FINAL REPORT OF “SHOPPING PATTERNS OF THE PEOPLE INSIDE THE GIFTS SHOPS AND HOME DÉCOR SHOPS – A COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS
(September 4, 2010)

In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the course "Retail Marketing" of MBA (Full Time)

CARD AND GIFT:

For the past decade or so the gift and card industry has been growing at a rapid rate and gaining market share. At the whim of discretionary spending, gift shops and card stores rely on low-margin, high-volume sales and are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with supermarkets and online retailers. The key to survival is consolidation and vertical integration which is seeing the number of companies decline while store numbers edge up.
The cards and gift shops fall into the impulse purchase category. The product mix includes: cards, collectible gifts, gift wrap, holiday and seasonal decoration, novelties, party supplies, souveniers, etc.
Gift shops come as both standalone stores as well as part of supermarkets.
In India these stores are franchisees, chain retailers, as well as independent retailers. The customer base is spread over a wide demography, but the main consumers are young.
Some of the main players in this category are:

Archies: [pic]
Archies was founded in 1979 as a mail order poster shop, and introduced its first line of greeting cards in 1980. The company procured its first ever foreign license from Walt
Disney, USA in 1984 and offered its customers some of the best loved Disney characters on its greeting cards. As the Archies brand grew into a household name in India, the company diversified into gifting items. Strategic tie-ups with global players, including Portal Publications, Gibson Greetings and American Greetings Inc. (the world’s largest publicly held greeting card company) of the US, enabled Archies to offer its customers a range of special-occasion cards. Archies’ product portfolio contains all-occasion greeting cards, gift items such as curios, photo albums, photo frames, soft toys, mugs, quotations, key chains and a wide range of stationery. Archies has consistently focused on emotions and feelings, making evident in its advertising theme: “The most special way to say you care”. Archies products are available at a variety of price points. Emotions are at the heart of the Archies collections and played a significant role in advancing the social expressions market by creating a special collection of greeting cards and gifts for different occasions such as Friendship Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and everyday cards such as “Thinking of you”, “Hello”, “Miss you”, “Get well soon”, among others. Archies has promoted the cause of the elderly by entering into a tie-up with HelpAge India and with CRY (Child Relief and You) for the under-privileged children to produce and market these voluntary organizations’ greeting cards and stationery items. Archies has established the “Archies Gallery” chain through organized franchising. Archies kept pace by introducing ecards and offering online gifting opportunities through its ecommerce portal, www.archiesonline.com as the market environment continued to evolve and internet became an important aspect of urban life. Promotion for Archies has been through different communication channels including customers (Ward et al., 1999).

Hallmark: [pic]

Hallmark Cards have managed to successfully penetrate the Indian markets and reign the hearts of the Indian card buyers in association with their franchisee Vintage Cards & Creations Ltd., who have a thorough knowledge of the Indian markets. Join us as we take an odyssey into the success story of Hallmark Cards in India. The Greeting Card industry is growing by leaps and bounds. The occasional card buyers of yesterday have become heavy consumers today and the future will see them setting a trend for the generation to follow.
There are a handful of Greeting Card manufacturers in India that attend to the growing demand for greeting cards. Vintage Cards & Creations is one of the few companies in India that stands out due to the quality, creativity and sheer emotional appeal that their cards offer.
Vintage Cards & Creations Ltd., the licensee of Hallmark in the Indian sub-continent have been in existence since 1984. Market leaders in cards, Vintage was selected by Hallmark Cards Inc. U.S.A. as their exclusive licensee in 1992 and since then there has been no looking back for them (Vintage). Within a short span, Hallmark has set up more than 344 franchisees in India and also quite a few in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
Hallmark, in a short span of time, has established itself as the most preferred Greeting Cards. Communication, self-expression and celebration are given utmost priority and lie at the heart of Hallmark product development. At Hallmark innovation rules the atmosphere and creativity thrives.
The market today calls for new and quality products and this need is aptly satisfied, because Hallmark understands the needs created by the changing times. With the largest creative staff in the world, Hallmark churns out 26,000 new messages every year. It produces designs, which include cartoons, colourful graphics and true-to-life photography.
Everyday, Hallmark manufactures 11 million greetings cards and 1.5 million related products, such as decorated mugs, lifelike posters, soft toys, party ware and also an exciting range of stationery.
Hallmark also has set a trend in gift-wraps which are categorized into occasion (wedding, Birthday, New Arrival etc.) and Life stylers (Disney, Verkerke etc.). The creation and display of these gift - wraps are based on the customers’ shopping attitudes. There is a gift - wrap for every mood, be it festive, romantic, sober or humorous.
It takes more than just words and images to meet Hallmark standards— it takes creativity. In India, Vintage has a dynamic staff of talented artist, visualizers and copywriters who ‘Indianise’ select Hallmark designs that come from U.S.A. This keeps the success rate of Hallmark cards in India at 95% plus.
It is Hallmark’s dedication towards providing the card buyers with what they want and their talent to catch the market pulse that has set them soaring the heights of success in the Indian markets.

