CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION

Every day people encounter situations that can affect their views of particular
product or service. Emotional and rational factors shape our opinions.
Customers are subjected to a barrage of advertising and other ‘messages’ from
the products and the media that can influence their view of product and service
they receive from them. In retailing, emotional factor plays an important role in
customer satisfaction.
Indian retail industry is a derivative of the growing economy, changing
demographics and preferences of the Indian consumers. Retailing format like
supermarkets, department stores, mega stores, shopping malls and retail chains
had come up on the country with varying intensity during the
1980’s and 1990’s, have now started proliferating. Organized retail is booming
and creating huge opportunity for enterprises. Ever increasing number of
hypermarkets, departmental stores and shopping malls need continuous
attention from customers. In order to gain and retain this attention,
improvements are been done in the ways these stores deals with customers.

This project has been made on the research problem “TO STUDY THE
CONSUMER SATISFACTION TOWARDS DEPARTMENTAL STORES IN
COIMBATORE CITY”. Let us first understand the meaning of some important
words.
CUSTOMER:

The word customer derives from "custom," meaning "habit"; a customer is

someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase
goods of the sort the shop sold their rather than elsewhere, and with whom the
shopkeeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her "custom," meaning
expected purchases in the future. A customer may also be a viewer of the

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product or service that is being sold despite deciding not to buy them. The
slogans “THE CUSTOMER IS KING” or “THE CUSTOMER IS GOD” or
“THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT” indicate the importance of
customers to businesses - although the last expression is sometimes used
ironically.

SATISFACTION:

The act of satisfying, or the state of being satisfied; gratification of desire;

contentment in possession and enjoyment; repose of mind resulting from
compliance with its desires or demands is termed as satisfaction.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION:
In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers,
customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become
a key element of business strategy. Customer satisfaction is an abstract concept
and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to
person and product/service to product/service.

DEPARTMENTAL STORE:

A departmental store is a retail establishment which specializes in satisfying a

wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product
needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice multiple
merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories.

Gone are the days when the consumer went in search of materials from shop to
shop. Today, things are made available in one shop, one place. These days,
consumer buying is not mere transfer of item from seller to buyer. They would
like to see, touch and feel the commodities that they buy.
Every business is based on understanding the consumer and providing the kind
of products that the consumer want. Every businessman today makes some
effort to convince the consumer for buying a product in a particular shop.
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What are the reasons for their purchase at a departmental store? What makes
them to select departmental stores?

Measuring Customer Satisfaction:-

Customer satisfaction is the key factor in knowing the success of any
departmental stores or business therefore it is very important to measure it and
to find that what the factors which affect the customer satisfaction. The Total
Quality Management is based on this idea of customer satisfaction.
Customer satisfaction refers to the extent to which customers are happy with the
products and services provided by a business. Customer satisfaction levels can
be measured using survey techniques and questionnaires. Gaining high levels of
customer satisfaction is very important to a business because satisfied customers
are most likely to be loyal and to make repeat orders and to use a wide range of
services offered by a business. Customers are most likely to appreciate the
goods and services that they buy if they are made to feel special. This occurs
when they feel that the goods and services that they buy have been specially
produced for them or for people like them. It should be always keep measuring
in order to get feedback for the product and service in order to develop it further
with wide customisation. We cannot create the customer satisfaction by just
meeting the customer requirement fully because this has to meet in any case.
The customer satisfaction index represents the overall satisfaction level of that
customer as one number, usually as percentage.

Here are a few of the possible dimensions we could measure:

• quality of service
• speed of service
• pricing
• complaints or problems
• trust in your employees
• the closeness of the relationship with contacts in your firm
• types of other services needed

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 • your positioning in clients' minds
Role or importance of customer survey:

Today's competitive marketplace requires every organization to listen to

the voice of its customers. A customer service survey can provide management
with valuable input on both short-term and long-term decision-making. It can
offer critical operational and strategic advantages over the competition.

Here is a customer satisfaction survey on “Customer satisfaction towards

Departmental stores in Coimbatore city”, which includes some information like
‘satisfaction on price, goods and customer service’.

NEED AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

NEED:
The term consumer satisfaction refers to the satisfaction that the consumer
receive while purchasing from the store. Consumer is highly complex
individual, subject to a variety of psychology needs and buying behavior. The

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need and satisfaction level of each and every consumer and consumer segment
differ.
Every business is based on understanding the consumer and providing the kind
of products that the consumer want. Each business man today wants to increase
his shop name, goodwill, sales, etc and makes efforts to convenience the
consumer for buying a product. For this reason only the survey is to be done as
to why the people prefer departmental stores? What are the reasons for their
purchase at a departmental store? What makes them to select the departmental
store? Why they prefer departmental store more? The main need for this survey
is to find out customer satisfaction level in departmental store.
This survey or research is selected to understand and find out the customer
satisfaction towards department store in Coimbatore city.

