Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Executive Summary
1.1Brief Introduction of the Research
Benchmarking is the process of comparing the cost, cycle time, productivity, or quality of
a specific process or method to another that is widely considered to be an industry
standard or best practice. The result is often a business case for making changes in order
to make improvements
1.3Objectives
To study the Benchmarking Service standards of Shoppers’ Stop with similar Format
stores.
• To identify top of the mind recall of format stores.
• To suggest means of improving “Shopping Experience by enhancing the deliverable
the parameters.
1.4 Methodology
The research design was descriptive in nature. Primary data was collected by survey
using a structured questionnaire. Secondary data was collected from the internet. The
population of study consisted of customers of this segment of retail stores. Sample size
was 150 and sampling area was Delhi and Delhi NCR. Non- probability judgment
sampling technique was followed. MS-office was the statistical packages used for
analyzing the data.
From analyzing the ranks given for various attributes Shoppers’ Stop position for each
factor was found out. Shoppers’ Stop generally ranks high in terms of sales personnel,
alterations and other customer oriented attributes. Shoppers’ Stop is the top of mind store
for most respondents. It has a wide range of merchandise but competitors have an edge in
certain attributes because they are all focusing on a wide range of merchandise apart from
apparels and accessories alone.
1.5 Conclusion
Recommendations were given to improve certain services in which Shoppers’ Stop is
considered not as good as compared to competitors like parking, music and other
facilities like Snack parlors. They can go for some innovative ideas as they have always
done before.
Overall Shoppers’ Stop should leverages on all its strong points and let more customers
“START SOMETHING NEW”. Because, after all customers are the heart and soul of
business, like any other.
Chapter II
General Introduction
Benchmarking is the process of comparing the cost, cycle time, productivity, or quality of
a specific process or method to another that is widely considered to be an industry
standard or best practice. The result is often a business case for making changes in order
to make improvements. The term benchmarking was first used by cobblers to measure
ones feet for shoes. They would place the foot on a “bench” and mark the pattern for the
shoes. Benchmarking is most used to measure performance using a specific indicator
( cost per unit of measure, productivity per unit of measure, cycle time of x per unit of
measure or defects per unit of measure) resulting in a metric of performance that is then
compared to others.
Also referred to as “best practice benchmarking” or “process benchmarking”, it is a
process used in management and particularly strategic management, in which
organizations evaluate various aspects of their processes in relation to best practice,
usually within a peer group defined for the purposes of comparison. This then allows
organizations to develop plans on how to make improvements or adopt best practice,
usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking may be a
one-off event, but is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations
continually seek to challenge their practices.
Identifying risks
Fuelling continuous improvement
Producing specific, objective, measurements
Satisfying audit, compliance and the regulator
Monitoring and reviewing progress
Improving quality
1. Process benchmarking - the initiating firm focuses its observation and investigation
of business processes with a goal of identifying and observing the best practices from
one or more benchmark firms. Activity analysis will be required where the objective
is to benchmark cost and efficiency; increasingly applied to back-office processes
where outsourcing may be a consideration.
2. Financial benchmarking - performing a financial analysis and comparing the results
in an effort to assess your overall competitiveness.
3. Performance benchmarking - allows the initiator firm to assess their competitive
position by comparing products and services with those of target firms.
4. Product benchmarking - the process of designing new products or upgrades to
current ones. This process can sometimes involve reverse engineering which is taking
apart competitors products to find strengths and weaknesses.
5. Strategic benchmarking - involves observing how others compete. This type is
usually not industry specific meaning it is best to look at other industries.
6. Functional benchmarking - a company will focus its benchmarking on a single
function in order to improve the operation of that particular function. Complex
functions such as Human Resources, Finance and Accounting and Information and
Communication Technology are unlikely to be directly comparable in cost and
efficiency terms and may need to be disaggregated into processes to make valid
comparison.
