0% found this document useful (0 votes)
408 views108 pages

Reliance Trends General Research

This document provides a history of the retail industry from ancient times to modern day. It discusses how retail evolved from small mom-and-pop stores and traveling merchants to the development of department stores in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It then covers the invention of the cash register in 1883, the rise of credit in the 1920s, and the opening of the first shopping mall in the 1930s. The history shows how retail transformed over time with technological advances, economic changes, and shifting consumer preferences.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
408 views108 pages

Reliance Trends General Research

This document provides a history of the retail industry from ancient times to modern day. It discusses how retail evolved from small mom-and-pop stores and traveling merchants to the development of department stores in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It then covers the invention of the cash register in 1883, the rise of credit in the 1920s, and the opening of the first shopping mall in the 1930s. The history shows how retail transformed over time with technological advances, economic changes, and shifting consumer preferences.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 108

BBA SEM – 6

Chapter no. 1
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

i
Sr. no. Particular Page no.

1.1 Introduction 2

1.2 History of Retail Industry 3

1.3 Growth and Development of Retail industry in India 12

1.4 Challenges Faced by Retail Industry 15

1.5 Recent Trends of Retail Industry 21

1|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1.1 Introduction
Retail is a business deal in which the seller sells small quantities of goods
to the customers as per their needs. A retail store is a retail business enterprise
which primarily deals with sales volume in retailing.

The retail industry secures the fifth position as an industry and is the
second largest employer after agriculture, providing bright and exciting job
opportunities in India.

Retail business is undergoing rapid transformation in its marketing


practices. Till a few years ago, we bought most of the daily use products from
small shops in our neighborhood or a nearby market. Generally, the
shopkeepers sell goods—either individually as a sole proprietor or with the help
of a few assistants. In the last few years, however, the concept of large
departmental stores and malls has come up, which also provide the same
products.

Today, supermarkets, departmental stores, hypermarkets, malls and non-


store retailing like multilevel marketing and telemarketing, have replaced or co-
exist, transacting with the traditional retail businesspersons, such as hawkers,
grocers and vendors, etc. There are various levels at which retail businesses
operate-ranging from small, owner operated and independent shops to those in
the national and international market.

An increase in income levels and the need for new products and services,
a rise in standard of living, competition in the market and increasing
consumption patterns of customers have contributed to the demand for creation
of these types of stores.

2|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1.2 History of Retail Industry


What is Retail?

What do we mean when we say retail?

“At its simplest definition, retail is the sale of different goods and
services to customers with the intention to make a profit.”

Retail includes selling through different channels, so items purchased in


store and those purchased online both apply.

The definition of retail is expansive enough that it includes the traveling


merchants of antiquity all the way to sprawling shopping malls, big-box stores
and ecommerce platforms.

Let’s consider how various points on the retail timeline have affected
what retail has become, how people shop, and what customers expect today.

The History and Evolution of Retail Stores

We’ve already looked at some of the earliest history of retail — covering


hundreds of years of bartering and peddling in a single bound.

However, now let’s look at some (relatively) more recent retail history,
how it impacts what we buy and sell, and how we behave today.

1. Mom and Pops: 1700s–1800.

A “mom and pop” store is a colloquial phrase for a small, family-owned,


independent business.

3|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

In the 18th and 19th


centuries, and particularly by the
1880s, these stores were plentiful
throughout the United States.
Many of these stores were drug
stores or general stores selling
everything from groceries and
fabrics to toys and tools. People
during this time were also expanding settlement across the country and creating
new towns. It was not uncommon for each town to have a mom and pop store
offering general merchandise that could be purchased for daily life.

While these community-anchoring, catch-all stores are less common,


family-owned businesses are still out there. Of the nearly 30 million small
businesses in America, 19% are family owned and 1.2 million are run by a
married couple.

These stores can use the nostalgia factor and capture customers’ desire to
support small, family-owned businesses. They can also appeal to customers’
desire for personalization and a fun boutique experience that incorporates
human connection.

Today, there is something of a generational divide in how people like to


shop. Of Baby Boomers who grew up with brick-and-mortar as their
default, 72% primarily shop in-store. This is in contrast to Millennial, 67% of
who shop in online stores.

4|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2. Department stores arrive: Mid 1800s – Early 1900s.

The pioneering spirit of people moving west and both opening and
shopping at local general stores evolved as the United States moved into the
20th century.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, America’s business and
economic sectors changed dramatically. Agriculture -which had previously been
the dominant business - was replaced by manufacturing and industry. Oil, steel,
textile, and food production in factories brought new jobs and new standards of
living.

With more successful and affluent Americans having broader tastes,


department stores like Macy’s (1858), Bloomingdales (1861), and Sears (1886)
began popping up in cities like New York City and Chicago.

These institutions became fixtures of American life, influencing:

• what people bought,


• how they furnished their homes, and
• What luxuries they felt they needed.

The stores didn’t just sell items. They also provided demonstrations,
lectures, and entertainment events that appealed to newly wealthy customers
looking for how best to use their disposable income.

Today people are still looking for content and experiences as part of their
shopping activities that can help influence what they buy. In 2019, brands are
finding success in building strong content- and experience-led commerce
experiences.

5|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

3. The First Cash Register (Cha-Ching): 1883.

The first cash register was invented by James Ritty in 1883. Ritty was a
saloon keeper in Ohio and nicknamed the invention the “incorruptible cashier.”
The machine used metal taps and simple mechanics to record sales. A bell
sounded when a sale was
completed, leading to the phrase
“ringing up” — which we still use
today.

This invention went on to


spark the ease of customer
checkout for over a century, as it
was quickly adopted for retail
sales.

Prior to this, many businesses had trouble keeping track of their


accounting and often didn’t know if they were operating at a profit or a loss.
Over time, advances in cash registers have worked to make them more resistant
to theft.

Later POS (point of sale) systems have advanced the cash register
industry even further by providing computerized cash registers that can keep
track of inventory, process credit cards, and provide multiple connected touch-
screen terminals in addition to helping to manage profit margins.

As customers are shopping more omnichannel than ever — including


shopping from the same merchants both online and in-store — businesses are
also seeking methods to combine POS systems and payment gateways so they
can keep track of inventory across channels.

6|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

4. Credit takes a hold: 1920s.

Just as it’s hard to imagine a store without a cash register, it’s equally
hard for many to imagine a time when paying in cash was still king.

In the 1920s, credit cards or “charge cards” began to take hold of the
American shopper. However, these early cards were usually issued by hotels or
individual businesses and could only be used within their companies. The first
universal credit card that could be used at multiple establishment was the Diners
Club card in 1930.

The first bank-run credit card was started by Bank of America in 1958.
Unlike today, a credit card’s main use was so people didn’t have to travel to a
bank and withdraw money to shop. Today it is far more of a
bookkeeping/convenience use.

Credit cards are also now much more likely to carry debt as consumers
use them to make up for budget shortfalls. According to the Federal Reserve,
Americans now have a record $1.09 trillion in credit card debt.

5. Shopping malls: 1930s.

As touched on in the
introduction, the concept of malls
as central locations where
customers can visit multiple
merchants has been around since
the agoras of Ancient Greece.
However, our more modern
concept of malls — as physically

7|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

built shops connected in one location with communal facilities — began in the
20th century.

The first shopping mall was technically an outdoor shopping plaza that
opened in 1922 in Kansas City. However, the first indoor shopping mall that
mirrored how we think of malls today was opened in 1956 in Edina, Minnesota.
Malls were often anchored by a large department store with a cluster of other
stores around it.

The growth of these shopping centers was correlated with the growth of
automobiles. With cars available to the masses, more people were leaving cities
Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota
and commuting from the suburbs.

The mall was envisioned as a cultural and social center where people
could come together and not only do their shopping but also make an activity of
it. By 1960, there were more than 4,300 malls accounting for 14% of all retail
sales.

With ecommerce sales growing, the appeal of malls has gradually


declined, hitting a 20-year low in sales in 2019. That said, some digitally native
brands are still exploring in-person shopping at new mall-type environments.
One example is Neighborhood Goods outside of Dallas, Texas, which features a
rotating series of pop-up shops from different merchants.

6. Big Box is in: 1960s.

The very first Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas.

While people loved malls for the social aspect and enjoyment of window
shopping and moving from store to store, there was also a renewed interest in a

8|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

return to the one-stop-shop. However, unlike the mom and pop general stores of
old, these large stores served bigger populations and provided items cheaply at a
much bigger scale.

In 1962 the first Wal-Mart opened its doors in Rogers, Arkansas. Target
and Kmart also opened their first stores that same year.

The efficiency and overall size of these indoor giants made them
attractive to consumers looking for convenience and friction-free, no frills
service. Unlike the department stores of early in the century that provided
personalized service and attended to customers’ needs, these large retailers were
more focused on self service and
providing efficiency.

At these big box stores,


customers could find the
consumer goods they needed,
and at much lower prices. This
was made possible by changes in
the laws after World War II that
paved the way for discount
retailing.

Big box stores, and specifically Walmart, are still dominating in the
present day. Walmart’s sales in 2018 were over $300 billion, and they’re
projected to grow 3.7% in 2019. Other big box retailers are having to get
creative to open new stores, revolutionize current stores, and provide more
value in the shopping experience to appeal to customer’s increased expectations
in an Amazon- and Walmart-dominated world.

