ABSTRACT

Consumer behaviour can be said to be study of how individuals make decisions on spending their available resources (time, money, effort) on various consumption-related items. The simple definition of consumer behaviour tells marketers to resolve every activity around the ultimate consumer and gauge their behaviour by specially focus on: Who buys products or Services? How do they buy products or services? Where do they buy them? How often do they buy them? When do they buy them? How often do they buy them? These questions will help in understanding better what factors influence the decision making process of the consumers. The decision making process identifies the number of people who are involved in this process and ascribes a role to them like the user, decider, influencer and buyer. It is believed that the consumers or customers make purchase decisions on the basis of receipts of a small number of selectively chosen information. Thus it very important to understand what and how much information is necessary by the customer to help him evaluate the goods and services offerings. With all the modern stores offering convenience

in terms of an assortment of products, ambience, service and innovative products, the paradigm shall shift from competing with the kirana stores to an in-house demand creation. Relevant experiences from consumer goods companies, which have successfully crafted an explosion in demand in their sectors, through innovation, consumer driven strategies, will be head runner. Times are changing. With the GDP at an all time high and income levels shooting through the roof, the average Indian consumer has never had it so good. The propensity to consume has reached peaks that had never been scaled before. Credit cards are flashed with disdain and shopping baskets are getting bigger all the time.

INTRODUCTION
The decision making process of the consumers are influenced by internal / individual / external / environmental variables. It is important for a marketer to understand all these variables so to know why consumer behaves in the manner he/she does and how his/her mind is conditioned and influenced. An understanding of consumer behaviour theories (as discussed in the previous session) will help to understand the determinants of consumer behavior. An analysis of the basic variables influencing the consumer behaviour will be much useful to the marketers to frame suitable marketing strategies. The theory broadly classified the determinants into economic factors, sociological and behavioural factors and psychological factors.

A large young working population with median age of 24 years, nuclear families in urban areas, along with increasing workingwomen population and emerging opportunities in the services sector are going to be the key factors in the growth of the organized Retail sector in India. The growth pattern in organized retailing and in the consumption made by the Indian population will follow a rising graph helping the newer businessmen to enter the India Retail Industry. In India the vast middle class and its almost untapped retail industry are the key attractive forces for global retail giants wanting to enter into newer markets, which in turn will help the India Retail Industry to grow faster. Indian retail is expected to grow 25 per cent annually. Modern retail in India could be worth US$ 175-200 billion by 2016. The Food Retail Industry in India dominates the shopping basket. The Mobile phone Retail Industry in India is already a US$ 16.7 billion business, growing at over 20 per cent per year. The future of the India Retail Industry looks promising with the growing of the market, with

the government policies becoming more favorable and the emerging technologies facilitating operations. Purchasing power of Indian urban consumer is growing and branded merchandise in categories like Apparels, Cosmetics, Shoes, Watches, Beverages, Food and even Jewellery, are slowly becoming lifestyle products that are widely accepted by the urban Indian consumer. Indian retailers need to advantage of this growth and aiming to grow, diversify and introduce new formats have to pay more attention to the brand building process. The emphasis here is on retail as a brand rather than retailers selling brands. The focus should be on branding the retail business itself. In their preparation to face fierce competitive pressure, Indian retailers must come to recognize the value of building their own stores as brands to reinforce their marketing positioning, to communicate quality as well as value for money. Sustainable competitive advantage will be dependent on translating core values combining products, image and reputation into a coherent retail brand strategy.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. To know the factor responsible for buying behavior through mega brand 2. To study the attraction of mega brands and its benefits to consumers. 3. To study the Pros and Cons of mega brand buying behavior

