CHAPTER -02

RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
2.1. INTRODUCTION

2.2. RELEVANCE OF THE STUDY

2.3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

2.4. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

2.5. FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS

2.6. DATA SOURCE AND SAMPLING DESIGN

2.7. METHOD OF ANALYSIS AND STATISTICAL TOOLS USED

2.8. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

2.9. CONTOUR OF THE STUDY

2.10. REVIEW OF PAST RESEARCH

2.1. INTRODUCTION
Research is considered as an endeavour to arrive at answers to intellectual and practical problems
through the application of scientific methods to the knowable universe. Research methodology is
a way to systematically solve the research problem. In it various steps are adopted, in studying
research problem along with logic behind them. This section provides an integrated research
framework that explains the store choice criteria and store patronage behaviour of consumers in
apparel sector. It builds the stage for the empirical studies in the subsequent chapters that test the
research framework.
2.2. Relevance of the Study
At the dawn of twenty-first century, significant changes are occurring in the way services and
goods are produced and consumed. As global corporations compete for the hearts and wallets of
consumers who not only buy their products but willingly advertise them from head to toe:
witness brand-name synergy & calls for the beginning of a new generation to battle consumerism
with its own best weapons. Retailers are more willing to find out answers to the questions like -
What catches a customer’s attention in a store; what makes one display more inviting than
another; what type of layout encourages lingering, longing, and most importantly buying.

2.3. Objectives of the Study

2.4. Scope of the study
2.4.1. Managerial Relevance
2.5. Formulation of Hypothesis
2.6. Data Source and Sampling Design
The research design used for the purpose included both exploratory as well as
descriptive types. For the purpose of study, both the primary and secondary data
sources have been used, the details of which are given as under.

2.6.1. Secondary Data

Secondary data were collected from different sources like journals and periodicals
of several associations and research agencies, viz. ‘Shopping Centers Today (2008-
10)’ from International Council for Shopping Centers (ICSC), ‘Strorai (2007-10)’
from Retailers Association of India (RAI) and Indian Retail Reports (2008-10)
from IMAGES – Technopak. At the same time several websites dealing with retail
blog spots and happenings related to retail businesses were also used for
understanding customer experience and retail developments.

2.6.2. Primary Data

As consumer behavior and store choice criteri are an emerging area in retailing, the
data sources as well as relevant data itself are not abundant. Thus apart from some
relevant data taken from different published sources for this purpose, the alternate
source for collecting data, i.e. primary source has been taken as a helping tool. The
primary data were collected with the help of a structured and close-ended
questionnaire. The methods used for the purpose of collecting data were those of
‘Direct administration of questionnaires’, ‘Mailing of questionnaires’ and
‘Observation and informal interaction’.

2.6.3. Sample Design

2.6.4. Reference Period

2.7. Method of Data Analysis
Data analysis in the present study is done both manually and with the help of
computer. The application software used in this study includes Microsoft Excel (an
electronic spread sheet), AMOS 16 (a statistical package). Microsoft word is used
for the final presentation of the thesis. The operating system platform used for all
these application was Microsoft windows millennium edition. Numerous
statistical tools like standard error (S.E.), Chi-square test, degrees of freedom (df),
Critical ratio (CR) etc. have been considered to understand, interpret and
subsequently constructing a strategic framework of consumer behavior and store
choice criteri dimension on the lines of the study.
2.8. Limitation of the study
In spite of all possible efforts have been undertaken to make a systematic inroad to the minds of
customers as well as understanding retailing process from its core, there are certain limitations in
the entire process. These limitations are given as follows:
1. Inadequate secondary data which could not sufficiently describe different factors of rural
retailing from both micro and macro point of view.
2. The reluctance of respondents to answer in the effective manner of course due to certain
inevitable and natural reasons.
3. The extent of diversity in every terms of rural Orissa context like geography, social strata,
and cultural phenomena and so on is so large; the research requires intensive and extensive
information on all these factors.
However, irrespective of these limitations, this study has provided adequate insights in this niche area of
rural retail and can act as a guideline for further researchers to conduct and help the retailers and
academician in the years to come.

2.9. Contour of the study

This research work has been divided into seven chapters. The thesis in hand is organized in the
following chapters
Chapter One- Introduction
This introductory chapter gives idea about aspect of the study. It introduces rural marketing by
focusing on the developments which have led to the growing significance of rural marketing.
This section gives an insight to the Indian rural market and explains the evolution of rural
marketing in India to the present times and defines the rural marketing in current context. It
contains the emergence of organised retailing in rural India and also discusses the need and
justification to select the study.
Chapter Two- Research Framework
This provides the design of research methodology inter alias the scope of study, data sources and
collection methods along with the questionnaire design and sampling plan. This also contains the
hypothesis building and several statistical tools used in the subsequent analysis and interpretation
phase as well as the limitations while undertaking this study. It includes literature review which
encompasses different books and research papers. This chapter explains the scientific research
procedures followed to obtain the required information.
Chapter Three –Rural market environment: India-Vis-à-vis- Orissa

This chapter makes an attempt to describe the Indian rual market environment and the rural market
environment of Orissa market place by discussing several with development initiatives by government.
This chapter provides the demography; culture and socio-economic factors of Nation, as well as the
state of Orissa. This provides a clear insight into changing environment of the rural markets and socio-
economic changes in rural India and their implications.

Chapter Four –Retailing in Rural Markets India-Vis-à-vis- Orissa

This chapter provides the rural retail trade structure, systems of rural retail including the distribution
medium in rural markets. It also discusses about major retailers operating in the rural Indian landscape,
their growth factor and their positioning in rural market.

Chapter Five- Data Analysis and Interpretation

This Chapter exhibits the collected data based on the questionnaire and the corresponding responses of
the customers. The interpretation has been done based on the comparison of responses on percentage
and number indicating the opinions of 1000 individuals. The objective of this chapter was to identify the
major parameters responsible for rural retailing, to find out the consumers purchasing place of different
grocery items and apparels and finding the factors influencing the rural consumes in choosing the retail
store.

Chapter Six- Structuring Empirical Modelling

This is an extension of Chapter Five, wherein the responses collected through questionnaire containing
the questions based on 5 point rating scale were analyzed quantitatively. The analysis was done by the
use of AMOS 16 and represented through other statistical tools in order to test the Hypotheses.

Chapter Seven - Conclusions and Suggestions

This chapter is the gist of the research study. It presents finding and observation. This chapter contains
suggestions to the retailers in different areas of focus for effective rural retailing. This ends with the
construction of a strategic model for decision making aimed at both academicians and business leaders.
It has also cited the related areas where further research can be done.