9|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

7. Ecommerce looms on the horizon: 1990s.

Arguably one of the biggest flashpoints in retail history is the dawn of


widespread internet shopping. Amazon was established in 1995 as a simple
online bookseller. In 2018, the online retail platform reported a net income over
$10 billion dollars.

Clearly, over the past three decades people have jumped onto the
ecommerce bandwagon. There are a number of reasons for this. Ecommerce
provides convenience and efficiency to the shopping experience and enables
shoppers to research, examine reviews, compare prices, and make purchases at
all hours of the day.

The growth of ecommerce mirrored the growth of the internet. As more


and more people had access to the digital world, they became more interested in
shopping there. Initially, some people were skeptical of providing personal data
and payment information online, but the development of SSL security protocol
in the 1990s helped to assuage those fears.

8. Social media opportunities: 2007.

Facebook, the most successful social media platform ever, has over 60
million active business pages on it. Twitter provides a way for businesses to talk
directly to customers, and with Instagram, they can showcase their products in
authentic lifestyle situations.

Social media opportunities have been both an opportunity for retail


brands to capitalize on and a new challenge for them to conquer. Current
projections show that by 2020, 90% of businesses will use social media for a
portion of their customer service.

10|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

In 2011, Facebook rolled out sponsored stories as a form of early


advertising. Marketers could capitalize on the huge amount of data people
provide Facebook to target very specific customers. Today, Facebook and
Instagram are also channels where brands can sell their products directly.

9. Retail slows while ecommerce grows: Modern day.

This brings us to retail today. Retail sales are growing slowly as a whole.
The growth of sales in physical stores in 2018 was merely 3.7%. Meanwhile,
ecommerce sales saw a 15% jump. In a decade, ecommerce sales have grown
from 5% of the retail market share to nearly 15%.

Customers are hungry for online shopping experiences, but not all
ecommerce is created equal. Brands are developing strong multi-channel
strategies. Below we’ll look at why some businesses are thriving and others are
failing to keep up with modern trends and expectations.

11|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1.3 Growth and Development of Retail industry in India

Growth is a positive and reflects that the firm is delivering customer


value. Firms can also choose to grow by targeting new customers with their
current offerings. In retail, we'd typically think of expansion as opening new
stores or outlets in a new market.

Retail industry in India is undoubting one of the fastest growing retail


industry in the world. It is the largest among all industries accounting to 10% of
the country GDP and employs around 8% of the workforce. India has seen a
drastic shopping revolution in terms of format and consumer buying behavior.
From shopping centers to multi-storied malls to huge complexes offering
shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof and it is because of this
trend that the retail industry is witnessing a revolution as many new format
markets like hypermarkets, supermarkets, departmental stores have made their
way in the market.

12|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

India has also been world’s top sourcing destination in 2016-17 and the
share in this category is 55%. In India, a major chunk of the middle class and
also the untapped market of retail is an attractive force for all the retail giants
from across the globe. Our working population with a median age of 24 years,
along with emerging opportunities in the retail sector is one of the major factors
of the growth in the retail industry of India. As many new businessmen are
entering the industry, there is expected to be a growth in the retail sector.

India is still largely an unorganized retail market where maximum


retailers operate in less than 300 sq. ft. of space. The total retail industry is
estimated at 9 lakh crs. of which the organized sector accounts for a mere 9%
indicating a huge potential market opportunity that is lying in the waiting for the
consumer-savvy organized retailer. Today, the organized players have ventured
into each and every retail category.

India’s retail sector is witnessing accelerated growth, with retail


development taking place not just in major cities and metros, but also in Tier-II
and Tier-III cities. The purchasing power of Indian consumer is growing in
categories like apparels, cosmetics, shoes, watches, beverages, food and even
jewelry.

Growth:

Due to the large scope of business and high growth potential, India is
attracting investors across the globe. In FDI Confidence Index, India ranks 8th
(after U.S., Germany, China, UK, Canada, Japan, and France).

India is all set to gain from the latest FDI policy in retail.

13|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

There has been an increase in purchasing power of the consumer due to


easy availability of credit which has given a push to higher value items and
encouraged repeated purchases. There has been a clear shift in consumer
mindset in buying. They are more educated and well informed. They have
become more experimenting and are willing to try and buy products which they
haven’t been used as yet. The expansion of middle class has led to higher
purchases of luxury products and brand consciousness. Significant growth in
discretionary income and changing lifestyles are among the major growth
drivers of Indian retail industry.

With GST taking its shape, it has helped the retailers simplify its tax
structure. This will lead to better supply chain structure, better cash flows,
pricing, and profitability.

14|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1.4Challenges Faced by Retail industry

1. Lack of Technology Adoption:

The availability, feasibility and adoption of technology is the major


challenge faced by the Indian retail outlets. Technology is being used for the
day to day functioning the retail out lets like billing and payments, prevention of
shrinkage, keeping record of stock, supply chain management. But the scope of
technology is wider. Other software can be used like RFID for understanding
customer preference, CRM for customer relationship management and ERP
tools for other activities of the outlets.

2. Lack of Infrastructure and Logistics:

Lack of infrastructure and logistics is another challenge faced by


organized retail industry. Inefficient infrastructure and logistics is resulting in
inefficient processes. This is the major hindrance of the retailers as non-efficient

15|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

distribution channel is very difficult to handle and results in huge losses.


Infrastructure does not have strong base in India. Organization and
Globalization are compelling companies to develop infrastructure facilities
transportation including railway system has to be more efficient. Highway has
to meet global standards. Airport capacities and power supply has to be
enhanced. Warehouse facilities and timely distribution are other areas of
challenge. To fully utilize India's potential in retail sector, these major obstacles
have to be removed.

3. Scarcity of Skilled Workforce

The Indian organized retail players spend more than 7% of the sales
towards personnel cost. Huge cost is incurred in training of the employees. The
retail industry faces attrition rate as high as 30% which is very high as
compared to the other sectors. Industry has to pay more in order to retain the
trained man power. Store operations accounts for 70-80% of the total man
power of the organized retail sector. Unfortunately, there are very few specific
courses for retail industry. Graduates and Post graduates from the other streams
are hired and are trained in retail sector.

4. Frauds in Retail:

Retail Shrinkage is one of the primary challenges that companies would


have to face. Retail shrinkage is the difference between the value of the stock as
per the books and the actual stock available in the outlet. Frauds, including
vendor frauds, theft, shoplifting and inaccuracy in supervision and
administration are the challenges that are difficult to handle. This is so even
after the use of security techniques such as CCTV and POS system. As the size

16|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

of sector increases, this would increase the number of thefts, frauds and
discrepancies in the system.

5. Inefficient Supply Chain Management

Delivering the right goods at right time at right place is very important. In
India, there is lack of efficient Supply Chain Management. In India supply chain
management should be improved and more technology needs to be used to
make the supply chain management effective and reduce the inventory cost.
.Savings can be used to provide extra discounts and benefits to the customers
and more money can be spent on customer retention.

6. Price War:

There is price war between different retail organizations. Every


organization is trying to provide goods at low cost and offers various lucrative
promotional schemes. In such situation, it is difficult to attain customer loyalty
and companies keep marginal profit to provide the goods at competitive prices.

7. Cultural Diversity:

India's huge size and socio economic and cultural diversity means there is
no established mode or consumption pattern throughout the country. The
manufacturers and retailers will have to devise strategies for different sectors
and segments which by itself would be challenging.

8. Complexity in Tax Structure:

In India tax structure is very complex. This tax structure complexity is


another major challenge for Indian retail outlets. The sale tax varies from state
to state while organized player have to face multiple point control and system.

17|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

In many locations, retailers have to face a multi pointoctroi with the


introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in 2005. Certain anomalies in the
existing sale tax system causing disruption in the supply chain are, however,
likely to get corrected over a period of time.

9. Escalating land and rental prices :

Huge growth of retail industry has created a huge demand for the real
estate. This is leading to increase in property prices. Starting a new store needs
huge investment in purchasing a land. This huge investment is also a challenge
for the retail outlets. Rental prices are also increasing, leading to increase in the
overall costing.

10.Competition from Unorganized:

Retail Competition from the unorganized retail sector is the International


Journal of Management and Applied Science, ISSN: 2394-7926 Volume-3,
Issue-9, Sep.-2017 http://iraj.in Challenges Faced by Indian Organized Retail
Outlets: A Descriptive Study of Delhi / NCR 24 major challenge for the
organized retail outlets. Unorganized retail sector includes mom-and- pop
kiryana stores. These are low cost structures normally operated by the owners
and has almost negligible real estate cost, labor cost and they have to pay no or
very less taxes and are very near to the residential area or generally in the
residential areas. They also have started offers and discounts to attain
customers’ loyalty and providing free home delivery facilities. Kiryana stores
also providing credit to the regular customers. So this is the major challenge for
the retail outlets.

18|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

11.Online selling companies

These days so many online marketing companies are coming up. These
companies are providing goods to the customer at their door step and at lesser
prices when compared with retail outlets. Online companies are providing so
many lucrative offers to the customers. So this is also a major challenge for the
retail outlets.

12.Power Supply Problem in India

Big organized retail outlets requires high volume of electricity for


lighting, air-conditioning, escalators, cold storing, billing system, lifts etc. In
fact in the absence of power organized retail outlets can’t survive. There is a
huge problem of electricity in India. Long power cuts are very often in India.
Because of inadequate power supply retail outlets need to invest huge money on
generators for power backups. Tariff for consumption of power supply is also
very high for retail outlets. This leads to increase in the costing of the retail
outlets.

