, Future Retail inspires trust through innovative
offerings, quality products and affordable prices that help customers achieve a
better quality of life every day. We serve customers in more than 240 cities across
the country through over 11 million square feet of retail space.
Future Retail is the flagship company of Future Group, India’s retail pioneer
catering to the entire Indian consumption space. Through multiple retail formats,
it connects a diverse and passionate community of Indian buyers, sellers and
businesses. The collective impact on business is staggering: Over 330 million
customers walk into its stores each year and choose products and services
supplied by over 30,000 small, medium and large entrepreneurs and
manufacturers from across India. This number is set to grow.
It operates multiple retail formats in both the hypermarket, supermarket and
home segments of the Indian consumer market including:

Big Bazar – A uniquely Indian hypermarket chain.

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Easyday - The convenient neighborhood store offers refreshing shopping
experience to its customers.

KB’s Conveniently Yours - An urban convenience store in your neighborhood,

KB’s Conveniently Yours.

Fashion at Big Bazaar - Affordable fashion destinations aimed to make India

Thoda aur stylish.

Food Bazaar - a supermarket chain that blends the look and feel of Indian bazaars
with modern retail aspects like choice, convenience and quality.

Foodhall - a premium lifestyle food destination

HomeTown - One-stop destination for every need of the aspirational Indian home-
owner.

Ezone - Ezone brings to you the latest in electronics at the lowest prices.
As modern retail drives fresh demand and consumption in new categories, our
strategy is based on a deep understanding of Indian consumers the products they
want, and making these products available in every city in every store format. We
are in line with our broad objective of being a catalyst in India’s consumption-led
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 growth and being a positive agent of change in the communities we serve.

7.2. Manifesto

Rewrite Rules. Retain Values.

Our manifesto encourages us to explore unexplored areas and write new rules to
create new opportunities and successes. Our focus in striving for a glorious future
gives us strength and the ability to learn, unlearn and re-learn our ability to evolve.
At Future Retail we do not wait for the future to unfold itself but create future
scenarios in the consumer space and facilitate consumption because consumption
means socio-economic development for our customers, employees, shareholders,
associates and partners.
Our customers will not just get what they need, but also get them where, how and
when they need any product or service.
We will not just post satisfactory results, we will write success stories.
We will not just operate efficiently in the Indian economy, we will evolve it.
We will not just spot trends; we will set trends by marrying our understanding of
the Indian consumer to their needs of tomorrow.
It is this understanding that has underwritten our success and will help us succeed
in the future as well.

7.3. Group Mission

• We share the vision and belief that our customers and stakeholders shall be
served only by creating and executing future scenarios in the consumption space
leading to economic development.
• We will be the trendsetters in evolving delivery formats, creating retail
realty, making consumption affordable for all customer segments – for classes
and for masses.
• We shall infuse Indian brands with confidence and renewed ambition.
• We shall be efficient, cost- conscious and committed to quality in whatever
we do.
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• We shall ensure that our positive attitude, sincerity, humility and united
determination shall be the driving force to make us successful.

7.4. Core values

• Indianness: Believing in the Indian way and in oneself
• Leadership: In thought and in business
• Respect & Humility: In dealing with everyone within & outside the
organization
• Introspection: For continuous learning, self-development and personal
excellence
• Openness & Adaptability: Open to new ideas, knowledge and proactive in
meeting challenges emerging from changing business scenarios
• Valuing and Nurturing Relationships: With customers, business associates,
stakeholders, communities and society
• Simplicity & Positivity: To foster innovation, speed and imagination
• Flow: Learn and be inspired from the universal laws of nature

7.5. Business Profile

RETAIL

Winning the Hearts of Indian Consumers

Future Retail makes every effort to delight its customers, tailoring store formats to
changing Indian lifestyles and adapting products and services to their desires.
It operates some of India’s most popular hypermarket and home solutions retail
formats. Across value and lifestyle segments, our multi-format retail strategy
caters to various consumption needs of a wide cross-section of Indian consumers.

Future Retail Ltd. focuses on the hypermarket, supermarket and home

solutions segment.

15
Its business is well capitalized to propel pure retail growth momentum. It believes
the Indian consumption story is intact and the combination of consumption and
investment driven growth will power its success. Aim to maintain its focus on
increasing consumption demand through innovative customer engagement
activities.
It also aims to continue on the growth path through a combination of realization
efficiency & space expansion. Aims to maintain the momentum of topline growth
through continuous efforts to increase store efficiencies and productivity as
evident in improved.

HYPERMARKET AND SUPERMARKET – Exposing Indians to an all new

shopping experience
The hypermarket and supermarket business is led by Big Bazaar, fbb, Food Bazaar
and Foodhall feet, the company operates more than 300 Big Bazaar, fbb and food
bazaar stores in over 244 cities across the country

Big Bazaar is not just another hypermarket; it caters to every need

of your family. Where Big Bazaar scores over other stores is its value for money
proposition for Indian customers. It guarantees that at Big Bazaar you will
definitely get the best products at the best prices. With the ever-increasing array of
private labels, it has opened doors in 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.