Competition:
The main source of competition for the gift and card stores is the e-card industry which has been constantly eating up the market share of the physical stores. Mobile sms wishing may also be considered a threat.

HOME DÉCOR:

The home décor industry in India has evolved considerably.
In India there were hardly any organized outlets for home décor items like candles and lamp shades or upholstery, curtains, linens, etc. Mostly the local stores dealt with the local demand. There were local showrooms which catered to the need. Fabindia was one of the first retailers in India that offered a “complete home solution”. The home décor category has been consistently growing due to higher disposable income, a growing urban sector, as well as increased lifestyle changes and exposure.
This category has become one of importance in the recent years with a rapidly growing market share. There are a number of home décor shops that have been come up in Ahmedabad in recent years. Among these special mention maybe made of Anokhi and Canmart which display two distinctly different selling patterns. A brief description of the two maybe given as follows:

Anokhi

[pic]

Anokhi has four outlets in Ahmedabad, at Ellis Bridge, Navrangpura, Polytechnic and Thaltej. Anokhi houses a variety of products including ethnic wear and home décor products. The most amazing part of their collection comprises candle stands that come in very fresh styles. Sofas, tables and small chairs also find a place here. The natural ambience at Anokhi comprises lush green foliage and huge rocks. There’s an eco-friendly spirit everywhere, perhaps in sync with its collection. The stores have their wares beautifully displayed in contemporary wooden racks and tables, well spaced out to allow customers to move around with freedom.

CanMart

CanMart is a super store with one outlet in Ahmedabad in Parimal Gardens area. It houses a huge variety of products, including home décor products at an affordable price. It offers discount prices to the shoppers, thus making it economical for customers to make their home decorating purchases at CanMart.

Problem Statement:

To compare between the retailing of cards and gifts and home décor items in stores like Archies and Hallmark and Anokhi and CanMart Respectvely. The comparisons are done according to the following parameters: - Price - Variety - Quality - Location - Brand name - Number of people coming in the store - Employee behaviour - Store Environment - Store Display

To evaluate customer preference criteria for the type of retail outlet for buying cards and gifts and home décor items.

Research Objective:
To evaluate the customer preference of the retail formats for making their gift items and home décor accessories purchases.The other parameters that a customer looks for while making a purchase decision.

Methodology:

A three pronged approach was taken for the research of the study:

1) Customer end: questionnaire survey

2) Store end: interview with employees and store manager
3) Observational: store visits.

INTRODUCTION
LOCATION AND TYPE OF RETAIL OUTLET

HOME DÉCOR ACCESSORIES

ANOKHI

[pic]

The Anokhi retail outlet that was visited was located in Vastrapur area which is part of the Central Business District. It is a standalone store. It specialises in Rajasthani ethnic pieces and the items are delivered from Jaipur.

CANMART

[pic]

CanMart at present has only one outlet which is near Parimal Gardens on C.G. Road which is again part of the Central Business District, the other branch near the S.G. Highway has closed down. CanMart specializes in crockery which is their highest selling item. It is a standalone store. It keeps home décor items which are part of the impulse purchase category.

GIFTS AND CARDS CATEGORY

HALLMARK

[pic]

There are three Hallmark Gift Greet outlets in Ahmedabad. The outlet that was visited is on Shyamal Crossroads which is part of the Neighbourhood Business District. The area is also trafficked. The items that sell most in this outlet are greeting cards and soft toys. They also stock stationary items, photo frames, vases and games for children.

ARCHIES

[pic]

Archies is a franchise retail format. It holds the name of the parent company which is a U.S. based company. The retail outlet that was visited for the purpose of observation and survey was located in Iscon mall which is in the Secondary Business District. The merchandise was substantially more at this outlet than at standalone stores.

STORE LAYOUT, DESIGN AND VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Layout

Store layout planning has an important role in that the layout provides the framework for developing the image and establishing an efficient retail operation. As such the layout must serve four important functions. These maybe mentioned as follows:

1. Effectively serve the consumer- It should make it easy for the customer to move through the store and obtain the desired merchandise with a minimum of confusion, congestion and delay.
2. Improve store efficiency-It should minimize labour and handling needed in moving merchandise through the store while satisfying the merchandising objectives.
3. Maximize sales-- It should provide for a merchandising arrangement that assures maximum exposure for all merchandise carried, considering space costs, product movement, profitability and perishability.
4. Implement the desired image- It should provide space and an arrangement of the departments consistent with the desired image goals.

In order to give proper attention to these functions, it is necessary that considerable time be spent in planning the layout. Even though it is often necessary to compromise the ideal, careful planning will help to minimize the built-in costs that often result when layout decisions are made in a hasty or piece meal fashion.
One of the objectives for which this study was designed was to evaluate typical store layouts of representative cards & gifts and home décor accessories stores located throughout Ahmedabad. The objective was to determine and evaluate present methods, procedures, guidelines, and criteria used by these retail outlets in planning layouts.