13.High Cost of Operation

Retail outlets have to incur very high cost of operation. This is on account
of high labor cost, training cost of human resource, social security to
employees, high real estate cost and rentals, air conditioning, power backups
cost, high maintenance cost, high electricity tariffs, high taxes, investment in
supply chain and logistics, investment in technology, high investment in
equipments and fixtures to give modern look to the store, CCTV's cost etc. So
retail outlets have to incur high cost of operation still they have to provide
goods to the customers at lower prices. This is a big challenge for the retail
outlet.

19|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

14.Government Opposition to FDI

Government opposition to FDI is the other major challenge for organized


retail. Retail is one of the few sectors where FDI is restricted. In the era of
Globalization and liberalization the time is not far when the retail sector has to
face competition from international retailers. FDI in retail will allow the foreign
retailers to operate their functioning in India which will lead to high competition
and resulting in to low price of good in Indian market. This will make Indian
economy stronger.

15.Understanding customer

These days it is very difficult to understand the customer behavior. So


many factors plays an important role in effecting to customer behavior and
loyalty such as product quality, service quality, customer satisfaction,
promotions, offers provided by other players in the market. To attain the
customer loyalty so much of efforts are required to understand the customer
behavior and regular market survey is required.

16.Ever-increasing customer demand:

Ever increasing demand of the customers is also a challenge to the retail


outlets. These days because of Globalization awareness among the customers is
increasing. Customers’ psychology is changing and becoming more demanding.
They want to pay less for more and more. Because of high operating cost it is
very difficult to meet the customer demand. So this is also a great challenge for
the retail outlets of India.

20|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1.5 Recent Trends of Retail Industry

The top seven trends in retailing in India are as follows:

1. Shift from Unorganized to Organized Retailing


2. Store Design
3. Competition
4. New Form of Retailing
5. Technology
6. Consumer Buying Behavior
7. Entertainment.

21|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1. Shift from Unorganized to Organized Retailing:

Retailing in India is thoroughly unorganized. There is no supply chain


management perspective. The key factors that drive the growth of organized
retailing in India are higher disposable incomes, rising urbanization, growing
consumerism, nuclear family structure, growing number of educated and
employed women population.

2. Store Design:

Irrespective of the format, the biggest challenge for organized retailing is


to create an environment that pulls in people and makes them spend more time
in shopping and also increases the amount of impulse shopping.

3. Competition:

Competition is increasing between different types of retailers. Discount


stores, departmental stores, supermarkets, etc. all compete for the same
customers. The small independent retailers survive by providing personal
services to the customers.

4. New Form of Retailing:

Modem malls made their entry into India in the late 1990s, with the
establishment of Crossroads in Mumbai and Ansal Plaza in Delhi. India’s first
true shopping mall, ‘Crossroads’—complete with food courts, recreation
facilities and large car parking space—was inaugurated as late as 1999 in
Mumbai. Malls have given a new dimension to shopping experience.

22|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5. Technology:

Technology today has become a competitive tool. It is the technology that


helps the organized retailer to score over the unorganized players, giving both
cost and service advantages. Technology has also made possible the growth of
non-store retailing.

6. Consumer Buying Behavior:

In India, there are no uniform trends with respect to consumer buying


behavior. There are visible differences in the shopping pattern of consumers
across income segments. Organized retailing has definitely made headway in
the upper class.

However, even in this segment, items such as milk, fruits, vegetables and
a significant portion of ‘through-the-month’ purchases seem to be done at tra-
ditional outlets. Organized retail outlets seem to be associated with branded
items/special purchases. Organized retailing does not seem to have made an
impact on the lower class, except for ‘curiosity’ shopping.

7. Entertainment:

Modem retail formats provide a place for people to assemble, and a


means of entertainment, by providing facilities such as food courts, mini theatre,
children’s play spaces and coffee shops. These facilities help the customers
enjoy shopping.

23|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Chapter no. 2
COMPANY OVERVIEW

i
Sr. no. Particular Page no.

2.1 History of Company 25

2.2 Vision and Mission of Company 28

2.3 Retail in India 29

2.4 Company Profile 35

2.5 Organizational Chart 38

2.6 Product Profile 39

2.7 SWOT Analysis 42

24|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2.1 History of Company

Reliance Retail is the retail initiative of Reliance Industries Limited and


is central to the group’s consumer facing businesses. Reliance Retail has been at
the forefront of bringing about Organized Retail revolution in India.

Reliance Retail’s operating model unleashes the inspirational energy of


the new, resurgent India. Reliance Retail’s guiding philosophy rests on the
tenets of enabling inclusion, growth and building sustainable societal value for
millions of Indians.

In a short period, it has forged strong and enduring bonds with millions of
consumers by providing them unlimited choice, outstanding value proposition,
superior quality and unmatched shopping experience across all its stores.

Reliance Retail’s growth over the years has triggered a large socio-
economic transformation on an extraordinary scale in India.

Reliance Retail has been ranked as the fastest growing retailer in the
world. It is ranked 53rd in the list of Top Global Retailers and is the only Indian
Retailer to feature in the Top 100. It is the largest and the most profitable
retailer in India with the widest reach.

25|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Reliance Retail has more than 130 million loyal customers buying across
all its formats. It recorded more than 640 million footfalls across all its stores in
FY20, a scale unmatched by any other retailer in India. With over 100,000
transactions per hour, Reliance Retail operates at a scale unparalleled in the
Indian retail industry and continues to enrich the quality of lives of millions of
Indians every day.

Reliance Retail has adopted a multi-prong strategy and operates a wide


array of store formats which cater to planned shopping needs as well as daily or
occasional needs of the customers across major consumption baskets of
Grocery, Consumer Electronics and Fashion & Lifestyle.

In Grocery consumption basket, Reliance Retail operates Reliance Fresh,


Shree Kannan Departmental stores; SMART and Smart Point store formats
focused on food, fresh produce, bakery, dairy products, home and personal care
products, as well as general merchandise items.

In Consumer Electronics consumption basket, Reliance Retail operates


Reliance Digital and MyJio Store formats offering a wide range of consumer
electronics, home appliances, computing and mobility products, latest gadgets
and accessories. These stores are backed by ResQ, a full-fledged service
organization and India’s only ISO 9001 certified electronics service brand.

In Fashion and Lifestyle consumption basket, Reliance Retail operates a


portfolio of formats that serves customers across value, mid, premium and
luxury segments. Reliance Retail operates Trends, Trends Woman, Trends Man,
Trends Footwear, Project Eve, Reliance Jewels, Hamleys formats and a
portfolio of more than 40 marquee international brands such as Armani,

26|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Burberry, Diesel, GAS, Marks & Spencer, Superdry, Brooks Brothers, Steve
Madden and more.

Reliance Retail has a strong presence in digital commerce channels


through AJIO.com, a curated fashion & lifestyle store bringing best of national
and international brands to customers’ doorsteps and Jiomart, India's largest
hyperlocal retail solution that leverages the wide network of Reliance Retail's
grocery stores and well-established supply chain infrastructure.

Reliance Retail reported a turnover of Rs.1,57,629 crore (US$ 21.6


billion) for the financial year 2020-21. As on 31st Mar 2021, Reliance Retail
operated 12,711 stores across 7,000+ cities with a retail area of over 33.8
million sft.

Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries


Limited is the holding company of Reliance Retail Limited which operates the
retail business.

27|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2.2 Vision and Mission of Company


Vision

We are totally dedicated to building a reputation as the most professional


and highly valued circuit board supplier to our customer base as an industry
partner.

Mission Statement

We will continue to invest in our people, the most up-to-date processes


and enhance our production capabilities to add real value for our customers.

We will never compromise environmental protection and we strive to


provide a genuine one-stop service for our customers with a focus on continual
cost reduction and improvement.

Commitment

Our commitment is to offer a premium quality service at a genuinely


competitive price without ever compromising quality and assembly
performance.

Quality will always be our primary focus, and our service levels will
clearly indicate just how we value your business.

28|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2.3 Retail in India

Reliance Retail Limited (RRL) is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries


Limited, which is based in Mumbai. RRL was set up in 2006 and marks the
foray of the Reliance Group into organized retail. RRL has been conceptualized
to include growth for farmers, vendor partners, small shopkeepers and
consumers. It is based on Reliance’s background integration strategy, to build a
value chain starting from farmers to consumers.

Business Divisions:

Reliance Retail Ltd. has a number of company-owned outlets along with


a franchisee format that would be in collaboration with Kirana shop owners. Its
various divisions are:

29|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

a) Reliance Mart:

It is designed to be an all under


one roof supermarket that again
caters to household needs.

b) Reliance Fresh:

It was the first amongst various format stores to be launched by


Reliance Retail Ltd. The ideology
behind the initiative has been bring
“Farm to fork” thereby removing
middle men and benefitting both
farmer and consumer. The stores
would typically be of an area of
around 3,000-5,000 sq ft. Each store
is to provide fresh fruits, vegetables and also products of Reliance Select
and other related groceries.

c) Reliance Super:

It will be a smaller version of


the hypermarket format. It is to offer
over 10,000 products in various
categories like grocery, home care,
stationery, pharmaceutical products,
apparels & accessories, FMCG,
consumer durables & IT, automotive
accessories and lifestyle products.

