Table of Contents

Table of Contents........................................................................................................ 1 Group A Product: Jewellery Store.................................................................................2 Group B Product: Books at second-hand book shop.....................................................3 Customer 1 (Family: Father and daughter)...............................................................3 Customer 2 (a lady dressed in casuals in her mid-30s).............................................4 Customer 3 (A man in his 40s).................................................................................4 Comparative Analysis..................................................................................................5

Group A Product: Jewellery Store

Address: KIAH Diamond Jewelry, Iskon Center, Shivranjani Char Rasta Date: 13th August 2011, visiting hours: 1730 to 1900 hrs. Observations: Location: Buildup area was approximately 2000sqft. The shop was located on the first floor of a posh mall with other reputed jewelry stores in the same vicinity Shop Description: The shop had very impressive interiors. The hall was spacious with all the counters towards the side and some comfortable seating arrangement towards the center. The environment felt extremely comfortable to be in. Owner/Salesman Behavior: The store manager was a somewhere in early thirties and all the salesperson were neatly dresses in formals. The salesperson seemed really keen to show customers different items and looked very patient with the customers.

Customer 1 (Family: 3 Ladies 2 Middle aged and 1 young)

Information Search: It looked to be a continuation of an earlier visit. After walking in, the customer looked around and after spotting one of the salesmen walked towards him. There was also instant recognition from the salesperson who directed them to one of the counters towards the rear. Except what seemed like pleasantries there was no information search at all. Within couple of minutes the salesperson had placed 4 different diamond earrings next to each other in front of them. From this we could infer that the customer had shortlisted these items on an earlier visit and had come for another round of evaluation. Evaluation of Alternatives: The entire evaluation followed a similar pattern, where the younger lady would try two earrings at a time and take the opinion of one particular older lady. The older lady would then take some inputs from the salesperson regarding the price and the quality of the diamonds. One question that was frequently discussed within the group was will the earnings in question go with a certain neck wear that they had in mind. Overall it looked like that the opinion of one the lady had the most weight and most of the evaluation was done based on her opinion. Purchasing Decision: The choice of earrings was sealed with the approval of the same older lady. The decision seemed to be primarily based on the opinion that the pair they had selected will go best with an already existing neck wear that they have. Post-purchase Behavior: Once finalized the group was directed to the billing desk where they were greeted by the manager. They enquired about the discount that they will be receiving, to which the manager replied that he will adjust the price as always. The customer did not press further on this issue. They made what looked like a part payment and asked the manager to collect the rest from their residence tomorrow. The manager did not seem to have any qualms about it. Personal factors: The girl who was trying on the jewelry did not seem as involved as the older ladies in the group.

Customer 2 (Two members Middle aged lady and a younger girl)

The group also did not look like first time visitors to these stores. As soon as they entered they knew quite well whom to approach. The group was interested in pendants. Evaluation of Alternatives: Price seemed to be big parameter. While going through the display, the group stopped at the ones that attracted their attention. The next question was invariably the price range of the pendant. The ones above a price range, generally anything over 1 lac, were dismissed quickly and the group moved on to the next one almost immediately. Purchase Decision: No purchase decision was made; the group looked disappointed when the salesperson ran out of options. The salesperson suggested that they can go for a custom design but the group did not seem to prefer that option. Post-purchase Behavior: The salesperson asked if they will like to be contacted if new designs come sometime in the future. To this they readily agreed, the salesperson made an entry into one of the diaries with him.

Group B Product: Books at second-hand book shop.

Address: Second-hand book shop on NH-8, close to IIM A campus. Date: 13th August 2011, visiting hours: 1730 to 1830 hrs. Observations: Location: The shop covered an area of 20x10 feet. It is located on a footpath with no built up area. The shop is located on the national highway so that the passing traffic could see it clearly. Shop Description: The books were placed on a plastic sheet which in turn was placed on the footpath. Some of the books were covered with a plastic sheet due to rain. The books were arranged under a tree and were grouped according to their genre. Although they were not arranged systematically, one could easily differentiate the genre of the book. Owner/Salesman Behavior: The owner was a middle aged man who was dressed shabbily and spoke Gujarati. He was chatting with another man and was sitting a little away from the books. He would come near the customers only when they asked for help or to fix a deal. He did not put any effort to attract the customers.

