CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Customers’ attitudes towards the shopping and the store attributes have attracted a lot of

attention from researchers across the world. Previous literature provides us with a very strong

platform with the views of the customers towards their store loyalty from varied perspectives,

most importantly the store image attributes.

Store attributes related to a retail outlet can be grouped in terms of ‘store Atmospherics’

(Kotler, 1973) and store location. Store atmospheric attributes (including colour, lighting, sales

personnel, music and so on) form the overall context within which shoppers make decisions of

store selection and patronage. Past research on retail environment suggests that such attributes

affect the image of the store. Retailers realize the importance of such attributes and

systematically try to avail of an ambience, including appropriate colours, music and so on that

will attract their target customers. Further, purchase decision-making has become complex due to

inseparability of product and services offered in retail Outlets. Selection of a specific retail outlet

involves a comparison of the available alternative outlets on the evaluative criteria of a

consumer.

2.2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Literature suggests a range of such criteria, which makes it a challenging task from the

retailers’ point of view and makes store choice a matter of concern to retailers. As such,

understanding the role played by store atmospherics on Shoppers ’ perceptions is critical to

ensure store selection and patronage decisions and makes it an interesting area of research.

Therefore a detailed review of literature both national and international levels has been made to

find out the prevailing research gap and to identify the scope of the study.

Martineau (1958) was the first researcher to offer the following description of store

image: “it is… the way in which the store is defined in the shopper’s mind, partly by its

functional qualities and partly by an aura of psychological attributes”. The more favorable the

image, the more likely it is that consumer would shop and buy at the store. The store image

researchers have conceptualized image to include store attributes.

Hansen and Deutscher (1978) in their study on “An empirical investigation of attribute

importance in retail store selection” used a base of 485 consumers in Ohio and examined the

relative importance of the various aspects of retail image to different consumer segments. They

made comparison of different attributes across departmental and grocery stores to indicate

congruence and concluded that the same retail attributes such as price, colour, quality and

merchandise were important across different types of stores.

Joseph P. Guiltinan and Kent B. Monroe (1980) in their study on “Identifying and

Analyzing Consumer Shopping Strategies”, opine that shopper typologies are based on

unidimensional motivations or on store attribute preferences. This research examined the utility

of multidimensional shopping strategies as a basis for identifying shopper types. Six strategies

for grocery shopping were delineated by the investigators.

Theo M.M.Verhallen and Gert Jan de Nooij (1982) in their study on “Retail Attribute

Sensitivity and Shopping Patronage” used the conjoint analysis to measure the sensitivity for

four most important retail attributes –price, quality, assortment and locational convenience for

food stores in Tilburg in The Netherlands. On the other hand the actual shopping behaviour was

measured using a self – administered questionnaire. They articulated that the resemblance of the

conjoint measurement procedure in assessing the retail attribute sensitivities with the actual

trade-offs made by consumers may prove to be a useful tool in forming insights into the

motivations involved in shopping behaviour. They also found that any psychological make-up of

consumers with different sensitivity patterns may provide information on the behavioral

mechanisms of shopping behaviour. For practical application they opine that psychological

make-up of consumers with different sensitivity patterns may provide information on the

behavioral mechanisms of the shoppers.

Zimmer, Mary R and Golden, Linda L (1988) in their study on the” Impressions Of

Retail Stores: A Content Analysis Of Consumer” did a content analysis of open ended retail

image data from the national consumer mail panel. Several distinct types of image perceptions

emerged for the three retail chains studied, including attribute specific, global affectives,

prototypes, exemplars, product related and behavioural. The results of the content analysis were

compared to the traditionally used image descriptors. The authors suggested that traditionally

used descriptors may not capture the richness of the evoked retail store image.

Stephen S. Batory (1991) in his paper on “Developing a retail strategy for an upscale

target audience: The influence of out shopping and store image attributes on store visits” found

out the increasing importance of market segmentation in today's retail environment. Specialty

retailers often target "upscale" consumers and define the segment on the basis of selected

demographic variables. This study investigated the upscale consumer in terms of shopping

preferences and behaviours. The results indicate that there are two groups of upscale consumers -

shoppers who prefer local trade areas and out-of-area shoppers. These two groups, which were

although not distinguishable by demographics, did differ in their opinions concerning the

importance of store attributes. The author also opines that, the value of store image can be related

to patronage influence.

Letecia N. Moye (1998) in his paper” Relationship between Age, Store Attributes,

Shopping Orientations and Approach-Avoidance Behavior of Elderly Apparel Consumers”,

determined the relationship between store attributes and approach-avoidance behaviour of

elderly apparel consumers. In addition, this research examined the relationships between age, the

importance of store attributes and shopping orientations of elderly apparel consumers. Data were

collected using a convenience sample of persons 65 and older from the south eastern part of the

United States. The final sample consisted of 208 subjects. Results revealed that elderly

consumers in this study preferred to shop at department stores and mass merchandisers for

clothing. These consumers reported that they would spend more time and money in retail stores

that offered credit, discounts for those over 65 years of age and over and liberal return policies.

Further, the consumers reported they would not return to and would avoid looking around in

retail stores without rest areas, with difficulty to find items, inferior products and poor business

practices. Regression analyses showed significant relationships between shopping orientations

and three of the five attribute factors. The result revealed significant differences between two age

groups and the importance placed on quality products, store reputation and well-known

labels/brands. Chi-square analyses showed no significant relationship between age and shopping

orientations.

Josée Bloemer and Ko de Ruyter (1998) in their study on “The relationship between store

image, store satisfaction and store loyalty”, tried to differentiate the concept between different

types of store loyalty and store satisfaction. In their study they have offered a brief outline of the

construct of store image. Subsequently, they focused on the relationship between store image,

store satisfaction and store loyalty by formulating a set of formal hypotheses. They have

identified two types of store satisfaction: manifest satisfaction and latent satisfaction as

antecedents to store loyalty. It was shown that the relationship between store satisfaction and

store loyalty were dependent on the type of satisfaction. The positive impact of manifest

satisfaction on store loyalty was found to be stronger than the positive impact of latent

satisfaction on store loyalty. They also found that the amount of satisfaction had a positive effect

on store loyalty, whereas both involvement and deliberation had a negative effect on store

loyalty. Their findings proved the intuitively appealing direct relationship between store image

and store loyalty.

Niren Sirohi, et.al (1998) in the study on “A Model of consumer perceptions and store

loyalty intentions for a supermarket retailer studied the store loyalty intentions of existing

customers for a multi-store grocery retailer” used PLS and found that service quality was by far

the most critical determinant of merchandise quality perception. Perceived value for money

depended on perceived relative price and sales promotion perceptions and to a lesser extent on

service quality and merchandise quality perceptions. According to the authors, store loyalty

intentions, measured by intent to continue shopping, intent to increase purchases and intent to

recommend the store depended on service quality and merchandise quality perception. By

separating the stores according to average consumer perceptions of competitor attractiveness, the

authors further found the important role played by the perceived value in determining the store

loyalty intention if there was a high degree of competitor attractiveness. When this attractiveness

was low, their results failed to show relevance for perceived value for money.

Muhamad Jantan and Abdul Razak Kamaruddin (1999) in their study on “Store image

and store choice decision in Malasiya”, conducted a study in four major departmental stores

namely Super, Gama, Suiwah and Yoahan in the Island of Penang which were selected on the

basis of Size, Variety of merchandise and the popularity of these stores in northern Malaysia.

The store patronage dimensions were measured in two different aspects such as the number of

visits of the customer to the store and the percentage of amount of money spent in the store. The

store attributes that were considered in the study were location, merchandise, price, physical

facilities, Promotions and advertising, store atmosphere and store service of which location,

merchandise, price and service were found to be the major determinants of store patronage

behaviour. In the heart it was found that location and price were the main determinants of store

choice of the customer.

Leung and Oppewal (1999) ) in their study on the “Effects of brand and store names on

consumer store choice” had conducted a research on the roles of store and brand names in

consumers ’ choice of a retail outlet and concluded that a high-quality brand or high-quality store

was sufficient to attract the customer to a retail store. The study also revealed that store names

have a larger impact on store choice than the brand names of the products that these stores have

on offer.

Letecia Nicole Moye (2000) in his study on “Influence of Shopping Orientations,

Selected Environmental Dimensions with Apparel Shopping Scenarios and Attitude on Store

Patronage for Female Consumers”, tried to examine the influence of selected environmental

dimensions on store patronage using specific apparel shopping scenarios. The decision to

patronize a particular store according to the author starts with a set of characteristics or attributes

that consumers consider important. Consumers then use these attributes to make decisions

regarding what store or stores can cater to their particular needs. Though many retail and

marketing studies have identified several consumer-oriented store attributes such as price,

quality, variety, discounts, store reputation and their relationship to store patronage, they only

overlooked how the physical environment affects retail store patronage. This study examined the

influence of selected environmental dimensions on store patronage using specific apparel

shopping scenarios and the results revealed no difference in importance of ratings of two

environmental dimension factors.

M. Joseph Sirgy, et.al (2000) in their study on “Retail Environment, Self-Congruity and

Retail Patronage: An Integrative Model and a Research Agenda” propounded an integrative

model of retail environment, self-congruity and retail patronage. In particular, the model

postulated relationships among store environment (including store atmospherics), store patron

image, shoppers’ self-concept, self-congruity, functional congruity and retail patronage. The

model described the interrelationships among these constructs and proposed certain moderating

and mediating effects. Finally, the article described the past and recent efforts in measuring self-

congruity and how better measures of self-congruity can be developed and applied in retailing.