30|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Reliance Super stores are to be large supermarkets with an area of 4,000 to


10,000 sq. ft. and will not sell fruits and vegetables like Reliance Fresh.

d) Reliance Digital:

It is a consumer electronics concept mega store. It is designed to be


a one stop shop for all technology solutions in the field of consumer
electronics, home appliances,
information technology and
telecommunications. The stores
are to cover an area of more
than 15,000 sq. ft. and offer a
variety of over 4,000 products
spread across 130 brands along
with solution bundles to meet diverse customer needs. The staff will
counsel and guide customers not only to buy products but also provide
complete solutions to ensure consumers buy the right product at the right
price. It will continue to offer Reliance One, a common membership and
loyalty program across all formats, which follows the philosophy “Earn
Anywhere, Spend Anywhere”. It shall also provide finance options for
purchases. Reliance Digital is to be a large format store spread across
15,000 to 35,000 sq. ft. and is scheduled to come up in 70 cities in India in
the near future.

31|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

e) Reliance Wellness:

It is a chain of specialty
wellness stores that would offer
pre-emptive, curative as well as
health and beauty solutions. The
store is to add value to people’s
lives, by providing products and
services that will proactively work to enrich people’s body, mind and
spirit. It is to house world class products under one roof and also educate
consumers on their health needs, thus enabling them to take charge of their
health. It will sell international and national brands like H2O, Neutrogena,
Olay, Sports Nutrition, etc. They will also house alternate medicine, health
books & music. The stores are to showcase Wellness Events, Seminars,
Workshops and Advisory camps on contemporary wellness issues like
diabetes, hypertension, fitness, diet and nutrition, weight management and
skin care.

f) Reliance Footprints:

It is a specialty footwear
store that would offer over
25,000 pairs of formal, casual,
ethnic, party wear and
sportswear in men, women and
children footwear. The store is to
be spread over 7,300 square feet
and be dedicated to footwear, handbags and accessories. The design of
Footprint was conceptualized by Pavlik of USA which is one of the best

32|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

design houses in the world keeping in mind the taste and preferences of the
Indian consumer. It shall offer brands from Europe and America like Josef
Siebel, Rockport, Hush Puppies, Lee Cooper Clarks, Levis, Nike, Adidas,
Piccadilly, Dr.Scholl’s and more. For kids, Crocs and Disney will be
showcased. The store plans a pan-India presence by opening over 15 more
specialty stores.

g) Reliance Jewels:

It is a stand-alone
fine jewelry format. It is
to be a one stop
shopping destination for
fine jewelry. Reliance
Retail ventured into
gems and jewelry trade
with the aim of launching 300 stores all over India within a 3 year time
frame. With a growing demand for jewelry and lower competition. In
Diamond jewelry, Reliance Jewels will offer the finest quality of diamonds
and the widest range of daily wear, party wear and wedding designs.

h) Reliance Timeout:

With over 56,000 products


Reliance Timeout will offer
customer an extensive range of
merchandise in books, music,
stationery, toys and gifts. It is to
a format based on the ideology to

33|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

provide a place where a consumer can unwind and relax, browse and buy a
book, sample some music, choose a gift, and buy a toy or some exclusive
stationery for themselves. Reliance Timeout will offer a comprehensive
range of products in these categories along with an attempt to create a
fascinating customer experience with a warm, lively ambience.

i) Reliance Trends:

It is a specialty apparel
store that will sell men, women
and children’s garments. The
store will carry the best of
national and international
brands like John Players, Peter
England, Indigo Nation,
Wrangler, Reebok, and Lee, apart from in-house brands. The store layout
is to compliment the evolving taste and preference of fashion savvy
consumers, giving them an opportunity to view /shop with ease, along with
well-trained customer service associates, to compliment the entire
shopping process. Reliance trends is operation with 123 stores across the
country, providing employment to so many people and planning to launch
many new stores.

34|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2.4 Company Profile

Company Reliance Retail

Subsidiary Company Reliance Trends

Store Code 8322

Founded 2007

Headquarters Mumbai
Chairman and
Shri MukeshAmbani
Managing Director

Reliance Trends Limited, Reliance Mall, 1st Floor,


Stores at Rajkot City Opp. Patel Tours & Travels, 130 Feet Ring Road,
Rajkot, Gujarat-360005

The Apparel, Luggage and Accessories division of reliance retail has


announced the launch of their first apparel specialty store “Reliance Trends”.

All the Reliance Trends stores located at different places across


Bangalore offer some of the best Indian and International brands with each
store’s area of more than 13000sq.ft. of shopping area, and has been designed
and furnished by the best of the international design agencies to offer a high
style and lavish experience to the Indian consumer. The store layout
compliments the evolving tastes and preference of fashion savvy consumers,
giving them an opportunity to view/shop with ease, along with an army of well-
trained customer service associates to compliment the entire shopping process.

Riding on the tremendous success of Reliance Mart at various locations


across India, the apparel division of Reliance Retail is well on track to
democratize fashion and make it attainable to the masses.

35|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

This is being possible by the extraordinary design pool of Indian and


International designers, integrating the international design trends and
preferences of the Indian consumers.

The company is offering solutions to common maintenance problems


through its state of the art innovative products like Ever White Shirts, Anti Stain
Trousers, Wrinkle free range of garments, aromatic clothes for infants and
quick-dry sportswear that ensures optimum moisture management.

Product quality has been ingrained into the DNA of Reliance Trends and
is integral to the mission of “Grahak Devo Bhava”. The quality system are
designed, implemented and monitored as per international standards by a highly
competent team of professionals.

To deliver the customer the best value for their money, only those
products that demonstrate an exemplary safety and quality meeting both implicit
and explicit needs of the consumer are approved for purchase.

Some of the quality standards that are being followed are American
Association of textiles, chemists and colorists. American Standard, ISO and BIS
methods.

For the first time in organized retail, Reliance Trends is introducing Made
to Measure tailoring service offering customized fits to all the customers buying
fabric from the store at prices compatible to neighborhood tailors.

Reliance Trends is offering a homogenous mix of private label of brands


across men’s, women’s and children’s category to fulfill every customer’s
requirements.

36|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

The Network range of garments comprises of formal office wear and


collection for men and women, while the Netplay range, showcases a smart
casual collection for the evolving workplace. The DNMX range has been
developed with a clear focus on the youth of India, offering them exclusively
crafted fashion garments like Denims, T-shirts etc.

An exclusive label Panda has been developed for infants and toddlers,
while the FRENDZ range of garments would complement the wardrobes of the
growing generation of boys and girls.

Apart from these private labels, the store is also offering some of the most
renowned brands in the country like Levis Strauss Signature, Peter England,
Indigo Nation, American Tourister, John Players etc. Some designer labels
either directly or through their sub brands most of these exclusively for Reliance
Trends.

Continuing the tradition of reaching out to the middle class of the


country, the current offering from Reliance Trends is easily affordable to the
Indian consumer. The specific private label called First Class, is designed to
cater to the range of garments cutting across men’s, women’s and children’s
wear to deliver extreme value to the Indian consumers.

Taking forward the voice of Shri MukeshAmbani, Chairman & Managing


Director, Reliance Industries Ltd, Reliance Trends delivers unmatched
affordability, quality and chain of products and services to the consumer.
Reliance Retail continues to fine tune its offering and listening to its customers
and learning from them. This as the Chairman envisions, will be the beginning
of transformation of Indian Retail with benefits for the consumer.

37|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2.5 Organizational Chart

38|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2.6 Product Profile

1. Women’s wear:
✓ Indian wear
✓ Formal wear
✓ Semi-Formal wear
✓ Casual wear
✓ Dress Material
✓ Lingerie

2. Men’s wear:
✓ Formal wear
✓ Semi-Formal wear
✓ Casual wear
✓ Sports wear
✓ Men’s wear fabric
✓ Under Garments

3. Kid’s wear:
✓ Infants
✓ Toddlers
✓ Girls 2-8 years
✓ Girls 8-14 years
✓ Boys 2-8 years
✓ Boys 8-14 years

4. Accessories:
✓ Handbags
✓ Socks
✓ Handkerchiefs
✓ Sports Goods

39|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Brands available in Reliance Trends:

40|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Other Brands:
✓W
✓ Fig
✓ Network
✓ Papejames
✓ Sandesh
✓ Altheory
✓ Rukotina
✓ Jockey
✓ KG FRENDZ
✓ Recape, etc.

41|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2.7 SWOT Analysis

STRENGTH:
➢ Lower Price
➢ Coupons, Voucher
➢ Promotional Products
➢ Good Quality
➢ Value to money
➢ Understanding the customer needs
➢ Implementation of the pint theory (5 theory = greeting)
➢ Offer on national holiday like 15 august , 26 jan ,16 junetc
➢ Ultimate offer (offer for the whole yr)

42|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

WEAKNESS:
➢ Repeated Collections
➢ Not Much Collections
➢ Lack Of Awareness

OPPORTUNITIES:
➢ New Products : Expanding Beyond Clothing To Include
More Shoes, Handbags
➢ Catalogs
➢ Removing The Products Which Are Not Selling Much

THREATS:
➢ There Is A Competition From Stores Like Life Style,
Pantaloons, Shopper’s Shop Etc.,
➢ Many Stores Have To Open

43|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Chapter no. 3
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
i

Sr. no. Particular Page no.