ARCHIES STORE LAYOUT:

[pic]

The Archies Gallery at Iscon Megamall has a simple grid layout with parallel isles with merchandise on both sides of the aisles. The cash register is located at the right hand side of the entrance to the store. The greeting cards are placed along the back side of the rack dividing the store as well as the left hand side rack on the back. The Greeting cards are so placed as people come to buy them on definite occasions and while they look for these items they will also travel through and look at all the merchandise in the store which can lead to impulse purchase. Soft toys are kept at the back wall as well as the right hand side shelves on the rack. Statues and souveniers are kept on the central rack at the store entrance. Accessories are kept opposite the cash counter as they are impulse purchase items and therefore the customers can browse through the inexpensive imitation jewellery while they stand to make payment at the cash counter. Perfumes, deodorants and smaller souvenier items are kept at the cash counter for the same reason. The grid layout at the Archies Gallery in Iscon Megamall makes it simple for the customers to travel through the entire length of the store and easily locate the products that they want to buy.

ARCHIES GALLERY SIGNAGE AND GRAPHICS

Location signage is used to identify the different locations of merchandise such as greeting cards, soft toys, etc while category signage is used to demarcate the various categories of greeting cards such as birthday greetings, anniversary greetings, etc. Point of sale signage is used for gift wrapping paper, soft toys as well as souvenier items and placed near the merchandise so that customers can know its price and other detailed information.

The signage and the graphics are coordinated with the store’s young and festive image and gives a warm, happy feeling. The POS graphics are informative. The signages are also used as props which unify the theme and merchandise for an appealing overall presentation. The text on the signage is limited so that the customers can quickly grasp the information.

ARCHIES GALLERY FEATURE AREAS

Cash wraps are placed at Point of Purchase counters where perfumes and souvenier items are kept so that customers can purchase the merchandise on impulse.
End caps are used to display soft toys which are higher margin impulse merchandise.
The walls are used to display the merchandise on shelves.

LOCATION OF MERCHANDISE CATEGORIES AND DESIGN ELEMENTS AT ARCHIES GALLERY

Impulse merchandise like soft toys are placed at the end of the store and have high visibility, the soft toys also offer higher margins. Items like vases and picture frames and candles are placed at the front side of the central rack which is visible as soon as a customer enters the store. Other impulse purchases like accessories are placed opposite the cash counter where people have to wait to make the payments and items like souveniers and perfumes are placed at the cash counter.

Demand merchandise like gift cards are placed at the left hand side and along the central length of the store which pulls the customers through the entire length of the store increasing visibility along the way.

Special merchandise like seasonal decorations are placed at the central rack as well as at the counter to increase their visibility.

Adjacencies like wrapping paper are placed alongside the gift item racks to increase their purchase.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING AT ARCHIES GALLERY

• FIXTURES:
Shelves are used tom display greeting cards, soft toys, picture frames, statues, vases and perfumes and candles. Rounders are used to display the accessories while four-way fixtures are used to display friendship bands and some souvenier items.

• PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE:
The presentation technique that is used at Archies Gallery is one of Style/Item Presentation where all the items of a particular type of merchandise that the customer is looking for will be found in one place.

The items are also arranged according to size with the biggest items kept on top. This makes the items even easier to find.

ATMOSPHERICS

• LIGHTING

The store uses incandescent lighting which promotes a warm and cozy ambience. Overall lighting sources are reduced and lighting is used to call attention to merchandise and displays. Spot lighting is used to highlight the merchandise by using the popping the merchandise technique.

• COLOR

The colour that is used on the walls is white which helps highlight the products. Pink and red colours are used in the displays and throughout the store to give a feeling of excitement.

• MUSIC

Contemporary and young music is used in the store in keeping with the target market segment which mostly comprises of the youth.

• SCENT

Neutral scents are used in order to create a pleasant feeling.

HALLMARK GREETING CARDS STORE LAYOUT:

[pic]

The Hallmark Greeting Cards standalone store at Shyamal Croossroads near Brand Factory has a simple grid layout with parallel isles with merchandise on both sides of the aisles. The cash register is located at the right hand side of the entrance to the store. The greeting cards are placed along the back side of the store as well as the central rack dividing the store as well as the left hand side rack on the back. The Greeting cards are so placed as people come to buy them on definite occasions and while they look for these items they will also travel through and look at all the merchandise in the store which can lead to impulse purchase. Soft toys are kept at the right wall as well as the left hand side shelves on the rack. Statues and souveniers are kept on the left wall shelves. Stationeries are kept opposite the cash counter as they are impulse purchase items and therefore the customers can browse through them while they stand to make payment at the cash counter. Smaller souvenier items are also kept at the cash counter for the same reason. The grid layout at the Hallmark Greeting Cards standalone store at Shyamal Croossroads makes it simple for the customers to travel through the entire length of the store and easily locate the products that they want to buy.