Kelly, SJ, et.al (2002), in their study on ”Electronic retail (e-tail) image components and

their association with variety seeking and avid shoppers” examined the importance of image

attributes of on-line customers of a major Australian retailer and identified three e-store image

dimensions such as core demands, institutional factors and information. These three dimensions

were further examined against variety seeking and avid shopper measures. Results indicated the

association of institutional factors with variety seeking and avid shoppers and information with

avid shoppers. From this result, it was suggested that e-tailing stores need to build their

reputation and brand image via conventional media based promotional activities in order to

attract variety seeking and avid shoppers and have to provide variety laden shopping experiences

to retain variety seeking consumers. It was also suggested that in on-line environments there has

been a merging of consumer perceptions regarding merchandise and service attributes, as

evidenced in the dimension of core demands, requiring retailers to vary product and service

offerings between e-tail and retail environments.

Constantinos Vasilios. A. Priporas (2002) in their study on” Store Image and Customer

Satisfaction”, studied the relationship between store image and customer satisfaction. His

research was designed to investigate the store image in food retailing based on impression and

satisfaction components. The sector under empirical investigation was the food retail sector in

Greece where important structural changes occurred in the 1990's due to the entrance of foreign

retailers in the Greek retail market. The study focused on Thessaloniki area where the local retail

groups have a dominant position in the market and that makes competition stiffer and

distinguishable from other major cities in Greece. The objectives were to identify the consumer

market segments by using four stage profile cluster analysis and to test a theoretical model of

store image formation by employing structural equation modeling. In this study the researcher

has established a link between the dimensions of store image identifying consumer segments and

store image, satisfaction and loyalty. The findings indicated that there were significant

differences in consumers' behaviour based on the impression and satisfaction components of

store image. The results of testing the model as well as the interpretation of the model in this

study supported the assertion that store image is created by impression; while satisfaction is

directly affected by the store image and the likelihood of recommendation of a particular store is

determined by satisfaction. The results also provided evidence for the store attributes that

significantly influence store image and satisfaction in food retailing.

Jason Sit, et.al (2003) in their study on “Entertainment-Seeking Shopping Centre Patrons:

The Missing Segments” has articulated that entertainment is increasingly an integral part of the

marketing strategy used by shopping centres to entice consumers. Further, entertainment can be a

means of image differentiation for shopping centres, given that the image of a competitive retail

institution is a critical determinant in consumer patronage decisions. The purpose of their study

was twofold. First, a model of attributes that represented the shopping centre image was

identified. Three essential attributes that have been neglected in most shopping centre studies

were revealed, namely entertainment, food and security. Second, six market segments of

shopping centre patrons were identified and labelled as the ‘serious’ shopper, the ‘entertainment’

shopper, the ‘demanding’ shopper, the ‘convenience’ shopper, the ‘apathetic’ shopper and the

‘service’ shopper. In particular, the ‘entertainment’ shopper and the ‘service’ shoppers were

identified as entertainment-seeking segments.

Dong-Mo Koo (2003) in his study on “Inter relationships among store images, store

satisfaction and store loyalty among Korea discount store patrons” examined how various

characteristics of the discount retail environment and the overall attitude of the customers

towards a discount retail store. He also examined how global retail image component, influences

consumers’ satisfaction and how consumers’ satisfaction in turn, affects store loyalty. Results

indicated that the overall attitude was more closely related to in-store services: atmosphere,

employee service, after sales service and merchandising. It was found that the overall attitude of

the customers’ towards in-store service had a strong influence on satisfaction and on loyalty.

In an article in the Harvard Business Review, Frederick Reichheld (2003) under the topic

“The one number you need to grow,” discussed the relationship between value, loyalty and

growth. Loyalty according to him is the willingness of some one –a customer, an employee, a

friend –to make an investment or personal sacrifice in order to strengthen a relationship. For a

customer that can mean sticking with a supplier who treats him well and gives him good value

in the long term even if the supplier does not offer the best price in a particular transaction “. The

article states that true loyalty affects profitability because these loyal customers buy more over

time. But most importantly, these customers speak favourably about you or your company. The

author has said that “when customers act as reference they do more than indicate that they have

received good economic value from a company, they put their own reputation on the line”.

Miguel I. Gómez, et.al (2003) in their study on “Do Changes in Customer Satisfaction

Lead to Changes in Sales Performance in Food Retailing?”, measured the links between store

attribute perceptions and customer satisfaction and between customer satisfaction and sales

performance, in the food retail sector. The data set consisted of six waves of customer

satisfaction and sales information for about 250 stores over the period 1998-2001 for a publicly

held supermarket company. They constructed a statistical model to address Non linearities and

asymmetries in the satisfaction-sales performance links and illustrated how food retailers can

affect store revenues by managing customer satisfaction. Contributions of the study included the

analysis of behavioral consequences of customer satisfaction in the food retail sector, the

measurement of complexities of the satisfaction-sales performance links based on an empirical

model of first differences and a discussion of how managers can use such results for customer

satisfaction policies.

V. Ann Paulins and Loren V Geistfeld (2003) in their study on “The effect of consumer

perceptions of store attributes on apparel store preferences” examined the consumer perceptions

of retail store attributes for a set of particular stores to determine their effect on store preference.

Respondents rated 13 stores. Four variables were found to affect store preferences using forward

stepwise logic regression: type of clothing desired in stock, outside store appearance, shopping

hours, and advertising. Significance of the effect of store attributes on store preference varied by

store type. In addition, associations between customer perception of store attributes, education

and age were observed and implications were given to the retailers.

Jin and Kim (2003) in their study on” A Typology of Korean Discount Shoppers:

Shopping Motives, Store Attributes, and Outcomes” stated that the influence of store attributes

on customer loyalty depends on consumers’ purposes of shopping and perceptions of store

attributes.

Janjaap Semeijna, et.al (2004) in the study on “consumer evaluations of store brands:

effects of store image and product attributes “discussed the increasing importance of store

brands. They found that many products carrying a label that is exclusively available from a

specific retailer chain have been introduced in recent years, with varying degrees of success.

They also opine that the retailers pay a little attention to the multiple risks associated with adding

new product categories to their store labels. They also investigated how the store image factors

and various categories of perceived risk associated with product attributes, affect consumer

evaluations of store-branded products. A structural model was developed and tested, providing

indications of the likelihood of store brand success in various product categories.

Byounggu Choi, et.al (2004) in their study on the Effects of Web Retail Service Quality

and Product Categories on Consumer Behaviour: A Research Model and Empirical Exploration

explored how web retail service quality at the point of purchase influenced the consumers’

perceptions of value and willingness to buy. In particular, this study highlighted how web retail

service quality had different effects on perceived product quality, value and willingness to buy

according to product categories. The authors provided a research model on the basis of service

quality, product categories on the web and marketing theories for consumers’ purchase

behaviour. Consumer perceptions of web retail service quality were collected from a sample of

shoppers who actively searched for products over the Internet. The results implied that functional

web retail service quality had a direct effect on willingness to buy and technical web retail

service quality influenced consumer perceptions of product quality and value. Furthermore, it

was found that the product categories served as a moderating factor for the relationships among

web retail service quality, perceived product quality, perceived value and willingness to buy.

Nor Khalidah Abu (2004) in his conceptual paper on “Service Quality Dimensions: A

Study on Various Sizes of Grocery Retailers” identified the service quality dimensions critical to

urban grocery shoppers for small, medium and large-sized grocery stores. It was an attempt to

identify the critical quality dimension of Malaysian urban grocery shoppers based on the Retail

Service Quality Scale that takes into account the grocery retail setting .The study was done as the

smaller grocery stores in Malaysia were offering more personal services but with inadequate

stocks and facilities; a contrast to the larger retailers which are seen as offering better

merchandise choice and public amenities but with standardized and non-personalized services.

As grocery retailers are seen as offering similar products in the store, improving service quality

was seen as critical to ensure customer loyalty.

Amy Wong (2004) in his study on “The role of emotional satisfaction in service

encounters Managing Service Quality”, investigated the relationship between emotional

satisfaction and key concepts, such as service quality, customer loyalty and relationship quality

and clarified the role of emotional satisfaction in predicting customer loyalty and relationship

quality. In doing so, this study used the relationship between emotional satisfaction, service

quality, customer loyalty and relationship quality as a context, as well as data from the sample

survey of 1,261 Australian retail customers concerning their evaluation of their shopping

experiences to address this issue. The results showed that service quality was positively

associated with emotional satisfaction, which was positively associated with both customer

loyalty and relationship quality. Further investigations showed that customers’ feelings of

enjoyment served as the best predictor of customer loyalty, while feelings of happiness served as

the best predictor of relationship quality. The findings implied the need for a service firm to

strategically leverage on the key antecedents of customer loyalty and relationship quality in its

pursuit of customer retention and long-term profitability.

Chiung-Ju Liang and Wen-Hung Wang (2004) in their study on the “Attributes, Benefits,

Customer Satisfaction And Behavioral Loyalty—An Integrative Research Of Financial Services

Industry In Taiwan” developed and empirically tested a model examining the relations among

attributes, benefits, customer satisfaction, trust/commitment and customer behavioural loyalty in

a marketing system. Based on sample collected from Asia Trust, one of the most famous banks

providing merchant banking services in Taiwan, the results of the department of loan showed

that symbolic benefits do have positively significant influence on customer satisfaction. The

results of the department of deposit also showed that both functional and symbolic benefits do

have positively significant effects on customer satisfaction. In the department of credit card, both

experiential and symbolic benefits did have positively significant effects on customer

satisfaction. As a part of relationship quality and behavioural loyalty, all the path coefficients

were not only significant but also of high value. The findings suggested that customers buy

dissimilar financial products with different benefits and with different attributes. Hence the

difference in the level of customer satisfaction and behavioural consequence.