SCOPE:
The scope of the study lies in finding out the satisfaction of customer in
Coimbatore towards departmental stores. The satisfaction of consumers towards
departmental stores is to found by the respondents of questionnaire from the
population of the study.
The scope of the study is limited to the respondents i.e., customer who are
active buyer from a departmental store.
The study or survey will be useful for the departmental store manager to satisfy
all customers who visits their store.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Primary objectives:

1. To study the consumer satisfaction towards Departmental stores in

Coimbatore city.
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Secondary objectives:

1. To study the factor influencing the customers to purchase products from

departmental store.

2. To study the needs of the customers at the place of purchase.

3. To study the sales services provided by the departmental Stores.

4. To study the consumer’s opinion and ideas about the price, quality and

services rendered by the departmental stores.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1. Research design: Descriptive research of research has been adopted in

this research. Descriptive research is used to obtain information
concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe "what exists"
with respect to variables or conditions in a situation.
2. Area: The area selected by taking into account the time and cost factor
i.e., Coimbatore city. Coimbatore City (Kovai) is one of the top 10

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 fastest growing cities of India. Coimbatore district has a population of
about 42.25 Lakhs (Census in 2001).
3. Population: A population can be defined as including all people or items
with the characteristic one wish to understand. Because there is very
rarely enough time or money to gather information from everyone or
everything in a population, the goal becomes finding a representative
sample (or subset) of that population.
The population is Infinite for this study.
4. Sampling design: The sampling technique is non- probability sampling.
Non-probability sampling is any sampling method where some elements
of the population have no chance of selection (these are sometimes
referred to as 'out of coverage'/ 'under covered'), or where the probability
of selection can't be accurately determined.
5. Sampling technique: Convenience sampling (sometimes known as grab
or opportunity sampling) is a type of non-probability sampling which
involves the sample being drawn from that part of the population which is
close to hand. That is, a sample population selected because it is readily
available and convenient.
6. Sample size: A total of 120 respondents residing in the Coimbatore city
form the sample, who purchase the products and services from the
departmental stores.
7. Tools used: The questionnaire is the major tool administered for
collecting primary data from the respondents.
8. Method of data collection:
• Primary data: Primary data is collected based on the questionnaire.
Primary sources are original, uninterrupted information, Unedited,
firsthand access to words, images, or objects created by persons directly
involved in an activity or event or speaking directly for a group.
• Secondary data: The secondary data has been collected from books,
manuals and Internet. Secondary sources interpret, analyze or summarize.

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 Commentary upon or analysis of events, ideas, or primary sources.
Because they are often written significantly after events by parties not
directly involved but who have special expertise
1. Tools used for analysis: The statistical tools used for the purpose of
analysis of this study are simple percentage technique, pie diagram and
bar diagram.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

In attempt to make this project authentic and reliable, every possible aspect of
the topic was kept in mind. Nevertheless, despite of fact constraints were at play
during the formulation of this project. The main limitations are as follows:
1. The area of study is restricted to Coimbatore city.
2. For convenience purpose, the population taken for the study refers to the
customers of Chandra departmental stores, C.A. Stores and Murugan
departmental stores.
3. Time is the one constraint of the survey

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4. The data was collected for the month of March 2010 to June 2010.
5. In order to complete the study within the time frame, the number of
respondents had been restricted to 120.
6. People were hesitant to disclose the true facts.
7. Since questionnaire where used for collecting the primary data, so there are
chances that the given data may vary from the actual, which can lead to wrong
results.

CHAPTER SCHEME

Chapter I

It gives a brief introduction about the study, scope, objective, methodology and
limitation of the study.
Chapter II

It deals with the concept of buyer behaviour and departmental store, their
features and advantages taken for the study.

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Chapter III

It covers the analysis and interpretation of the collected data.

Chapter IV

It covers the various findings and suggestions of the study along with the
conclusion.

CHAPTER II
BUYER BEHAVIOUR AND DEPARTMENTAL STORE
INTRODUCTION:
Today business faces a lot of challenges. The major work of today’s business is
not only to face and survive with competitors but also to study consumer’s
needs and analysis their behaviour. Though starting a business today is easy,
surviving and attaining success is an important issue to be given importance.
Business, in olden days, the major work of business was to concentrate on
production lines, but today the scene is different. Marketing as a business
function is charges with the movement of products and services from the
producer to the user. Under this concept, a business is managed with the sole
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purpose of making and selling what the customer wants, in the way he wants it,
when and where he wants it, and at a price he is willing to pay.
I. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Consumer behaviour is defined as that behaviour exhibited by people in
planning, purchasing and using economic goods and services. Buyers behaviour
is the process by which individuals decide whether, what, when, where, how
and from whom to purchase goods and services.
“Instead of trying to market what is easier for us to make, we must find out
much more about what the consumer is willing to buy - we must apply our
creativeness more intelligently to people, and their wants and needs rather than
to product” – Charles G. Martina emphasizing on the above statement, the target
of all marketing activities should be consumers. The firms have to device plans
and implement them so as to achieve consumer satisfaction. This calls for an
analysis of how consumer behaves in the market place. Buyer behaviour may be
viewed as an orderly process whereby the individual interacts with his
environment for the purpose of making market decisions on products and
services.
Thus, the chief characteristics of buyer behaviour are:
1. It includes observable physical activities, such as walking through the
market to examine the products and in making a purchase, and mental
activities – such as forming attitudes, perceiving advantages materials and
learning to prefer a particular brand. The consumers apply both the
activities to acquire goods and services and obtain satisfaction from them.
2. Consumer behaviour is a complex and dynamic concept, too constantly
changing, and therefore management need to adjust with the change,
otherwise the market may be lost.
3. The individual’s specific behaviour in the market place is affected by
interval factors such as needs, motives, perception and attitudes as well as
by external or environmental influences such as the family, social groups,
cultural, economic and business influences.