3.1 Introduction 45

3.2 Definition 46

3.3 Objectives of Customer Services 46

3.4 Customer Segmentation of Reliance trends 47

3.5 Business Techniques of Customer Satisfaction 48

44|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

3.1 Introduction
Customer service is the provision of services to customers before, during
and after a purchase. According to Turban service is a series of activities
designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction that is, the feeling that a
product or service has met the customer expectation."

Its importance varies by product, industry and customer; defective or


broken merchandise can be exchanged, often only with a receipt and within a
specified time frame. Reliance Trends will often have a desk or counter devoted
to dealing with returns, exchanges and complaints, or will perform related
functions at the point of sale; the perceived success of such interactions being
dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the
guest,"

Customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to


generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should
be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. A
customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer has of
the organization.

Customer support is a range of customer services to assist customers in


making cost effective and correct use of a product. It includes assistance in
planning, installation, training, trouble shooting, maintenance, upgrading, and
disposal of a product.

A multi-task position drawing on extensive CUSTOMER SERVICE


experience to advance a proven track record for developing and maintaining key
accounts and improving departmental efficiencies.

45|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

3.2 Definition
Customer Satisfaction, business term of how the products and the
services supplied by the company meet or surpass the customer expectation. It
is the key performance indicator within the business. Customer satisfaction can
greatly achieved by imparting Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in
the company.

3.3 Objectives of Customer Services


1) Provide customers and staff with clear standards and expectations.
2) Ensure all the customers contact reaches appropriate conclusions.
3) Minimize incidences of repeat contact.
4) Seek to provide a seamless service for customers.
5) Provide equal and easy access to our services at a time, place and channel
that meet the needs of residents, businesses and other stakeholders.
6) Cater for customers’ needs irrespective of age, gender, physical or
financial ability, ethnic origin, race, religion or geographical location.
7) Provide a prompt, courteous and knowledgeable response to all customer
enquiries.
8) Equip our staff to provide customers with an excellent standard of service.
9) Enable our customers to provide feedback easily, through complaints,
customer surveys, etc.
10) Use customer compliments, comments and complaints to drive
improvements to service.
11) Improve the speed, quality and consistency of response to enquiries by
having our information in a format that can be easily accessed.

46|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

3.4 Customer Segmentation of Reliance trends


1) Reliance trends target higher & upper middle class customers.
2) The large and growing young working population is a preferred customer
segment.
3) Reliance trends specially targets working women & home markets who
are the primary decision maker.
4) Reliance also targets on the young population of the country as they will
follow fashion mostly and of reliance promotes itself as the India’slargest
fashion destination.

Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can offer
promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but
unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won't
be profitable for long. Good customer service is all about bringing customers
back. And about sending them away happy - happy enough to pass positive
feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or
service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers.

The field of my research is Customer Satisfaction which focuses on


customer’s perceptions. Many firms are interested in understanding what their
customers thought about their shopping or purchase experience, because finding
new customers is generally more costly and difficult than servicing existing or
repeat customers. Such researches provide a wider scope to the firms in the
terms of high customer satisfaction.

47|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

3.5 Business Techniques of Customer Satisfaction


1) One of the key customer satisfaction techniques is the need to provide
front line employees with the ability to respond to customer situations
quickly without the need to ask for permission.
2) Innovation drives customers' satisfaction. As customers' needs keep
changing, an innovation-driven company is capacitated to exceed
customers' expectations.
3) To provide after sale services.
4) Listen actively and carefully.
5) Anticipate that the customer will be asking questions. They may be easy,
they may be hard. But encourage them anyway. If you cannot provide an
answer, promise to find out the answer from someone who can.
6) Be patient, look from the customer's point of view and work from there.
This point of view will always give you the best outlook on the situation.
7) Always keep a smile on your face when dealing with customers which
can lead to customer satisfaction. This positive attitude can rub off and
turn a potentially negative situation into a positive experience.

Recent Methods that today’s firm adopt to Increase the Customer


Satisfaction:

In order to stay competitive and remain profitable, businesses have to


focus on the quality of their customer service. Companies that invest time,
energy and money into developing and nurturing quality so customers can have
a satisfactory experience are going to be more profitable and better likely to
experience more sustained growth over the long-term.

48|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1) Customer-Centric Attitude:

Operations should be customer-centric meaning that the customer's best


interests should always be foremost. Service should be offered in a helpful way
and with a smile. Both management and employees should show interest
towards the customer and strive to give them a good experience. Today's
companies must strive even harder than abiding by this golden rule of customer
service.

2) Customer care:

Is something which is done even after the product is purchased? Many


companies are interested in knowing the reason why consumers have purchased
the goods and services or even the goods are not purchased. Managers
interested in customer care try to collect a database as to why the customers
have purchased the competitors product and service and what will be the level
of satisfaction if it is introduced in our product or service. And also to find the
level of expectations and their level of dissatisfaction.

3) Customer focus:

Is attained when everyone in the organization make efforts to focus the


activities towards the satisfaction of the customers right from the stage of new
product planning and to product modification to the stage of elimination of the
goods and services everything revolves around the customers. All the activities
are focused on the customer satisfaction.

4) Customer Service Training:

Another strategy to improve customer satisfaction is to invest in customer


service training. All employees should be on board with how to treat customers

49|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

and help them gain a valued experience. The quality of customer service can
easily make or break a business. The experience the people have received is the
most important aspect in selling pure services or services with tangible goods.
Once the customers is satisfied with the service his loyalty towards that product
or company is at its peak. Companies today are doing a lot of self- introspection
that they are really giving the said services to the customers. Companies are
spending more money and time to see that the services are evaluated and
improved as per the expectations of the customers. In fact, the companies
globally known for their services are always in the process of finding
opportunities to improve on the quality of the services.

5) Communication:

Communication with customers is also important. It's a good idea to


always provide customers with ways they can contact you and offer ways to
contact them (if they choose). Offering e-mail, telephone line, web contact or
other ways for customers to offer comments and/or complaints is of value.

6) Customer Relationship Management Software:

Customer Relationship Management is a process of managing detail


information about individual customer and carefully managing all the customers
touch points with the aim of maximizing customer satisfaction and customer
loyalty. Customer Relationship Management Software. Customer relationship
management (CRM) software has become a strategy many companies employ
to help increase customer satisfaction. Through using CRM tools and
accompanying philosophy, businesses can examine and analyze what customers
want and strive to meet this demand before they even walk in the door.

50|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

7) Ask for Feedback:

Being interested in customer feedback is always a valuable practice to


engage in to increase customer satisfaction. What better strategy and technique
to find out how to satisfy your customers than to ask them? Surveys,
questionnaires, talking to customers as they shop, and then following up with
calls or e-mails are all good ways to get feedback.

8) Quality Control:

Quality is important to customer satisfaction and the level of quality


directly plays into a business' ability to meet customer expectations. Quality
should be monitored for both service and the type of products offered; as a part
of this guarantees and the willingness to stand behind service and/or products is
necessary.

9) Creating Customer Delight:

Customer delight is when the standard of the goods and services are much
higher than the expectations of the customers, this not only satisfies them but
surprise and delight them. To create customer delight the company will not only
increase the standard of service but will train its personnel to deliver in its best
possible manner the services as expected by the customers. Customer delight
depends on the reliability factor of the company. This is the ability to perform
what has been promised to the customer. Companies who focus on customer
delights should be dependable and have accuracy in delivering the services to
the customers. Companies with much attitude of empathy and always paying
individual attention to its customers which in turn builds customer delight. The
advantage is manifold because it creates brand loyal and customer loyalty.

51|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Chapter no. 4
PROMOTIONAL STRETAGIES
i

Sr. no. Particular Page no.

4.1 Introduction 53

4.2 Promotional Mix 54

4.3 Types of Promotional Strategy 58

4.4 Promotional Activities 61

52|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

4.1 Introduction
Promotion has become an essential part of every business, and businesses
are trying their best to increase their brand awareness. They are opting for
various techniques and experimenting with ways to attract customers and
further inspire a purchase.

This will be better understood with an example. Let us assume that you
are a marketing manager for a brand that makes sports shoes. You need to
increase the awareness about your product among the people, and of course, you
must focus on motivating everyone to at least own one pair of sports shoes
manufactured by your company. This is where you need to show your skills and
convince people why they should purchase sports shoes from your brand only.

This can be achieved by building a promotional strategy to promote your


product. A promotional strategy is influenced by various constituents. Let’s take
a dive into the brief details about these constituents affecting your strategy.

53|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

4.2 Promotional Mix


Definition:

“The Promotion Mix refers to the blend of several promotional tools used
by the business to create, maintain and increase the demand for goods and
services.”

The fourth element of the 4 P’s of Marketing Mix is the promotion; that
focuses on creating the awareness and persuading the customers to initiate the
purchase. The several tools that facilitate the promotion objective of a firm are
collectively known as the Promotion Mix.

The Promotion Mix is the integration of Advertising, Personal Selling,


Sales Promotion, Public Relations and Direct Marketing. The marketers need to
view the following questions in order to have a balanced blend of these
promotional tools.

Elements of Promotion Mix:

54|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

1. Advertising:

The advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and


promotion of goods and services by the identified sponsor in the exchange of a
fee. Through advertising, the marketer tries to build a pull strategy; wherein the
customer is instigated to try the product at least once. The complete information
along with the attractive graphics of the product or service can be shown to the
customers that grab their attention and influences the purchase decision.

2. Personal Selling:

This is one of the traditional forms of promotional tool wherein the


salesman interacts with the customer directly by visiting them. It is a face to
face interaction between the company representative and the customer with the
objective to influence the customer to purchase the product or services.