Dr. Sudaporn Sawmong and Dr. Ogenyi Omar (2004) in their study on” The store loyalty

of the UK’s retail consumers “aimed to measure the store loyalty of the UK food retail consumer

from the grocery store in UK by taking into consideration the differences in store loyalty of the

retail consumers which where theoretically based on Oliver’s four stage loyalty model(cognitive,

affective, conative and action). Results of the study suggested that despite the recent tidal waves

of mergers and acquisitions and competition from the international retail formats, meeting the

needs and wants of the customer is what will determine the future of the retailing. According to

the authors the retailers must respond with the kind of price and quality or (Cognitive loyalty) by

offering products or services that customers really want and try to make them more pleasant

leading to customer satisfaction (affective loyalty) and do repurchase or recommend to other

people (Conative loyalty) and finally retailers must understand how to create or maintain their

frequency of shopping (action loyalty). These will help their business, no matter how big the

store and whichever be the country of origin of the store or whatever service levels they offer.

Piyush Kumar Sinha and Arindam Banerjee, (2004) in their study on the “Store choice

behaviour in an evolving market” at a macro level identified, the drivers of store choice in

various product categories, in the context of the evolving retail industry in India. The paper

attempted to correlate the distinct store features as perceived by respondents with the true

motivations of various consumers in patronising various stores. In the process it provided insight

as to whether the average Indian consumer valued the new store dimensions offered by retailers

as a part of the new formats emerging in the market place. The framework evolved for evaluating

effectiveness of newer store formats was necessary since it had a major impact on the overall

profitability of the retailing business. The results suggested that customers in a developing

market such as India do not require the service paraphernalia offered by many of the new store

formats emerging in the market and noted that this may cast a serious doubt over the retail

revolution, which has taken shape in the Indian markets lately.

Sung Jin Yoo and Young Jae Chang (2005)” in their study on “A Typology of Korean

Discount Shoppers: Shopping Motives, Store Attributes, and Outcomes “explored the theoretical

background to find whether store image attributes are the major determinants of store loyalty and

also have taken initiative to find out which store attributes significantly affects store loyalty in

different retail type. The results of empirical analyses showed that store image attributes of store

loyalty depended on the retail types. From the study it was found that in department stores, store

atmosphere, location, shopping facility and sales-personnel service affected the store loyalty

significantly. In discount stores, advertising, quality of merchandise, credit service and store

atmosphere had a significant influence upon store loyalty statistically.

Kaul (2005)in his study on the “Impact of performance and expressiveness value of store

service quality on the mediating role of satisfaction” found out the store attributes which were

found to be appealing for self-image of consumers and also analysed their impact on in-store

satisfaction and patronage intentions. She concluded that service expressiveness value is distinct

from the performance value obtained from service delivery. Consumers’ satisfied with service

quality were most likely to become and remain loyal says Kaul (2005). She further observed that

a store having modern equipment, good and clean physical facilities and ease in transactions

would be able to yield satisfaction and patronage intentions.

Hedrick et al (2005) in their study on “The impact of retail salespeople and store

atmospherics on patronage intentions” proposed that store environment and store atmospherics

can influence customer’s expectations on the retail salesperson. They conducted a study on sales

people and store atmosphere, and identified that customers’ perceptions of a salespersons’

attributes and relationship building behaviors’ which were important drivers of customer

satisfaction. The investigators opine that, in retail, intentions are usually determined by a

willingness to stay in the store, willingness to repurchase, willingness to purchase more in the

future and willingness to recommend the store to others.

Rodoula Tsiotsou (2005) in his study on “Perceived Quality Levels and their Relation to

Involvement, Satisfaction, and Purchase Intentions”, investigated the effect of various perceived

quality levels on product involvement, overall satisfaction and purchase intentions. The research

involved a survey of 204 students at a Greek university. The results showed that perceived

perceptions of product quality were significantly related to all the variables under investigation.

However, perceived quality explained more of the variance in overall satisfaction than in product

involvement and purchase intentions.

Charles Dennis (2005) in his work on “Why does People Shop where they do? The

Attributes of Shopping Centers that Determine Where Consumers Choose to Shop” found that

people were attracted to different centers for different reasons as shoppers have different

expectations. The attributes, though, which were significantly different between centers, did not

appear to be significantly influenced by income or socio-economic group. Specifically, shoppers

spend more at centers which more closely matched their requirements.

Mario J. Miranda, et.al (2005) in their study on “Shoppers’ satisfaction levels are not the

only key to store loyalty” identified the factors that influence shopper’s satisfaction with their

primary grocery store and those that encourage them to continue patronizing it despite being

presented with a significant inducement to shop elsewhere. The results showed that factors with

a significant influence on store satisfaction had little in common with others that impel shoppers

to remain loyal to one store. Indeed there was no evidence in this study that shoppers’ overall

satisfaction was by itself a significant influence on continued patronage. The authors are worried

that the retailers do not recognize the fact that what influences customer satisfaction is not the

same as what engenders store loyalty and consequently do not allocate scarce resources

systematically among tactics influencing one or the other.

Elizabeth M Visser, et.al (2006) in their work on finding the” Importance of apparel

store image attributes: perceptions of female consumers “in the SA Journal of Industrial

Psychology, focused on identifying those store image attributes perceived as important by a

selected group of female apparel consumers. In addition, their perception of Lindquist’s

proposed dimensions of store image attributes was examined. Data were collected by means of

eight focus groups. Results indicated that Merchandise and Clientele were perceived as the most

important dimensions, followed by Service. The dimension Physical facilities were perceived as

the least important. Further differences between age and population groups were investigated.

The store image attribute dimensions generated by the respondents differed slightly from those

proposed by Lindquist.

Rajesh Rajaguru and Margaret J Matanda (2006) in their study on “Consumer Perception

of Store and Product Attributes and its Effect on Customer Loyalty within the Indian Retail

Sector “ examined the consumers’ perception of store and product attributes and customer

loyalty in Indian context. Store attributes were assessed in the dimensions of store appearance,

service quality and convenience of store. Product attributes dimensions that were investigated

include product quality, price and availability of new products. In this study, customer loyalty

was considered as repeated purchasing behaviour of consumer towards a store. The results

suggested that except product price, other store and product attributes had positive effects on

customer loyalty. Store attributes such as service quality and convenience of store and product

attributes such as product quality, price and availability of new products showed significance

towards customer loyalty.

Yu-Yi Chiang, et.al (2006) in their study on “Constructing the store image scale for

measuring prolonged opening hours” investigated the opening hour extension policy among

small and community discount stores by constructing a rating scale, through in-depth consumer

interview and empirical survey. The resulting scale was used to measure the effect of retail

strategy on consumer’s perceived store image. The findings indicated that extending opening

hours could positively influence the dimensions of the store image, including convenience, store

reputation and shopping environment.

Tripathi and Sinha (2006) in their work on” Family and store choice – A conceptual

framework”, studied retail store choice not from the perspective of an individual but of the

family. They argue that it is mostly the family and not the individual who is the consumer of the

retail offering.

Ivan-Damir Anic and Sonja Radas (2006) in their study on “The Role of Satisfaction and

Demographic Factors in Building Store Loyalty- Hypermarket Case Study in Croatia” explored

the relative importance of satisfaction and demographic factors in building store loyalty

behaviour. The model was tested with the data collected from a consumer survey, carried out in

the high/low Croatian hypermarket setting. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, simple

and multiple regression analysis. In general, research results supported the proposed framework.

Conative loyalty was positively driven by satisfaction with shopping experience, household’s

size and age. Females exhibited higher conative loyalty than males, and “near shoppers”

exhibited higher conative loyalty than “distant shoppers”. Contrary to expectations, income did

not predict conative loyalty behaviour. A further important finding of this study was that there

was a positive link between conative and action loyalty.

Harkiranpal Singh (2006) in his study on” The Importance of Customer Satisfaction in

Relation to Customer Loyalty and Retention”, opines that the organizations must look into the

needs and wants of their customers and has emphasized on the importance of customer

satisfaction, loyalty and retention in his working paper. He also added the importance of

Customer satisfaction, as many researchers have shown that customer satisfaction has a positive

effect on an organization’s profitability. Because customer satisfaction has a positive effect on an

organization’s profitability, the consequences of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction must

be considered for the implementation of any policy decision in an organization. He has also seen

a positive connection between customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention and therefore

concluded that customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention are all very important for an

organization to be successful.

William R. Swinyard & David B. Whitlark (2006) in their study on ‘The effect of

customer dissatisfaction on store repurchase intentions’ quoted the Prospect theory which argues

that dissatisfaction has a much greater negative effect than satisfaction's positive effect. This

theory was tested in a controlled experiment, which showed that satisfying and dissatisfying

experiences do not affect return intentions equally. In their effect on store return intentions, the

negative effect of a dissatisfying shopping experience was found to be about twice as great as

that of a satisfying experience. The investigators opine that these results have significant impact

on retailing practices.

Amy Wong and Amrik S.Sohal (2006) in their study on” Understanding the quality of

relationships in customer services” in a retail environment examined the consumer perceptions of

their shopping experience in a retail environment. They used a model to investigate the effect of

service quality, trust and commitment on relationship strength. The model then explored the

impact of relationship strength on attitudinal outcomes such as relationship quality and

behavioural outcomes such as customer loyalty. The study suggested that the retail managers

need to concentrate not only on the quality of the service but also on the relationships with their

customers. Since customer trust and Commitment appeared to be very important factors in

determining the customer relationship the authors suggested that training should be given to the

personnel to enhance the customer trust and commitment in a retail environment.