Easyday, the convenient neighborhood store offers

refreshing shopping experience to its customers to stock their daily household
essentials. It is designed on a simple principle, that customers should have
pleasant experience and save money as well, while they shop. Store size ranges
from 2,500 sqft to 55,000 sq ft. and offers thousands of products that include

16
groceries, personal care, household essentials, toiletries and more. The neatly
organized product shelves, hygienic ambience, well appointed staff and quick
billing makes everyday shopping experience a lot more fun and interesting.
Easyday became part of Future Group portfolio after the strategic partnership that
took place between Future Group and Bharti Retail in May 2015.

An urban convenience store in your neighborhood, KB’s Conveniently

Yours is present in the catchment areas that offer exotic range of food products.
KB’s Conveniently Yours customizes offerings for each region after understanding
the catchment demographics, competition and the daily consumption pattern in
the neighborhood. The store aims to be well-stocked with products that sell the
most in the locality and offers a mix of ‘Good-Better-Best’ range of products within
each category driven by localization and the area level potential.

Fashion at Big Bazaar, India’s style hub is redefining affordable

fashion since 2008. From elegant office wear to daily essentials, from versatile
ethnics comfortable home wear to stylish new range of all the leisure, fbb curates
exclusive designs for its audience under it's own private labels. With its mission to
make India Thoda aur stylish, fbb is a popular youthful brand that offers refreshing
fashion trends at pocket friendly prices. The brand has strong presence across all
7the metro cities, mini metros and also penetrates well in tier II cities.

Food Bazaar invites you for a shopping experience in a unique

ambience. At Food Bazaar you will find a hitherto unseen blend of a typical Indian
bazaar and International supermarket atmosphere.
Flagged off in April’02, Food Bazaar is a chain of large supermarkets with a
difference where the best of Western and Indian values have been put together to
ensure your satisfaction and comfort while shopping.
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The western values of convenience, cleanliness and hygiene are offered through
pre-packed commodities and the Indian values of ‘see-touch-feel’ are offered
through the bazaar-like atmosphere created by displaying staples out in the open.
The best of everything offered with a seal of freshness and purity will definitely
make your final buying decision a lot easier.

Foodhall, A premium lifestyle food superstore, Future Group’s

ambitious venture, is a pure gastronomical delight. Latching on to the love for
global cuisines, Foodhall is an answer to every foodie’s inner epicure. Launched in
May 2011, Foodhall is a one-stop destination for a well travelled urban consumer
who understands the nuances of gourmet cooking. An eye-appealing exotic store
captures the novel concepts from around the world on one platter. With an
aesthetic mix of Indian flavors with the west, this specialty store is a den of
discovery - of the finest global foods and ingredients.
Foodhall appeals to every food connoisseur with its custom-made gift hampers,
monthly thematic festivals, beautiful display of fruits and vegetables, a spice
station, live demo kitchen and fresh sampling of ingredients in the best possible
combinations.

These make shopping at Foodhall an enriching experience. A perfect blend of

culinary presentation and ingredients in Foodhall is at par with any international
gourmet food store. It has an extensive global variety in every category – the
offerings range from Tomatillo (Green Tomatoes of Mexico) to gluten-free breads
such as pizza dough, bagels, to range of super-food options such as Greek Yoghurts,
fat-free organic milk, Tofu, gourmet chocolates, oils and vinegars, smoked salmon,
mock meats, specialty cold cuts, teas, fresh truffles and various food delights
including a variety of Indian foods. Currently Foodhall is present in Mumbai,
Bengaluru, New Delhi and Gurgaon.

HOME SOLUTIONS - Complete home making solutions

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The home solutions segment includes HomeTown and Ezone. HomeTown is a
unique one-stop destination for complete home-making solutions. Ezone is an
experienced–led lifestyle format that brings together the best in national and
international consumer electronic and durables brands in a family – centric
environment.

It promises to make homemaking an enjoyable and hassle-

free experience with the wide array of products and services. Offerings include a
slew of living room furniture, dining, bedroom furniture and furniture essentials,
mattresses, modular kitchens, home furnishing, décor, households and bath luxury.
HomeTown offers customers a unique, personalised shopping experience, and has
grown to be India’s biggest store in homemaking, renovation and décor.
From classy sofas, tasteful décor items, elegant beds, dining sets to kitchen
essentials and artifacts, it houses everything to build and beautify homes. It was
first opened in and currently operates 35 stores in 17 cities and has also developed
partnerships with online retailers.