11
To achieve a better understanding of the consumer behaviour, study of those
disciplines, which may provide some explanations as to “why people behave as
they do” is required. The internal and external forces and influences interact in
highly complex ways, affecting the individual’s total pattern of behaviour as
well as his buying behaviour.

1. BUYING DECISION PROCESS

This model implies that consumer pass through all five stages in buying
something. This is not the case in respect of low – involvement purchases.
Consumer might skip or reverse some of these stages. Understanding consumer
needs and buying process is essential to building effective marketing strategies.

BUYING DEC

PROBLEM

INFORMA
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2. PROBLEM RECOGNITION
The buying process starts with the buyer recognizing a problem or need. The
buyer senses a difference between his or her actual state and a desired state. The
need can be aroused by internal or external factors. In the former case, the
person’s normal needs – hunger, thirst, sex rises to threshold travel and becomes
a drive. The person out of experience has learned to cope up with the drive and
its motivated towards a class of objects that he or she knows will satisfy the
drive.
3. INFORMATION SEARCH
As the next step, a consumer will try to search for more information from
various sources, to have an idea about the competing brands and their features
and to purchase accordingly.
The various sources which provide information are:
1. Personal sources - Family friends, Neighbours, etc.
2. Commercial sources - Advertisements, Salesmen, Dealers,
Packages
3. Public sources - Mass Media
4. Experimental source - Examining, using and handling the product
4. EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES
A consumer uses information to arrive at a set of final brand choices. The
question is, how does the consumer choose among the alternative brands in the
choice set? He evaluates the various alternatives available in the market on the
basis of certain attributes.
There is no simple and single evaluation process used by all consumers or by
one consumer in all buying situations. The attributes of interest to buyer vary by
product, their need, quality, style, etc.
5. PURCHASE DECISION
Having evaluated the purchase alternatives, he has to decide whether to buy or
not to buy. If he has decided to buy, then he has to take decisions regarding the

13
brand, the quantity of purchase, the place of purchase and the mode of payment
to the made.
6. POST PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR
After purchasing the product, the consumer will experience some level of
satisfaction or dissatisfaction. This will influence his subsequent behaviour. If
he is satisfied, he will show more interest to buy the product the product or get
information that might confirm its high value. Hence, to satisfy a consumer, a
market must try to convince him to choose a product, the attributes for which a
consumer gives importance must be analyzed.
The marketer’s job does not come to an end as soon as the product is being
bought, but continues into the post purchase period.
Further, proper understanding of the various participant’s behavior in the buying
process and the major influences on their buying behaviour, will help the
marketers to design effective marketing programs for their target markets.
I. FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE BUYER BEHAVIOUR
Throughout the buying process, various factors may influence the buyer. A
person’s culture, social class, reference groups and self-image all have a bearing
on the purchase decision. As to the situational factors like the presentation of
the product, the events in the buyer’s life and the person’s mood at the time of
purchase also induce him to purchase a product of his choice.
1. CULTURAL FACTORS
Culture is the most fundamental of a person’s wants and behaviour. It refers to a
set of learned beliefs, attitudes, values, customs, habits, etc., and determines
human wants and behaviour.
Separate marketing strategy can be developed for each culture and market can
be segmented for patterns of behaviour varying between different cultures.
2. SOCIAL FACTORS
Social factors include the following:
Reference groups
People are influenced by many groups. The various reference groups are

14
Membership Groups
These are groups to which the person belongs and interacts. These groups have
a direct influence on its member’s behaviour.
Primary Groups
This includes groups of friends, family members, neighbours, co-staff, etc. The
consumer has a fairly continuous interaction with his friends, family,
neighbours, etc.
Secondary Groups
This includes religions groups, professional groups, etc., with whom the
consumer has only a less continuous interaction.
Aspirational Groups
These are the groups to which a person would like to become its members as
well as influenced by them.
a. Family
Family can influence a person’s buying behaviour because most consumers
belong to a family. Marketers should study the role and the relative influence of
the husband, wife and children in the purchase of product or services.
b. Social Class
The different classes namely, upper class, middle class and lower class also
determine the behaviour of a person to purchase his products. Low class
customers buy usually on impulse and do not even care to read advertisement
much.
Middle class consumer purchase carefully and read advertisements much to
know and compare the prices of different procedures engaged in the same line
of activity.
Upper class consumers want high class goods maintain their status in the
society.