Janet Webster, Ravi Balasubramanian and Raja Peter (2006) in their study on “An

Investigation of Retailer Perceptions on Apparel Sizing Issues “conducted a research among

apparel manufacturers in New Zealand which revealed that there were significant variations in

the actual garment dimensions followed for the same size number. The consequence of this

variation in dimensions was suspected to be significant for the customer in terms of selecting the

right apparel size. This paper examined the perceptions of retailers on the role of sizing systems

in the services provided to help the customer in selecting the right garment size. Empirical

evidence showed that retail sales people perceive that providing advice to customers regarding fit

of apparel is crucial to creating customer satisfaction as well as improving the chances of making

a sale. Results also pointed to the need to include fit assessment skills as an important skill

requirement for the apparel retail sales person.

Jason M. Carpenter and Marguerite Moore, (2006) in their study on “Consumer

demographics, store attributes and retail format choice in the US grocery market” identified

demographic groups who frequent specific formats (specialty grocers, traditional supermarkets,

supercenters, warehouse clubs, internet grocers) and examined the store attributes (e.g. price

competitiveness, product selection, and atmosphere) as drivers of format choice. The results

included in this research were gathered and reported on an individual format basis. The

investigators examined how dimensions of consumer access limit or expanded retail patronage

behavior could also be highly beneficial to grocery retailers. This research provided grocery

retailers that operate within the USA a specific knowledge of the attributes that consumers

considered to be most important when making format choices (e.g. cleanliness, price

competitiveness, product assortment, courtesy of personnel) and identified the demographic

characteristics of these consumers. The results suggested marketing strategy implications for

grocery retailers that operate in the US market. As competition in the sector continued to evolve

and consumer demographics changed within the US market, understanding the consumer-format

choice linkage was considered to be critical to retailer performance in the industry. This

exploratory study used demographics and store attributes as a framework for profiling consumers

by their ultimate retail format choice.

Rui Vinhas Da Silva and Sharifah Faridah Syed Alwi (May 2007) in their study on

“Online brand attributes and online corporate brand images” examined the need to emphasis on

the attributes of a brand by retailers in order to achieve a positive representation of the corporate

brand images in an online setting. Using bookstores as the research context, the research’s main

aim was to investigate the association between the functional brand evaluation (represented by

brand attributes in this study) and emotional brand evaluation (represented by the corporate

brand image). Using the brand triangle framework developed by DeChernatony and

Christodoulides, the study investigated the associations between brand attributes and corporate

brand image of an online e-tailer. The findings showed that factors such as ease of use,

“personalization”, security and customer care are significant in determining the corporate brand

image of the online e-tailer.

Kemal Yildirima, et.al (2007) in their study on “The Effects of the Store Window Type

on Consumers’ Perception and Shopping Attitudes Through the Use of Digital Pictures”, focused

on determining the effects of a store window type (flat or arcade) on consumers’ perception of

store windows (promotion, merchandise and fashion) and shopping attitudes (intentions for store

entry and purchase) in the context of retail clothing sales. To test the assumption that there are

relationships between various types of store windows and consumers’ perception of store

windows and shopping attitudes, a study was organized based upon digital pictures of two types

of store windows hypothetically located in a big store. According to the results, consumers seem

to have a more positive perception of flat windows than arcade windows with respect to

promotion, merchandise and fashion. Compared to females, males evaluated the store window

more positively.

Ulf Johansson, et.al (2007) in their study on “Retail Image as Seen through Consumers’

Eyes: studying international retail image through consumer photographs of stores” aimed to

explore how retail store image is perceived by consumers from different cultural backgrounds

and with different degrees of awareness and experience of the retailer. The subject was IKEA, a

retailer recognized as having a global approach to the markets in which it operates, resulting in a

highly standardized approach to store branding. However, rather than employing traditional

methodologies to elicit consumer perceptions of store image, the authors have attempted to

capture consumer perceptions through interpretations of the visual images generated by the

participants themselves. The photo-elicitation method employed captured the different

interpretations and meanings attached to commonly identified elements of store image and

reinforced the central role played by the store itself in retail image formation.

Rita Martenson (2007) in her study on “Corporate brand image, satisfaction and store

loyalty A study of the store as a brand, store brands and manufacturer brands “studied the impact

of the corporate store image on customer satisfaction and store loyalty in grocery retailing. A

simple path model was proposed and the latent variables were related to the dependent manifest

variable and the store loyalty. The findings showed that the store as a brand had much

importance in influencing the customer satisfaction. The author opines that the retailers must be

good at retailing and also adds that the customers are satisfied only when the store is neat and

pleasant and when they feel that the store understands their needs. Certain customer segments

were interested in store brands. Finally the results revealed that invariably the satisfied customers

were loyal.

Andres Kusik (2007) in his study on “Affecting customer loyalty: do different factors

have various influences in different loyalty levels?” studied the influence of various factors on

customer loyalty. The main hypothesis of the study insisted that the list of most important factors

affecting loyalty is dependent on the level of loyalty of costumers. LOGIT method was used for

testing the hypotheses on the sample of survey data about 1000 private customers of the biggest

telecommunication company in Estonia. The results revealed that four analysed factors affecting

customer loyalty (satisfaction, trustworthiness, image and importance of relationship) were

playing different role on the different levels on the dependent variable.

Brent Krohn Solvang (2007) in his study on “Satisfaction, loyalty, and repurchase: A

study of Norwegian customers of furniture and grocery stores”, developed and tested a model to

explain the variation in repurchase behaviour between customers shopping for grocery products

and furniture. The analysis and the results of the research were based on interview data collected

from 400 adult consumers in four different stores in Kristians and Norway. Among other

findings the effect of service quality on satisfaction was discovered to be more profound in the

furniture branch than in the grocery branch of the four stores selected. This was seen as an

indicator of the elevated importance of service in the furniture branch. On the other hand, loyalty

seemed to be more important in affecting repurchase decisions in the grocery branch. This might

have been the result of consumer shopping frequency plus heavier competition in the grocery

branch. The results on the whole suggested that the managers in the grocery sector should focus

on marketing the retail chain in order to create satisfied customers and by that ensure higher

levels of repurchase behaviour and an increase in loyal customers.

HOU Min and XU Xiaofei, (2008), in their study on the “Influence of Service to the

Retailing Store Image—Based on the Theory of Halo Effect “opined that the retailers always use

certain service methods to enhance the influence of the store image. Taking the theory of Halo

Effect as the bases, taking department as study sample and taking ANOVA as analysis method,

this paper discussed whether service can enhance the store image. It showed that service

elements influenced the department store image significantly and they also found that the service

elements helped the customers to come to the formation of the store image.

Safiek Mokhlis (2008) in their study on “Consumer Religiosity and the Importance of

Store Attributes”, examined the linkage between consumer religiosity and the importance of

some salient store attributes. Results indicated that both dimensions of religiosity – intrapersonal

and interpersonal – had a significant impact on consumers’ evaluation of certain store attributes.

This finding suggested that the degree of religiosity should be considered as a possible

determinant of the importance of store attributes

Abdulla M. Alhemoud (2008) in his study on “Shopping Behavior of Supermarket

Consumers in Kuwait” has attempted to determine the product selection processes from Kuwaiti

nationals based on their shopping habits in the Co-Operative Supermarkets (A government

owned grocery stores). This paper extended the concept of Consumer Satisfaction and included

an evaluation of the post purchase affective response. He presented the development of a

consumer typology based on affective response, basically broken into two groups. The first

group was formed by consumers who face grocery shopping as their duty, the second group

considered grocery shopping as their pleasure. The paper also presents the implications of such

typology in the Co- operation. Based on a descriptive analysis of data collected via an accidental

sampling procedure, fourteen store attributes were identified. These attributes were factor

analyzed, generating four image dimensions intuitively labeled merchandise, personnel,

accessibility and promotion. A stepwise regression showed that merchandise image was the most

salient in determining the frequency of supermarket shopping. None of the demographic

characteristics of consumers did seem to have an impact on the perceived importance of the

promotion image.

Jessie K. Y. Chan and Priscilla Y. L. Chan (2008) in their research on “Effect of Retail

merchandise display on store image” provided an understanding of how retail merchandise

display affect store image according to the perception of consumers. The study investigated the

consumers’ preferences for and patronage behaviour towards different merchandise displays in

the store.

Larry P. Pleshko and Samar M. Baqer (2008) in their study on “A Path Analysis Study Of

The Relationships Among Consumer Satisfaction, Loyalty, And Market Share In Retail

Services”, investigated, the relationships among customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and

market share using path analyses methodology, in a sample of users of four retailer-types: health

clubs, convenience stores, medical clinics, and fast-food burger outlets. The authors exhibited a

negative relationship between the customer satisfaction and buyer loyalty. Also buyer loyalty

was shown to exhibit a significant and positive relationship with market share. However,

satisfaction was found to have no direct effects on market share. Additionally, satisfaction had no

indirect effect on share through the mediation effects of buyer loyalty. Finally, the covariate,

type of retail store, was found to be related to satisfaction and loyalty, but not to market share.

Thus, the study revealed the fact that the levels of consumer satisfaction and loyalty would differ

across different retail categories.