In the today’s unpredictable market scenario and fluctuating inflation values the world
over it is tough to find the appropriate specialty store for customers. Through listening to
the voice of the customer, quality function deployment (QFD) is a systematic
methodology for quality improvement and service improvement. The quality of a product
Chapter III
Table no: - 3.3:- Percentage Analysis of Top of the mind stores and Respondents
Top of the Mind Store No. of Respondents Percentage
Shoppers’ Stop 54 36
Lifestyle 53 35.3
Globus 6 4
Westside 11 7.3
Big Bazaar 3 2
Pantaloons 23 15.4
Total 150 100
Globus 9 6
Westside 18 12
Big Bazaar 18 12
Pantaloons 20 13
Total 150 100
No. of Respondents
Age Group Once in a Once in a 2 Once in a 6 TOTAL
month months months
16-24 76 19 13 108
25-32 23 11 5 39
33-40 1 0 0 1
41-48 0 1 1 1
TOTAL 100 31 19 150
Very few population or negligible populations are found of age group 41-48.
Big malls support in India Economy as infrastructure wise, revenue wise and
entertainment
No. of Respondents
Gender One in a Once in 2 Once in 6 TOTAL
month months months
Male 55 26 15 96
Female 45 5 4 54
Total 100 31 19 150
The above Table and Graphs Depicts the Cross-tabulation between Gender and No. of
respondents:-
It is focus on younger generation in a frequently malls.
Above data show the increasing popularity of malls in youngster mind.
Male respondents have higher in number i.e. male equally fashion oriented like
females.
People generally visited the mall once in a month, very few in 6th months.
Table 3.7:- Table showing Cross-tabulation between Age group and Top of mind
store
The above Table Depicts the Cross-tabulation between Age group and Top of mind store:-
Lifestyle show the high pitch in 16-24 age groups, because of Lifestyle itself a Big
Brand name in Fashion Industry.
Lifestyle also contains Famous designer collection in their stores which is responsible
to attract more Fashion oriented people.
Second position acquired by the Shoppers’ Stop, because the segment area is
teenagers.
Shoppers’ Stop use attractive print media and advertisements to attract the customers.
Shoppers Stop Brand Ambassadors’ is Sharukh Khan which is great crush in
teenagers and they would like to copy his style in their Fashion Apparel.
Table no: - 3.8 Table showing Cross-tabulation between Gender and Top of mind
store
Table no: - 3.9 Table showing Cross-tabulation between Gender and Favorite store
Favorite Store
Gender Shoppers’ Lifestyle Globus Westside Big Pantaloons Total
Stop Bazaar
Male 26 23 8 13 10 16 96
Female 9 27 1 5 24 8 54
Total 35 50 9 18 14 24 150
Table no: - 3.10 Table showing Cross-tabulation between Age group and Favorite
store
Favorite Store
Age Shoppers’ Lifestyle Globus Westside Big Pantaloons Total
group Stop Bazaar
16-24 20 40 4 16 10 18 108
25-32 14 10 4 2 3 6 39
33-40 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
41-48 0 0 1 0 0 0 2
Total 35 50 9 18 13 25 150
Analysis and Interpretation:
The above Table and Graphs Depicts the Cross-tabulation between Age group and
Favorite store:-
Lifestyle show the high pitch in 16-24 age groups, because of Lifestyle itself a Big
Brand name in Fashion Industry.
Famous Fashion Designer collection keep in Lifestyle to become a favorite store of
youngsters
Second position acquired by the Shoppers’ Stop, because the segment area is
teenagers.
Negligible response in age group of 33-40 and 40-41 because people belongs to old
thoughts not interested in fashionable worlds
They believe in simple dressing like Saris, Kurta Pajama.
Stop
It is observed that Shoppers’ Stop with the lowest mean rank 2.51 is the first in this
aspect, closely followed by Pantaloons i.e. 2.59 is the second.
Music
It is observed that Globus with the mean rank of 2.17 stands first in this aspect, followed
by Lifestyle and Pantaloons. Shoppers’ Stop with a value of 4.51 stands fifth here.
Moving space
The above table depicts the mean ranks of the store based on moving space availability.
It is observed that Pantaloons with a mean rank of 1.97 stands first in this aspect,
followed by Lifestyle and Shoppers’ Stop with a value of 3.64 stands fourth.
Arrangement
The above table depicts the mean ranks of the store based on Arrangement of
merchandise. It is observed that Lifestyle with a mean rank of 1.69 stands first, Shoppers’
Stop ranks second with a value of 2.40.
The above table depicts the mean ranks of the store based on restroom and drinking water
facilities. It is observed that Westside with a mean rank of 2.22 stands first, Shoppers’
Stop stands fourth with a mean rank of 3.40.