HALLMARK SIGNAGE AND GRAPHICS

No location signage is used to identify the different locations of merchandise such as greeting cards, soft toys, etc while category signage is used to demarcate the various categories of greeting cards such as birthday greetings, anniversary greetings, etc. Point of sale signage is used for souvenier items and placed near the merchandise so that customers can know its price and other detailed information.

HALLMARK FEATURE AREAS

Cash wraps are placed at Point of Purchase counters where stationary and souvenier items are kept so that customers can purchase the merchandise on impulse.
The walls are used to display the merchandise on shelves. Windows are also used to display the impulse purchase items.

LOCATION OF MERCHANDISE CATEGORIES AND DESIGN ELEMENTS AT HALLMARK GREETINGS

Impulse merchandise like soft toys are placed at the left wall shelves of the store and have high visibility, the soft toys also offer higher margins. Items like vases and picture frames and candles are placed at the left side of the central rack which is visible as soon as a customer enters the store. Other impulse purchases like stationeries and souvenier items are placed at the cash counter where people have to wait to make the payments.

Demand merchandise like greeting cards are placed along the central length of the store and at the end caps which pulls the customers through the entire length of the store increasing visibility along the way.

Special merchandise like seasonal decorations are placed at the central rack which the customers will have to cross in order to get to the demand items.

Adjacencies like wrapping paper are placed alongside the gift item racks to increase their purchase.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING AT HALLMARK

• FIXTURES:
Shelves are used tom display greeting cards, soft toys, picture frames, statues and vases. Rounders are used to display the stationary while four-way fixtures are used to display the souvenier items. Gondolas are used ti display some of the on sale otems like toys and stationeries.

• PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE:
The presentation technique that is used at Hallmark Greetings is one of Style/Item Presentation where all the items of a particular type of merchandise that the customer is looking for will be found in one place.

The items are also arranged according to size with the biggest items kept on top. This makes the items even easier to find.

ATMOSPHERICS

• LIGHTING

The store uses spot lighting is used to highlight the merchandise by using the popping the merchandise technique. Hoewver, although the lights at the display windows were being used the light above the central rack although provided were not in use thus decreasing the visibility of the products.

• COLOR

The colour that is used on the walls is white which helps highlight the products. Green, blue and yellow colours are used in the displays and throughout the store to give a cool feeling. • MUSIC

There was no music being played at the Hallmark outlet. • SCENT

Neutral scents are used in order to create a pleasant feeling.

ANOKHI STORE LAYOUT:

[pic]

The Anokhi outlet at Vastrapur has a free-form layout or boutique layout with the fixtures and aisles arranged in an asymmetric manner. It provides an intimate and relaxing environment that facilitates shopping. The cash register is located at the right hand side of the entrance to the store in the centre of the shop. The store is divided in the middle behind the cash counter with a wall separating the clothing items and the home décor and home furnishing items. The apparels are placed along the left side of store with the accessories being placed at the middle of the clothing racks. The clothing is also placed at the back wall. The accessories are so placed that the customers while shopping for apparels can see the accessories thus leaving the opportunity of an impulse purchase. The home décor accessories are kept at the right hand side front display windows as well as the right hand side of the store and the central rack. The home furnishing items which are high involvement products are placed in the middle of the home décor accessories so that there can be an impulse purchase of hoemdecor accessories while purchasing home furnishings. Certain hand made cards are kept at the cash counter as they are impulse purchase items and therefore the customers can browse through them while they stand to make payment at the cash counter. The free form layout at the Anokhi gives it a spacious feel.

ANOKHI SIGNAGE AND GRAPHICS

Category signage is used to demarcate the various categories of apparel and home décor items. Lifestyle images are used with each change in the latest items and new collection with a new story being showcased in the window displays for that season. Each story is related to Rajasthan wherefrom the goods are brought and the speciality store is based.

The signage and the graphics are coordinated with the ethnic image. The lifestyle images are also used as props which unify the theme and merchandise for an appealing overall presentation. The text on the signage is limited so that the customers can quickly grasp the information.

ANOKHI FEATURE AREAS

Cash wraps are placed at Point of Purchase counters where handmade cards are kept so that customers can purchase the merchandise on impulse.
End caps are used to home décor items which are higher margin impulse merchandise. The walls are used to display the merchandise on shelves. The promotional area is on the right hand side where an entire section is used to tell that month’s story and promote the items in that manner.

LOCATION OF MERCHANDISE CATEGORIES AND DESIGN ELEMENTS AT ANOKHI

Impulse merchandise like home décor accessories are placed at the display windows, central rack on the right side and the end of the store and have high visibility, the home décor items also offer higher margins. Items like vases and picture frames and candles are placed at the front side of the central rack which is visible as soon as a customer enters the store. Other impulse purchases like greeting cards are placed at the cash counter where people have to wait to make the payments.
Demand merchandise like apparels are placed at the left hand side and along the central length of the store which pulls the customers through the entire length of the store increasing visibility along the way.