This is followed by the section on “Bibliography” and ‘Annexure’. The questionnaire used for the
purpose of data collection will be attached in the Annexure.
2.10. Review of past research

Review of literature is the effective evaluation of selected literature on a research topic. It is an

essential part of the research process. It provides a background to the study being
proposed.Review of literature describes, compares, contrasts and evaluates the major theories,
arguments, themes, methodologies, and approaches in the scholarly literature on a research
subject. It also connects compares and contrasts these arguments, themes and methodologies etc.,
with the concerns of a proposed piece of research.The literature review is not an annotated
bibliography or a summary of the sources listed one by one or just a descriptive summary of the
historical background to the research subject.
In a literature review, the central focus is on examining and evaluating what has been said
before, on the research subject, and establishing the relevance of this information to the present
research. It enables the researcher to identify what has not been said in the literature on a subject
(this is called 'a gap in the literature'). It also permits the researcher to discuss the methodologies
that have been used in the literature and how these relate to the chosen method.
This chapter presents study of selected research work conducted on the subject matter across the
world. An attempt has been done by the researcher to have a look at the major research findings
presented in the papers. Commendable studies have been found with reference to store patronage
and factors causing it. The review of major research work on the subject matter is as follows:
Martineau (1958) 1 stated that the store's personality draws shoppers to one store rather the
other. He emphasized that not only should retailers be concerned with value and quality of
merchandise, but also with a wide range of other factors. He categorized store attributes into two
main categories: functional and psychological. The functional category included attributes such
as location, assortment of products and store layout. The psychological category represented the

1
Martineau, P. (1958). The Personality of the Retail Store. Harvard Business Review, 36, 47-55.
feelings generated by the functional elements of the store. The results showed that the former
category had gained more attention in the subsequent research into store choice than the latter.
Doyle and Fenwick (1975) 2 found that price, product variety, one-stop shopping, quality,
location of the store, advertisement, general appearance of the store and convenience are some of
major attributes looked upon by the consumers while evaluating a grocery store.
According to Lindquist (1975)3, the retail outlet image is the image or personality resulting from
a mix of functional and psychological attributes of the outlet as perceived by the consumer.
Functional attributes included merchandise selection, price ranges, credit policies, store layout
and other factors that could be measured to some degree and used to compare one outlet
objectively with its competitors. The author emphasized that psychological attributes are a little
more difficult to identify and compare across outlets. They included such subjective
considerations as a sense of belonging, a feeling of warmth, or friendliness, or a feeling of
excitement. The study concluded that consumers form an outlet image based simultaneously on
functional and psychological attributes.
Davidson, Bates and Bass (1976) 4 stated that global developments and lifestyle changes
continue to affect the retail sector and force retailers to adapt their business models and strategies
to these changes. By adapting to changes in the retail environment retailers would try to apply
new perspectives to established ways of doing business. They proposed that these evolutionary
pressures are nothing new, with each retail format being described as having a 'life-cycle'
through which they grow in appropriateness and importance before eventually being overtaken
by the changing retail environment to become obsolete.

2
Doyle, P., and Fenwick, I. (1975). How Store Image Affects Shopping Habits in Grocery
chains. Journal of Retailing, annual issue, 50, 39-52.
3
Lindquist, J. D. (1975). Meaning of Image: A Survey of Empirical and Hypothetical Evidence.
Journal of Retailing, 50, 29-38.
4
Davidson, W. R., Bates, A. D., and Bass, S. J. (1976). The Retail Life cycle. Harvard Business
Review, 54(6), 89-96.
Bearden (1977)5 distinguished seven attributes as potentially significant for store patronage:
price, quality of merchandise, assortment, atmosphere, location, parking facilities and friendly
staff.
Crask and Reynolds (1978)6 dealt with frequent and non-frequent shoppers to the Department
stores, and found frequent patrons tended to be younger, more educated, and had higher incomes.
Parkington& Schneider (1979) 7 have shown that when employees in their view have a
different service orientation from the orientation adopted by the management, the former suffer
from low level of satisfaction, a strong intention to leave their jobs, high levels of frustration and
the sensation that customers have a poor opinion of the service quality provided by the firm.
Kasulis and Lusch (1981)8 delved into validating the retail store image concept. The perceived
images of seven retail firms encompassing several lines of trade are presented in this paper. To
determine these images, data on store attributes and the importance of these attributes were
collected from a random sample within selected census tracts of a Southwestern city. The linear
compensatory multi-attribute model approach of product attitudes was extended to that of store
patronage. The ability of these image models to predict attitudes towards the retail outlets as well
as patronage behavior is investigated. It was found that store patronage attributes are directly
related with the consumer behaviour characteristics. The authors emphasized the need to
understand the psyche of the customers.

5
Bearden, W. O. (1977). Determinant Attributes of Store Patronage: Downtown versus Outlying
Shopping Centers. Journal of Retailing, 53(2).
6
Crask, M., and Reynolds, F. (1978). An in depth profile of the department store shopper,
Journal of Retailing, 54 (2), 23-33.
7
Parkington, J., Schneider, B. "Some correlates of experienced job stress: a boundary role
study", Academy of Management Journal, 1979, Volume.22, No.2, pp.270-81
8
Kasulis, J. J. and Lusch, R. F. (1981) Validating the retail store image concept. Journal of the
Academy of Marketing Science, Volume 9, Issue 4, pp 419-435.
Korgaonkar et al. (1985)9 examined the relationship between attitude and retail store patronage
behavior within the theoretical framework of Katz's functional theory of attitudes. It was
hypothesized that utilitarian, ego-defensive, knowledge, and value-expressive functions would
influence attitudes of a total of 406 patrons toward discount and catalog stores; that sex, age,
income, and race variables would influence store patronage; and that store attitude would
influence store patronage, but store behavior would not affect store attitude significantly.
Findings provide support to the widely accepted attitude-behavior linkage and show that the
reciprocal relationship is not significant. This conclusion is further strengthened by the evidence
of significant relationships between attitude and behavior at disaggregate levels, suggesting that
the findings could be generalized to various types of retailers and are not store specific.