3. Sales Promotion:

The sales promotion is the short term incentives given to the customers to
have an increased sale for a given period. Generally, the sales promotion
schemes are floated in the market at the time of festivals or the end of the
season. Discounts, Coupons, Payback offers, Freebies, etc. are some of the sales
promotion schemes. With the sales promotion, the company focuses on the
increased short-term profits, by attracting both the existing and the new
customers.

4. Public Relations:

The marketers try to build a favorable image in the market by creating


relations with the general public. The companies carry out several public
relations campaigns with the objective to have a support of all the people

55|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

associated with it either directly or indirectly. The public comprises of the


customers, employees, suppliers, distributors, shareholders, government and the
society as a whole. The publicity is one of the form of public relations that the
company may use with the intention to bring newsworthy information to the
public.

E.g. Large Corporate such as Dabur, L&T, Tata Consultancy, Bharti


Enterprises, Services, Unitech and PSU’s such as Indian Oil, GAIL, and NTPC
have joined hands with Government to clean up their surroundings, build toilets
and support the swachh Bharat Mission.

5. Direct Marketing:

With the intent of technology, companies reach customers directly


without any intermediaries or any paid medium. The e-mails, text messages,
Fax, are some of the tools of direct marketing. The companies can send emails
and messages to the customers if they need to be informed about the new
offerings or the sales promotion schemes.

E.g. The Shopper stop send SMS to its members informing about the
season end sales and extra benefits to the golden card holders.

Importance of Promotional Mix:

The importance of promotion mix are as follows:

1. Credulity:

Public presentation of your company helps consolidate the belief of


legitimacy and permanence in the minds of the consumer.

56|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2. Brand name reinforcement in consumers’ mind:

It is a common notion that something that gets repeated gets remembered


and something that’s remembered gets done. So, in a promotional mix,
especially advertisements, there are repetitions of your brand to the consumer.
And this can lead to your brand name being synonymous with that product. For
example, in Nigeria, most people call every noodle in the market Indomie.

3. Increase in sales:

The most common reason why companies engage in promotion is to


promote sales and this will therefore increase profit.

4. Build relationships:

Companies can build strong relationships with retailers in that industry by


creating a promotion mix targeted at them. Hence, this could help the company
get a good market share of its market segment.

5. Stir excitement:

This is usually achieved by sales promotion. Some consumers are turned


on by contests and by giving it to them. You can turn a dreary purchase into a
livelier one.

57|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

4.3 Types of Promotional Strategy


1. Social Media:

There are different social media platforms that you can use to promote
your products and increase a broader range of audiences. Since there is hardly a
person who does not have a Facebook or Instagram account, you can utilize
these platforms to market your products, raise awareness, discuss its uses, and
ways in which it can be beneficial to your consumers. Additionally, you can
also demonstrate how your product is superior to other products in the market.

2. Mail Order Marketing:

Existing customers are a big reason why your business is still alive. Once
a customer uses your product and likes it, there are going to come back to
purchase more. Therefore, do not ever underestimate these existing customers.
You can ask them for their positive experience with you in exchange for some
free rewards or discounts. You can then use this information to promote your
products in a new market.

3. Giveaways:

This is one of the most popular and effective promotional strategies for
both small as well as large companies. This strategy is mostly employed by food
or cosmetic brands. They give away a free sample of their product to people and
make them try these new products. This strategy can give a significant boost to
your sales. You must have come across a small counter of some company in a
shopping mall where a representative gives away free products to every person
who passes by, or sometimes they ask for your email address, which they later
use to promote their products.

58|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

4. Referral Programs:

Also known as referral marketing, businesses use this promotional


strategy to encourage their existing customers to refer their products to their
family or friends in exchange for some rewards, incentives, or discounts on their
next purchase.

5. Point of Sale Promotion and End Marketing:

In stores, the products are arranged strategically so that they catch the
eyes of the customers as soon as they enter the store. This is done for two
reasons, impulse and comfort. You would often notice a shelf near the walkway
of the store, showing appealing discounts on some products. The stores do this
on purpose to either increase sales or get their stock moving. This strategy can
make visitors purchase some products impulsively while waiting in the queue to
check out.

6. Branded Promotional Gifts:

This is a rather effective strategy implemented by many brands for their


promotion. Instead of handing over business cards, which will eventually be
thrown away without even looking at them, you should handover some
promotional gifts with printed information about your brand. For instance, you
can give a tissue paper with your brand’s name and logo. Since it is useful, it
would stay with them for a while. Moreover, people love free gifts.

7. Cause Marketing:

People love connecting with brands that address and take initiatives for
societal issues and charitable causes. Many businesses, whether small or big, are

59|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

using this strategy, also known as Cause Marketing, to strengthen their


customer base. You can do this by collaborating with a non-profit organization
and then advertise about your step towards the particular social cause or charity,
which will further convince them to purchase from you and do their bit for the
society.

8. Survey After Sale:

As a business, your role does not just end once a sale is made. You need
to value your customers who have purchased from you as this will make them
feel cared for and open doors for further promotions. You can also use their
feedback to bring further improvements to your service. During the
conversation, you can also educate them about your upcoming offers or deals.
This interaction will improve your relationship with your customers and
develop a positive brand image.

9. Appreciation Events:

Throwing small parties for your customers will not cost you as much as
the fancy advertisements do, but these can be an excellent way to improve your
relationship with them. During such events, you can arrange little contests and
give a gift hamper or a pizza or a voucher to the winner. This will eventually
drive your customers to your store.

10.Organizing Contests for Promotion:

This strategy is widely used by brands to establish their newly launched


products. You must have come across influencers, bloggers, or YouTubers
partnering up with several brands, asking people to participate in a contest to
win a prize. This is another way to attract customers to your website or store.

60|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

4.4 Promotional Activities


Promotional activities done by Reliance trends for driving more
customers into the store:

Reliance trends is doing different types of promotional activities with a


main aim of bringing in more customers into the stores.

Reliance is focusing on attracting customers through different types of


walk-in driven activities, some of the activities done by Reliance trends in the
past 2 years are as below.

• Media plan
• Leaflets distribution & balloon distribution
• Guess the price challenge
• Event plans
• Trend stylish
• Seasonal offers
• Sponsoring college fests and corporate launches.

1. Media plan:

Media plan involves communication through different media such as

• Print media
• Social media
• Radio
• Cinema
• Outdoor communication

61|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

i. Print media:

Reliance trends is using the print media as one of its promotional activities,
Reliance spends lot of money in printing its advertisements in the most major
news dailies. The advertisements will be printed mostly on the weekends
(Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) in such a way that the advertisement will grab
the reader’s attention and making them to come into the stores, which will not
only increase the footfall of the store but also increase the revenue by attracting
the people to make a purchase.

ii. Social media:

With the ever increasing usage of internet in the country, most of the
population using the social networking sites such as Face book, twitter.
Reliance is having its own brand pages and groups in the face book, with the
help of which Reliance is doing some campaigns in the social networking sites
for promoting its brands, new offers and creating brand awareness to the people.

62|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

iii. Radio:

Reliance trends is having its own radio channel called Radio trends which
will announce the offers in the stores all the time, making the customers who
enter the store to know about all the offers.

Other than its own radio channel Reliance trends is using some other radio
channels for its promotions. In the radio channels like Radio mirchi, Big fm,
radio city, radio one, indigo etc. Reliance is announcing its advertisements in a
very high frequency in the major cities where there are Reliance trends stores
with a main aim of bringing more customers into the stores.

iv. Cinema:

Reliance trends is using cinema plan as one of its promotional activities,


they are selecting the best multiplexes and single screen theatres in the
catchment areas where the multiplexes and the single screen theatres are
popular and more people will be visiting these multiplexes.

Cinema plan is being used in the most major cities like Delhi, Mumbai,
Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and these ads will be given mostly on the
weekends (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).

Reliance will never give its ads in televisions, viewers may change the
channels at the time of advertisements so we cannot measure the usefulness of
the television ads. But the viewers have to watch the advertisements in the
cinemas and the multiplexes as the ads will be given before the start of the films
and in the breaks.

63|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

v. Outdoor communication:

Reliance trends is using banners and hoardings as the outdoor


communication. Reliance is placing the attractive banners and hoardings with
its offers in the best catchment locations where the flow of population was very
high.

Reliance trends also uses cluster hoardings in the key traffic junctions in
the main cities in the way it will dominate the location and catch the attention of
the people who are passing by the way.

64|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

2. Leaflets and balloons distribution:

Reliance use to hire some guys for distributing the leaflets and balloons in
the selected catchment areas. They will do this mostly on weekends and at the
time of special offers. This leaflets distribution is basically for increasing the
footfall to the store and thereby converting the people who enter the store into
the final customers. I have observed that many people who have taken the
leaflets have entered into the stores.

3. Guess the price challenge:

Reliance trends will hire two or three volunteers for engaging the crowd in
the places where this activity is being conducted.

The volunteers will find the well dressed and good looking people, give
them a chance to guess the price of the merchandise. If they guess the price
correctly they will be given with some discount coupon.

65|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Almost everyone who get the discount coupon will enter into the stores
and try some apparels in the stores. It will drive more walkins into the store and
makes them to do a purchase as well.

4. Events plan:

Reliance use to hire some events organizing companies and they will do
different types of events for attracting the customers to come into the stores.