Special merchandise like seasonal decorations are placed at the central rack as well as at the counter to increase their visibility.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING AT ARCHIES GALLERY

• FIXTURES:
Shelves are used tom display home décor items like lamps, picture frames, statues, vases and candles. Straight racks are used to display the latest apparel while shelves are used to display the remaining apparel. The home furnishings are arranged in special manner in a real lifestyle setting.

• PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE:
The presentation technique that is used at Archies Gallery is one of Idea Oriented Presentation where all the merchandise are arranged according to the display story being told in each month. Furniture is combined in the room settings to give an idea of how they would look in a real life situation.

ATMOSPHERICS

• LIGHTING

The store uses incandescent lighting which promotes a warm and cozy ambience. Overall lighting sources are reduced and lighting is used to call attention to merchandise and displays. Spot lighting is used to highlight the merchandise by using the popping the merchandise technique.

• COLOR

The colour that is used on the walls is white which helps highlight the products. The floors are of earthy tones in keeping with the ethnic image of the store with it specialising in items brought over from Jaipur.

• MUSIC

Soothing music is played in keeping with the high-end image of the store specializing in ethnic items.

• SCENT

Neutral scents are used in order to create a pleasant feeling.

CANMART STORE LAYOUT:

[pic]

The CanMart at CG Road has a simple grid layout with parallel isles with merchandise on both sides of the aisles. The cash register is located at the right hand side of the entrance to the store. The crockery which are the highest selling items in the store are placed along the back sides of the rack dividing the store as well as the shelves on the back wall. The crockery are so placed as people come to buy them on definite occasions and while they look for these items they will also travel through and look at all the merchandise in the store which can lead to impulse purchase. Home décor items like vases are kept at the right hand side shelves on the rack. Statues and souveniers are kept on the central rack at the store entrance as well as on the right side shelves. Small home décor accessories are kept at the cash counter as they are impulse purchase items and therefore the customers can browse through them while they stand to make payment at the cash counter. The grid layout at CanMart makes it simple for the customers to travel through the entire length of the store and easily locate the products that they want to buy.

CANMART SIGNAGE AND GRAPHICS

Category signage is used to demarcate the various categories of crockeries from luminare, la opala etc. Promotional signage is used for announcing special discount offers which are for festive seasons.
The signage and the graphics are coordinated with the store’s value for money image. The text on the signage is limited so that the customers can quickly grasp the information.

CANMART FEATURE AREAS

Cash wraps are placed at Point of Purchase counters where small home decor and souvenier items are kept so that cutomers can purchase the merchandise on impulse.
The walls are used to display the merchandise on shelves. Floors are used for displaying luggage wich gives a feeling of the store being full.

LOCATION OF MERCHANDISE CATEGORIES AND DESIGN ELEMENTS AT ARCHIES GALLERY

Impulse merchandise like home décor accessories are placed at the front racks of the store and have high visibility, these items also offer higher margins. Items like vases and picture frames and candles are placed at the front side of the right hand side rack which is visible as soon as a customer enters the store. Other impulse purchases like small statues and clocks are placed opposite the cash counter where people have to wait to make the payments.

Demand merchandise like crockery are placed at the end walls and along the end of the central rack of the store which pulls the customers through the entire length of the store increasing visibility of impulse purchase items along the way.

Special merchandise like seasonal decorations and luggages are placed at the central rack as well as on the floor to increase their visibility.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING AT CANMART

• FIXTURES:
Shelves are used tom display home décor items like vases, picture frames, statues, clocks and candles as well as the bags. Gondolas and the floor are used to display the luggage.

• PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE:
The presentation technique that is used at Archies Gallery is one of Style/Item Presentation where all the items of a particular type of merchandise that the customer is looking for will be found in one place.

The items are also arranged according to size with the biggest items kept on top. This makes the items even easier to find.

Tonnage Merchandising is used to display the luggage items.

ATMOSPHERICS

• LIGHTING

The store uses white lighting which promotes a cool ambience. Overall lighting sources are reduced and lighting is used to call attention to merchandise and displays. Spot lighting is used to highlight the merchandise by using the popping the merchandise technique. The lights are placed vertically throughout the store on top of the rows to highlight the merchandise.

• COLOR

The colour that is used on the walls and the floors as well as the ceiling is white which helps highlight the products. Splashes of colours like red are used in the top racks of the store to give a feeling of excitement and to call attention to the products.

• MUSIC

No music is played in the store in keeping with the no frills, value for money image. • SCENT

Neutral scents are used in order to create a pleasant feeling.