Founded in 2002 Ezone is present across India in the form of

stand-alone stores as well as at Group format stores such as Big Bazaar,
HomeTown and Central. It houses the best of national and international electronics
brands for a range of product categories such as Audio, Accessories,
Communications, Computing, Home Entertainment, Home and Kitchen Appliances,
Imaging, Personal Entertainment & Gaming.
At Ezone, committed to offering lifestyle solutions depending on the needs of its
customers and offer the best price on the latest products, with the right buying
assistance. Ezoneonline.in an online extension of its brick & mortar stores offering
multiple convenient payment options including Cash on Delivery and free home
delivery/shipping.

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Further, services such as Easy Exchange, Extended Warranty, Instant Finance,
Masterclass, Data Transfer and more ensure Together Forever.

7.6. BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Mr. Kishore Biyani, Managing Director

Kishore Biyani is the Managing Director of the Company and the Group Chief
Executive Officer of Future Group. Considered a pioneer of modern retail in India,
Kishore’s leadership has led Future Retail’s emergence as India’s leading retailer
operating multiple retail formats that cater to the entire basket of Indian
consumers.
Kishore Biyani advocates ‘Indianness’ as the core value driving the group and the
corporate credo ‘Rewrite Rules, Retain Values.’
Regularly ranked among India’s most admired CEOs, he is the author of the book It
Happened in India. He has won numerous awards from government bodies and the
private sector in India and abroad and is on the board of a number of bodies,
including the National Innovation Foundation in India and the New York Fashion
Board.
Mr. Rakesh Biyani, Joint Managing Director

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Mr. Rakesh Biyani is a Joint Managing Director of Future Retail Limited. He has
been associated with the company for over 20 years.
In his executive role as the Joint Managing Director, Mr. Rakesh Biyani leads the
management and expansion of the company’s flagship formats, Central, Big Bazaar
and Food Bazaar. Rakesh is actively involved in Category Management, Retail
stores operations and Information Technology.
Rakesh has done an Advanced Management Program course from Harvard and is a
commerce graduate from HR College, Bombay.

Mr. Rajan Bharti Mittal, Non Executive Director

Mr. Rajan Bharti Mittal served as the Managing Director at Bharti Enterprises
Limited since April 1, 2007 and served as its Group Lead Director of Wholesale and
Retail Business. Mr. Mittal serves as Group Lead Director of Wholesale & Retail
Business at Bharti Airtel Limited and served as its served as a Joint Managing
Director, an affiliate of Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd. until April 1, 2007.
MS. Gagan Singh, Independent Director
Ms. Gagan Singh serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Business at Jones Lang
LaSalle India. Ms. Singh serves as a Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Jones Lange
Lasalle Meghraj (JLLM). She serves as a Founder Member and Vice President of
Youth reach. She has rich expertise in operations and real estate. She served as
Managing Director of Benetton India Private Limited., until May 2007 and served
as its Executive Director for four years.
Mr. Ravindar Dhariwal, Independent Director
Mr. Ravindra Dhariwal, also known as Ravi, serves as a Senior Advisor of TPG
Growth. Prior to joining TPG, Mr. Dhariwal serves as an Executive Director for
Bennett Coleman & Co. Limited. He has 38 years of experience building consumer
businesses all over the world. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bennett
Coleman & Co. Limited. He served as a Vice President of Franchise for SE Asia at
PepsiCo International. He worked with PepsiCo for 12 years. He was Pepsi's ...
Mr. Shailendra Bhandari, Independent Director
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Mr. Shailendra Bhandari, MBA (IIM), served as the Chief Executive and Managing
Director of ING Vysya Bank Limited from August 6, 2009 to October 28, 2014. Mr.
Bhandari served as the Head of Private Equity Business at Tata Capital Limited,
Tata Capital Private Equity and Tata Capital Private Equity Growth Fund. He
served as the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer and President of ICICI
Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd.

7.7. COMPANIES OF FUTURE GROUP:

• Future Retail (India) • Future Knowledge
Limited Services Limited
• Home Solutions Retail • Future Capital Holdings
India Limited Limited
• Future Brands Limited • Future Generali India
• Future Media (India) Insurance Company
Limited Limited

• Future Supply Chain • Future Generali India

Solutions Limited Life Insurance

• Convergem Company Limited

Communication (India) • Future bazaar India

Limited Limited

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 • Winner Sports Private • Galaxy Entertainment
Limited Corporation Ltd
• Staples Future Office • Future Consumer
Products Private Products Limited
Limited • Future Ventures India
• Converge Limited
• Indus League Clothing • Foot Mart Retail.

7.8. Products in Big bazaar

Apparel and Accessories for Men, Women and Children.

Toys Luggage
Baby Accessories.
Home Textiles Linens
Cosmetics
Home Needs Stationery
Crockery
Household Appliances Utensils &
Sport Wear & Accessories
Utilities
Electrical Accessories
Household Plastics Food items
Electronics
Footwear
Home Decor Home Essentials

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 7.9. SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis of Big Bazaar with USP, Competition, STP

(Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) - Marketing Analysis
24
 Big Bazaar

Parent Company Future Group

Category Retail

Sector Lifestyle and retail

Tagline/ Slogan Is se sasta aur accha kahi nahi!