Hildebrandt (1988)10 concluded that the major success factor in the retail industry is store
image and measurement model of store image that conceptualizes the perception of store image
attribute such as price level is used to forecast marketing performance as a business success
measure.
Summers et al. (1992) 11 studied fashion and shopping perceptions, demographics, and store
patronage. Data was collected from urban and rural female customers to determine if the
psychographic dimension of perceptions of fashion and perceptions of apparel shopping was
related to store patronage as well as to demographic characteristics. The consumer perception
items were reduced to factors namely- shopping involvement, importance of clothing image,
fashion commitment, quality conscious, and fashion aversion. An analysis of variance revealed
that rural and urban consumers held similar perceptions of fashion and of apparel shopping as
measured by the factors. Significant differences in the factor scores that measured perceptions of

9
. Korgaonkar, P. K.; Daulat, L. and Barbara, P. (1985). A structural equations approach toward
examination of store attitude and store patronage behavior. Journal of Retailing, Vol. 61(2), pp
39-60.
10
Hildebrandt, L. (1988). Store Image and the Prediction of Performance on retailing. Journal of
Business Research, 91-100.
11
Summers, T. A., Belleau, B. D. and Wozniak, P. J. (1992). Fashion and Shopping Perceptions,
Demographics, and Store Patronage. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Vol. 11, no. 1, pp.
83-91.
fashion and of apparel shopping were noted in analysis of variance with type of stores
patronized, shopping locales favored, time spent shopping for apparel for self and family,
ethnicity, age, marital status, education, work status, and total family income.
Osman (1993)12 proposed a model of loyalty patronage behaviour based on the image of the
store. It postulates the customers' and management's perceived store image and positive past
purchase experiences as determinants of loyalty patronage behaviour. The author believed that
the customer's perception of a particular store depends on what lifestyle and shopping
orientations he or she adopts. In addition to these, a customer's attitude towards the store may
result from his or her evaluation of the perceived important aspects of the store, moulded and
remoulded by his or her direct experiences with the store's overall environment.
Uncles and Hammond (1995) 13 delved into grocery store patronage and its characteristics.
Various aspects of how shoppers patronize grocery stores are regular and predictable, so much so
that the pattern of buying at a particular store can be interpreted against known patterns at other
stores. For the grocery manager this means using scanner-panel records to assess patronage
against a number of benchmark or norms. When the benchmarks are met, the loyalty factor is
measured. The authors present that store patronage is subject to many aspects which are
predictable as well as unpredictable.
Arnold et al. (1996)14 studied organizational legitimacy and retail store patronage. The objective
of this study was to consider how symbolic acts, such as those emphasized by Wal-Mart, affect
retail store choice. Symbolic act with much symbolic meaning includes support of community
charities, front-door greeters, and patriotic displays. In logit analyses of survey data from low-
priced department store shoppers in the Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Dallas/Fort Worth, and
Kingston, Canada markets, it was found that being identified as having a strong community

12
Osman, M. Z. (1993). A conceptual model of retail image influences on loyalty patronage
behaviour. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, Volume 3,
Issue 2, pp 133-148.
13
. Uncles, M. and Hammond, K. (1995). Grocery Store Patronage. The International Review of
Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp. 287-302.
14
Arnold, S. J., Handelman, J. and Tigert, D. J. (1996). Organizational legitimacy and retail store
patronage. Journal of Business Research, Volume 35, Issue 3, March 1996, Pages 229–239
reputation not only directly affects store choice, but also moderates the effect of the other
determinant price, value, and location attributes.
Sullivan and Savitt (1997)15 explored store patronage and lifestyle factors with respect to rural
grocery retailers. The study had two objectives: first, to determine the proportion of outshopping
for groceries, i.e. the per cent of total grocery expenditures in stores away from the major retail
centre; and second, to identify store patronage and psychographic factors associated with rural
grocery shoppers, and to determine if such factors correspond with the proportion of grocery
expenditures outlaid elsewhere. Through a questionnaire to collect primary data, the author asked
the residents to record their grocery expenditures for one week. The questionnaire had
information about respondents’ store patronage, psychographic behaviour and socio‐economic
status. Respondents were divided into the three groups by the level of shopping activity: low,
medium and high. Results indicated that each group had different store patronage practices,
psychographic profiles, and income levels, suggesting that grocery retailers should work with
communities to organize retail mixes that appeal to different shopping groups.
Porter and Claycomb (1997) 16 investigated the relationship between brand characteristics,
awareness level and their influence on consumers’ perceptions of retail image. The authors
presented the analysis and results of study designed to test the model which recognizes relation
between the number of recognizable brands carried by a retail establishment, the presence/
absence of an anchor brand and perceptions of retail image. The study develops and tests a
measure of retail store image. The study indicates that one tactic for ensuring a favorable retail
store image is a merchandise mix composed of a relatively high number of brands possessing
high brand awareness and one or more brands with a strong brand image.

15
Sullivan, P. and Savitt, R. (1997) "Store patronage and lifestyle factors: Implications for rural
grocery retailers", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 25 Iss: 11,
pp.351 – 364.

16
Porter, S. S. and Claycomb, C. (1997) "The influence of brand recognition on retail store
image", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 6 Iss: 6, pp.373 – 387.
Bloemer and Ruyter (1998)17 explored the relationship between store image, store satisfaction
and store loyalty. A distinction was made between true store loyalty and spurious store loyalty
and manifest and latent satisfaction with the store. The authors hypothesize that the positive
relationship between manifest store satisfaction and store loyalty is stronger than the positive
relationship between latent store satisfaction and store loyalty. Furthermore, they hypothesize a
direct as well as an indirect effect through satisfaction of store image on store loyalty. Second,
the relationship between store image and store loyalty is mediated by store satisfaction. The
authors do not find evidence for a direct effect of store image on store loyalty.
Leszczyc, Sinha and Timmermans, (2000)18 formulated and tested a model of store choice
dynamics to measure the effects of consumer demographics on consumer grocery store choice
and switching behavior. A dynamic hazard model was estimated to obtain an understanding of
the components influencing consumer purchase timing, store choice, and the competitive
dynamics of retail competition. The hazard model was combined with an internal market
structure analysis using a generalized factor analytic structure.
Sivadas and Baker‐Prewitt (2000) 19 examined the relationship between service quality,
customer satisfaction and store loyalty. The authors used a national random telephone survey of
542 shoppers and tested two complementary models that examined this interrelationship between
these variables. The results indicated that service quality influences relative attitude and
satisfaction with department stores. Satisfaction influences relative attitude, repurchase and
recommendation but has no direct effect on store loyalty. It was also found that customer

17
Bloemer, J. and Ruyter, Ko de (1998) "On the relationship between store image, store
satisfaction and store loyalty", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 32 Iss: 5/6, pp.499 – 513.
18
Leszczyc, Peter Popkowski, Sinha, P., and Timmermans, Harry J. P. (2000). Consumer Store
Choice Dynamics: An Analysis of the Competitive Market Structure for Grocery Stores. Journal
of Retailing, 76, (3), 323-345.