CONSUMER SURVEY ANALYSIS OF SHOPPING PATTERNS OF PEOPLE INSIDE THE GIFTS SHOPS AND HOME DÉCOR SHOPS

RESEARCH PROBLEM AND OBJECTIVE

The research problem is to determine the parameters based on which the customers value different shops in the gift and home décor categories and to determine consumer criterion for selection of retail outlets based on the parameters price, variety, quality, location, brand name, number of people visiting the store, employee behaviour, store environment and store display.
The research objective is to analyze the criterion for consumer selection of retail outlets in the cards and gifts and home décor categories and make necessary recommendations for changes to be made in these outlets based on the analysis and results.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Retail Outlet Study

Two stores in each of categories under study have been visited. The stores are either standalone stores which specialize in these items, i.e., Anokhi for home décor items and Hallmark at Shyamal Crossroads for the cards and gifts category, on the other hand the stores can also be within a mall or keeping other items along with the category under consideration, i.e. Archies Gallery at Iscon Megamall for gifts and cards or CanMart for home décor items. The location, layout, format, retailing mix, concept, music, colour, signage, fixtures and display patterns will be studied.

Consumer Sample Survey

In each of the stores a sample survey has been conducted by administering a self-designed questionnaire, based on literature review. This has been used to determine the shopping and usage patterns of people.

SAMPLING:

Retail Outlets

Two retail outlets will be visited in each of the categories and has been used as the sample for the analysis and comparison of the stores themselves in each category as well as of the categories themselves.

Consumer Sample Survey

A sample of 10 customers at each of these outlets has been questioned in order to determine their purchase patterns and use. A total sample of 20 has been interviewed by using a self-designed questionnaire.

QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH AND DATA GATHERING

Primary data has been collected by means of observation and preparing a questionnaire and getting it filled by a sample of the target population. These questionnaires have helped in drawing conclusions about the research problems. Secondary data has been gathered from books, internet sites, articles and journals on gift and cards as well as home décor retailing. The main objective of this research has been to analyze and draw conclusions about the consumer shopping pattern of purchasing goft and home décor products and examine the possible problems and come up with solutions.
Primary and secondary data so collected has been analyzed with the help of various statistical tools. These tools are of two basic forms: tabular and graphical presentation. Under the graphical presentation, tools such as pie-charts, histograms, bar diagrams etc. have proven to be handy.

With the help of the primary and secondary data so collected, along with the various statistical tools, an analysis has been performed. A conclusion has been drawn based on this analysis.

DATA ANALYSIS

The data that has been collected is mainly of two types: Primary and Secondary. This data was classified, compiled and analyzed to reach a definite conclusion. The data has been presented in the form of tables and figures along with a theoretical explanation. The questionnaires that have been used to collect the primary data have been attached in Annexure1.
The primary data has been mainly assimilated from the questionnaires for the purpose of reaching a consensus about the case. The questions have been framed with the primary motive of leading to the case.
The options so framed helped in capturing a broad and self sufficient view of all the individuals. The main motive was to collect the data in an unbiased fashion, analyze the data so collected and draw a conclusion.
The secondary data was gathered from books, internet sites, articles and journals on retailing of gifts and cards and home décor products.
The sample population for the primary data was 20.

CONSUMER SURVEY ANALYSIS OF SHOPPING PATTERNS OF PEOPLE INSIDE THE GIFTS SHOPS: COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF ARCHIES AND HALLMARK

PRIMARY DATA
[A].THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE TARGET POPULATION
[pic]
Figure 1. Age Groups
Archies and Hallmark both target the youth segment, hence majority of the population surveyed belonged to the age group 21 to 35 (60%).

[pic] Figure 2: Occupation

Again, 70% of the population surveyed belonged to the student category while 30% were working professionals.

[B]. CONSUMER PREFERENCE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING CARDS AND GIFT STORES

Ten parameters price, variety, quality, location, brand name, number of people visiting the store, employee behaviour, store environment and store display have been provided to determine the important criteria for customer selection of cards and gift shops.

PRICE:

Price was determined to be an important criteria with 70% of the population surveyed placing a great emphasis on price while determining the store selection.
[pic]
Fig 3. Importance of Price in Gift and Card store selection

VARIETY

Variety was also of high importance with 90% of the population surveyed looking for variety in the store product offerings.

[pic]
Fig 4. Importance of Variety in Gift and Card store selection
QUALITY
[pic]
Fig 5. Importance of Quality in Gift and Card store selection

The entire population surveyed placed a high degree of importance on quality of the merchandise.

LOCATION
[pic]
Fig 6. Importance of Location in Gift and Card store selection

Location also served as an important factor in store selection as 80% of the population surveyed placed a high degree of importance upon location.

BRAND NAME

[pic]
Fig 7. Importance of Brand Name in Gift and Card store selection

Brand name appeared was observed to have a lesser impact on store selection with only 60% of the sample placing importance upon it.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE VISITING THE STORE
[pic]
Fig 8. Importance of Number of People visiting the store in Gift and Card store selection

Popularity of the store however seemed to be of greater importance according to 80% of the population surveyed.

EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOUR, STORE ENVIRONMENT AND STORE DISPLAY

Store display seemed to attract customers the most in this impulse purchase category with 90% of the sample sighting this as an important criterion.
[pic]
Fig 9. Importance of Store Display in Gift and Card store selection

These ten parameters were tested on Archies and Hallmark customers. The results maybe shown as follows:

PRICE:
[pic]

Fig 10. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Price

80% of the population surveyed believed that there was a major difference between Archies and hallmark due to the price criterion with Hallmark offering goods at much cheaper rates.