USP Affordable lifestyle

STP

Segment Price sensitive group

Target Group Upper middle class and lower middle class

Positioning Family favorite retail store

SWOT Analysis

1. Affordability for middle class

2. Quality, choice and convenience
3. Wide range of products and service offerings
4. Strong presence in local market

5. Attractive promotional offers

6. Large no. of SKUs provided to consumer

7. Good branding and advertising by also roping in celebrity brand

Strengths ambassadors

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 1. Not known globally and restricted to the Indian market only
2.No different game plan according to divergent people, their lifestyles, the
Weaknesses tastes and budgets in India

1. To expand globally by tie-ups

2. Entering into high premium segment
3.Opportunity to expand into financial services catering to huge segment

Opportunities 4. Increased rural penetration

1. Competitors’ global presence

2. Low priced brand perceived to be of low quality in Indian

Threats consumer minds

Competition

1. Reliance retail
2. Lifestyle Retail
3.Aditya Birla More

Competitors 4. Shoppers Stop

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 8. Theoretical Perspective

THE CONCEPT OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT

Retailing is a convenient, convincing and comfortable method of
selling goods and services. Retailing, though as old as business,
trade and commerce has now taken new forms and shapes. This is
because of new management techniques, marketing techniques and
also due to ever changing and dynamic consumer psychology.

What is retailing?
Retailing is one area of the broader term, e-commerce. Retailing is
buying and selling both goods and consumer services. With more
number of educated and literate consumers entering the economy
27
and market, the need for reading the pulse of the consumers has
become very essential.
Retail marketing is undergoing radical restructuring. This is
because of increase in gross domestic product, increase in per
capita income, increase in purchasing power and also the ever
changing tastes and preferences of the people. The entry of plastic
money, ATMs, credit cards and debit cards and all other consumer
finances, the taste for the branded goods also added for the
evolution of retail marketing.
Retail marketing is not just buying and selling but also rendering all
other personalized consumer services. With the RM picking up it
has given a new look for various fast moving capital goods (FMCG)
goods. This not only increased the demand for various goods in the
market but also made retail marketing the second largest
employment area, the first being agriculture.

Definition and Scope of Retailing:

Retail Industry, one of the fastest changing and vibrant industries
in the world, has contributed to the economic growth of many
countries. The term 'retail' is derived from the French word retailer
which means 'to cut a piece off or to break bulk'. In simple terms, it
implies a first-hand transaction with the customer.
Retailing can be defined as the buying and selling of goods and
services. It can also be defined as the timely delivery of goods and
services demanded by consumers at prices that are competitive
and affordable.
Retailing involves a direct interface with the customer and the
coordination of business activities from end to end- right from the
concept or design stage of a product or offering, to its delivery and
post-delivery service to the customer. The industry has contributed
28
 to the economic growth of many countries and is undoubtedly one
of the fastest changing and dynamic industries in the world today.

Types of Retail Operations:

Retail operations enable a store to function smoothly without any
hindrances. The significant types of retail operations consist of:
• Department store
• Specialty store
• Discount/Mass Merchandisers
• Warehouse/Wholesale clubs
• Factory outlet
Retail Management System targets small and midsize retailers
seeking to automate their stores. The package runs on personal
computers to manage a range of store operations and customer
marketing tasks, including point of sale; operations; inventory
control and tracking; pricing; sales and promotions; customer
management and marketing; employee management; customized
reports; and information security
The Emerging Sectors in Retailing:
Retailing, one of the largest sectors in the global economy, is going
through a transition phase not only in India but the world over. For
a long time, the corner grocery store was the only choice available
to the consumer, especially in the urban areas. This is slowly giving
way to international formats of retailing. The traditional food and
grocery segment has seen the emergence of supermarkets/grocery
chains (Food World, Nilgiris, Apna Bazaar), convenience stores and
fast-food chains.
It is the non-food segment, however that foray has been made into
a variety of new sectors. These include lifestyle/fashion segments
(Shoppers' Stop, Globus, LifeStyle, Westside), apparel/accessories
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 (Pantaloon, Levis, Reebok), books/music/gifts (Archies,
MusicWorld, Crosswords, Landmark), appliances and consumer
durables (Viveks, Jainsons, Vasant & Co.), drugs and pharmacy
(Health and Glow, Apollo).
The emergence of new sectors has been accompanied by changes in
existing formats as well as the beginning of new formats:
• Hypermarts
• Large supermarkets, typically 3,500-5,000 sq. ft.
• Mini supermarkets, typically 1,000-2,000 sq. ft.
• Convenience stores, typically 750-1,000sq. ft.
• Discount/shopping list grocer
The traditional grocers, by introducing self-service formats as well
as value-added services such as credit and home delivery, have
tried to redefine themselves. However, the boom in retailing has
been confined primarily to the urban markets in the country. Even
there, large chunks are yet to feel the impact of organized retailing.
There are two primary reasons for this. First, the modern retailer is
yet to feel the saturation' effect in the urban market and has,
therefore, probably not looked at the other markets as seriously.
Second, the modern retailing trend, despite its cost-effectiveness,
has come to be identified with lifestyles.
In order to appeal to all classes of the society, retail stores would
have to identify with different lifestyles. In a sense, this trend is
already visible with the emergence of stores with an essentially
`value for money' image. The attractiveness of the other stores
actually appeals to the existing affluent class as well as those who
aspire for to be part of this class. Hence, one can assume that the
retailing revolution is emerging along the lines of the economic
evolution of society.