Alison Fraser (2009) in their study on” Customer Attitudes to Private Labels: The Role of

Store Image” has done an empirical study on the influence of store image on the perceptions of

specific private labels in two retail chain stores in New Zealand. The research confirms that store

image is positively associated with attitudes to private labels, but finds that the nature of the store

image determinants and their effect depend on both the retailer and the private label. Only weak

support was found for CDL‘s (Collins-Dodd & Lindley‘s (2003)) conclusion that attitudes to

private labels are related to the unique positioning of stores. Rather, the quality of the store‘s

wider product assortment was found to be the major determinant of attitude to private labels

regardless of the store. These findings are at odds with the differentiation motive for private

labels and pointed to the need for both practitioners and researchers to examine the fit between

store positioning and private label positioning. For retailers, the findings also highlighted

consumer reliance on extrinsic cues in the assessment of private label products, suggesting the

need to reduce perceived private label risk. For researchers, the findings also suggest that store

image should be incorporated in models predicting consumer proneness to private labels.

Lina Salim (2009) in his study on “Indonesian Store Loyalty Factors for Modern

Retailing Market”, suggested that consumers’ store loyalty in the modern retailing market

(hypermarkets such and supermarkets) is influenced by environmental factors (as store image,

store personnel). Using a model of stimulus-organism response (S-O-R), the researcher

examined the S-R relationship of store loyalty. S-O-R framework was derived from the existence

literature and tested empirically based on Indonesian consumers’ experience. The stimuli for this

study were store image, store personnel, satisfaction and culture factors. Affect, or the

consumers’ liking to modern retailing stores, mediates the chosen environmental factors on

consumer’s store loyalty. The findings showed that store image, store satisfaction and culture

have significant positive relationship to store loyalty via affect.

Sean Sands, et.al (2009) in their study on “The effects of in-store themed events on

consumer store choice decisions”, have attempted to find out the in-store retail events which

might affect the consumers in terms of their store choice decisions. The researchers gave their

findings from a discrete choice experiment that manipulated the presence of different types of in-

store themed events in a do-it-yourself category by randomly recruiting the residents of

Melbourne and Australia who shopped recently at a hardware store. Using logit models the

authors have assessed the effects of the in-store events along with those of various traditional

store attributes, including store appearance, price image and distance on consumer store choice

decisions. Their findings lend support to the notion that retail environment can positively be

influenced by consumer store choice. Overall the findings revealed that the implementation of a

themed event is not a silver bullet that will guarantee retailer success. The authors expressed

their feeling that in some instances in-store events may impose an undesired required ‘‘effort’’ in

order to engage in and negotiate the altered environment that events may create in-store to

capture the customer.

Yoo-Kyoung Seock (2009) in their study on “Influence of retail store environmental cues

on consumer patronage behaviour across different retail store formats: An empirical analysis of

US Hispanic consumers”, examined the Hispanic consumers’ perceived importance of apparel

retail store environmental cues and demographic characteristics (i.e., age and the number of

years lived in the US) on their apparel store patronage behavior across various retail store

formats. Three apparel retail store environmental cue dimensions were identified. Of the three

dimensions, Customer Service appeared as a significant determinant in Hispanic consumers’

decision to shop at department stores, specialty stores, and mass merchant stores. Convenience

was significantly, but negatively, related to the use of specialty stores. Physical Atmosphere

appeared as significant determinants of Hispanic consumers’ use of Internet websites. The

respondents’ shopping frequency at department stores, Internet websites and catalogues was

significantly different based on the respondents’ age and number of years lived in the US. The

study offered insights for apparel retailers in building effective retail store environments to

attract Hispanic consumers.

M. Joseph Sirgy, Stephan Grzeskowiak (2009) in their study on how can shop

management best capture mall image? “Suggested that building a strong mall image perceived

by shoppers as one of the way to generate more traffic in a Mall”. They hypothesized that mall

image can best be conceptualized in terms of five major retail dimensions Viz., access, store

atmosphere, price and promotion, cross-category assortment and within-category assortment.

The predictive (nomological) validity of the mall image measure was tested in relation to mall

attitude, mall patronage and word-of-mouth communications. The authors have validated the

mall image measure using data generated with mall-intercept surveys in two different malls in a

large city in Canada. The data provided support for the predictive validity of the mall image

measure.

Paolo Guenzi, et.al (2009) in their study on “A comprehensive model of customer trust in

two retail store”, developed and tested a comprehensive model of customer trust in a retail

service setting. Three levels of the customer-to-store relationship were simultaneously taken into

account: customer to sales associates, customer to store branded products and customer to the

store itself. Using partial least square (PLS) on a sample of 393 customers of an Italian

supermarket retailer, a model linking customer trust (in the store, in store branded products and

in sales associates) to overall perceived value and store loyalty intentions and behaviors were

tested. Subsequently an expanded model to determine the influence of managerially controlled

antecedent variables (salespeople’s trustworthiness, store environment, store assortment and

communications) were estimated on the various trust levels. Trust in the salesperson and trust in

store branded products had positive effects on overall store trust. Store trust, in turn, increased

perceived value and loyalty intentions. Looking at the drivers of the three levels of customer

trust, salesperson trustworthiness positively affected only the trust in the salesperson. Store

environment had a positive impact only on overall trust in the store. Store communication

fostered all three levels of customer trust; while store assortment increased both overall trust and

trust in store branded products. Findings of the study suggested an alternative perspective to the

dominant strategies in grocery retailing services. According to the study in order to foster store

patronage, retailers seemed to have typically invested in price cuts, promotions and loyalty

schemes. Store managers were suggested to use sales associates, the store environment, store

assortment, store branded products and communication to foster customer trust and increase

customer loyalty.

Dr. Khurram Sharif (2009), in his study on “Category Management and Customer

Satisfaction – Study of the Kuwaiti Grocery Retail Sector” propounded a comprehensive model

of customer trust in two retail store by investigating the relationship between Category

Management (CM) Practices and their impact on customers (both loyal and normal) within the

Kuwaiti grocery retail sector. A six variable Framework (based on product assortment, product

pricing, product presentation, product promotion, product availability and customer service) was

formulated to conduct the investigation. The results indicated that as far as customer satisfaction

was concerned there were no clear differences between normal and loyal customers. This

outcome could have been due to CM related miscommunication between the management

(decision makers) and the shop floor staff (implementers). Additionally indifferent attitude to

CM could have been due to misunderstanding of the cultural and social context of the retail

environment in which it was being implemented.

Ugur Yavas (2009) in his study on” Retail store loyalty: a comparison of two customer

segments”, took an initiative to determine if various measures of loyalty (satisfaction, continued

patronage and share of wallet) converge or diverge. The objective of the study was to examine

the relative efficacies of merchandise quality, interaction quality, price and store environment in

inducing store loyalty for two customer segments of a national automotive parts and accessories

retailer in the USA. The two segments were the do-it-yourself customers and the professional

customers. A survey was taken and in operationalizing store loyalty, affective, conative and

action-related measures were used. The results altogether suggested that merchandise quality was

an effective predictor of loyalty but perhaps not as critical or dominant as interaction quality.

Results also showed that similar factors consistently exert their influence in generating loyalty

for the two customer segments. The paper showed the convergence of the three measures of

loyalty (satisfaction, continued patronage and share of wallet). The strongest correlations were

found between affective and conative loyalty.

Nattharika Rittippant, et.al (2009) in their study on “Evaluation of the Customer

Relationship Management Programs of Grocery Chains in Thailand”, investigated the

effectiveness of loyalty card program in the aspect of customer loyalty in the major competitive

grocery stores in Thailand which are TOPS, Big C and Carrefour. In doing so, questionnaires

were distributed to the stores’ patrons to gather the relevant information. Moreover,

supplementary store manager interviews were conducted to obtain the stores’ perspective on

their customer relationship management (CRM) programs, especially their loyalty card

programs. The data was analyzed by using Chi-square and Pearson correlation test. The finding

of this study revealed that the loyalty card had significant positive effect on customer loyalty.

Among the factors tested, the product quality was the most influential factor concerning both

customer preference and their decision to hold a loyalty card. Therefore, one of the main

implications of this study was that the stores should emphasize their product quality as one of the

main features used to retain and attract customers. The main contribution of this study was the

valuable information about loyalty card program which reflects the customer loyalty among the

major grocery chains in Thailand. It helped grocery stores to gain more insight about the

influence of each of customer loyalty factor in order to develop the effective target marketing

strategy.

Natalie Mitchell and Harmen Oppewal (2009) in their study on “Great expectations: the

power of store atmosphere and merchandise effects on customers’ perceptions of a retail

salesperson” opined that a store atmosphere can help shape customers expectations of service

levels from retail salespeople, their sales approach and their decision to visit the store. In

addition, the paper suggested that different merchandise categories may moderate on these

relationships. An experimental design was administered online and the results were found that a

premium store atmosphere induced not only higher expectations, but also higher patronage

intentions among the customers. Merchandise did play a major role in patronage intentions in

conjunction with atmosphere. Results suggested that the retailers should consider the

salesperson’s role prior to investing in improving their store atmosphere to ensure that all

components reinforce the desired store experience.

Theresia Tanihaha (2009) in their study on “The Role of Emotional Satisfaction in

Service Encounter for Department Stores”, examined the role of emotional satisfaction in service

encounters. Specifically, this study investigated the relationship between emotional satisfaction

and key concepts such as service quality, customer loyalty and relationship quality and clarified

the role of emotional satisfaction in predicting customer loyalty and relationship quality. In doing

so, this study used data from sample survey of 320 Jakarta retail customers concerning their

evaluation of shopping experience to address the issue. Descriptive analysis, mean value

analysis, independent t-test, ANOVA and linear regressions were used in analyzing the data. The

results showed that service quality was positively associated with emotional satisfaction;

emotional satisfaction was positively associated with both customer loyalty and relationship

quality. Further analysis revealed that customer’s feeling of being to be pleased is an important

indicator of the overall service experience and relationship quality. This study implied that the

managers of department stores in Jakarta need to focus on improving and maintaining service

quality and enhance the shopping experience such that it results in the feeling of being pleased.