3. PERSONAL FACTORS

15
A buyer’s behaviour is also influenced by personal factors such as age,
occupation, income, life style, etc.
a. Age
People buy different products at their different life stage, their taste,
preferences, etc., also change with change in life stage. For instance, taste in
dress materials, recreation etc., are age related.
b. Occupation
For certain occupation, the purchase of certain type of products is necessary.
For example, a sales representative will buy fancy dress, shoes, suitcase, etc., to
win the attention of the people. Similarly, a chief executive of a company will
buy costly suits, undergo air travel, etc.
c. Income
Income being the main source of purchasing power, the buying pattern of
people differs with different level of income.
d. Life Style
The term life style refers to the person’s pattern of living in the world. People
belong to same social class, occupation, may lead quite different life styles. Life
style attempts to profile a person’s way of being and acting in the world.
4. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
A person’s buyer behaviour is also influenced by the following psychological
factors.
Motivation
A motive as an inner urge that moves a person to some action. People buy
goods as a result of certain mental as well as economical forces that create
desires of buying such goods.
Perception
“Perception is the process by which an individual selects, organizes and
interprets information inputs to create a meaningful picture of the world”.
Learning

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Learning may be defined as all changes in an individual’s behaviour arising
from past experience. Learning is the main aspect in the study of human
behaviour. Buying decisions are affected critically by the learning experience of
buyers
Attitudes
An attitude is a state of mind feeling. If may be described as a person’s
emotional feeling, action, tendencies towards some idea or object. It induces
him to behave in some way. People have attitudes towards each and everything
and to study the buyer behaviour it has to be taken into notice.
CHAPTER III

ANALYSIS
AND
INTERPRETATION OF DATA

INTRODUCTION

All the information collected from the sample respondents is analyzed and the
interpretation of data is done.
The data analysis are related to the customer need in a departmental store,
various factors influencing their purchase and their opinion regarding the
products price, quality and etc, and the after sales services rendered by the
departmental store.

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 Table No. 3.1
AGE GROUP OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO AGE NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 Below 20 36 30
2 21-30 51 42.5
3 31-40 30 25
4 Above 40 3 2.5
Total 120 100

The above tables represent the age group of the respondents. 30% of
respondents belong to the age group of below 30. More than 40% of
respondents belong to the age group of 21 – 30. 25% and 2.5% of respondents
belong to the age group of 31- 40 and above 40 respectively.

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 Table No. 3.2
GENDER OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO GENDER NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 MALE 73 60.83
2 FEMALE 47 39.17
Total 120 100

The above table represents the gender of the respondents. More than half of the
respondents belong to Male category. Nearly 40% of the respondents are
Female in gender.

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 Table No. – 3.3
MARITAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO MARITAL STATUS NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 MARRIED 54 45
2 UNMARRIED 66 55
Total 120 100

The above table represents the marital status of the respondents. 45% of
respondents are married and the remaining 55% of the respondents are not
married or unmarried.

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 Table No. 3.4
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO EDUCATION QUALIFICATION NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 SCHOOL LEVEL 19 15.83
2 DEGREE/DIPLOMA 70 58.33
3 PG 20 16.66
4 PROFESSIONAL 11 9.16
Total 120 100

The above table shows the educational qualification of the respondents. Nearly
15% of the respondents are in the school level. Most of the respondents belong
to degree /diploma category. 16.66% of respondents belong to PG level and
9.16% belong to professional level.

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 Table No. 3.5
OCCUPATIONAL STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO OCCUPATION NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 STUDENT 62 51.66
2 HOUSE WIFE 15 12.5
3 EMPLOYED 30 25
4 BUSINESS 13 18.83
Total 120 100

The above table shows the occupation wise classification of the respondents.
More than half of the respondents belong to student category. 12.5% of the
respondents are house wives and 25 of respondents belong to employed
category. Business class people belong to 18.88% of the respondents.

22
 Table No. 3.6
MONTHLY INCOME OF THE FAMILY OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO MONTHLY INCOME NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 UP TO Rs. 5000 25 20.83
2 Rs. 5000 TO Rs.10000 28 23.33
3 Rs.10000 TO Rs. 15000 20 16.66
4 ABOVE Rs. 15000 47 39.16
Total 120 100

The above table shows the monthly income of the respondents’ family. More
than 20% belong to having an income up to Rs.5000. Nearly 40% of the
respondents belong to having a monthly family income of more than 15000.

23
 Table No. 3.7
NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN THE FAMILY OF THE RESPONDENTS

S.NO FAMILY SIZE NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 UP TO 2 7 5.83
2 3 TO 4 59 49.16
3 5 TO 6 43 35.83
4 ABOVE 6 11 9.16
Total 120 100

The above table represents the family size of the respondents. Nearly 50% of
the respondents belong to having a family size of 3 to 4. More than 35% of the
respondents have a family size of 5 to 6.