30
 Theories of structural changes of retailing:
The evolution of RM has taken a fantastic transition from
traditional methods to modern thinking. Starting as primary or
traditional retailing with melas, fairs, weekly bazaars, rural fairs to
mom and pop shop kirana stores the journey further reached to
public distribution systems (PDS) Khadi outlets, co- operative
stores and finally reached the level of shopping malls , bazaars,
super bazaars and special bazaars.
Traditional- melas, Fairs, weekly Bazaars, Rural fairs.
Indegenous- mom and pop, kirana stores Neighbor stores.
Contemporary- PDS, Khadi outlets, co-operative stores
Modern Retailing- shopping malls, Bazaars, Super Bazaars, Special
bazaars.

Retail store operations:

When retail-marketing space is a best shopping zone for the
consumers, it is quite challenging to the businessman. It has to
ensure not only product availability but also make the shopping
more creative and pleasurable. RM has to take care of various areas
like,
• Store administration and management
• Inventory and stock management
• Managing of receipts
• Theft management
• Customer service
• Sales promotion
• Employee morale
RM is once again a wonderful economic activity that creates a win-
win situation. It brings not only the success of the businessman but

31
 also the success of both consumer and the employees. This is
possible only if there is product and price satisfaction
1. Store administration and management- this involves
cleanliness, discipline, proper documentation, no objection
certification for various products and skilful management of
products and personnel.
Inventory management- it becomes the duty of the retail manager
to check day to day and time to time the stock so as to ensure the
product is made available at the counters. Not only the expected
product availability has to be maintained but also the quality and
shelf life has to be guaranteed. Inventory has to be evaluated
correctly and receipts have to be properly maintained. With retail
marketing shopping has taken a trendy and pleasurable affair. With
all these changes customer service has become the most important
service to be rendered in the marketing field. The customer has to
be given maximum possible choice with a blend of perfect sales
promotion from the side of the retailer. So the overall picture of
retail stores promotion has become a exclusive area of
management.
All other 5 points to be detailed
Characteristics and trends in retailing
• Interaction with the end consumers
• It enhances the volume of sales but the monetary value is
less
• Customer service plays a vital role
• There is a tendency for automatic sales promotion
• With more outlets retail marketing creates visibility
• Location and layout plays a vital role.
• Creates employment opportunities to all age groups, gender,
irrespective of qualification and religion.
32
• Generates job opportunities in flexi timings.
• Retail marketing creates a place, time and possession utility
for a product.
• History of Retail Management:
Retail marketing started from Mediterranean regions and spread to
Egypt and Babylonia. For over 2000 years Retail marketing
flourished in Rome. After the destruction of Roman Empire
retailing spread across the globe and Romans are the first ones to
conduct sophisticated retailing. As sophistication and human
relations go hand in hand Retail marketing has got lot to do with
the psychology of human behaviour. So retail marketing can be
conveniently called has psychology of marketing.
Trends in retailing: Retail Marketing is largely based on three Vs-
Value, Volume and Variety. Though the Retail marketing had the
quantitative development across the globe, the quality is no doubt
being compromised with the Globalization. International quality
products are competing with indigenized products. This variation
in size, quality and competition has made Indian market face
ridiculous growth. As the competition is between international and
indigenized products, its taking a great toll on both the sectors.
With the big giants entering the market, there is a grave
competition in the Indian Economy. After 1995 the great companies
like Food world, Reliance, Planet M, Music World and many others
also entered the retail market. The visibility and the craze to
remain in the forefront of business have made many of the giant
companies to move from manufacturing to front line retailing. With
this Retailing has become prominent giving world class shopping
experience to the customers under one roof.
Indian retailing, thus enjoys many unique features, is still done in a
primitive way. Barring a few exceptions, Indian retailers,
33
particularly FMCG retailers, are not in a position to implement
world-class practices of supply chain management. The concepts of
Quick Response or Efficient Consumer Response are unheard of in
Indian retailing. The two bases of modern retailing management,
the Electronic Data Interface and a mutually respectable
partnership among retailers and suppliers (the manufacturers) are
missing to a great extent in Indian context. Also, Indian marketing
channel members are performing some unnecessary tasks, which
makes the channel structure heavy and inefficient. Though these
inefficiencies are observed in all retailing irrespective of industry,
the symptoms are more evident in Indian FMCG retailing.
Inefficiency in retailing leads to lower profitability of the retailers
and lower service outputs for the consumers.
Ways and means to strengthen the position of the retailing
industry, doing away with the causes for the inefficiencies,
therefore, are to be taken up in an urgent manner. Such measures
may include establishment of retailers co-operatives, merger and
buy-out, use of technology to the greatest possible extent, setting
up of non-store retailing centers and increase in franchisee
network.