19
Sivadas, E. and Baker‐Prewitt, J. L. (2000) "An examination of the relationship between
service quality, customer satisfaction and store loyalty", International Journal of Retail &
Distribution Management, Vol. 28 Iss: 2, pp. 73 – 82.
referrals are highly important for marketers in the new era. Fostering favorable relative attitude
and getting customers to recommend the product or service holds key to fostering store loyalty.
Yavas (2001)20 studied patronage motives and product purchase patterns within the context of a
mall. The author has tried to determine the relative importance which the consumers attach to a
set of 24 patronage motives when choosing a place to shop. These shoppers’ purchase patterns of
a set of 21 products and inter and intra similarities/dissimilarities among motives and product
purchase patterns. The study concludes that for the purpose of enhancing its appeal to variety
seeking shoppers, the retail mall should monitor consumer buying trends and make necessary
adjustments to its tenant mix. Amenities and center quality also need to be considered in this
regard.
Darian et al (2001)21 delved into perceived salesperson service attributes and retail patronage
intentions. As retailers consider the higher costs and higher revenues of increased customer
service levels, they need to understand the relative importance to consumers of various aspects of
customer service, particularly those delivered by salespeople. The authors studied the impact of
selected salesperson service attributes and levels on consumer patronage intentions in a
consumer electronics store setting. The study used conjoint analysis to measure consumer
priorities. The results indicated that salesperson’s respect for the customer, knowledge and
responsiveness are the most important attributes. Where three service levels are presented, there
is a greater difference in impact between the lowest and middle levels than between the middle
and highest levels. This suggests that retailers do not necessarily have to offer the best service
levels to satisfy customers, but must avoid poor service levels.

20
Yavas, U. (2001) "Patronage motives and product purchase patterns: A correspondence
analysis", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 19 Iss: 2, pp.97-102.

21
Darian, J. C., Tucci, L. A. and Wiman, A. R. (2001) "Perceived salesperson service attributes
and retail patronage intentions", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol.
29 Iss: 5, pp.205 - 213
Baker et al. (2002)22 conducted research on how store environment cues influence consumers’
store choice decision criteria, such as perceived merchandise value and shopping experience
costs, is sparse. The authors proposed a comprehensive store choice model that includes three
types of store environment cues (social, design, and ambient) as exogenous constructs, various
store choice criteria (including shopping experience costs that heretofore have not been included
in store choice models) as mediating constructs and store patronage intentions as the endogenous
construct. They then empirically examined the extent to which environmental cues influence
consumers’ assessments of a store on various store choice criteria and how those assessments, in
turn, influence patronage intentions. The results of different studies provided support for the
model.
Fraser and Fraser (2002) 23 explored the store patronage prediction for foreign‐owned
supermarkets. The authors studied attitudes of Australian and Greek‐Australian consumers
towards foreign‐owned and domestic‐owned supermarkets in Australia. Although attitudes
towards the domestic‐owned supermarket were found to be identical between the Australians and
the Greek‐Australians, the latter were significantly more supportive of the foreign supermarket.
Consumer ethnocentrism was found to be correlated with a negative attitude towards a foreign‐
owned supermarket. Finally, the more the migrants identified with their cultural origin, the more
support they showed towards the foreign supermarket. The authors concluded that there is
complex nature of the relationship between ethnic identity and consumer behaviour.
Moye and Kincade (2003)24 studied shopping orientation segments and explored the differences
in store patronage and attitudes toward retail store environments among female apparel

22
Baker, J., Parasuraman, A., Grewal, D. and Voss, G. B. (2002) The Influence of Multiple Store
Environment Cues on Perceived Merchandise Value and Patronage Intentions. Journal of
Marketing: April 2002, Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 120-141.

23
Fraser, A. Z. and Fraser, C. (2002) "Store patronage prediction for foreign‐owned
supermarkets", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 30 Iss: 6, pp.282
– 299
24
Moye, L. N. and Kincade, D. H. (2003). Shopping orientation segments: exploring differences
in store patronage and attitudes toward retail store environments among female apparel
consumers. International Journal of Consumer Studies, Volume 27, Issue 1, pp. 58–71
consumers. The purpose of study was to identify shopping orientation segments for US female
consumers. The sample included 151 women, aged 18 years and over. The authors examined
differences in the segments relative to store patronage preferences (i.e. department, discount,
specialty), attitude toward the environment of the store selected as first choice when shopping for
a specific apparel item (i.e. a dress), and demographic characteristics. Cluster analysis revealed
that shopping segments described the female consumers. Differences were found among the
shopping orientation segments for store of first choice, attitude and household income.
Kinney and Walters (2003) 25 studied the impact of two characteristics of price-matching
guarantees- the depth of refund offer and the scope of competitors eligible for price matching on
consumer perceptions of price-matching guarantee believability and value and consumer
intentions to patronize the retailer. Retailer patronage depends on many aspects. The results
showed that large refund offers built consumer patronage intentions by enhancing perceptions of
the value of the price-matching guarantee, while simultaneously exerting a negative impact on
patronage by reducing believability of the price-matching promise. The competitive scope also
affected the patronage intentions by influencing the perceived value of the price-matching
policy.
Sinha and Banerjee (2004)26 tried to identify the drivers of store choice in various product
categories at macro level in context of the evolving retail industry in India. The authors
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 provides insight
as to whether the average Indian consumer values the new store dimensions offered by retailers
as a part of the new formats emerging in the market place. The authors suggest that the
customers in a developing market such as India do not require the service belongings offered by
many of the new store formats emerging in the market and notes that this may cast a serious

25
Kinney, M. and Walters, R. G. (2003). Consumer perceptions of refund depth and competitive
scope in price-matching guarantees: effects on store patronage. Journal of Retailing, Volume 79,
Issue 3, 2003, Pages 153–160.

26
Sinha, P. K. and Banerjee, A. (2004) "Store choice behaviour in an evolving market",
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 32 Iss: 10, pp. 482 – 494.
doubt over the retail revolution, which has taken shape in the Indian markets lately in
comparison with other developed nations.
Moschis et al. (2004)27 studied patronage motives of matured consumers in the selection of food
and grocery stores. The research employed a random, nationwide, sample of 10,500 names of
household heads drawn from seven age categories. The literature from a wide range of
disciplines was examined to explore factors and events affecting preferences and motives in the
selection of food stores. Using factor analysis, four gerontological segments resulted that best
describe the mature consumer market. Marketing strategies are offered suggesting how to appeal
most effectively to older consumers in general as well as more precise strategies for successfully
appealing to the gerontological segments.
Anic and Vouk, (2005) 28 examined the importance of store patronage motives for major
shopping trips and explores how they are associated with purchasing outcomes and retailers’
performance. The study showed that shopping convenience factor was the most important store
patronage dimension in terms of mean importance, while prices explained the most variance in
purchasing outcomes. Four groups of shoppers with significantly different wants and purchasing
behaviour were identified (Convenience-driven shoppers, location-driven shoppers, price-driven
shoppers and involved shoppers). Convenience-driven and location-driven shoppers were willing
to exchange convenience for higher prices, while price-driven shoppers rated low prices as the
most important store patronage motive factors. Involved shoppers were the most demanding
shoppers. The loyalty to store or region of all four shopper groups was proved to be rather low.
Price-driven shoppers were the least loyal shoppers spending the least amount of money, while
convenience-driven shoppers were the most interesting segment for generating sales.