• Puzzle Game
• Scratch and Win
• Get clicked with your loved ones.

i. Puzzle game:
• A board with Reliance trends logo will be placed on a stand at the
store &some portions of the reliance trends logo will be removed,
customers have to find the missing portions of the logo.
• The same portion which have been removed from the logo will
be distributed in the store catchments in large numbers by
promoters asking customers to participate for Puzzle game at
Reliance trends outlet to win surprise gifts.
ii. Scratch and win:
• Promoters will be holding bunch of balloons at the catchments &
asking customers to pick any one of those bunch of balloons and
break it.
• After breaking the balloons customers will get a scratch card
which makes them to get assured discount of 10% to 20%.
• Customers will visit the store, and shop for some amount to
redeem the free discounts.

66|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

• This will make more customers come into the store as they were
getting free discounts.
iii. Get clicked with your loved ones:
• Promoters will go to catchments ask the customers to get clicked
with loved one & get an instant photo along with coupons.
• A stage will be kept in the store to click the customers.
• Promoters & printing machines will be kept to give instant
photograph to customers.
• This will attract more customers to enter into the stores as they
were getting the photograph for free of cost.
• Customers will also be given with an additional discount voucher
which will allow customers to try some apparels inside the store.
5. Trend stylish:
• Reliance will hire 2 or 3 volunteers for engaging the crowd in the
malls and the catchment locations.
• The volunteers will find out the well dressed, good walking, good
looking person and stylish person and immediately will give that
person discount voucher and announce them as the Trends
Stylish by announcing them as Trends Stylish.
• All the people who got the discount voucher will come back to
the stores to redeem the coupons.
6. Seasonal offers:

Reliance will also do more promotions for the seasonal festivals like
children day, Father’s day, Valentine’s day, Mother’s day, Independence Day
etc. with different types of discounts and offers related to that specific day of
festival for bringing in more customers into the stores.

67|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

7. Sponsoring college fests and corporate launches:

Reliance trends also concentrating on sponsoring the college fests and the
corporate launches.

Reliance believe that the sponsoring to college fests and the corporate
launches will bring more

Customers into the stores, increases the footfall.

68|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Chapter no. 5
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Sr. no. Particular Page no.

5.1 Meaning of Research Methodology 71

5.2 Sources of Data 72

5.3 Research Design 73

5.4 Research Sample 74

5.5 Data Collection Tool 75

5.6 Research Limitations 76

5.7 Data Analysis 77

5.8 Findings and Recommendations 98

69|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Title of the project:

“Understanding shopper behavior & evaluation of customer experience at


selected store and Promotional Strategies of Reliance Trends”.

Objectives:
1) To study the satisfaction level of customers with regard of reliance trends.
2) To find out the buying behavior of the customers coming in to Reliance
trends.
3) To identify main competitors of Reliance trends with regard to services.
4) To study different types of promotional activities done by Reliance trends
for driving more customers
Methodology adopted for study:
• Observing the working of various departments like finance,
Human resource, Marketing, purchasing and production.
• Discussion with executives, managers and employees.
• Visiting and surfing websites of the company

70|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.1 Meaning of Research Methodology


Research Methodology is a set of various methods to be followed to find
out various information’s regarding market strata of different products.
Research Methodology is required in every industry for acquiring knowledge of
their products.

Research methodology is the specific procedures or techniques used to


identify, select, process, and analyze information about a topic. In a research
paper, the methodology section allows the reader to critically evaluate a study’s
overall validity and reliability.

❖ Definition of Research:

Research is defined as careful consideration of study regarding a


particular concern or problem using scientific methods. According to the
American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, “Research is a systematic inquiry to
describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. It involves
inductive and deductive methods.”

Inductive research methods analyze an observed event, while deductive


methods verify the observed event. Inductive approaches are associated with
qualitative research, and deductive methods are more commonly associated with
quantitative analysis.

❖ 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.

71|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.2 Sources of Data


A. Primary Source:

The primary data was collected by means of a survey. Questionnaires


were prepared and customers of the Reliance trends at two branches were
approached to fill up the questionnaires. The questionnaire contains 15
questions which reflect on the type and quality of services provided by the
Reliance trends to the customers. The response of the customer is recorded on a
grade scale of strongly disagree, disagree, uncertain, agree and strongly agree
for some questions. The filled up information was later analyzed to obtain the
required interpretation and the findings.

B. Secondary Source:

In order to have a proper understanding of the customer service of


Reliance trends a depth study was done from the various sources such as books,
a lot of data is also collected from the official websites of the Reliance trends
and the articles from various search engines like Google, yahoo search and
answers.com.

72|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.3 Research Design


The research design is exploratory till identification of customer services
parameters. Later it becomes descriptive when it comes to evaluating customer
perception of customer service of the Reliance trends.

Descriptive research, also known as statistical research, describes data


and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied.
Descriptive research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how.

Although the data description is factual, accurate and systematic, the


research cannot describe what caused a situation. Thus, descriptive research
cannot be used to create a causal relationship, where one variable affects
another. In other words, descriptive research can be said to have a low
requirement for internal validity.

The description is used for frequencies, averages and other statistical


calculations. Often the best approach, prior to writing descriptive research, is to
conduct a survey investigation.

Qualitative research often has the aim of description and researchers may
follow-up with examinations of why the observations exist and what the
implications of the findings are.

73|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.4 Research Sample


❖ SAMPLING PLAN:

Since it is not possible to study whole universe, it becomes necessary to


take sample from the universe to know about its characteristics.

• Sampling Units: Customers of Reliance trends.


• Sample Technique: Random Sampling.
• Research Instrument: Structured Questionnaire.
• Contact method: Personal interview

❖ SAMPLE SIZE:

The work is a case of Reliance trends one of the Retail Sector industry
together representing great per cent of the market share of Indian retail sector.
The survey was conducted in the Rajkot city with two branches of Reliance
trends, with 30 customers/individuals as respondent.

74|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.5 Data Collection Tool


Data is collected from various customers through personal interaction.
Some other information is collected through secondary data also. Data was
collected through a structured questionnaire, Likert technique is used. Likert
scale is simply a statement which the respondent is asked to evaluate according
to any kind of subjective or objective criteria, generally the level of agreement
and disagreement is measured.

The questionnaire consists of two parts. The first part consists of three
questions concerning the demographic information of the respondent such as the
name, age, occupation and gender. The second part consisting of respondent’s
perception about the customer services of Reliance trends and competitors
analysis.

75|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.6 Research Limitations


The study is only for the Reliance trends confined to a particular location
and a very small sample of respondents. Hence the findings cannot be treated as
representative of the entire retail industry.

Respondents may give biased answers for the required data. Some of the
respondents did not like to respond.

Respondents tried to escape some statements by simply answering “neither


agree nor disagree” to most of the statements. This was one of the most
important limitations faced, as it was difficult to analyze and come at a right
conclusion.

In our study we have included 30 customers because of time limit.

76|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.7 Data Analysis

QUESTION NO: 1
How frequently do you visit reliance trends store?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Daily 8/30 26.7%
Weekly 4/30 13.3%
Monthly 6/30 20%
During Multiple Offers 4/30 13.3%
As per Requirements 8/30 26.7%

• Interpretation:

Out of 30 responses, 8 respondents visit Reliance Trends daily, 4


respondents visit weekly, 6 respondents visit monthly, 4 respondents visit
during multiple offers and 8 respondents visit Reliance Trends as per
requirements.

77|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 2
Are you happy with the location of reliance trends stores in the Rajkot City?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 29/30 96.7%
No 1/30 3.3%

78|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 3
Staff greeted you and offered to help you.

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Strongly Agree 14/30 46.7%
Agree 16/30 53.3%
Disagree 0/30 0%
Strongly Disagree 0/30 0%

79|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 4
Staffs and Managers were available in a timely manner.

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Strongly Agree 13/30 43.3%
Agree 16/30 53.3%
Disagree 1/30 3.4%
Strongly Disagree 0/30 0%

80|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 5

Behavior of staffs and their problem solving methods.

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Good 9/30 30%
Excellent 17/30 56.7%
Average 4/30 13.3%
Bad 0/30 0%
Very Bad 0/30 0%

81|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 6
Does the store provide convenient parking for customers?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 29/30 96.7%
No 1/30 3.3%

82|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 7
How did you come to know about reliance trends first time?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Newspaper 1/30 3.4%
TV 4/30 13.3%
Internet 9/30 30%
Leaflets 0/30 0%
Banners and Templates 1/30 3.3%
Friends and Relatives 15/30 50%

83|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 8
How frequently do you get Garments as per your requirements from Reliance
Trends?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


All the time 11/30 36.7%
Sometimes 18/30 60%
Not any time 1/30 3.3%

84|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 9
Are you satisfied with the pricing for multiple garments in Reliance Trends?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Strongly Agree 7/30 23.3%
Agree 22/30 73.3%
Disagree 1/30 3.4%
Strongly Disagree 0/30 0%

85|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 10
The offers available in the store are good value for money?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Strongly Agree 7/30 23.3%
Agree 15/30 50%
Average 7/30 23.3%
Disagree 1/30 3.4%
Strongly Disagree 0/30 0%

86|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 11
Are you aware about Coupon Schemes provided by Reliance Trends?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 27/30 90%
No 3/30 10%

87|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 12
Have you bought any garments from Reliance Trends in coupon redemption
schemes?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 22/30 73.3%
No 8/30 26.7%