34
 9. Data Analysis and Interpretation

1. Occupation:

Occupation No. of Respondents %

a) Self-employed 17 18%
b) Unemployed 0 0%
c) Student 8 9%
d) Professional 20 21%
e) Retired 35 38%
f) Others 13 14%
35
Analysis & Interpretation: The survey conducted with 100
samples(Respondents) of which the highest number of 35
respondents with 38% are Retired and 2 nd highest with 20
respondents 21% are professionals, followed by 17, 13, 8, and 0
respondents i.e., 18%, 14%, 9% and 0% are Self-employed, Others,
Students and Unemployed respectively.
The analysis clearly indicates the majority of the customers who
comes to purchase the oil products are Retired people. Thus it can
be clearly understood that maximum customers in oil sections are
elderly people. It can also be understood that the maximum
numbers of Exotic oil customers belongs to age group of 50yrs and
above followed by professionals.

2. How often do you visit Big Bazar, Guwahati

36
Analysis & Interpretation: The study shows the majority of the
respondents visit Big Bazar, Guwahati once a week with total
number of 35 out of 100 followed by customers visiting twice or
more a week with total number of 19. The remaining followed by
15, 15, 5, and 11 numbers of respondents visits Big Bazar,
Guwahati once a month, twice or more a month, twice or more a
year and rarely respectively.
From the above analysis it can be understood the maximum
number of customers visits Big Bazar, Guwahati once a week. To
sum up every day Big Bazar, Guwahati entertain new/changing
customers’ in a week.

37
 3. Customers Awareness about the availability of Exotic
Oil Products like Olive/Canola.

Analysis & Interpretation: According to the survey, it is found

that the 63% of Respondents are aware of the availability of
Exotic Oil Products and the remaining 37% of respondents are
unaware of its availability in Big Bazar, Guwahati.

38
 4. Brand Awareness(Exotic oil Product Brands of Olive
and Canola Oil)

Analysis & Interpretation: The study shows 37 Respondents

have zero knowledge about the availability of Exotic Oil
Products and its brands. The data also shows the maximum
respondents who are aware of the availability of Exotic oil
Products are aware mostly of Leonardo brand with 26
respondents and the least aware about Bertoli brand with 7
respondents.

39
 5. Source of Knowledge about Exotic Oil Products
(Olive/Canola)

Sources No. Of Respondents %

a) TV 14 22%
b) Magazines/Newspapers 9 14%
c) Stores 12 19%
d) Special Issues 5 8%
e) Peers 20 32%
f) Other Sources 3 5%

Analysis & Interpretation: From the above chart it shows

majority of respondents comes to know about the availability of
Exotic Oil Products like Olive & Canola Oil from Peers, TV, and
Stores with 20, 14, and 12 respondents respectively. It clearly
indicates peers plays major role as a source of advertising Exotic
oil products.

40
 6. No. of Exotic Oil Products users/Non-Users

No. of Users and Non-Users

48 Users

52 Non-Users

Analysis & Interpretation: The survey conducted in the oil

section of Big Bazar, Guwahati with focal point on Exotic Oil
Products results among 100 samples out of which 52
respondents are non-users and 48 respondents are users of
Exotic Oil Products like Olive/ Canola.

41
 7. Customers Awareness of Benefits of Exotic Oils

Analysis & Interpretation: The study shows out of 100

respondents less than 50% of respondents are aware of its benefits.
Out of which majority of the respondents are aware of its benefits
such as ‘Healthier and Non-fattening’. It can also be understood
most of the users of Exotic oil products consumes such products for
such health benefits. On contrary, the majority of respondents both
users and non-users are unaware of different health benefits
offered by Exotic Oil Products like Olive/ Canola.

42
 8. How often do you purchase exotic oil like Olive and
Canola?

Answers Respondents
Once a week 7
Twice a week 0
Once a month 30
twice a year 0
Rarely 9

No. of Purchases

9 7 Once a week
0

0 Twice a week

Once a Month

Twice a year

Rarely

32

Analysis & Interpretation: The above data shows most of the

customers who uses exotic oil like Olive/Canola Oil purchase the
oil products one a month and some group of respondents
purchase the products one a week or rarely. The study also
indicates no respondents purchase the product more than once a
week or twice or more a year.
43
 9. In which of food do you use Exotic Oil?