Prokopis K. Theodoridis and Kalliopi C. Chatzipanagiotou, (2009) in their study on

“ Store image attributes and customer satisfaction across different customer profiles within the

supermarket sector in Greece”, extended the test of the functional relationship between store

image attributes and customer satisfaction in the market environment of Greece; and also

investigated the stability of the structural relationships between store image attributes and

customer satisfaction across different customer groups. On appraising the store customer's

personal variables four specific types of buyers, namely, the Typical, the Unstable, the Social,

and the Occasional were identified. While four of the six considered, store attributes appear to be

a significant determinant of customer satisfaction. When examined for the degree of invariance

between the four groups, only pricing and Products-related attributes were equally significant in

all four groups.

Patricia Huddleston, et.al (2009) in their study on “Customer satisfaction in food

retailing: comparing specialty and conventional grocery stores" executed a research on customer

perceptions related to satisfaction with conventional grocery stores as compared to specialty

grocery stores. The study examines store attributes of product assortment, price, quality and

service in order to determine the attributes that have the greatest impact on store satisfaction for

each store format. Perception of satisfaction was higher among specialty grocery store customers

compared to that of the conventional grocery store customers. For both store formats, store price,

product assortment, service and quality positively influenced satisfaction. Stepwise regression

indicated that each store attribute contributed differently to store satisfaction for conventional

and specialty store formats.

Nancy M. Puccinelli, et.al. (2009) in their study on” Customer Experience Management

in Retailing: understanding the Buying Process”, opine that the retailers recognize that greater

understanding of customers can enhance customer satisfaction and retail performance. This

article seeks to enrich this understanding by providing an overview of existing consumer

behavior literature and suggested that specific elements of consumer behavior—goals, schema,

information processing, memory, involvement, attitudes, affective processing, atmospherics, and

consumer attributions and choices—play important roles during various stages of the consumer

decision process. The authors suggested the ways in which retailers can leverage this

understanding of consumer behavior.

Shilpa S Kokatnur (2009) in their study on “Impact of Supermarkets on Marketing

Strategies of Small Stores” analyzed the impact of new retail formats on traditional/unorganized

retailers’ strategies. The paper investigated the impact of organized retailers’ strategies on

traditional stores. A total of 20 organized retailers and 150 small stores in different categories

were interviewed to know their strategies with respect to the retail mix. Data were analyzed with

factor analysis and analysis of variance. The results found that service and promotion were the

major strategies affecting unorganized players. The impact of organized stores differed for

different category stores. Service and technology upgradation are the major strategies adopted by

small players to retain customers. The results also indicated that traditional retailers need to

redesign their business models.

Paromita Goswami and Mridula S. Mishra (2009) in their study on” Would Indian

consumers move from kirana stores to organized retailers when shopping for groceries?” tried to

understand whether Indian consumers are likely to move from traditional kirana stores to large

organized retailers while shopping for groceries. They checked whether customer patronage

differs for different grocery store attributes and customer perceptions of grocery store attributes

differ for kirana stores and organized retailers. The study was carried out across four Indian

cities- two major and two smaller cities with around 100 respondents from each city. Customer

patronage to grocery stores was found to be positively related to location, helpful, trustworthy

salespeople, home shopping, cleanliness, offers, quality and negatively related to travel

convenience. Kiranas do well on location but poorly on cleanliness, offers, quality, and helpful

trustworthy salespeople. The converse is true for organized retailers. Kiranas have major

disadvantages on all customer perception scores except location. These scores being less

important determinants of patronage compared with location, in the short run kiranas may not be

ousted out of customers’ favour. However, it was predicted that in the long run if they do not

work on these other factors, they would face oblivion.

Shalini Nath Tripathi (2009) in their study on “An analysis of Customer-pull factors and

the process of store loyalty,” tested the relationship between customer service experience and

loyalty. The salespersons’ (or store managers’) relationship with the customers assumes

paramount importance, in case of identical product offerings by competitors as in case of

medical stores. On the basis of extensive exploratory interviews, the variables used for

measuring customer loyalty were culled out from discussions carried with medical store owners /

managers. Thereafter a ‘Loyalty Test‘was used with the aim of specifically measuring the loyalty

of customers. Loyalty of customers, for the purpose of the study, has been interpreted in terms of

re-patronage, positive word of mouth and recommendations. This test was administered to the

customers of various medical stores. This study consequently attempted to develop a set of

actionable, or ‘preferred service behaviors’ by the salespeople or store managers. The results

provided ample evidence that focusing on relationship has a payoff for customer loyalty and re-

patronage. The authors opine that through extraordinary customer service, a store can leverage

differentiated services to provide a superior customer experience that can build loyalty.

B.B. Goyal, Panjab and Meghna Aggarwal (2009) in their study on “Organized Retailing

in India- an Empirical Study of Appropriate Formats and Expected Trends”, examined the

relative importance of the various products purchased at organized retail outlets and the choice of

format, the consumer has when purchasing a product. The paper also discussed the expected

development of organized retail in India in the future, focusing on aspects with potential effects

on consumer purchasing behavior. The findings revealed that not all items were equally

important for retail outlets and recommended that various products should be sold in specific

retail formats.

Thomas Reutterer, Christoph Teller, (2009) in their study on "Store format choice and

shopping trip types", identifed store format attributes that impact on store format choice when

consumers conduct fill-in or major trips to buy groceries. By doing so, they take into

consideration that consumers patronise multiple (store based) formats depending on the shopping

situation operationalised by the type of shopping trip. The analysis was based on a survey of 408

consumers representing households in a clearly defined central European retail area. The results

revealed a considerable moderating effect of the shopping situation on the relationship between

perceived store format attributes and store format choice. Consumers' utilities were significantly

higher for discount stores and hypermarkets when conducting major trips. To the contrary,

supermarkets were preferred for fill-in trips in the focused retail market. Merchandise-related

attributes of store formats had a higher impact on the utility formation regarding major-trips,

whereas service- and convenience-related attributes did so with regards to fill-in trips.

Yasmin Hassan, et.al.,(2010), in their study on the ”Influence of shopping orientation and

store image on patronage of furniture store”, proposed a general model of retail patronage and

to empirically test the relationships proposed in the model in the context of the furniture market.

The objects of the study were to review existing retail patronage models and related literature, to

develop a general framework of retail patronage behavior and to test the model in the furniture

store shopping patterns. Based on a review of the literature the study proposed to adapt Darden’s

patronage model of consumer behavior. They opine that, in terms of shopping orientation the

apathetic shopper and the personalizing shopper were influenced by the lifestyle of the consumer

and hence influenced the customer patronage. Store image on the other hand was found to

enhance the impact on consumer patronage of the furniture store and moreover act as both the

predictor and the moderator.

Justin Beneke (2010) in her study on “Consumer perceptions of private label brands

within the retail grocery sector of South Africa”, investigated the perceptions of fast moving

private label brands in the South African grocery food sector. Successful positioning of these

brands has been achieved globally, most notably in developed markets but could not be achieved

in South Africa. This research was undertaken in order to understand the position of these brands

in the minds of South African Consumers. Critical branding elements such as trust, availability,

pricing, packaging, etc. were included in the study. It was found that though the South African

retailers have taken varying stances in terms of positioning their private label brands and even

though Private label brand communication strategies have successfully reached a large

proportion of the South African market, overall effectiveness in terms of influencing perceptions

appeared to be unsuccessful and the direct impact on volume share appears negligible. Home-

based media, wherein grocery retailers are known to advertise their wares, were found to be the

most effective in relaying the message to consumers. Demographic variables were largely

ineffective in determining an individual’s propensity to buy private label brands. However,

income was found to be the most prominent of all variables, revealing a direct relationship

between income and affinity towards private label brands, although presumably premium private

label options. Unfortunately, private label brand packaging was considered, for the most part, to

be unattractive and failed to convey a sense of high product quality. Packaging was regarded by

many marketers to be a ‘salient salesman’ and was thus thought to have evolved into an

important facet of product differentiation. Sadly, South African retailers were found to appear to

lag behind their European counterparts rather drastically in this respect.

Saraswat, A., et.al (2010) in their study on” Building store brands using store image

differentiation”, tried to understand whether the Indian consumers differentiate the various store

brands and images based on their experiences. To assess the store image dimensions perceived

by the shoppers, factor analysis was employed and for understanding various store image

attributes used for differentiation of store brands one-way analysis of variance was employed.

Results reflected the fact that Indian shoppers have started identifying the dimensions of retail

store image and are differentiating the various stores on the basis of functional attributes.

Eventually, the authors opine that the stores would have to create differentiation based on

psychological attributes of the customers in order to attract them.

Piyali Ghosh, et.al (2010) in their study on” Customer expectations of store attributes: A

study of organized retail outlets in India” have attempted to address issues related to store

attributes and their relevance in the store selection process. Eleven variables (store attributes)

have been identified in this article based on theory and judgment. Factor analysis in the study

yielded three factors: Convenience & Merchandise Mix, Store Atmospherics and Services.

According to the study any decision-making process for retail outlets becomes complex due to

the inseparability of goods and multiplicity of services. The authors opine that a customer

appreciates shopping in a pleasant environment at one-stop location with a wider product-

portfolio in a speedy manner. The study revealed that customers in Tier II and III cities evaluate

a store based on Convenience and Merchandise Mix, Store Atmospherics and Services. The

study recommended the retailers to design their outlets with store attributes that would meet the

expectations of shoppers and thus motivates them towards store patronage decisions.