24
 Table No. 3.8
PLACE WHERE PRODUCTS ARE PURCHASED BY THE
RESPONDENTS

S.NO NORMALLY PRODUCTS NO OF PERCENTAGE

PURCHASED FROM RESPONDENTS
1 DEPARTMENTAL STORES 91 75.83
2 SHOPS/MARKETS 26 21.66
3 SALES REPRESENTATIVES 1 0.83
4 EXHIBITIOIN 2 1.66
Total 120 100

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The above table shows the place from where the respondents mostly purchase
their product. Nearly 75% of the respondents purchase their product from
departmental stores. Then 21.66% of the respondents purchase from shop and
markets.

Table No. 3.9

RESPONDENTS MOST FAVOURABLE DEPARTMENTAL STORE

S.NO FAVOURABLE STORE NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 CHANDRA DEPARTMENTAL 26 21.66
STORE
2 C.A STORES 38 31.66
3 MURUGAN DEPARTMENTAL 31 25.83
STORES
4 OTHERS 25 20.83

26
 Total 120 100

The above table shows the name of the departmental store from where the
respondents purchase their product. Nearly 21% of the respondents purchase
their product from Chandra Departmental stores. More than 30% of the
respondents purchase from C.A Stores.

Table No. 3.10

REASON FOR PURCHASING FROM DEPARTMENTAL STORES

S.NO REASON FOR PURCHASE NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 CONVENIENT 31 25.83
2 PRESTIGE 11 9.16
3 LESS COST 27 22.5
4 GOOD QUALITY 30 25
5 TIME SAVING 21 17.5
Total 120 100

27
The above table shows the reason for which the respondents purchase the
product from departmental stores. Nearly 25% of the respondents purchase
because of convenience and 10% of respondents purchase for prestige. More
than 20% of the respondents purchase because of less cost.

Table No. 3.11

NUMBER OF YEARS PURCHASED THROUGH DEPARTMENTAL
STORES

S.NO NO. OF YEARS NO OF PERCENTAGE

PURSHASING FROM THE RESPONDENTS
DEPARTMENTAL STORE
1 LESS THAN 1 YEAR 11 9.16
2 1 TO 2 YEAR(S) 34 28.33
3 2 TO 3 YEARS 36 30
4 ABOVE 3 YEARS 39 32.5

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 Total 120 100

The above table shows the number of years the respondent is purchasing from
the departmental stores. More than 25% of the respondents purchase from the
departmental from the past 1 to 2 years. 30% of respondents are purchasing
from the past 2 to 3 years. More than 30% of people are purchasing more than 3
years.

Table No. 3.12

TYPE OF PRODUCT PURCHASED FROM DEPARTMENTAL STORE

S.NO TYPE OF PRODUCT BUY NO OF PERCENTAGE

FROM THE DEPARTMENTAL RESPONDENTS
STORES
1 FRUITS & VEGETABLES 13 10.83
2 PROVISIONS & GROCERIES 48 40

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 3 COSMETIC PRODUCT 14 11.66
4 HEALTH CARE PRODUCT 8 6.66
5 STATIONERY PRODUCTS 10 8.33
6 ALL THE ABOVE 27 22.5
Total 120 100

The above table shows the type of product purchased by the respondents from
the departmental stores. Nearly 10% of respondents purchase only fruits and
vegetables. 40% of respondents purchase provisions and groceries. 22.5% of
respondents purchase all the type of products from the departmental stores.

Table No. 3.13

HANDLING OF DAMAGED PRODUCT IN DEPARTMENTAL STORE

S.NO DAMAGE HANDLING NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS

30
 1 IMMEDIATE RECTIFICATION 43 35.83
2 DELAY IN RECTIFICATION 34 28.33
3 NO EXCHANGE 28 23.33
4 NO RESPONSE 15 12.5
Total 120 100

The above table shows the response about the action against the handling of
damaged goods. More than 30% of respondents say that there is immediate
rectification. Nearly 25% of respondents say that there is a delay in rectification.

Table No. 3.14

FREE DOOR DELIVERY SERVICE IN DEPARTMENTAL STORES

S.NO FREE HOME DELIVERY NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS

31
 1 ALWAYS 11 9.16
2 OFTEN 28 23.33
3 SOMETIMES 64 53.33
4 NEVER 17 14.16
Total 120 100

The above table shows the response of the respondents about the free door
delivery service of the departmental stores. Nearly 23% of respondents say that
they provide often discounts and benefits. More than 50% of respondents say
that they get sometimes.

Table No. 3.15

CUSTOMERS CARE SERVICE EFFECTIVE IN DEPARTMENTAL
STORES

32
S.NO CUSTOMER CARE NO OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1 HIGHLY SATISFIED 32 26.66
2 SATISFIED 60 50
3 FAIR 21 17.5
4 DISSATISFIED 6 5
5 HIGHLY DISSATISFIED 1 0.83
Total 120 100

The above table shows the respondents response regarding the satisfaction level
of the customer care service. Nearly 50% of respondents say that they are
satisfied with the customer care service of the departmental store.