27
Moschis, G., Curasi, C. and Bellenger, D. (2004) "Patronage motives of mature consumers in
the selection of food and grocery stores", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 21 Iss: 2, pp. 123
– 133.

28
Anic, I. D. and Vouk, R. (2005). Exploring the relationships between store patronage motives
and purchasing outcomes for major shopping trips in the Croatian grocery retailing. Ekonomski
Pregled journal, Vol. 56 (9), pp. 634-657.
Kim and Chen-Yu (2005)29 examined the similarities and differences between customers in two
countries South Korea and the United States with respect to characteristics of customers and
behaviors related to discount store patronage. This patronage was inclusive of aspects like-
shopping orientation, importance of store attributes, store evaluation, store satisfaction and store
patronage intention. A total of 234 discount store customers participated in the study, out of
which, 117 were from South Korea and 117 from the United States. In the study authors found
significant differences in importance of store attributes, store evaluation and store satisfaction.
However, there were no significant differences found in shopping orientation and store patronage
intention.
Ou et al. (2006) 30 conducted a study on impact of retailer reputation on store patronage. A
survey was conducted among 356 grocery store shoppers to study the effects of retailer
reputation on their store choice patterns. A Structural Equation Modeling approach was used.
Retailer reputation is an important factor that influences consumer's store patronage and it has an
effect on purchase frequency, travel time and expenditure levels only when its influence was
moderated by demographic variables. This suggests that the mode of influence on the dependent
variables is more complex than the literature suggests. Retailers must think of their reputation
within specific target markets, as the payoff in terms of shopping expenditure differs per target
group.

29
Kim, Sook-Hyun and Chen-Yu, J. (2005). Discount Store Patronage: A Comparison between
South Korea and the United States. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Vol. 23, no. 3, pp.
165-179.
30
Ou, Wei-Ming., Abratt, R. and Dion, P. (2006). The influence of retailer reputation on store
patronage. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Volume 13, Issue 3, pp 221–230.
Moore and Carpenter (2006)31 examined the impact of consumer price attitudes, which operate
as marketplace cues, on retail format choice across a variety of store types in the USA. The
apparel category was selected as the study's context due to the variety of formats it offers to
consumers. Telephonic survey was used to investigate price perceptions and format choice
across seven different retail formats from 365 respondents. Respondents were grouped into high
and low groups for each of the price cue factors. The groups were compared using analysis of
variance for each price construct at each level of the dependent variable for format choice.
Findings suggest that price cues affect consumer format choice. Price consciousness and sale
proneness tend to positively impact patronage of retail formats that implement low cost
strategies, while prestige sensitivity and price/quality schema tend to positively impact patronage
of retail formats that implement higher price strategies.
Chen and Quester (2006)32 developed a model of customer store loyalty for retail service based
on a value‐based market orientation practice, staff performance and customer satisfaction in
Taiwan. A comprehensive qualitative study was undertaken to develop measurements, derived
from both perspectives of firms and consumers. The model was then tested empirically in a retail
setting using a dyadic data collection approach. For each service provider from a random sample
of hairdressing salons in Taiwan included in our survey, a matched set of customers provided
information concerning their expectation and evaluation of service. The study provides an insight
into the effect of perceived customer value in market orientation practice as well as its impact on
customer retention. The model indicates that marketing practitioners should manage customer
satisfaction and perceptions of value in their implementation of market orientation as they are
directly related to customer store loyalty.

31
Moore, M. and Carpenter, J. (2006) "The effect of price as a marketplace cue on retail
patronage", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 15 Iss: 4, pp. 265 – 271.

32
Chen, Shu‐Ching and Quester, P. G. (2006) "Modeling store loyalty: Perceived value in
market orientation practice", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 20 Iss: 3, pp. 188 – 198.
Martenson (2007)33 studied the impact of the corporate store image on customer satisfaction and
store loyalty in grocery retailing. According to author, corporate image is the combined effect of
how the retailer as a brand, manufacturer brands, and store brands are perceived. Through mail
survey to consumers, the author found some vital inputs on store patronage. It was found that the
most important for customer satisfaction is the store as a brand. Customers are satisfied when the
store is neat and pleasant and when they feel that the store understands their needs. Only certain
customer segments are interested in store brands. Finally, satisfied customers are loyal.
Carpenter (2008)34 studied demographics and patronage motives of supercenter shoppers in the
United States. The author provided an updated, general understanding of supercenter shopping
behavior. The author used a sample generated from Retail Forward panel data to assess the
impact of demographic variables, including gender, age, ethnicity, education, income, marital
status, and household size, on supercenter shopping frequency across four product categories
(apparel, health and beauty, home furnishings, and consumer electronics). Descriptive and
inferential statistical techniques (regression, ANOVA) are used to evaluate the data. The paper
identifies demographic groups who frequent supercenters and examines patronage motives as
drivers of supercenter shopping behavior.
Srivastava (2008)35 explored the changing retail scene in India. The author has aimed to build a
picture of the changes in retail taking place in India. India is poised to become a retail power
house. The paper looks at the changing scene in the retail sector in view of many MNCs and
large industries entering into this segment. Out of the data drawn from various industry sources,
the author shows that malls with multiplexes such as cinema theatres, food courts, play places for
children are becoming the centre for family outings. Small retailers have improved their service

33
Martenson, R. (2007) "Corporate brand image, satisfaction and store loyalty: A study of the
store as a brand, store brands and manufacturer brands", International Journal of Retail &
Distribution Management, Vol. 35 Iss: 7, pp. 544 – 555.