Ease of Location of Desired Category
It is observed that Lifestyle with a mean rank of 1.59 stands first, Shoppers’ Stop stands
second with a mean rank of 2.35.
Range of Garments
The above table depicts the mean ranks of the store based on Range of Garments, the
Variety, that the carry. It is observed that Lifestyle stands first with a mean rank of 2.27,
Shoppers’ Stop stands second with a mean rank of 2.44.
Range of Accessories and other items
The above table depicts the mean ranks of the store based on Range of Accessories &
other items like sunglasses, footwear and fashion jewellery and a whole of lot items they
carry. It is observed that Lifestyle with a mean rank of 2.32 stands first, followed by
Pantaloons with 2.82, Shoppers’ Stop stands third with a mean rank of 3.21.
followed by lifestyle.A very few respondents said that they have done
Alteration/exchanges at all (other stores) other than Big Bazar and hence ranked sixth.
In-store Advertisement
The above table depicts the mean ranks of the store based on Advertisement In store, of
the various brands they carry, their various offer and so on. Globus ranks first with a
mean rank of 2.49, followed by Pantaloons. Shoppers’ Stop stands third in this aspect.
Other Facilities
The above table depicts the mean ranks of the store based on the other facilities like
snack parlors, sofas for customer to relax etc. Westside (2.06) ranks first. this is attributed
to these facilities at many malls, which most of the respondents took while ranking. This
is closly followed by Pantaloons. Shoppers’ Stop stands fifth with a value of 4.83.
Chapter IV
Summary
FINDING & INFERENCES
After analyzing the data collected, the following were the findings and their
corresponding inferences
• Shoppers’ Stop stands third in term of outside appeal with a mean rank of 3.14. This
is because all players in this industry give high importance to their stores outside
appeal and some competitors have come out innovative looks for their stores.
• Shoppers’ Stop stands fourth in terms of parking facility with a mean rank of 3.22.
This is because some competitors have a more spacious parking lot and also none of
other competitors collect a parking fee unlike Shoppers’ Stop.
• Shoppers’ Stop stands first in terms of sales personnel with a mean rank of 1.97. This
is, taking into account their friendliness, knowledge, uniform etc., this is due to the
intensive training given to the sales personnel before they actually get on the floor.
• Shoppers’ Stop stands fifth with a mean rank of 4.51 with regards to music played in
store. This is mainly due to the fact that many of the respondents felt that Shoppers’
Stop plays the same old music over and over again.
• In terms of moving space inside the store, Shoppers’ Stop stands fourth with a mean
rank of 3.64. This is because store like Pantaloons, Lifestyle etc., are more spacious
compared to Shoppers’ Stop. Also at few places in the store, more items are placed in
comparatively less space thus making movement difficult for customer.
• When it comes to the top of the mind recall, 44% of the male respondents said
Shoppers’ Stop was at the top of the mind when it comes to shopping. Similarly 56%
of the female respondents responded in favor of lifestyle for the same. From this it is
evident that women prefer lifestyle rather than Shoppers’ Stop.
• With regards to Arrangement of merchandise, Shoppers’ Stop stands second with
mean rank of 2.40. Also, Pantaloons which was observed to be most spacious does
not rank as good in terms of Arrangement of merchandise. Many respondents felt that
even though there is enough space at Big Bazaar, the arrangement of merchandise is
not at all appealing and hence it stands sixth in this aspect.
• Shoppers’ Stop stands second in terms of location and frequency of billing counters.
This is because sufficient number of billing counter is placed at strategic locations in
the store. Even though Big Bazaar has many billing counters it stands sixth because, a
number of respondents are not satisfied with the number of billing counters at Globus.
They felt that the number was very low.
• Similarly with regards to location and frequency of trial rooms, Shoppers’ Stop stands
second, with a mean rank of 2.62. Trial rooms again, are available in sufficient
number at strategic locations in the store. The reason for Big Bazaar standing sixth in
this aspect is again the fact that a number of respondents were not satisfied with their
location at centre points in the store. Here again, respondents felt that the number of
trial rooms at Globus is very Low and are not satisfied with the same.
