Why do Shoppers Stop at Shoppers Stop? - An Analysis of Influencers

There are unlimited prospects in the Indian economy for high growth in the organized retail sector. The Indian organized retail industry has the competence to grow with the rising affluence of the Indian middle class due to their growing disposable income (CII- AT Kearney, 2006). The last decade saw a great boom in the organized retail industry in India which is attributed to the changing demographics, international brands foraying in India, infrastructure developments, credit availability, usage of latest technology and a world class shopping experience (Choudhary and Tripathi, 2012). In this research, we analyzed the buying behavior of consumers of the leading multi-product retail chain Shoppers Stop. We also analyzed factors that distinguish whether the consumer will prefer Shoppers Stop over other multi-product retail chains. We conducted a survey on the Buying Behavior of the consumers at Shoppers Stop. The target audience was primarily college students and working professionals in and around Delhi. Questionnaire included three sections focusing on demographic variables, how consumers behave, and which out-of-store & in-store factors influence buying behavior of consumers. Results show that Family members accompany about 50% of visitors and also influence 50% shoppers in final decision making. Friends are next most significant sets of people (with 2 out of 5 visitors) accompanying shoppers in the store and influencing them in decision making (2 out of 5 shoppers). Results have important implications for marketers especially in metro cities, to design their stores and product offerings. The study provides important insights about the consumer preferences towards offline retail brand specially Shopper's Stop. Shopper's Stop should focus on bringing more variety in their apparels section by adding a few more famous brands like Jack and Jones, AND, and Zara, if possible. Future studies can focus on comparing consumer behavior and shopping experience of multi-product retail chain with online multi-product store