Table No. 3.16

SATISFACTION OF PRODUCT PURCHASED FROM
DEPARTMENTAL STORES

33
S.NO SATISFIED WITH THE NO OF PERCENTAGE
PRODUCTS RESPONDENTS
1 YES 90 75
2 NO 30 25
Total 120 100

The above table shows the respondents response for the satisfaction of product
purchased from the departmental stores. 75% of respondents say yes and 25%
say no for the satisfaction of product purchased from the departmental store.

Table No. 3.17

REASON FOR NOT SATISFYING THE CUSTOMER IN
DEPARTMENTAL STORES

34
S.NO IF NO THE REASON NO OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1 MORE COST 11 36.66
2 LOW QUALITY 2 6.66
3 LESS VARIETIES 13 43.33
4 OTHERS 4 13.33
Total 30 100

The above table shows reason for the non-satisfying of respondents in the
departmental store. More than 35% of respondents say that because of more cost
they don’t purchase or not satisfied with the departmental store.

Table No. 3.18

DISCOUNTS AND BENEFITS RENDERED BY THE DEPARTMENTAL
STORES

35
S.NO DISCOUNTS AND BENEFITS NO OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1 ALWAYS 14 11.66
2 OFTEN 24 20
3 SOMETIMES 77 64.16
4 NO 5 4.16
Total 120 100

The above table shows the response for the discounts and benefits of the
departmental stores. More than 50% of respondents say that they receive
discounts and benefits sometimes.

Table No. 3.19

FAMILY MEMBERS SATISFIED WITH THE DEPARTMENTAL
STORES

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S.NO FAMILY MEMBERS NO OF PERCENTAGE
SATISFIED RESPONDENTS
1 HIGHLY SATISFIED 18 15
2 SATISFIED 70 58.33
3 FAIR 28 23.33
4 DISSATISFIED 4 3.33
5 HIGHLY DISSATISFIED 0 0
Total 120 100

The above table shows satisfaction level of the respondent family members.
More than 50% of respondents say that their family is satisfied with the product
of departmental stores. 23.33% of respondents are fairly satisfied and 3.33% are
dissatisfied.

Table No. 3.20

WILLINGNESS OF RESPONDENTS TO RECOMMENDING OTHER
TO BUY IN DEPARTMENTAL STORES

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S.NO RESPONSE NO OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1 YES 102 85
2 NO 18 15
Total 120 100

The above table shows the willingness of respondents to recommend other

about the departmental stores. More than 80% of respondents say yes and the
remaining say no.

Table No. 3.21

ADVANTAGE OF DEPARTMENTAL STORES THAN OTHER STORES

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S.NO RESPONSE NO OF PERCENTAGE
RESPONDENTS
1 YES 103 85.83
2 NO 17 14.16
Total 120 100

The above table shows the respondents response about the advantage of
departmental stores. More than 85% of respondents say yes and the remaining
say no for the advantage of the departmental stores.

Table No. 3.22

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SATISFACTION LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS REGARDING THE
PRIVATE LABEL OF THE DEPARTMENTAL STORE
S.NO PRIVATE LABEL NO OF PERCENTAGE
SATISFACTION RESPONDENTS
1 HIGHLY SATISFIED 16 13.33
2 SATISFIED 76 63.33
3 FAIR 25 20.83
4 DISSATISFIED 2 1.66
5 HIGHLY DISSATISFIED 1 0.83
Total 120 100

The above table shows the respondents satisfaction about the private label of the
departmental stores. More than 60% of respondents say that they are satisfied
with the private label of the departmental stores. 20.83% and 1.66% of
respondents are fairly and dissatisfied respectively.

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 Table No. 3.23
SATISFACTION LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS REGARDING THE
PACKAGING OF THE DEPARTMENTAL STORE

S.NO PACKAGING SATISFACTION NO OF PERCENTAGE

RESPONDENTS
1 HIGHLY SATISFIED 26 21.66
2 SATISFIED 58 48.33
3 FAIR 33 27.5
4 DISSATISFIED 1 0.83
5 HIGHLY DISSATISFIED 2 1.66
Total 120 100

The above table shows that nearly 20% of respondents are highly satisfied with
the packaging of the departmental stores. More than 45% of respondents are
satisfied with the packaging of the departmental stores. 27.5% and 1.66% of
respondents are fairly and highly dissatisfied respectively.

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 Table No. 3.24
SATISFACTION LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS REGARDING THE
BILLING SYSTEM OF THE DEPARTMENTAL STORE

S.NO BILLING SYSTEM NO OF PERCENTAGE

SATISFACTION RESPONDENTS
1 HIGHLY SATISFIED 15 12.5
2 SATISFIED 57 47.5
3 FAIR 37 30.83
4 DISSATISFIED 11 9.16
5 HIGHLY DISSATISFIED 0 0
Total 120 100

The above table shows the satisfaction level of the respondents regarding the
billing system of the departmental stores. 12.5% of respondents are highly
satisfied with the billing system of the departmental stores. 47.5% and 30.83%
of respondents are satisfied and fairly satisfied respectively.