Uses

Salad
9% 4%
20%
7% Veg Dishes

Non-veg
17% 18% Dishes
Roast

Sauces
25%
Dips

Others

Analysis & Interpretation: The data shown above shows the

users of Exotic oil products (Olive/Canola) use the oil for
different cooking purposes. The data analysis shows maximum
number of users purchase the products for use in Non-Veg Dishes
with 25% out of 100% of users in the samples followed by Salad
20%, veg dishes 18%, roast 17% and follows different other
purposes as shown in the above figure.

44
 10. Quality Vs Price

Quality Vs Price
0

23
Agree
Strongly Agree
Moderate
20
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

16

Analysis & Interpretation: The above data shows a group of

respondents falls into the acceptance category of price rating
with 23, 16 and 20 for Agree, Strongly agree and Moderate
respectively. From the data analysis we can understand the
exotic oil products are offered at a standard rate.

45
 11. Factor(s) to consider when choosing oil products

a) Brand Image b) Price

c) Quality d) Health Benefits

Factors to Consider when choosing oil

products

17
60
32

43

Analysis & Interpretation: The survey on Exotic oil products

comes to an understanding that the majority of respondents
consider health benefits factor with a total response from 60
respondents being conscious of their health. 43, 32 & 17 being
conscious of Quality, Price & Brand Image respectively

46
 12. For non-users: Have you ever thought of using Exotic oil in future?
(Yes/no)

Analysis & Interpretation: The figure shows the total number of non-users
respondents who would like to use the products in future. Out of 52 non-users
respondents 33 respondents wishes to use exotic oil products in future and the
remaining 19 respondents are either uncertain or will not use Exotic oil products
in future.
13. Some Suggestions and Comments from the respondents

a. Suggest everyone to use it irrespective of age or class, consumption of

Exotic oil products gives you better health.

b. “I THINK THE PRICE IS TOO HIGH COMPARED TO OTHER HEALTH

OIL PRODUCTS”

c. “Excellent cooking oil Product, Everyone should use it”

d. “Best oil product for healthy Living”

e. “Good for Cardiac Patients”

f. “Everyone should choose Exotic Oil Products over other oil products.”

g. “I would like to tell the non-users of Exotic Oil Products to go oil like
Olive oil and other Exotic oil products to enjoy the maximum health
benefits”
10. Findings and Suggestions
10.1. Findings
• Most of the Customers in health oil section of big bazaar purchase health oil
products of Soyabean, sunflower or mustard.

• Exotic Oil products available in big bazaar fail to compete with other oils in
sales.

• Everyday offers/cut-off prices are given in Exotic Oil Products create loss in
sale or generate minimum profit.

• Most of the users of Exotic Oil Products like Olive and Canola are satisfied
with the product.

• Customers are less informed about the Exotic oil products available in the
market.

• Most of the customers who purchase Exotic Oil Products belong to the age
group of 50-70 years or above.

• Majority of Exotic Oil Products uses exotic oil products in cooking/frying

dishes and less in other items like salads, dips etc.
• The consumers of exotic oil products give much concern on health benefits
which shows their health consciousness in making a purchase.

• As compared to other Health oil products and other products of big bazaar
in general, lesser importance is given to Exotic Oil products in terms of
Advertisement on contrary to it sale generation.

• Most of the customers are aware of the availability of the Exotic Oil Products
in Big Bazar.

• Most of the customers are not aware about the health benefits offered by
Exotic oil products.

• Lesser effort is done by big bazaar to enhance the sales of Exotic Oil
Products.

• Some of the non-users of Exotic oil products especially Olive Oil Products do
not purchase due to the high price as compared to other health oil products.

• Majority Sales of Exotic Oil Products comes from the elderly and
professional people.

• The consumer’s source of knowledge about the Exotic oil products mostly
comes from the peers.
• The highest sales of these products are generated on Wednesdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays.

• Most of the customers buy their requirement in Big Bazaar on the basis of
Weekly and monthly basis.

• Big bazaar holds a huge customer base. The majority of customers belong to
middle class family.
10.2. Suggestions/Recommendations

• More measures in terms of advertisement should be taken to attract more

customers to purchase the products.

• Many customers are price sensitive and thereby go for products offered at a
cheaper rate. Meanwhile Exotic Oils products are expensive; therefore, big
bazaar should try to create an impression about its health benefits through
different types advertising measures like personal selling, pamphlets, hand-
outs, newspapers, etc.

• Position of Exotic oil product to more visible area where customers can
easily or first see those products. .i.e., near the entrance of foodbazar.

• Number of Discounts days on Exotic Oil Products should be minimised.

