A STUDY ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR WITH REFERENCE TO SPENCERS HYPER, KAKINADA

Synopsis submitted to the Department of Commerce and Management Studies, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

By

PRERANA JAIN
Reg.No:___________

Under the guidance of

Dr. S.G. RAMA RAO,M.Com., MBA, M.Phil., Ph.D.

Associate Professor Department of Management Studies

V.S. LAKSHMI INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES FOR WOMEN
(AFFILIATED TO ANDHRA UNIVERSITY) KAKINADA

2010-2012

Introduction
Consumer behaviour is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a product. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand people's wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. Customer behaviour study is based on consumer buying behaviour, with the customer playing the three distinct roles of user, payer and buyer. Relationship marketing is an influential asset for customer behaviour analysis as it has a keen interest in the rediscovery of the true meaning of marketing through the re-affirmation of the importance of the customer or buyer. A greater importance is also placed on consumer retention, customer relationship management, personalisation, customisation and one-to-one marketing. Social functions can be categorized into social choice and welfare functions. The term consumer behavior is defined as the behavior that consumers display in searching for purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy their needs. Consumer behavior focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources (time, money, effort) on consumption related items. That includes what they buy, why they buy, when they buy it, where they buy it, how often they buy it for purchase and the impact of such evaluations on future purchases, and how they dispose of it.

The process of consumption has long been associated with sex and gender, thus, it comes as no surprise that consumer researchers often examine the effects of these variables on consumer behaviors. It also comes as no surprise that much is known about sex and gender and how they impact buying and consuming activities. Yet there is one gender-related variable, gender identity, which has both intrigued and perplexed consumer behavior researchers for over four decades. Retail Management is unique and complex. It is unique because of its ubiquitous competition. It is complex because it involves direct contact with customer whos dynamically changing needs and wants dictate the business. The word retail is derived from the French word retailer which means to cut off a piece or to break bulk. According to Philip Kotler retailing includes all the activities involved in selling goods or services to the final consumers for personal, non-business use. The growth of retail sector will make retailers powerful intermediaries in the marketing channel, bridging the gap between manufactures and consumers. Many manufacturers and marketers may hence take to retailing themselves to be closer to the consumers. Therefore it will be the power of the consumer as well as that of the retailer in the marketing channel that will spearhead the growth of retailing in India. Spencers Retail is the largest multiformat retailer chain in India. Spencers offers wide range of varieties to satisfy all the shopping needs. Spencers Retail Limited is a multi-format food-first retailer providing a wide range of quality products to discerning young customers - well-travelled citizens of the world, looking out for authentic flavors and experiences in a fun-filled shopping environment. Spencers brand positioning Makes Fine Living Affordable embodies this approach, delighting shoppers with the

best products and services that enable a fine living at reasonable prices while providing them with a warm, friendly and knowledgeable retail environment. Part of the `15,500 crore RPG Group, it run about 200 stores (including about 30 large format stores) across 35 cities in India, employing more than 7,000 people. As one of the earliest entrants in the retail space in India, it have been instrumental in introducing Indian consumers to the concept of organized retailing, becoming the countrys first grocery chain back in 1920, and offering the joys of hypermarket shopping in 2001. Spencers hyper stores, Kakinada is the fourth shopping mall in state after Hyderabad, Vjayawada and Vizag. The management offers widest range of varieties with finest quality and best prices.

Need for the Study

The purpose of marketing is to sell more stuff to more people more often for more money in order to make more profit. This is the basic principle of requirement for the marketers in earlier days where aggressive selling was the aim. Now it can't be achieved by force, aggression or plain alluring. For the customers are today more informed, more knowledgeable, more demanding, and more discerning. Above all there is no dearth of marketers to buy from. The marketers have to earn them or win them over. The study of consumer behaviour helps management understand consumers' needs so as to recognise the potential for the trend of development of change in consumer requirements and new technology, and also to articulate the new thing in terms of the consumers' needs so that it will be accepted in the market well.

Objectives of the Study

To analyze the behavior of consumers at Spencers Retail in Kakinada To find the awareness of people about Spencers Retail in Kakinada To offer suggestions to the Spencers Retail in Kakinada to improve its activities.

Methodology
The following methodology will be adopted to conduct the study. Data will be collected through two sources. They are primary data and secondary data. The primary data will be collected based on a structured questionnaire and personnel observation in the retail store. The secondary data will be collected from journals, magazines, internal circulations, and website of Spencers Hyper. Sample: The survey will be conducted in Kakinada City only; primary data will collect from the customers of Spencers Hyper, Kakinada. A purposive sample of 90 customers will be selected for the study. Statistical Techniques: The collected data tabulated for the purpose of analysis and interpretation; statistical techniques such as Percentage, Averages, Standard Deviation, Scaling Techniques, etc. will be used for the analysis.

Presentation of the study

The final report of the study will be presented in five chapters. The Introduction, Need for the study, Objectives and Methodology are presented in Chapter I. Chapter II presents the Profile of Retail Industry. Chapter - III presents the Profile of Spencers Hyper. Consumer opinions presented in Chapter IV. Chapter V presents Summary and Suggestions.