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 CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS & SUGGESTIONS

Based on the summary of the analysis and interpretation of data as per study, the
following are the findings, followed up suggestions recommended to improve
the sales and functioning of the stores.
FINDINGS:

 Age:
• 42.5 % of respondents belong to the age group of 21 – 30.
• 25% and 2.5% of respondents belong to the age group of 31- 40 and
above 40 respectively
 Gender:
• 40% of the respondents are Female in gender.
 Marital status:
• 45% of respondents are married.
• 55% of the respondents are not married or unmarried.
 Educational qualification:
• 15% of the respondents are in the school level.
 16.66% of respondents belong to PG level
 Occupational status:
• 12.5% of the respondents are house wives and 25 of respondents belong
to employed category.
• Business class people belong to 18.88% of the respondents.
 Monthly income of the family:
• 20.83% belong to having an income up to Rs.5000.
• 39.16% of the respondents belong to having a monthly family income of
more than 15000.

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 No. of members in the family:
• 49.16% of the respondents belong to having a family size of 3 to 4.
• 35.83% of the respondents have a family size of 5 to 6.
 Place of products purchase:
• 75% of the respondents purchase their product from departmental stores.
• 21.66% of the respondents purchase from shop and markets.
 Favourable departmental store:
• Nearly 21% of the respondents purchase their product from Chandra
Departmental stores.
• More than 30% of the respondents purchase from C.A Stores.
• Other category consists of Niligirs, Kannan dept stores, etc
 Reason for purchasing;
• Nearly 25% of the respondents purchase because of convenience.
• 10% of respondents purchase for prestige.
• More than 20% of the respondents purchase because of less cost.
 No. of years of purchasing:
• 28.33% of the respondents purchase from the past 1 to 2 years.
• 30% of respondents are purchasing from the past 2 to 3 years.
• More than 30% of people are purchasing more than 3 years.
 Products purchased:
• Nearly 10% of respondents purchase only fruits and vegetables.
• 40% of respondents purchase provisions and groceries.
• 22.5% of respondents purchase all the type of products from the
departmental stores.
 Damage handling:
• 35.83% of respondents say that there is immediate rectification.
• Nearly 25% of respondents say that there is a delay in rectification.

 Free door delivery service:

• 23.33% of respondents say that they provide often discounts and benefits.

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 • More than 50% of respondents say that they get sometimes.
 Customer care service:
• 50% of respondents say that they are satisfied with the customer care
service of the departmental store.
 Satisfaction of the product purchased:
• 75% of respondents say yes and 25% say no for the satisfaction of
product purchased from the departmental store.
 Family members satisfaction:
• 58.33% of respondents say that their family is satisfied with the product
of departmental stores.
 Recommend others;
• More than 80% of respondents say yes.
 Convenient and advantageous than any other type:
• More than 85% of respondents say yes for the advantage of the
departmental stores
 Private label of the store:
• More than 60% of respondents say that they are satisfied with the private
label of the departmental stores.
 Packaging of the departmental store:
• 27.5% of respondents are highly satisfied with the packaging of the
departmental stores.
• More than 45% of respondents are satisfied with the packaging of the
departmental stores.
 Billing system of the store:
• 12.5% of respondents are highly satisfied with the billing system of the
departmental stores.
SUGGESTIONS:

Based on the findings, the following suggestions have been recommended to

improve the sales and functioning at the store.

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My suggestion is to adopt customer-oriented thinking which requires the store
to define customer needs from the customer’s point of view because “a
customer is a person who brings us his wants. It is their job to handle them
profitably to him and to themselves”.

1. Efforts should be made to reduce the price of certain products.

2. Steps should be formulated to make the customers aware of the door
delivery system facility provide.
3. Steps should be taken to set up departmental stores in different parts of
the city for the easy accessibility.
4. It is recommended to the management to make the billing procedure more
convenient.
5. More number of products with varied varieties should be provided.
6. Visual merchandising should be developed, so that the customers get
attracted and purchase products.
7. Seasonal products should be given discounts or should be made bundle
packaging, so that the customer also buys the other product.
8. More focus should be given on target market (consumer).
9. Store must stay in touch with customers after the sale to ensure that they
are satisfied and remain satisfied.
10. Store must gather customer ideas for product and service improvements
and convey them to the appropriate company departments.
11.More emphasis should be given on customer service.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1) A study on consumer preference towards organized stores in Madurai

city, done by Mr. K. Lakshman kumar, BCom in 2005. The technique

46
 used to collect data was Questionnaire method. The sample size was 125
and selected on convenience basis. His findings were that high income
people and highly educated.
2) A study on consumer satisfaction towards departmental stores in Chennai,
done by Mrs. Lalitha Kumari, BCA in 2006. The technique used by her
was Questionnaire method. The research design was descriptive and
sample size was 180. She selected the sample on convenience basis. Her
findings were that persons prefer departmental stores near to their
convenience and are highly advertised.
3) A study on consumer satisfaction towards departmental stores in Delhi
with special reference to the person working in MNC’s, done by
Mr. Ramesh singh, BBM in 2004. The research design used by him was
descriptive type and his sample size was 200. He used convenience
sampling and his findings were that person’s working in MNC’s goes to
departmental once a week to purchase their daily requirements.