SCOPE OF THE STUDY This study will contributes to the understanding that consumers and retailers in most cases have different perceptions in relation to store image and shopping habits, justifying the need for consumer marketing research, which is important in helping retailers, implement in a real marketing orientation. The study will examines the choice of format the consumer has when he or she decides to buy a particular product and also describes the development of organized retail in the future, focusing on aspects with potential effect on purchasing behavior among the consumers. The focus is on consumer expectations. The questions were formulated to capture the overall behavior of the consumers and with the help of the survey questionnaire the analyses was done. An attempt has been made to explore the way organized retail has dramatically changed not only the Indian traditional retailing structure but also the consumption behavior.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Philip Kottler (l965) opined that, all the models so far developed by various scientists should be used in an integrated manner in order to understand the consumer in general. In his opinion, buying patterns are being influenced by price, quality, availability, service, style, option and image. Depending on the product involved, different variables and behavioral mechanisms assume different degrees of importance in influencing the purchase decision process. Mahajan (1980) in his study on inter-regional homogeneity of consumer behaviour in India revealed that, consumer behavior distinctly differ between the rural and urban sectors. It further revealed that inter regional homogeneity in consumption seems to be realized at best in the case of North India and Central India. Mani and Srinivasan (1990) in their analysis on buying behaviour of consumers with respect to processed fruits and vegetables found that, majority of the consumers purchased jam in large quantity followed by squash. Many consumers were loyal to a particular brand and were conscious of quality (taste) than price or shell life. Ramchandran et al. (1998) in their study found that coconut oil is the most preferred oil for edible and toiletry purposes. Higher income groups make monthly purchases, whereas lower income groups purchase weekly. Palm oil is the second preference among other edible oils. Homemade oils are used because of low cost availability of by-products and purity. Purchase of other edible oils was due to the fluctuations in price than health factors. Sathya Sundaram (2002) has reviewed that a silent revolution is taking place in rural areas where the majority of the population lives. The consumption patterns and preferences of the rural consumers are changing.

Skinner (1990) opined that when a consumer purchases an unfamiliar expensive product he uses a large number of criteria to evaluate alternative brands and spends a great deal of time seeking information and deciding on the purchase. The type of decision making used varied from person to person and from product to product. Freda (1995) observed that for consumer durable goods, the family members together decide on the product to be purchased, brand and shop. Bronnenberg et al. (1996) in their article observed that, it is becoming increasingly evident that a consumers brand choice decision in low involvement categories does not involve full search, evaluation and comparison of price of all brands available at the point of purchase. The authors proposed a two stage choice in which consumer first identifies a subset of brands within the universal set of brands called the choice set and then evaluates only those brands that are in the choice set relative to one another to select a single brand. Singh (1980) examined consumers store loyalty and preferences in his study and revealed that nearness, reputation of the store and acquaintance with store owner attracted store loyalty while analyzing correlation between store loyalty and brand loyalty, store loyalty was found stronger than the other. Singh and Singh (1981), while studying the brand loyalty in India observed that, single brand loyalty is very less and dual or multi brand loyalty is existing now. He also ranked reasons for loyalty based on importance of factors such as quality, previous usage, availability and company / brand reputation Holbrook et at (1982) opined that variety seeking or exploratory purchase behaviour are to be explained by experimental or hedonic motives rather than by utilitarian aspects of consumption. Preference towards new varieties has been identified as a determinant factor in brand switching.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research is common parlance refresh to a search for knowledge. One can also define research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. In fact, research is an art of scientific investigation. The Advanced Learners dictionary of current English lay down the meaning research as a careful investigation and inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch knowledge. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY USED:Types of research:- the research is based on descriptive cum analytical research Data type:- The research is based on secondary data. Data sources:- Websites, books, newspapers etc. Data analysis and interpretation techniques:The study is based on the secondary data which has been collected from websites, journals, newspapers etc. The study may not involve test for sampling because the primary data is not collected for the purpose of study.