• It is suggested to give a big discount one day offers on Exotic Oils to attract
the new potential customers in big number.

• Salespersons in health oil section should be equipped with proper &

detailed knowledge about different health oil products available.
11. Conclusion

Big bazaar is a major shopping complex for today’s customers. It is a place where
customers find variety of products at a reasonable price. Big bazaar has a good
reputation of itself in the market. It has positioned itself in the market as a
discounted store. It holds a huge customer base. The majority of customers belong
to middle class family. The youth generation also likes shopping and moving
around big bazaar. Volume sales always take place in big bazaar. Impulse buying
behavior of customers comes in to play most of the times in big bazaar.

Big bazaar is a hypermarket as it provides various kinds of goods like apparels,

grocery, stationary, food items, electronic items, leather items, watches, jewellery,
crockery, decorative items, sport items, chocolates and many more. It competes
with all the specialty stores of different products which provide goods at a
discounted rate all through the year. It holds a large customer base and it seemed
from the study that the customers are quite satisfied with big bazaar. As of now
there are 34 big bazaars in different cities of India, it seems that there is a vast
growth of big bazaar lying as customers demand is increasing for big bazaars.
Big bazaar is a hypermarket store where varieties of products are being sold on
different product category. It has emerged as a hub of shopping specially for
middle class people.
Different types of products starting from a baby food to pizzas all are available
under one roof. In Delhi it is the middle class people who mostly do marketing
from big bazaar. Even most of the people do their monthly shopping from big
bazaar. People not only visit big bazaar to do shopping but also visit for outing
purpose as it provides a very nice ambience to its customers. As people go to malls
they just tend to move around big bazaar whether it is for shopping purpose or for
outing purpose. Grocery, apparels and food items are the products which are
demanded most by the customers of Delhi in big bazaar. The major drawback of
big bazaar is that it lacks in providing enough parking space for its customers. This
may discourage the customers to come to big bazaar and shop as they face
difficulty in parking their vehicles. Even though some customers say that they
don’t feel problem in parking their vehicle, it is because of the parking space
available to them by the mall. As it is surveyed it seems that the biggest
competitors of big bazaar are the kirana stores, discounted specialty stores like
Vishal mega mart, Delhi bazaar Big bazaar, The Tata Groups (Croma), Reliance
Retail, & Sabka Bazaar etc.
Annexure(s)

Questionnaire

Questionnaire Survey on Exotic Oil Products (Olive/Canola)

Respondent Name/No.:____________ Gender: ____________ Age: ___________

1. Occupation:

a. Self-employed d. Professional

b. Unemployed e. Retired

c. Student f. Others

2. How often do you visit Big Bazar, Guwahati?

a. Once a week d. twice or more a month

b. Twice or more a week e. Twice a year

c. Once a month f. Rarely

3. Are you aware of the availability of different exotic oil like Olive and Canola oil?

A. Yes B. No(Q6)

If Yes:
i. Which brand(s) of Exotic Oil are you aware of?

a. Leonardo d. Del Monte

b. Borges e. Bertoli

c. Rafael Salgado(RS) f. Figaro

 g. Karmiq h. Jivo

ii. How did you come to know about the Exotic Oil (Olive/Canola)?

i. TV l. Special Issues

j. Magazines/ m. Peers
Newspapers
n. Other sources
k. Stores

4. Do you use Exotic oil?

a. Yes b. No
If yes:
i. How often do you purchase exotic oil like Olive and Canola?

a. Once a week d. Once a month

b. Twice a week e. twice a year

c. Once a month f. Rarely

ii. In which of food do you use Exotic Oil.?

a) Salad e) Sauces

b) Vegetables dishes f) Dips

c) Non-Vegetables g) Others
dishes

d) Roast
iii. Quality of the product matches its price.

a. Agree b. Strongly Agree c. Moderate d. Disagree

e. Strongly Disagree

5. Factor(s) to consider when choosing oil products? ( )

a. Brand Image c. Quality

d. Health Benefits
b. Price

6. Are you aware of the benefits of the exotic oil products like Olive and Canola oils?

Yes/No.______
If yes:
 Which benefit(s) are you aware of?

b. Better taste f. Better for the heart

c. Healthier g. Non- Fattening

d. Nutritious h. Other Reason

e. Pure

7. For non-users: Have you ever thought of using Exotic oil in future? (Yes/no)

________
8. Any Suggestion/Comment on the Exotic Oil Products():
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
Bibliography

Books:

Mathur, U.C., (2010), Retail Management: Text and Cases,

IKBooks, ISBN10

Mishra, Anil, (2013), Summer Internship Simplified, Dreamtech

Press, ISBN13, ISBN10

Nayak, P.V. (2005),

Websites:

• www.wikipedia.org

• www.slideshare.net

• www.futuregroup.in

61
• www.bigbazaar.com

• www.futureretail.in

• www.scribe.com

62