CONCLUSION:

My Project gives me the true knowledge of customer relationship concepts &

also helped to understand the customer satisfaction of departmental stores.

The major thing, which I found in my whole project, is as follow:

47
 ➢ The features such as product choice, display of good and other services
facility provided attract the customers at large.
➢ The person nowadays purchase from departmental store more than any
other option. I would like to conclude that more people are now going for
departmental store in large. They prefer to buy their products from one
store (departmental store).

➢ I also like to conclude that customer satisfaction is important today for

becoming a successful and popular.
➢ The study reveals that the customers are satisfied with the contributors
made by departmental stores and they are interested in recommending it
to other prospective customers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Books:
➢ Gandhi M., Chawla B. R., “What drive consumer choice of retail stores”,
Journal of BVIMR Management Edge, Vol 2, no 1, pp 1-9.

48
 ➢ Parmar, J. S. , Naik J., (2008), “Measuring Customer satisfaction in
serving Maruti Suzuki customers”, Journal of BVIMR Management
Edge, Vol 2, no 1, pp 27-37.
➢ consumer behavior by leen g.schiffman,
➢ Research Methodology: C.R.Kothari , 2nd edition. S.N Murty and U
Bhojanna
➢ Marketing Management in Indian Perspective -V. S. Ramaswamy & S.
Namakumari
Magazines:

➢ Images Retail, July, 2008

➢ Business World
➢ Retail Digest
Websites:
➢ www.retailbiz.coms
➢ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/preference
➢ www.department store.com
➢ http://google.com/department store/ customer preference

ANNEXURE

QUESTIONNAIRE
A STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TOWARDS
DEPARTMENTAL STORES IN COIMBATORE
1. NAME:
2. AGE:
Below 20 years 21- 30 years  31-40 years Above 40 years

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1. GENDER:
Male Female
1. MARITAL STATUS:
Married Unmarried
1. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION:
School level Degree /Diploma PG Professional
1. OCCUPATIONAL STATUS
Student  House wife  Employed Business
1. MONTHLY INCOME OF THE FAMILY
Up to Rs.5,000 Rs. 5,000 to 10,000
Rs. 10,000 to Rs.15,000  Above Rs. 15,000
1. NO. OF MEMBERS IN THE FAMILY
Up to 2 3-4 5-6 Above 6
1. NORMALLY YOU BUY PRODUCTS AT
Departmental stores  Shops / markets
From sales representatives  Exhibition
1. WHICH DEPARTMENTAL STORE IS MOST FAVORABLE TO
YOU?
Chandra Departmental Store C. A. Stores
Murugan Departmental Stores Others(specify)___________
1. REASON FOR PURCHASING FROM DEPARTMENTAL STORES.
Convenient Prestige  Less cost Good quality Time
saving
1. FROM HOW MANY YEARS ARE YOU PURCHASING FROM
DEPARTMENTAL STORES?
Less than a year  1 to 2  2 to 3 Above 3 years
1. STATE WHICH TYPE OF PRODUCT YOU PURCHASE FROM
DEPARTMENTAL STORES?
Fruits & vegetables Provisions & groceries  Cosmetic product
Health care product  Stationery products  All the above

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1. IF THERE IS ANY DAMAGE IN THE PRODUCTS, HOW THEY
HANDLE?
Immediate rectification Delay in rectification
No exchange No response
1. ARE THEY PROVIDING FREE DOOR DELIVERY SERVICE?
Always Often  Some times Never
1. TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU SATISFIED BY CUSTOMER CARE
SERVICE?
Highly satisfied  Satisfied  Fair
 Dissatisfied Highly dissatisfied
1. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE PRODUCT YOU PURCHASED
FROM DEPARTMENTAL STORES?
Yes No
1. IF NO REASON.
More cost Low quality  Less varieties Other
1. ARE THEY PROVIDING DISCOUNT & BENEFITS?
Always Often  Some times Never

1. TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS SATISFIED

WITH THE DEPARTMENTAL STORES PRODUCTS?
Highly satisfied Satisfied Fair
Dissatisfied Highly dissatisfied
1. WILL YOU RECOMMEND OTHERS TO MAKE PURCHASE FROM
THE DEPARTMENTAL STORE?
Yes No
1. DO YOU FEEL DEPARTMENTAL STORE IS MORE CONVENIENT
AND ADVANTAGEOUS THAN ANY OTHER TYPE?
Yes No
1. HOW FAR ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE PRIVATE LABEL OF
THE STORE?

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 Highly satisfied  Satisfied  Fair
Dissatisfied  Highly dissatisfied
1. TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE
PACKAGING OF THE DEPARTMENTAL STORE?
Highly satisfied Satisfied  Fair
Dissatisfied Highly dissatisfied
1. TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE BILLING
SYSTEM OF THE STORE?
Highly satisfied Satisfied  Fair
Dissatisfied Highly dissatisfied

***THANK YOU***

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