Nagpur: While the Indian retail market has its distinct effect on the city market which is considered as one of the most promising one in the country, and it is growing. The city consumer from across all socio-economic strata, location in the city has different psyches. Various factors that influence shopping, that is the rising incomes or multiple income households, exposure to fancy lifestyles through media, easier financial credit and an upbeat economy are enhancing aspirations and consumption patterns.
Supermarkets are one of the major choices for shopping in the city. In order to understand what factors influence the consumers and to verify the current shopping behavioural pattern in the city, Nagpur Today spoke to some shoppers and some owners of supermarkets in the city.
Some of the facts that came to fore was that
- Physical factors like discounts, quality National-brands, display, visual appeal,
- Social factors like salesmen behaviour and choice of spouse or children,
- Temporal factors like open space for parking etc.
The owners of a Supermarket in Dharampeth and near Law-College Square told Nagpur Today on condition of anonymity that the consumers of the city no more trust the shopkeepers to suggest the right product. Earlier, the Kirana Shop-keeper used to suggest the customers and inform the consumers of a new better product that is launched and the consumers used to purchase them. However, as of date, the consumers are of the psyche that the shopkeepers or owners of the Supermarkets are there only to sell the costly product to them to make more profit.
Another owner of a Superbazaar in Sadar area that sees a lot of rush told Nagpur Today that 95% of the ladies from the city do not come prepared with a list. They pick-up goods, some of which they never intended to buy or goods that they may use in future. However, while commenting on the men-folk of the city, he said that they come with a list, which is obviously prepared by their wives, and pick only those goods, pay for it and leave.
Another shopkeeper claimed that concepts like Variety, Discounts, Quality, Local or National Brands, Display, Visual Appeal appeals only to lady customers.
Another shopkeeper told Nagpur Today that the goods on display at the eye-level to the waist-level only get picked-up or bought. Any good, however good kept above the eye-level or below the waist level (requiring one to bend down) does not get picked-up or purchased. Customers tend to pick-up or buy goods that are kept above the eye-level or below the waist level only when they are in dire need of that particular product.
Another marketing gimmick which the marketing wizards and the manufacturers have come out with is that on one side of the packet they print the company’s logo and the pictures of the products and all the claims while they keep the other side of the packet transparent through which the customers can see the product he or she is buying. The other new concept that is seen is that the products especially toiletries like soaps, perfumes, talcum-powders, sanitizers, hair-oils, gels, face-wash, face-cleansers, shampoos etc are packed in bright flamboyant colours with satin finish (not matt-finish) so that there is a visual appeal to the customers.
Tarun Mehra, a businessman told Nagpur Today that if he goes to buy the groceries and toiletries, he finishes the entire shopping in half an hour while his wife takes as much as one and a half hour. To add to that she purchases goods which were never planned.
Vaishali Samuel, a High School Teacher told Nagpur Today that women take time to see the product, see the price, check for discounts, calculate the cost in terms of kilograms, appealing to taste or preference of their spouses and children etc.
Rachana Panse, an IT worker told Nagpur Today that while she prefers on-line shopping for many goods (because of the schemes that are floated at various times) she prefers to buy some goods from Super bazaars since she gets to verify if the goods are fresh, avail the discounts etc.
Arundhati Narayan, housewife while speaking to Nagpur Today said that in the super-bazaar, one gets to see a variety and brands of the same product so one gets to choose the right product which he or she prefers.
Many people whom Nagpur Today called said that nowadays they purchase even the groceries and toiletries from on-line sites which provide them home-delivery saving them time in going to the superbazaars, parking difficulties and transporting huge bags of groceries and toiletries.
By Samuel Gunasekharan