34
Carpenter, J. M. (2008) "Demographics and patronage motives of supercenter shoppers in the
United States", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 36 Iss: 1, pp. 5
– 16.
35
Srivastava, R. K. (2008) "Changing retail scene in India", International Journal of Retail &
Distribution Management, Vol. 36 Iss: 9, pp. 714 – 721.
to cater to Indian consumers. Credit limits and home service are helping them to hold on to their
customers. Retailing focus is changing towards satisfying the different hierarchy of needs of
customers.
Bhardwaj (2009)36 measured 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. The author also provided an example of how firms could use the
estimated linkages to develop satisfaction policies that are predicted to increase store revenues.
First, the author examined nonlinearities and asymmetries in the satisfaction-sales performance
links based on an empirical study. 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. In the case of the cooperating retail company in this study, the
results suggested that managers should focus on consumer service, quality and value to affect
overall consumer satisfaction and its ultimate impact on sales.
Chaubey (2009) 37 in his study conducted in Garhwal Region of Uttrakhand state of India
identified the consumer perception and their behavior toward store image, store patronage and
store loyalty. The findings of research indicated that originality of the product is given highest
preference by the respondents and they believe that retail showroom offers original product. It
was followed by the availability of the product in large variety. The relationship and services
offered by the retailer had emerged as another important issue which was given due
consideration and scored better in consumer's preference list. The importance of recognition of

36
Bhardwaj, R. (2009). Impact of Retail Attribute Perceptions on Consumer Satisfaction and
Sales Performance. Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com /docs/27329330/?Impact-of-Retail-
Attribute-Perceptions-on-Consumer Satisfaction - and-Sales-Performance
37
Chaubey, D. S. (2009). Retailing in the Emerging Business Environment: A Study of
Consumer Perceptions towards Store Image, Store Patronage and Store Loyalty in the Garhwal
Region. Gyanpratha - Accman Journal of Management. January issue
consumers' value system and the discount offered by the retailer were found to be other
important factors which respondent had considered in selecting the retail showroom.
Choudhary and Sharma (2009)38 110 conducted a study in Chandigarh Tricity (Chandigarh and
its satellite cities of Mohali and Panchkula), keeping in view the dynamically growing organized
retail in the region. The data of 200 retailers for the study covered time frame from the year 2007
to 2008. After an extensive literature review it was pertinent that size of retail stores and their
location played a significant role in measuring the operational efficiency of retail stores. An
empirical analysis was conducted using chi-square test of independence to understand the role
and contribution of type of retail formats on operational efficiency and to examine the impact of
location on the same. It was concluded from the data analysis that there was significant influence
of format of retail stores and location on the operational efficiency. However, the degree of
association was found to be low.
Goyal and Aggarwal (2009) 39 examined the relative importance of the various products
purchased at organized retail outlets and the choice of format the consumer had, when
purchasing a product. The results showed that not all items are equally important for retail outlets
and various products need specific retail formats.
Goswami and Mishra (2009)40 tried to study whether Indian consumers are likely to move from
traditional kirana stores to large organized retailers while shopping for groceries. The study was
carried out across four Indian cities‐ two major and two smaller cities with around 100
respondents from each city. Stratified systematic sampling design with a sample size of 409 was
used for the study. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to analyze the data collected
with the help of a structured questionnaire. It was found that customer patronage to grocery
stores was found to be positively related to location, helpful and trustworthy salespeople, home

38
Choudhary, H., and Sharma, V. (2009). Empirical Study on Operational Efficiency in Retail
Stores in Chandigarh Tricity. Prabhandan: Indian Journal of Management, May-June issue, 2(3).

39
Goyal, B. B., and Aggarwal, M. (2009). Organized Retailing in India – An Empirical Study of
Appropriate Formats and Expected Trends. Global Journal of Business Research, 3 (2), 77-83.
40
Goswami, P. and Mishra, M. S. (2009) "Would Indian consumers move from kirana stores to
organized retailers when shopping for groceries?", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and
Logistics, Vol. 21 Iss: 1, pp.127 - 143
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.
Lee et al. (2009)41 examined the ways in which service quality delivered by self‐service kiosks
influences consumers' retail patronage intentions. Survey participants were members of a
consumer panel from an online survey agent. Of these, 600 usable surveys were used for data
analysis. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The study demonstrates that
service quality delivered by self‐service kiosks is a direct and an indirect determinant of
consumers' retail patronage intentions; service quality delivered by self‐service kiosks directly
influences consumers' retail patronage intentions and also indirectly influences consumers' retail
patronage intentions through three dimensions of retail service quality (i.e. reliability, personal
interaction, and problem solving).
By using mall patronage behavior as its context, Yavas and Babakus (2009)42 have aimed to
develop and test a patronage model consisting of three dimensions (utilitarian, hedonic and
accessibility). With data collected through self-administered questionnaires from 319 residents in
the USA, the results suggested that mall patronage behavior can be represented as a global
construct with these three viable components. The results enable to look at shoppers' patronage
behaviors at three levels. At the individual attribute level management may identify areas that
need special attention. At the second level of abstraction, choice attributes can be combined into
reliable and valid composite scores across dimensions and at third level of abstraction, the one
second-order factor with three first-order factors as its reflective indicators provides management
with a single metric for comparing a mall with its competitors or other malls owned by the
corporation.

41
Lee, H., Fairhurst, A. E. and Lee, M. (2009) "The importance of self‐service kiosks in
developing consumers' retail patronage intentions", Managing Service Quality: An International
Journal, Vol. 19 Iss: 6, pp. 687 – 701
42
Yavas, U. and Babakus, E. (2009) "Modeling patronage behavior: A tripartite
conceptualization", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 26 Iss: 7, pp. 516 – 526.
Hassan et al. (2010) 43 examined the influence of shopping orientation and store image on
patronage of furniture store. This study was proposed to develop a general model of retail
patronage and to empirically test the relationships proposed in the model in the context of the
furniture market. Through survey questionnaires 115 data were collected and the underlying
relationship among the variables that characterize consumers’ patronage behavior towards
furniture was studied. Statistically it was found that in terms of shopping orientation, the
indifferent shopper and the personalizing shopper was influenced by the lifestyle of the
consumer and hence influences 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.
Paswan, Pineda and Ramirez (2010)44 in a study conducted in Mexico investigated whether
influx of large stores is inevitable, by focusing on consumers' motivation for selecting a retail
store, and the association between these motivation dimensions and the shopping patronage. The
results indicated that consumer's preference for small stores is positively motivated by functional
benefits and familiarity with small stores; and negatively associated with the functional benefits
offered by large stores. These motivational dimensions were also found to be positively
associated with the share of wallet spent at small stores. It was found that gender exhibited
mixed effect on preference for small stores and the share of wallet. The study revealed that
women feel that large stores provide better functional benefits and support for the local
economy.
Prasad and Aryasri (2011)45 made a detailed study on the effect of shoppers' demographic,
geographic, and psychographic dimensions in terms of format choice behavior in the fast

43
Hassan, Y., Mohamad, N., Bakar, H. and Ismail, N. (2010). Influence of shopping orientation
and store image on patronage of furniture store. International journal of marketing studies, Vol.
2, No. 1, pp. 175-184
44
Paswan, A. Pineda, M. S., and Ramirez, F. S. (2010). Small versus large retail stores in an
emerging market—Mexico. Journal of Business Research, 63(7), 667-672.