VARIETY

[pic]
Fig 11. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Variety

70% of those surveyed believed Archies to have much greater variety than Hallmark.

QUALITY
[pic]
Fig 12. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Quality
60% of the sample surveyed believed Archies to be qualitatively superior.

LOCATION

[pic]
Fig 13. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Location
The members of the sample survey thought that location was one of the biggest points of difference between Archies and Hallmark.

BRAND NAME

[pic]
Fig 14. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Brand Name
90% of the population surveyed believed that Archies and hallmark were most similar in terms of the value of their brand name.

MANY PEOPLE COMING INTO THE STORE

[pic]

Fig 15. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Number of People coming into the Store

70% of the people surveyed believed Archies to have greater footfall than Hallmark.

EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOUR
[pic]
Fig 16. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Employee Behaviour

The employees in the Archies store displayed better behaviour than those at the Hallmark store according to 90% of the surveyed population.

STORE ENVIRONMENT

[pic]

Fig 16. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Store Environment

Archies Gallery at Iscon mall was observed to have better store environment than Hallmark at Shyamal Crossroads according 80% of the sample surveyed.

STORE DISPLAY

[pic]

Fig 17. Comparison between Archies and Hallmark on the basis of Store Display

Archies was opined to have better store display than Hallmark according to 80% of those surveyed.

[C]. CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND RECOMMENDATION

CUSTOMER LOYALTY

[pic]
Fig 18. Regularity of visits to Archies

[pic]
Fig 19. Regularity of visits to Hallmark

While 70% of the sample surved claimed to be regular customers of Archies gallery only 30% claimed to be the same for Hallmark.

RECOMMENDATION:

[pic]

Fig 20. Customer Recommendation Of Archies Store at Iscon Megamall

[pic]

Fig 21. Customer Recommendation Of Hallmark Store at Shyamal Crossroads

While 70% of those surveyed recommended the Archies store at Iscon to friends and family only 30% of those surveyed did the same for the Hallmark store at Shyamal Crossroads.

CONSUMER SURVEY ANALYSIS OF SHOPPING PATTERNS OF PEOPLE INSIDE THE HOME DECOR SHOPS: COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF ANOKHI AND CANMART

PRIMARY DATA
[A].THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE TARGET POPULATION
[pic]
Figure 22: Age Group

Majority of the population surveyed belonged to the age group 21 to 35 (60%), while 30% belonged to the age group 35-50.

[pic] Figure 23: Occupation

Again, 30% of the population surveyed belonged to the student category while 70% were working professionals.

[B]. CONSUMER PREFERENCE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING HOME DECOR STORES

Ten parameters price, variety, quality, location, brand name, number of people visiting the store, employee behaviour, store environment and store display have been provided to determine the important criteria for customer selection of home decor shops.

PRICE:

Price was determined to be an important criteria with 80% of the population surveyed placing a great emphasis on price while determining the store selection.

[pic]

Fig 24. Importance of Price in Home décor store selection

VARIETY
Variety was also of high importance with 90% of the population surveyed looking for variety in the store product offerings.
[pic]
Fig 25. Importance of Variety in Home decor store selection
QUALITY
[pic]
Fig 26. Importance of Quality in Home Decor store selection

The entire population surveyed placed a high degree of importance on quality of the merchandise.

LOCATION

[pic]
Fig 27. Importance of Location in Home Decor store selection

Location also served as an important factor in store selection as 80% of the population surveyed placed a high degree of importance upon location.

BRAND NAME
[pic]
Fig 28. Importance of Brand Name in Home Decor store selection

Brand name appeared was observed to have a greater impact on store selection with 80% of the sample placing importance upon it.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE VISITING THE STORE
[pic]
Fig 29. Importance of Number of People visiting the store in Home Decor store selection

Only 10% of those surveyed believed number of people visiting the store to be an important criterion for store selection.

EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOUR, STORE ENVIRONMENT AND STORE DISPLAY

Store display and store environment seemed to attract customers the most in this impulse purchase category with 80% of the sample sighting these as important criteria.
[pic]
Fig 30. Importance of Store Display in Home Decor store selection

[pic]
Fig 31. Importance of Store Environment in Home Decor store selection

These ten parameters were tested on Anokhi and CanMart customers. The results maybe shown as follows:

PRICE:

[pic]

Fig 32. Comparison between Anokhi and Canmart on the basis of Price

60% of the population surveyed believed that there was a major difference between Anokhi and CanMart due to the price criterion with CanMart offering goods at much cheaper rates.

VARIETY

[pic]
Fig 33. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Variety

80% of those surveyed believed Anokhi to have much greater variety than Canmart.

QUALITY

[pic]
Fig 34. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Quality
70% of the sample surveyed believed Anokhi to be qualitatively superior.