88|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 13
Do you know about 'Reliance One Balance' and 'Jiomart Maha Cashback’?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 24/30 80%
No 6/30 20%

89|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 14
Have you ever used Reliance One Balance and Jiomart Cashback to buy any
product from Reliance Mall?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


So many times 7/30 23.3%
All time 7/30 23.3%
Sometimes 11/30 36.7%
Didn’t know about this 5/30 16.7%
scheme

90|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO:
QUESTION NO: 15
16
Have you ever enjoyed Gift offers provided in Reliance Trends during Coupon
Scheme?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 25/30 83.3%
No 5/30 16.7%

91|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 16
Do you like to visit reliance trends store again?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 28/30 93.3%
No 1/30 3.4%
Maybe 1/30 3.3%

92|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 17
Would you like to recommend reliance trends to your friends and family?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Yes 24/30 80%
No 0/30 0%
Maybe 6/30 20%

93|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 18
How do you rate your experience in Reliance trends with regarding to Customer
service?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


1 Star 1/30 3.3%
2 Star 1/30 3.4%
3 Star 4/30 13.3%
4 Star 8/30 26.7%
5 Star 16/30 53.3%

94|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 19
How do you rate your experience in Reliance trends with regarding to Visual
Merchandising?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


1 Star 3/30 10%
2 Star 1/30 3.3%
3 Star 3/30 10%
4 Star 9/30 30%
5 Star 14/30 46.7%

95|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 20
How do you rate your experience in Reliance trends with regarding to
Billing counter experience?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


1 Star 2/30 6.7%
2 Star 2/30 6.7%
3 Star 4/30 13.3%
4 Star 6/30 20%
5 Star 16/30 53.3%

96|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 21
Where do you usually shop for if not reliance trends?

Option No. of Responses Response in %


Big Bazaar 1/30 3.4%
Pantaloons 3/30 10%
Brand Factory 1/30 3.3%
D-mart 14/30 46.7%
Osia Super Mart 0/30 0%
Crystal Mall 1/30 3.3%
Other Malls 10/30 33.3%

97|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

5.8 Findings and Recommendations

❖ Summary of Findings:

• Customers cannot find the T-shirts in sizes small and medium.


Very few sizes T-shirts available in the sizes small and medium.
• Most of the customers were looking for more well known brands,
where Reliance trends concentrating on their own private labels.
• Staff was busy doing the arrangement of merchandise in the
opening hours (11am-2pm), very few staff available to help
customers on weekdays.
• Customers are not being asked by the staff to fill in different
types of promo offer applications like Try and fly.
• A feedback book was kept near the billing counter, but very less
customers were writing in the feedback book.
• All the merchandise was not arranged according to their sizes.
• Employees were not well trained in assisting the customers.
• Some types of works like rebranding the different stalls in the
store, electric works happening in the store in the working hours
creating disturbance to the customers.
• Many customers feel that extra charge for carry bags have to be
winded.
• Customers in the kids section feel that the collections for kids
have to be increased.
• Some customers in the kids section said that the bottom wear for
kids have to be more colorful but the kids’ bottom wear in the
store are plain colors, all are almost similar models.

98|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

• Some customers are asking for the footwear. Reliance was losing
some customers who were coming into the store for buying the
footwear.
• Alteration time have to be reduced. Many customers are waiting
in the store for alteration.
• Reliance was spending lot of money on promotional activities,
but monitoring of promotional activities was very less.

❖ Recommendations:

• All the sizes must be made available in the stores. So Reliance


will not lose out some customers.
• More popular brands have to be kept in the store, more customers
were asking for those brands.
• Staffs have to be made available for assisting the customers in the
opening hours of the store.
• Customers must be asked by the staff to fill applications related
to different offers in the stores.
• All the customers must be asked to write their feedback in the
feedback book which was kept near the billing section.
• All the merchandise in the store must be arranged according to
the sizes. So that customers can find their sizes very easily.
• Staff must be well trained in assisting the customers and talking
well with the customers.
• All types of works which were happening in the stores have to be
done before or after the working hours of the store.
• Carry bags can be provided to the customers at free of cost for
those who shop for more than Rs.1000 or above.

99|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

• Collections in the kids wear section can be increased.


• Alteration time can be reduced by hiring additional tailors or by
doing the work fastly. So that customers waiting time for the
alteration can be reduced.
• Promotional activities or marketing activities have to be
monitored properly. So that they can help Reliance trends to get
more customers.

100|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

Questionnaire
Dear sir/ma’am, a survey being conducted by Nikesh S. Vishwakarma
from Harivandana College, Rajkot. I am pursuing my 6th Semester of B.B.A.
Please Co-operate by filling the questionnaire for a study on the
“Understanding shopper behavior & evaluation of customer experience at
selected store and Promotional Strategies of Reliance Trends.” All the
information provided by you will be kept as a confidential by me.

PLEASE ENTER YOUR DETAILS BELOW.


1. What’s your good name?

2. Gender:

3. Age Group:
4. Occupation:

QUESTION NO: 1
How frequently do you visit reliance trends store?

o Daily
o Weekly
o Monthly
o During Multiple Offers
o As per Requirements

QUESTION NO: 2
Are you happy with the location of reliance trends stores in the Rajkot
City?

o Yes
o No

101|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 3
Staff greeted you and offered to help you.

o Strongly Agree
o Agree
o Disagree
o Strongly Disagree

QUESTION NO: 4
Staffs and Managers were available in a timely manner.

o Strongly Agree
o Agree
o Disagree
o Strongly Disagree

QUESTION NO: 5
Behavior of staffs and their problem solving methods.

o Good
o Excellent
o Average
o Bad
o Very Bad

QUESTION NO: 6
Does the store provide convenient parking for customers?

o Yes
o No

102|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 7
How did you come to know about reliance trends first time?

o Newspaper
o TV
o Internet
o leaflets
o Banners and Templets
o Friends and relatives

QUESTION NO: 8
How frequently do you get Garments as per your requirements from
Reliance Trends?

o All the time


o Sometimes
o Not any time

QUESTION NO: 9
Are you satisfied with the pricing for multiple garments in Reliance
Trends?

o Strongly Agree
o Agree
o Disagree
o Strongly Disagree

QUESTION NO: 10
The offers available in the store are good value for money.

o Strongly Agree
o Agree
o Average
o Disagree
o Strongly Disagree

103|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 11
Are you aware about Coupon Schemes provided by Reliance Trends?

o Yes
o No

QUESTION NO: 12
Have you bought any garments from Reliance Trends in coupon
redemption schemes?

o Yes
o No

QUESTION NO: 13
Do you know about 'Reliance One Balance' and 'Jiomart Maha
Cashback’?

o Yes
o No

QUESTION NO: 14
Have you ever used Reliance One Balance and Jiomart Cashback to
buy any product from Reliance Mall?

o So many times
o All time
o Sometimes
o Didn't know about this scheme

QUESTION NO: 15
Have you ever enjoyed Gift offers provided in Reliance Trends during
Coupon Scheme?

o Yes
o No

104|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 16
Do you like to visit reliance trends store again?

o Yes
o No
o Maybe

QUESTION NO: 17
Would you like to recommend reliance trends to your friends and
family?

o Yes
o No
o Maybe

QUESTION NO: 18
How do you rate your experience in Reliance trends with regarding to
Customer service?

o 1 Star
o 2 Star
o 3 Star
o 4 Star
o 5 Star

QUESTION NO: 19
How do you rate your experience in Reliance trends with regarding to
Visual Merchandising?
o 1 Star
o 2 Star
o 3 Star
o 4 Star
o 5 Star

105|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

QUESTION NO: 20
How do you rate your experience in Reliance trends with regarding to
Billing counter experience?

o 1 Star
o 2 Star
o 3 Star
o 4 Star
o 5 Star

QUESTION NO: 21
Where do you usually shop for if not reliance trends?

o Big Bazaar
o Pantaloons
o Brand Factory
o D-Mart
o Osia Super Mart
o Crystal Mall
o Other Malls

106|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

CONCLUSION
From the above findings the following are the conclusion on customer
satisfaction with regards to Reliance Trends. From the study we conclude that
all the customers are not fully satisfied with not only Reliance Trends, but also
with the remaining competitors of reliance trends, customers are finding some
faults with every apparel stores.

The customers entering into the store are happy with the offers available
in the store that the offers are good value for their money. But from my
observation, I can conclude that Reliance trends was spending lot of money for
different types of marketing and promotional activities for driving more
customers into the stores, but Reliance was not concentrating on converting the
people who entered the store into a final customers.

After conducting a thorough survey and research on Reliance Trends it is


observed that it has been perceived as a good brand. It has good customer
loyalty and also attracts a large number of new customers. It also offers its
customer a unique shopping experience a few brands can offer.

It also got an advantage of its locations situated in commercial locations.


There are a good number of Reliance Trends stores located across the city
which makes it easy for customers to access the store. Customers seemed to be
happy when it came to the layout of the store, the merchandise, and cleanliness
of the store, ambience, etc.

Consumers have high expectations from Reliance Trends regarding


pricing; they expect good collection of clothes at much cheaper price. A lot of
awareness programs may help in getting better footfalls.

107|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA


BBA SEM – 6

BIBILOGRAPHY:

• www.ril.com

• www.wikipedia.com

• http://www.ibef.org/industry/retail-india.aspx

• https://www.facebook.com/RelianceTrends

108|By NIKESH S. VISHWAKARMA

You might also like