45
Prasad, C. J., and Aryasri, A. R. (2011). Effect of shopper attributes on retail format choice
behaviour for food and grocery retailing in India. International Journal of Retail and Distribution
Management, 39 (1), 68-86.
growing Indian Food and Grocery retailing. They adopted descriptive research design by
applying mall intercept survey method using structured questionnaire for data collection. Both
descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistical tools like factor analysis and
multivariate analysis was used to analyze the data collected from 1,040 food and grocery retail
customers from upgraded neighborhood kirana stores, Convenience stores, Supermarkets, and
Hypermarkets in conjoint cities of Secunderabad and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh in India. The
study found that shoppers' age, gender, occupation, education, monthly household income,
family size, and distance travelled to store have significant association with retail format choice
decisions. The choice decisions were also varied among shoppers' demographic attributes.
Verma and Madan (2011)46 in a study conducted in Indian context highlighted that retailers are
offering newer service dimensions to create uniqueshopping experiences for the customers.
However, whether consumers are able to perceive newer service dimensions and getting affected
for store patronage in new store formats or not, remains to be found out. They emphasized the
fact that Indian retail environment is going through a sea change due to the introduction of new
formats and opening up of retail industry, it becomes important to understand the store image
perceptions of consumers here. The study attempted to find out the key factors that are perceived
as important to Indian consumer in evaluation of a retail format.
Kumar et al. (2010)47 examined the cognitive influences of atmospherics on customer value,
store image, and patronage intentions in an emerging market condition. The exploratory
framework of the study makes it easier to understand the emerging retailing conditions in terms
of larger stores, design changes, architectural makeover and its value perception among
customers. The customers in an emerging market such as India reported discrepancies between
value experienced and expected value (i.e. hedonic and utilitarian) due to ambiguity in the role of
factors in creating appropriate state of arousal (emotional appeal). The authors have tried to
correlate customer value with retail environment. After obtaining 450 valid responses from the

46
Verma, H., and Madan, P. (2011). Factors analysing the store attributes to identify key
components of store image. IJMMR, 2(1).

47
Kumar, I., Garg, R. and Rahman, Z. (2010). Influence of Retail Atmospherics on Customer
Value in an Emerging Market Condition. Great Lakes Herald Vol 4, No 1, pp. 1-13.
field survey, it was concluded that conveying a competitive store image to customers is a
challenging assignment; yet to ensure customer satisfaction, the retailers need to take cost-
effective measures to periodically change these significant factors.
Baltas et al. (2010)48 have undergone a study to empirically address the structure of multiple
store patronage. The authors explored use of multiple stores by supermarket customers. The
study relates the number of stores patronized to a set of customer factors under a unifying
theoretical framework emphasizing cost–benefit analysis. It has been demonstrated that multiple
store patronage is affected by variables such as customer income, satisfaction and expenditure
that are suggestive of heterogeneous cost–benefit tradeoffs and opportunity costs of time. It is
shown that customers are intrinsically different in the tendency towards being loyal. In this
respect, it was noted that store patronage is a continuum between single store loyalty and use of
several different stores, on which customers differ depending on the individual preferences. The
results yield valuable insights into the structure of store patronage and lead to important
implications for the managers in this regard.
Kaul et al. (2010)49 examined the impact of initial trust image on shopper trust and patronage
intentions with respect to male apparel shoppers in a new store in India. Authors have
operationalized trust image of a new store as an antecedent to shopper trust and used a
multidimensional conceptualization for “trust‐image” which is similar to the existing tripartite
view of “trustworthiness”. The study also examines the effect of store visit on perceived salience
of trust‐image. The study supports the significance of trust‐image in influencing the shoppers’
trust and patronage intentions for a new store. Contrary to the existing theory, store dependability
is not really significant for the Indian apparel retail consumers at initial stages of store visits.

48
Baltas, G., Argouslidis, P. C., and Skarmeas, D. (2010). The Role of Customer Factors in
Multiple Store Patronage: A Cost–Benefit Approach. Journal of Retailing, Volume 86, Issue 1,
pp. 37–50.

49
Kaul, Subhashini., Sahay, Arvind and Koshy, Abraham (2010) "Impact of initial‐trust‐image
on shopper trust and patronage intentions: A study of young, male apparel shoppers in India",
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 38 Iss: 4, pp. 275 – 296.
Teller and Gittenberger (2011)50 investigated the grocery store format patronage behaviour of
older shoppers of supermarkets, viz. a store format that exclusively includes highly standardised
outlets. The authors surveyed more than 400 supermarket patrons aged 60 and over, who live in a
highly concentrated urban retail environment. The modelling results of the aggregate sample
confirm the importance of several store format attributes for the satisfaction of our respondents
in line with findings from studies. Furthermore, satisfaction impacts the repatronage intentions
significantly and the repatronage intentions affect the share of visits. Therefore, it can be
concluded that significant attributes represent antecedents of store format patronage behaviour.
More specifically, the most important determinant attributes are the product range and price-
value ratio.
Zameer and Mukherjee (2011)51 studied the patronage behavior of Indian urban consumers
with respect to food and grocery retail. Food and grocery constitute a major portion of the private
consumption in India. This offers a large potential market for the organized retail companies to
tap into. Differences perceived by customers between the kirana stores and modern retailers are
covered in the study to understand the influence of specific decision variables in the selection of
a particular retail format. The inference is that location convenience, customized services and
easy goods return/ exchange facilities drive a customer towards kirana stores while product
choice, efficient store-management and value-enhancing services attract customers towards
modern retailers. This understanding of the patronage behavior helps the modern retailers to
strengthen the elements of their retail offerings, which the customers value more.
Yadav et al. (2012)52 conducted review analysis of customer patronage behaviour in a shopping
mall. The research reviews the existing literature, which is discussed with respect to costumer