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS In this study we had find out that in todays world more then 50% of the total population is interested in shopping from mega stores. From the study we have concluded that consumers think that there is quality as well as price differentiation between mega brands & unorganized retail stores, & this differentiation is due to the extra facilities provided by the mega brands. The past 4-5 years have seen increasing activity in retailing. And, various business houses have already planned for few investments in the coming 2-3 years. And though the retailers will have to face increasingly demanding customers, and intensely competitive rivals, more investments will keep flow in. And the share of organized sector will grow rapidly. retailing in India is surely poised for a takeoff and will provide many opportunities both to existing players as well as new entrants.. The country is witnessing a period of boom in retail trade, mainly on account of a gradual increase in the disposable incomes of the middle and upper-middle class households. More and more corporate houses including large real estate companies are coming into the retail business, directly or indirectly, in the form of mall and shopping center builders and managers. New formats like super markets and large discount and department stores have started influencing the traditional looks of bookstores, furnishing stores and chemist shops. The retail revolution, apart from bringing in sweeping, positive changes in the quality of life in the metros and bigger towns, is also bringing in slow changes in lifestyle in the smaller towns of India. Malls renting out to the Unroganized Sector: Thousands of square feet of unused Street shopping has a positive effect on the customer: joy and also a reassurance that she 9

is getting a deal. And now malls have invited boutique owners, housewives-turneddesigners to have their own temporary shop space mela at the five-star zone. Why? Call it the pre-Puja, pre-Diwali shopping festival or a strategic way of attracting more customers. But there is a conflict in principle: the organised giant calling the unorganized lilliputs. How mega stores Benefit: Unused space rented out. More revenue. Customers who would not have come otherwise, called in. They might spend more. Invitation at a time when the whole mall is on sale. August end-of-season. More revenue. Branding for the mall: More for masses. Not a snooty expensive place. How Unorganized small players benefit: Brilliant platform to connect with customers. Great ambience. Builds their brand. They are selling at a five-star mall, after all. The conflict:Organised retail counting on unorganized retail When mall is on sale, the price war is on. Customer gets more choice.

The winner: Both I feel. But malls have the upper hand. They control how they market these melas inside and outside. One of the rather surprising findings of the study is that low-income consumers save more than others through shopping at organized retail outlets. This is a result of targeted discount shopping. It is also seen that farmers gain considerably from direct sales to

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organized retailers, with significant price and profit advantages as compared with selling either to intermediaries or to government regulated markets. Large manufacturers have also started feeling the competitive impact of organized retail through both price and payment pressures. Yet, they see the advantages from a more efficient supply chain and logistics that accompany the growth of organized retail. An important aspect of the current economic scenario in India is the emergence of organized retail. There has been considerable growth in organized retailing business in recent years and it is poised for much faster growth in the future. Major industrial houses have entered this area and have announced very ambitious future expansion plans. Transnational corporations are also seeking to come to India and set up retail chains in collabouration with big Indian companies. However, opinions are divided on the impact of the growth of organized retail in the country. Concerns have been raised that the growth of organized retailing may have an adverse impact on retailers in the unorganized sector. It has also been argued that growth of organized retailing will yield efficiencies in the supply chain, enabling better access to markets to producers (including farmers and small producers) and enabling higher prices, on the one hand and, lower prices to consumers, on the other. In the context of divergent views on the impact of organized retail, it is essential that an in-depth analytical study on the possible effects of organized retailing in India is conducted.

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CONCLUSION A consumer wanting to buy a car may collect information on brands and purchase it from a retail outlet based on his perception of price offered or after sales service provided by the outlet (typically, search for information on brands is followed by retail outlet selection in durables). New formats like super markets and large discount and department stores have started influencing the traditional looks of bookstores, furnishing stores and chemist shops. The retail revolution, apart from bringing in sweeping, positive changes in the quality of life in the metros and bigger towns, is also bringing in slow changes in lifestyle in the smaller towns of India. Increase in literacy, exposure to media, greater availability and penetration of a variety of consumer goods into the interiors of the country, have all resulted in narrowing down the spending differences between the consumers of larger metros and those of smaller towns. Lastly I want to conclude my project in some points The customers are attracting towards shopping malls & retail outlets. The shopping malls & retail outlets are targeting to middle class customers because the purchasing power of this class is rapidly growing as well as the class is also growing. The young generation is fashion & show-off conscious so retail outlets are mainly focused on them. Most of the family wants to purchase from big showrooms and malls because there are no bargaining system so the have a trust that there is no cheating.