Arpita Khare, et.al (2010) in their study on “Retailer behaviour as determinant of service

quality in Indian retailing”, employed the SERVQUAL construct to study service quality aspects

of retail stores in Northern India. It was assumed that the role of employee or retailer was

important in building relationships with customers. They opine that the traditional quality

dimensions for assessing the service quality have to be modified to assess the customers’ service

needs and satisfaction in the retail sector. The service quality expectations and satisfaction of

customers would be dependent on service personnel’s interactions with customers. In retailing

services, customer satisfaction would be dependent on the relationships retailers build with their

customers through interactions. The interactions were determined by using the traditional

SERVQUAL scale and adapting it for retail. The results showed that a high positive correlation

existed between various service dimensions and that customer evaluation of service quality was

similar across different age groups.

Abhishek Meshram (2010)in their study on “The critical factors influencing customer

loyalty and satisfaction. With reference to supermarket retail stores”, studied the critical factors

that influenced the customer loyalty in the supermarket retail stores in order to improve their

loyalty programme and retain customers in these stores. The research was conducted in the

Sainsbury’s store in Penarth, near Cardiff (UK), where customers who were pre-determined as

loyal were asked questions which influenced their overall shopping experience in the store. The

findings of the research demonstrated that the customers’ perception about the product

attributes(like quality, variety or assortment and store retail brand), price(effective and fair

prices, value for money and price offers), Service attributes (service quality, complaint handling

and service efficiency), loyalty programmes (loyalty cards) and store attributes(convenience

factors both location and opening hours, display, signage and store layout) have a significant

influence on the customer satisfaction which in turn influences the shoppers’ intention to remain

loyal to the store.

Aysel Ercis, et.al (2010) in their study on “Determination of the Factors Affecting

Supermarket Loyalty: A Case Study of Erzurum”, highlighted the importance of strengthening

the store loyalty to formulate effective strategies to retain their customers. The investigators have

aimed to determine the effect of the satisfaction, trust-value perception and store image variables

(Service quality, store atmosphere, comparative price perception, discount perception,

supermarket opportunities, post purchase applications, product quality perception and

supermarket location) on the consumers’ supermarket loyalty in Erzurum/Turkey. Results

showed the effects of store image variables (Store atmosphere, product quality and service

quality) on value and trust perception which in turn had a greater effect on satisfaction and store

loyalty of the customers.

Maria Pilar Martínez-Ruiz, et.al (2010) in their study on “Store brand proneness and

maximal customer satisfaction in grocery stores” identified the factors whose perception has the

greatest influence on customer satisfaction, the authors analysed a database of 422 Spanish

consumers who purchased from different types of self service grocery stores in a representative

Spanish city. The findings revealed that among consumers who exhibited a low propensity to

buy store brands, perceptions of the quality image, as well as perceptions of service and

convenience, had positive and significant influences on the maximum level of customer

satisfaction. However, for those consumers who were not prone to buying store brands, only the

perception of services and convenience influenced their maximum level of satisfaction. This

research has given outlines as which features can help retailers focus their strategies on

appropriate consumer targets, according to the retailer’s own features and thus attain a

sustainable competitive advantage through their differentiation.

Kamaladevi B (2010) in their study on “Customer Experience Management In Retailing

“has said that to compete successfully in this business era, the retailer must focus on the

customer’s buying experience. To manage a customer’s experience, as retailers one should

understand what “customer experience” actually means. Customer Experience Management is a

strategy that focuses the operations and processes of a business around the needs of the

individual customer. It represents a strategy that results in a win–win value exchange between

the retailer and its customers. According to the author the goal of customer experience

management is to move customers from Satisfied to Loyal and then from Loyal to Advocate.

This paper focused on the role of macro factors in the retail environment and how they can shape

customer experiences and behaviors. In this conceptual paper the author has shown several ways

(e.g., Brand, Price, Promotion, Supply Chain Management, Location, Advertising, Packaging &

labeling, Service Mix, and Atmosphere) to deliver a superior customer experience, which

according to her would result in higher customer satisfaction, more frequent shopping visits,

larger wallet shares and higher profits.

Raghava Rao Gundala (2010) in his study on “Retail Store Image: A Study of the Cyprus

Clothing Industry” tried to identify (sector-specific) store image attributes and evaluate the

strength and importance of the influence of each attribute on consumer purchasing decisions. He

examined the impact of various socioeconomic or demographic variables on consumers’

evaluation of various store image attributes. 261 Cypriot consumers served as the convenient

sample. Using ANOVA and F-test analysis, the t-values for the attributes were not significant at

either the .05 or the .01 levels. The correlation between the demographic variables and the

various store image attributes were highly significant. This study made it clear as to what is

important for retailers in today’s volatile marketplace and related to the need for retailers to take

into account the impact of retail store image and its relationship with store loyalty.

Maxwell K. Hsu, et.al (2010) in their study on “Grocery store image, travel distance,

satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Evidence from a Midwest college town“ studied the

interrelationships among grocery store image, travel distance (TD), customer satisfaction, and

behavioral intentions (BI) in a college town setting. The findings of the study identified Grocery

store image as a second-order construct reflected by the three key components of merchandise

attributes (MEA), store ambience and service (SAS), and marketing attractiveness (MGA).

Although store image was an important driver of BI, its indirect effect through customer

satisfaction was found to be substantially greater than its direct effect on BI. Interestingly, TD

was positively related to satisfaction, which highlighted the possibility for retailers to overcome

the distance disadvantage.

Supernova Chakraborty (2010) in their study on “A Study of Select Discount Store Retail

in Hyderabad for the Purpose of Identifying Factors in Regards to Shopping Motives, Store

Attributes, Shopping Outcomes and Perceived Shopping Cost” identified the driving shopping

motives of Indian discount store shoppers. A total of 270 sample of selected discount retail store

in Hyderabad were taken out of which 252 were considered for the final study. Factor analysis

extracted three shopping motives, two of which related to hedonic shopping motive and one to

utilitarian. The factors were named as diversion, socialization and utilitarian. Other three

dimensions of the study were store attributes, shopping outcomes and shopping perceived cost.

Under each dimension factors related to discount store were identified. The identified factors

were considered to be the key for discount stores for understanding their shoppers.

Britta Cornelius, et.al (2010) “How storefront displays influence retail store image?”

investigated perceived image differences between commonly used types of storefront displays

and tested whether an image transfer takes place from the display to the retail store. The results

showed that more innovative displays achieve better image valuations and that store image

benefits from the presence of a storefront display. Spillover effects from the display to the store

even occurred in the face of some resistance, such as in familiar stores and among consumers

who have negative attitudes toward such displays. The study proved that the storefront displays

generally function to increase attention to the store or generate unplanned store visits and also

revealed that storefront display has an impact on store image.

Pavlos A. Vlachos, et.al, (2010) in their study on "Consumer-retailer emotional

attachment: Some antecedents and the moderating role of attachment anxiety” investigated

loyalty building and the creation of affectionate bonds in the consumer-firm dyad. The results

identified the significant predictors of consumer-firm emotional attachment to be firm trust, trust

in employees, likeability of service personnel and likeability of co-consumers, shopping

enjoyment, self-expressiveness, place dependence and place identity. Consumers' self-

enrichment, self-gratification and self-enablement likely influenced emotional attachment, which

in turn was a strong predictor of behavioral loyalty and word of mouth. Attachment anxiety

appeared to multiply the effects of emotional attachment on behavioral loyalty and word of

mouth. The results suggested the consumer's self-enrichment to be the most important factor in

determining emotional attachment with his retailer.

Sonal Kureshi, et.al (2011)in their study on “Comprehensive Analysis of Exclusive

Brand Store Customer in Indian Market “ attempted to group the customers and generate a

profile of the revenue generating customer by identifying significant differences across lifestyle,

demographic variables and information search. For this study, a scale for measuring the attitude,

interest and opinion (AIO) for profiling the consumers of a single brand store was, specifically

developed and tested for reliability. Significant differences were found between different groups

on their attitude, interest and opinion dimensions. The purposive patrons were far more

appearance conscious than the browsers. There was substantial difference in the product and

quality expectations between browser and the purposive customers. The purposive patrons

wanted to remain slim only for the sake of appearance and looks. According to the researchers a

detailed profile of their revenue generating customers would be useful for the conversion of

footfall to sales by customizing its offerings.

Mojgan Bahrami Samani, et.al (2011) in their study on “A proposed model of lifestyle

and store attributes for hypermarkets’ loyalty” aimed to examine the factors influencing the

customer‘s loyalty in Iran’s hypermarket industry by looking into the element of lifestyles and

store attribute. Therefore, a model of hypermarket customers’ loyalty was designed to investigate

the relationship of lifestyle, store attributes, consumer satisfaction and store loyalty for selecting

hypermarket. The findings of this study are expected to help retailers to raise their consumers’

loyalty by considering lifestyle, store attributes and consumer satisfaction.

Mathala Juliet Gupta and Chetan V. Hiremath (2011) in their study on “Apparel Retail

Outlet Selection: Influence of Service Levels In Goa“conducted a survey in three major cities of

Goa. All the 400 respondents were aged between 18yrs to 33 yrs. The role of merchandise

quality, variety, style, brand, service and prices offered by a particular type of outlet was studied.

Also, service factors like ambience, parking space, personal assistance, sitting lounge, loyalty

program and home delivery in the choice of retail outlets by shoppers across the three major

cities of Goa was studied. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to test the findings. It

was found that there was a significant difference between the selected retail formats with respect

to merchandise and service offered. Malls and discount stores attracted many customers.