Customer 1 (Family: Father and daughter)

Information Search: The family came on a two-wheeler and stopped near the shop. It appeared as if they knew the location of this shop. The girl, aged around 6 years, asked her father to look for comics. The father in turn asked the shop keeper for comics. The shop keeper who was away from the pile came near and pointed out the lot with comics. Evaluation of Alternatives: The girl kept picking books and asking her father if they could buy it. The father took the selected books and after going through them he either kept them with him or placed it back in the lot. The girl was not completely happy with the choices that her father made. She kept nagging him for buying some more books but the father showed no interest.
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Purchasing Decision: After the girl scanned through the pile of comics she asked her father to buy the five books that he had with him. The father called the shop keeper and asked for the price of each book. He seemed unhappy after the shop keeper told him the rates. He kept two of the five books back and asked for a deal for the remaining books. The girl seemed to get angry on this action. The father and the shop keeper bargained for a while and then came to an agreement. Post-purchase Behavior: The girl did not want to leave and held her fathers hand. After a little while the father convinced her to leave. He paid cash to settle the bill. The bill amount would be around Rs. 70. They took around 10 minutes for shopping. The salesmen, though present, did not play any role during the process. Personal factors: The father did not show interest in his daughters choice. He made the decision depending on the price of the books.

Customer 2 (a lady dressed in casuals in her mid-30s)

Information Search: The lady was walking on the street when she spotted the shop. She came near the pile of books and without interacting with the shopkeeper started looking for books. It appeared as if she had seen this shop for the first time. Evaluation of Alternatives: The lady kept scanning through the books of different genre. It seemed as if she could not find the genre of her choice. She then asked for assistance to find English novels. The shop keeper helped her. She sat down near the pile of novels and started going through the pile. Whenever she found the book she was interested in, she opened it, probably to ensure if the book was in a good condition. Purchasing Decision: The lady after much of consideration chose two books and called the shopkeeper to ask for some more books which she could not find. The shopkeeper told her that he did not have those books. Then she asked for the rates of the two books and paid him the money that he quoted, without any bargaining. Post-purchase Behavior: The lady started walking again and the shopkeeper went and sat away from the books. She paid cash to settle the bill. The bill amount would be around Rs. 90. She took around 7 minutes for shopping. The salesmen, though present, did not play any role during the process.

Customer 3 (A man in his 40s)

Information Search: The man was riding his bike when he came across the shop. He stopped his bike and gave a quick glance to the books. Then he got down from his bike and asked the shop keeper for a specific mathematics book. Evaluation of Alternatives: The shopkeeper picked some mathematics books and showed them to him. The man quickly recognized the book that he was looking for.

Purchasing Decision: The man asked him for the price of the book. The shop keeper quoted the price as 90 Rs. The man bargained for a while and paid him 70 Rs and went back. He paid cash to settle the bill. The bill amount would be around Rs. 70. He took around 5 minutes for shopping. The salesmen helped him in finding the right book.

Comparative Analysis
Parameter Location Shop Interiors Salesperson attire Customer profile Decision to shop Salesmans attitude Selection of items Price Avg. time spent by each customer Payment mode Purchasing decision Jewellery Shop Posh: In a mall with three other jewellery shops Very lit, spacious and extremely comfortable environment Neatly dressed in formals Middle to upper middle class, well dressed Well planned Very helpful and courteous Customers knew what exactly they wanted The customers were concerned about the price, e.g.: 2nd customer: not much bargaining 30-40 minutes Cash/ Cheque After a lot of deliberation, group decision Book shop Roadside: On a footpath with no build up area Books were stacked on a plastic sheet and a plastic sheet covered the books from rain. Shabbily dressed Dressed in casuals, neatly dressed Spontaneous, except for one customer Indifferent Customers mostly knew the genre they wanted but did not know the exact book Customers bargained 7 minutes Cash only Customer attitude was more casual, individual decision