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The main strength of most of the retail outlets are providing attractive offers to attract customers.

Big retail stores are running customer loyalty programmes which has increased profits and no. of customers.

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DISCUSSION The markets are customer focused in these days to understand the consumers, are not easy jobs as his behaviour is distinctive and unpredictable. This has made the firms to step into the shoes of the customers and understands from his point of selection and purchase of products and services. Marketers need to identify the end users of product and services. They should frame marketing plans than considering the wholesalers and retailers who actually are the intermediaries in the process of purchase. Therefore marketers should consider the consumers and then develop their plans of action. Here lies the essence of marketing. The consumer is the king and all actions should start with his view in mind. Today trend is the development of integrated retail cum Entertainment centers or shopping malls. An increasing number of retailers are focusing on malls now as opposed to stand-alone developments. While the number of shopping malls has seen a massive surge in the recent past in the metros and their suburbs, the latest trend in this sector is the increasing focus on providing leisure activities such as multiplexes, facilities for kids' entertainment, eateries etc. within the mall premises. Customer less the time consumes and more entertainment with his family in malls because they within shopping mall number of retail shop and variety of products and selected the product they want. Good environment in mall. Less crowed and These are enclosed, air-conditioned, multilevel malls of at least 100,00 sq ft. Critical to these malls is the concept of the anchor, the key outlet or store around which other outlets cluster. The most popular Indian anchors include Shoppers' Stop, Globus, Pantaloon, Lifestyle and hypermarkets like Big Bazaar and Giant.

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RECOMMENDATIONS People should not attract towards the facilities provided by organized stores. Sometimes the organized stores charge high prices, so consumer should be aware. Consumers should also have there attention towards the quality of the products.

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IMPLICATION OF FUTURE RESEARCH The Indian market has seen vast changes in political, economical and social environment, which has a great impact on consumption. With the Indian as well as international corporate entering into the Indian retail scenario the market has been divided between the traditional and the organized sector. The Indian retail scenario is presently facing the similar situations as the mom and pop stores in the developing nations faced at the emergence big box retailers. There are various issues that need to be addressed, like what would be future patterns of consumption, which formats of retail would be preferred by consumers and will the rise of organized retail affect the traditional retailers. Retail market in the organized sector in India is growing can be seen from the fact that 1500 supermarkets, 325 departmental stores, and 300 new malls are being built. Many Indian companies are entering the Indian retail market which is giving Indian organized retail market a boost. One such company is the Reliance Industries Limited. It plans to invest US$ 6 billion in the Indian retail market by opening 1000 hypermarkets and 1500 supermarkets. Pantaloons is another Indian company which plans to increase its retail space to 30 million square feet with an investment of US$ 1 billion. Bharti Telecoms an Indian company is in talks with Tesco a global giant for a 750 million joint venture. A number of global retail giants such as Walmart, Carrefour, and Metro AG are also planning to set up shop in India. Indian organized retail market will definitely grow as a result of all this investments

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Book Reffered Kothari C. R., Research Methodology- Methods and Techniques, New Age International Publishers, 2007, 2nd Edition, pp. 26, 95, 111. Journals Mahajan, B.M.(1980) Consumer Behavior in India (An economic study), New Delhi, p338 16 www.aeph.in Kumar, S. (2002). A study of the consumer behaviour with reference to selected products. Finance India 17(4), p. 1478-1483. Broadbridge,A.and Morgan.H. (2001). Consumer buying behaviour of, and perception towards retail brand buying products. J consum.cult.Vol.30 (4): 2553. Majumder, Sanjoy (25 November 2011). "Changing the way Indians shop". BBC News. Websites http://www.managementstudyguide.com/market-segmentation-steps.htm

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