However customers did not find any difference in quality, Variety, style, brand, service and

prices offered by a particular type of outlet. This was even true for service factors like ambience,

Parking space, Personal assistance, Sitting lounge, Loyalty program and home delivery in the

choice of retail outlets by shoppers across the three major cities of Goa. Respondents also felt

that there was a need for improvement in various factors like ambience, location, pricing, style,

etc. for each format. Furthermore, they expressed that there was a need for better pricing,

availability of more brands and enhanced apparel service like the appointment of trained

personnel in those retail outlets.

Hemraj Verma and Dr.Pankaj Madan (2011)in their study on the ” Factors Analysing The

Store Attributes To Identify Key Components Of Store Image (A Study On Some Selected

Apparel Stores In India)” have attempted to find out the key factors that are perceived as

important to Indian consumer. As the Indian retail environment is going through a sea change

due to the introduction of new formats and opening up of retail industry, the investigators found

the imperative to analyse the importance of different store image perception attributes in the

Indian Context. One of the primary objectives of this study was to find out key store attributes

which have significant impact on the store image of an apparel store. To achieve this objective,

they analyzed responses of 309 customers for 28 store attributes and extracted 5 representative

factors through factor analysis. Factor analysis was used due to high correlations between 28

store attributes as regression analysis becomes useless if the inter-correlation of independent

variables is high. The five factors extracted through Factor analysis are Store's Product and

Operational Quality, Store's Overall Visual Appeal, Customer Convenience, Perceived Price and

Past Satisfaction and Store's Promotional Effectiveness. One store attribute i.e. Distance of the

store from home had very less communality indicating that this attribute is not so important to

customers when it comes to buying apparel items and therefore was dropped from the further

analysis. They concluded that Store’s Product (Product quality includes quality of cloths, Choice

availability, styling or design of cloths, Status of Brand(s))and Operational Quality(Store

guarantees, Return Policies, Store Employees’ Behavior, Knowledge, Nature, efficiency in

Customer Service)) were the two most important factors determining overall retail Image.

Euler Alves Brandão (2011) in his study on “Brand Relationships on Retailing: The

Impact of Image on Behavioral Intentions of Consumers”, aimed at proposing a scale that

measures the retailers’ image, identifying the factors that impacted this image the most, as well

as verifying the possible impacts of the image on the consumers’ behavioral intentions. Thus,

after 48 detailed interviews it was observed that the Instrumental elements, followed by the

Appearance/Assistance in the Store were the ones that caused the biggest impact in the retailer’s

Image. On the other hand, the Image presented a high impact in the purchase intention and word

of mouth communication, which was the determinant for these retailers’ performance in the

market. The article contributed to the development of Image scale for Electronics’ Retailers as

well as in the evidence of the significant impacts of this image in the behavioral intentions. The

image scale can also be applied by retailers in a managerial way as an image diagnosis and

comparative measurement with competitors.

N. Udaya Bhaskar and B.Raja Shekhar (2011) in their study on the “Impact of Service

Quality on Apparel Retail Customer Satisfaction - A Study of Select Metropolitan City

Hyderabad“ studied the impact of service quality on apparel retail customer satisfaction and also

indentified the critical factors of service quality from customer’s perspective. The sample

consisted of 250 respondents from the Metropolitan City Hyderabad which is one of the fastest

growing metropolitan cities in India. A structured questionnaire RSQS (Retail Service Quality

Scale) was administered for data collection. Secondary data was collected from research

databases, reports, journal articles etc. The study identified the critical factors of Apparel Retail

Service Quality and evaluates the impact of service quality on Retail Customer Satisfaction.

Arpita Khare (2011) in his study on “Mall shopping behaviour of Indian small town

consumers“ has carried out a research in small cities to understand the mall shopping behavior of

the people and specifically focused on exploring the differences across age and gender groups

with regard to the familiarity with the concept of malls and their exposure to the organized retail.

ANOVA test was used for the analyses. The results showed that consumers’ gender and age play

an important role in determining their attitude towards shopping in malls. He has suggested the

careful consideration of mall attributes such as decor, layout, services, variety of stores and

entertainment facilities must be done while planning malls in smaller cities as they have an effect

on consumers’ buying behaviour. He opines that the mall shopping behavior of metropolitan city

shoppers should not be generalized with that of shoppers in smaller cities.

J. Beneke, et.al (2011) in their study on “Consumer perceptions of private label brands

within the retail grocery sector of South Africa“ aimed to shed insight on how young shoppers,

between the ages of 21 and 35, perceive and relate to, franchise and corporate owned stores in

the supermarket industry. This was achieved by investigating the roles of store image, trust and

satisfaction in predicting loyalty to a particular store type. By analysing, empirical results, this

study showed that compared to corporate-owned stores, consumers had an overall better

perception of franchise stores, especially in terms of trust and customer satisfaction. Examining

an integrative loyalty framework, the study showed differential effects in how Store Image

elements influence customer Loyalty indirectly through satisfaction, and also how trust elements

influence customer loyalty indirectly through Satisfaction.

Tafadzwa Machirori and Olawale Fatoki (2011) in their study on “An empirical

investigation into the extent of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty at big retail stores in

King William’s Town” investigated customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in four big retail

stores in King William’s Town, South Africa. Customer satisfaction and loyalty are factors

impacting on the performance of firms. Data was collected through self administered

questionnaires. Mall intercept was used as the survey method. Data analysis included descriptive

statistics, T-test, ANOVA and chi square goodness of fit test. The results indicated that

holistically, customers are satisfied and loyal to the retail stores. However, the study identified

one significant area of customer dissatisfaction which is the queuing time. In addition, the study

identified that courtesy as an area of concern for customer satisfaction.

Rajul Bhardwaj (2011) in his study on the “Perception about the Attributes of Selected

Fast Food Retailers and their Impact on Consumer Satisfaction and Sales” attempted to measure

the links between attribute perceptions and consumer satisfaction and between consumer

satisfaction and sales performance, in the food retail sector of India. The study relied upon an

extensive data set of consumer satisfaction and sales information from approximately 180

consumers. Hypothesis constructed addressed the inherent nonlinearities and asymmetries in

these links. Further, an example of how firms can use the estimated linkages to develop

satisfaction policies that are predicted to increase store revenues has been presented. First,

nonlinearities and asymmetries in the satisfaction-sales performance have been examined.

Second, the study advanced the measurement of behavioral links between consumer satisfaction

and performance in the food retail sector with firm-specific data. Third, the study showed how

firms can employ such results to develop appropriate consumer satisfaction policies.

S. Ramesh Kumar, et.al, (2011) in their study on “Exploring Consumer Retail Shopping

Experience,”explored the consumer retail shopping experience in modern retail formats. He also

examined the factors that affect the consumer’s shopping experience in the Indian cultural

milieu. The author felt a need for studying motivations and behaviour with respect to actual retail

store attributes as there were significant literature on consumer motivations, expectations and

shopping orientations in the Indian context. The article provided an insight about various factors

influencing consumers in the modern retail context and the preference order for the same.

Prof. Lakshmi Nair (2011) in her study on “Private Labels Brands In Food & Grocery:

The Changing Perceptions Of Consumers & Retailers In India- A Study In The Pune Region”

examined the growth of the Private Label brands (PLB) internationally and among Indian

retailer, mainly in food and grocery segment. She investigated the perceptions of consumers for

PLBs and their involvement in purchasing of such PLBs in the retail segment. The purpose was

to analyze unique PLB associations in the minds of consumers so as to gauge the customer

loyalty, consumer preferences and shopping behavior and thereby add to retail brand equity. The

research was of exploratory nature, and primary data, was collected through exclusive survey of

225 consumers of top retail chains in the food and grocery segment in Pune district of

Maharashtra. The results explained that majority of consumers (56%) were either relatively

neutral or negative in their attitude towards private label brand quality levels. 79% of

respondents generally thought that National brands provide hedonic utility and quality, whereas

PLBs were lower priced, lack strong brand recognition and were rarely advertised at the national

level. The study clearly brought forth the importance of pricing as an attribute in influencing

customers’ acceptance of PLBs.

Ruchi Malik (2012),in his study “ To build a model for the determination of factors that

result in the success of the organized retail sector in India( With specific reference to fast food

chains and grocery and vegetable outlets)” has built a model for the determination of factors that

affects the success of organized retail sector in India . He has determined the impact of the

factors at the micro level and Macro level that affects the success of the organized retail outlets

in India. He opines that the promotional efforts , Product offerings, price level, In-store services ,

Store Personnel, price, Store experience, Place, Demographics and Trust as the micro level

factors and Politico-legal factors, Demographic factors, Economic Factors and Technological

factors as the Macro level factors. He concluded that the retailers in India have to adopt novel

approaches to marketing and merchandising to attract and serve the customers according to their

need levels.

The detailed review of available literature had widely been investigated about the retail

image attributes in the retail stores in India and abroad. Few reviews mentioned in this section

have analyzed the impact of the modern retail store attributes on the unorganized retail outlets in

different locations in India and in other foreign countries. Some of the reviews have analyzed the

determinants of store image in different store formats while other literatures were concerned with

the impact of the store image attributes on the customer satisfaction and the store patronage

behaviour. Similar few foreign reviews have covered the shopping orientation of individuals and

households in developed as well as in the developing economy. Though there are a number of

studies in measuring the influence of store attributes on customer satisfaction and store patronage

behavior, they have not found out the impact of these organized retail store attributes on the

footfalls and the store patronage behavior in unorganized retail stores. This has been identified as

the major gap prevailing among the reviews referred in this chapter. Thus it has been considered

as the major theme for the present research analysis.