LOCATION

[pic]
Fig 35. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Location

The members of the sample survey thought that location was one of the biggest points of similarity with both Anokhi and CanMart being located in high traffic areas.

BRAND NAME
[pic]
Fig 36. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Brand Name
90% of the population surveyed believed that Anokhi and CanMart were most different in terms of the value of their brand name.

MANY PEOPLE COMING INTO THE STORE

[pic]
Fig 37. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Number of People coming into the Store

All of the people surveyed believed Anokhi to have greater footfall than CanMart.

EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOUR

[pic]
Fig 38. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Employee Behaviour

The employees in both Anokhi and CanMart displayed good behaviour according to 90% of the surveyed population.

STORE ENVIRONMENT

[pic]
Fig 39. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Store Environment

Anokhi was observed to have better store environment than CanMart according 80% of the sample surveyed.

STORE DISPLAY

[pic]

Fig 40. Comparison between Anokhi and CanMart on the basis of Store Display

Anokhi was opined to have better store display than canmart according to 90% of those surveyed.

[C]. CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND RECOMMENDATION

CUSTOMER LOYALTY

[pic]
Fig 41. Regularity of visits to Anokhi

[pic]
Fig 42. Regularity of visits to CanMart

While 60% of the sample surved claimed to be regular customers of Anokhi only 20% claimed to be the same for CanMart.

CUSTOMER RECOMMENDATION:

[pic]
Fig 20. Customer Recommendation Of Anokhi Store at Vastrapur

[pic]
Fig 21. Customer Recommendation Of CanMart Store near Parimal Gardens

While 70% of those surveyed recommended the Anokhi store at Vastrapur to friends and family only 10% of those surveyed did the same for the CanMart store near Parimal Gardens.

RECOMMENDATIONS

ARCHIES AND HALLMARK:

1. Archies should offer discounts as Hallmark holds the price advantage and 80% of the customers are price sensitive 2. Hallmark should improve the lighting to enhance the spot lighting. 3. Hallmark should move the impulse purchase items from the gondolas beside the central rack to the cash counter to increase sales 4. Both Archies and Hallmark should practice Customer Relationship Mangement by offering customer loyalty programs. 5. Archies should give customer membership programs in stores except for its online format as well. 6. Hallmark needs better and more striking window displays.

ANOKHI AND CANMART

1. Anokhi should offer seasonal discounts to increase sales 2. Anokhi should maintain an extensive customer database and inform them of new offers and collections. 3. CanMart should remove the floor displays as this distracts from the end-of-the aisle displays and have a more uncluttered look. 4. As CanMart relies heavily on discount offers it should have prominent window displays exhibiting the same.

APPENDIX 1.

QUESTIONNAIRE ON COMPARITIVE STUDY OF CONSUMER SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR ARCHIES AND HALLMARK
Top of Form

Do you visit the following retail outlets? *
| | |Yes |No | |
|Archies | |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Hallmark | |[pic] |[pic] | |

for you how important or unimportant each attribute is in relation to buying a gift item from a particular store *
| | |Important |2 |3 |4 |Unimportant | |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | |Variety|
|Archies Gallery at| |[pic] |[pic] |[pic|
|Iscon | | | |] |
|Working | |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Student | |[pic] |[pic] | |

DO YOU RECOMMEND YOUR FRIENDS /RELATIVES TO PURCHASE GIFT ITEMS FROM *
| | |Yes |No | |
|Archies in Iscon mall | |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Hallmark at Shyamal Crossroads | |[pic] |[pic] | |

Kindly specify your age group • [pic]less thanOR Equal to 20 • [pic]21-35 • [pic]35-50 • [pic]greater than 50

APPENDIX 2.

QUESTIONNAIRE ON COMPARITIVE STUDY OF CONSUMER SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR IN ANOKHI AND CANMART
Top of Form

Do you visit the following retail outlets? *
| | |Yes |No | |
|Anokhi | |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Canmart | |[pic] |[pic] | |

for you how important or unimportant each attribute is in relation to buying a home decor item from a particular store *
| | |Important |2 |3 |4 |Unimportant | |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] |
|Price | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic] | | |Variety|
|Anokhi in | |[pic] |[pic] |[pic|
|Vastrapur | | | |] |
|Working | |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Student | |[pic] |[pic] | |

DO YOU RECOMMEND YOUR FRIENDS /RELATIVES TO PURCHASE GIFT ITEMS FROM *
| | |Yes |No | |
|Anokhi in vastrapur | |[pic] |[pic] | |
|Canmart in CG Road | |[pic] |[pic] | |

Kindly specify your age group • [pic]less thanOR Equal to 20 • [pic]21-35 • [pic]35-50 • [pic]greater than 50
Bottom of Form

REFERENCES AS ON 02.09.2010 • http://www.ximb.ac.in/ximb/fileadmin/templates/XIMB/pdf/vilakshan-4.3.11.pdf • http://www.giftsnaccessories.com/magazine/stationery/cp.htm • http://resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=h306h2n655nh6q8v&size=largest • http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1099