50
Teller, Christoph and Gittenberger, Ernst. (2011). Patronage Behaviour of Elderly
Supermarket Shoppers – Antecedents and Unobserved Heterogeneity. International Review of
Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, Vol. 21 (5), pp. 483-499.
51
Zameer, A. and Mukherjee, D. (2011). Food and Grocery Retail: Patronage Behavior of Indian
Urban Consumers. South Asian Journal of Management, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp 115-118.
52
Yadav, S., Siraj, S. and Arora, R. (2012). Customer patronage behaviour in shopping mall: A
review analysis. International journal of retailing and rural business perspectives. Vol. 1 (2), pp.
119-130.
patronage behavior towards a mall, mall attributes that attract customers to a mall and the impact
of demographic, psycho graphics profile of shopper segment, shopper motives towards mall
visit. The retailing sector in India has undergone significant transformation in the past 10 years.
Retailing is gradually inching its way towards becoming the next boom industry. Organized
retailing is changing the whole concept of shopping in terms of consumer buying behavior. The
retailing business in India has witnessed huge growth due to emergence of supermarkets as well
as centrally air-conditioned malls. Consumer are now showing preference for shopping malls,
which enable them to shop variety of products’ under one roof and offer shopping experience in
term of ambiance and entertainment.
Hemalatha and Najma (2013)53 in a study examined the influence of different store attributes
such as customer service, price, salesman response, convenient payment and delivery and
merchandise on store patronage behaviour. The retailing landscape is changing dramatically.
India is the ninth-largest retail market in the world. It is expected to grow further in the coming
years. In this study, a total of 156 shoppers were surveyed in different Indian cities. The authors
have constructed a multiple regression model on store patronage behaviour. The store patronage
behaviour model confirms that customer service, salesman response and convenient payment and
delivery have the greatest impact on the store patronage behaviour in Indian kirana store.
Mohan et al. (2013)54 studied the impact of store environment on impulse buying behavior. The
authors explored the process by which four store environment (music, light, employee, and
layout) and two individual characteristics shopping enjoyment tendency and impulse buying
tendency influence impulse buying behavior through positive and negative affect and urge to buy
impulsively. The data were obtained using a structured questionnaire from 733 respondents in a
mall survey conducted in Chennai. In the structural model tested with AMOS, the authors found
that store environment drove impulse buying through positive affect and urge. Results also

53
Hemalatha, M. and Najma, S. (2013). The antecedents of store patronage behaviour in Indian
kirana store. International journal of Business Innovation and Research, Vol. 7, No.5, pp. 554 –
571.

54
Mohan, G., Sivakumaran, B. and Sharma, P. (2013) "Impact of store environment on impulse
buying behavior", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 47 Iss: 10, pp. 1711 – 1732.
showed that the personality variables shopping enjoyment tendency and impulse buying
tendency influenced impulsive buying through positive affect and urge.
Jere et al. (2014)55 investigated the factors that influence store patronage among low-income
consumers in a Cape Town township by exploring the relationships amongst the influencing
factors and determining the factors that consumers prioritize. Based on factor and multiple
regression analyses of data from a convenience sample of 113 adult shoppers, the study found
that relationship-based promotion and convenient branded solutions are among the important
factors of store patronage. Store location is a significant influencer of both store satisfaction and
store loyalty while store location, store image, and promotion are significant influencers of store
loyalty. The study concludes that low-income consumers are not homogeneous in their responses
to marketing stimuli designed to elicit store patronage. An assessment of the importance of the
predictors of store loyalty shows that store image, promotion, and location are significant
predictors to store patronage. Retailers need to be clear about the segments to be pursued and not
assume that all low-income consumers are primarily motivated by low prices.
Bhattacharya and Dey (2014) 56 tried to find out the patronage behavior of the customers
towards traditional and organized retailers in India. The primary data were collected from a
sample of consumers visiting both organized and unorganized outlets. The study results provide
useful information about Indian customers’ store patronage determinants while developing
marketing strategies. The understanding of the patronage behavior would help the modern
retailers to focus and strengthen the elements of their retail offerings which are more valued by
customers. The authors found that value for money, product availability; store ambience and
display of merchandize are considered to be better in case of organized sector while trust and
loyalty higher for unorganized sector. Trust, satisfaction and ambience are mainly the significant
set of independent variables that elucidate the store loyalty behavior of shoppers.

55
Jere, M. G., Aderele, B. A. and Jere, A. (2014). Exploring factors that influence store
patronage amongst low-income consumers in Cape Town, South Africa. Mediterranean Journal
of Social Sciences. Vol 5, No. 20, pp 152-162.
56
Bhattacharya, D. and Dey, S. (2014). Evaluation of Store Patronage Behavior of Shoppers: A
Multivariate Approach. Indian Journal of Applied Research, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp. 89-91.
Basu et al. (2014)57 have explored the store choice behaviour of Indian apparel shoppers and
tried to analyze the factors influencing their choice of retail formats from an emerging market
perspective. The research drew on a data set of 336 structured questionnaires with adult urban
Indian respondents to understand their perceptions about organized and unorganized apparel
store formats. This exploratory study used a comprehensive list of demographics, shopping
situations and format stimuli parameters along with two established psychographic scales to
assess the extent of their effect on the store choice of apparel shoppers. The analysis revealed
well-defined store attributes influencing the apparel shoppers’ decision. The growing market for
organized retail with a preference for multi brand stores has been highlighted. The study
established that the shoppers’ perception of single-brand stores is still going through a formative
phase.
Das (2014)58 explored the influences of store attributes on store personality dimensions across
different consumer segments in India. Subsequently, the study examines impact of store
personality dimensions on consumer store choice behaviour. A mall-intercept survey was
undertaken using a systematic sampling of department store shoppers of age 18 years and above
in Kolkata. Questionnaire was used to collect data from busy shopping malls or centres located
in different places. Multiple regression analysis has been used by the author to examine the
objectives of this study. The study has revealed that different sets of store attributes have positive
impact upon various store personality dimensions differently across the segments. The study also
found positive impacts of store personality dimensions on consumer store choice behaviour.

57
Basu, R., Guin, K. K. and Sengupta, K. (2014) "Do apparel store formats matter to Indian
shoppers?", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 42 Iss: 8, pp. 698 –
716.

58
Das, Gopal. (2014) "Store personality and consumer store choice behaviour: an empirical
examination", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 32 Iss: 3, pp. 375 – 394.
Kan et al. (2014) 59 examined the cultural influences that country image has on consumers'
hypermarket patronage intention in China and Spain. Structural equation modelling was utilised
by authors to examine the competency of the model in explaining both Spanish and Chinese
consumers' intention to patronize major hypermarket brands in their own countries. This study
tested applicability of model in both China and Spain and confirmed the role of national culture
in influencing retail patronage behaviour. In Spain, the country image has a direct effect on
consumers' hypermarket patronage intention while in China this effect is indirect. In deciding on
their patronage behaviour, Spanish consumers tend to rely more on the experience attributes of a
hypermarket store and are less likely to be affected by subjective norms. In contrast, Chinese
consumers have stronger ethnocentric tendencies in hypermarket shopping behaviour than do
Spanish consumers.

59
Kan, G., Cliquet , G. and Gallo, M. P. (2014) "The effect of country image on hypermarket
patronage intention: A cross-cultural study in China and Spain", International Journal of Retail &
Distribution Management, Vol. 42 Iss: 2, pp. 106 – 130