• With regards Restroom and Drinking Water facilities, Shoppers’ Stop with a value of
3.40 stands fourth. This is because the facilities is slightly old and is not maintained
as often as those in some other stores on the list. New stores are giving very high
importance to cleanliness of such facilities and adding facilities like sensors and the
like.
• Shoppers’ Stop stands second in terms of Ease of location of desired category with a
mean rank of 2.35. This is mainly due to the fact that danglers indicating category of
items are hung all around the store. Lifestyle has edge in this aspect because they are
cleaner and attractive compared to those at Shoppers’ Stop.
• Shoppers’ Stop stands second in terms of range of garments, the variety in various
categories, with a mean rank of 2.24. This is due to the fact that Shoppers’ Stop
carries garments in various ranges and also houses some brands which competitors do
not. Even though Big Bazaar carries a wide ranges of garments, some respondents felt
it is not as good as that in other stores and hence it stands fifth in this aspect.
• With regards to range of accessories and other items like footwear, sunglasses,
fashion jewellery etc; Shoppers’ Stop stands third with a mean ranks of 3.21. This is
because footwear for both men and women, fashion jewellery collection are very
limited. Even though Big Bazaar houses a wide variety of items, many respondents
felt that the collection was not good.
• Shoppers’ Stop stands first in terms of Store Membership schemes with the lowest
mean rank of 1.71. Shoppers’ Stop was pioneer in such schemes. Even though a few
respondents felt that the entry constraints are more relaxed at some stores as
compared to Shoppers’ Stop, it stands first because of various other reasons.
Respondents are generally not very aware of the loyalty programmes at Big Bazaar
and Pantaloons.
• When it comes to play area for kids, Shoppers’ Stop stands fourth with a rank of 3.21.
In this aspect, Westside stands seconds; this is attributed to the kids Play Area at the
Shipra Mall. Most of the respondents have ranked that for Westside. The newer stores
are focusing more on such areas for kids.
The footwear collection for the both men and women could be enhanced by bringing
in more variety like sports, formal as well as causal wear. There is very little choice in
this case at present.
Interaction with customer could be increased by having various activities in the store
frequently and making customer part of these. First citizen could be invited so that
their relationship with the store is strengthened and thus they could be retained and
repeat purchase could be induced.
Shoppers’ Stop has been first mover in this category in many services offered. Some
innovative ideas, which are not similar to what is already being done by competitors,
could be introduced to attract more customers and retain existing customers.
Shoppers’ Stop can be spending a little more on promotion. At present, there is
virtually no advertisement of the store continuously. It can go for ads in magazines
and also hoarding around the city, just to serve as a reminder to customers. Pantaloons
and Big Bazaar do more sale promotion activity to create a familiar position in young
generation customers mind.
Cleanliness of rest area should be taken care of as frequently as required. Even these
have an influence on the customer.
Items like fashion accessories, magazines could be kept near billing counters. These
are items of impulse purchase and hence should be kept at these places.
CONCLUSION
Benchmarking help to analysis the cost, cycle time, productivity or quality of specific
process. Due to benchmarking process (best practice benchmarking) to study the
ANNEXURE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Personal Information
Name: _______________________
1. When you think shopping for your family, which store comes to your mind
first?
3. Based on the Outside appeal ( name boards, posters etc…) and parking
facilities, rank these stores (note: Rank from 1 to 6; 1- Best to 6- Worst)
Shoppers’ Stop
Lifestyle
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
4. Rank the Sales Personnel of these stores based on the following Attributes
Shoppers’
Stop
Lifestyle
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
Shoppers’ Stop
Lifestyle
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
6. Based on the location and frequency of the following, rank these stores
Shoppers’ Stop
Lifestyle
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
Shoppers’ Stop
Lifestyle
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
Shoppers’ Stop
Lifestyle
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
Globus
Westside
Big bazaar
Pantaloons
11. Among the given stores, which do you think is the best? Why?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Manuals and Reports:
Company manuals, company brochures and publications of retail outlets,
magazines.
Books:
Research methodologies-Naresh Malhotra
Consumer behaviour-Leon Schiffman, Lesile Lazar Kaunk
Retail management-Chetan Bajaj
Business research method-TATA McGraw Hill
Software:
SPSS for data analysis
Web-sites:
www.google .co. in
www.retailbiz.com
www.scribd.com
www.marketingnpv.com
www.eu.levi.com
www.shoppers stop.com