INTERCONTINENTAL JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH REVIEW

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1 ABSTRACT A STUDY ON COMPETITION BENCHMARKING OF SPORTS SECTION IN JUBILANT RETAIL, TOTAL SUPERSTORE, BANGALORE *C.P MOHAMMED FAHIM **Dr. L. SURESH MALLYA *Final year PGDM, SCMS Cochin School of Business, Cochin **Professor, SCMS Cochin School of Business, Cochin This study is about the competition benchmarking of sports section in Total Superstore. The report provides an idea about the benchmarking of a store and also about the major players of sports goods in hyper format in Bangalore. The study also benchmarks the sports section of Total Superstore with its immediate competitors. The research helps to find and sort out the gap in sport section of the store in comparison to others; thereby it helps to enhance the sports section of the store and to be the best in the market. For benchmarking, data from competitors was collected through observation and direct interviews with sales persons. A structured questionnaire was also constructed to find out customer satisfaction of sports section in Total superstore. The primary data was collected through observation, questionnaire and direct interviews. Secondary data was collected from websites and company reports.the study finds that Total superstore is one of major players in sports goods in terms of the assortment. Customers find the product price of sports goods cheaper in Total Superstore than other stores. In most of the hypermarket brand presence in sports section was found less. A new assortment has to be made by sorting out the gaps in the sports section in order to be the best in the market. Tie ups with some of the brands will be useful to enhance the feel of the sports Branded products have to be included in new assortment. Marketing in local games and sports fest can attract many sports customers. Findings were substantially based on information given by the respondents and data collected through observation. However subjective bias cannot be completely ruled out. Jubilant Retail Jubilant Retail is a Bangalore-based retail chain running state-of-the-art hypermarkets and malls. The company has a significant presence in the Retail segment through five hypermarkets and malls in Bangalore where it is the second largest chain in the city offering value for money to the customer. The hypermarkets branded as 'Total' are designed on the lines of international shopping malls. The group's focus on innovation is also reflected in this segment where its strategy of 'farm to fork' has led them closer to the farmers who gets better price for their produce through cash and carry system and also results in the company offering fresh - farm good quality products at an affordable price to the customers. Objectives of the Research To identify the major factors in benchmarking the sports section of the Total superstore. To study the competitors in terms of the major factors identified for benchmarking the sports To benchmark sports section in order to achieve competitive advantage over the competitors. To analyse the customer satisfaction of the sports section in Total Superstore. Scope of the Study 16

2 The study was conducted for the duration of three months at Jubilant Retail, Total Superstore. The project provides an idea about the benchmarking process of a store. The findings of the project help to benchmark the quality of the services and products in sports section of Total Superstore with their immediate competitors. The project helps to find and sort out the gap in sport section of the store in comparison to the other market players thereby it helps to enhance the sports section of the store and to be the best in the market. Type of Research Descriptive research is done in this study. Descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program, or provides information about, say, living condition of a community, or describes attitudes towards an issue. Research Tools Observation, Interview and Questionnaire survey methods were adopted for completing the data collection in this research. The questionnaire was chosen as it provides a more comprehensive view than any other research tool. A typical five level Likert Scale is also used to mark the responses. Questionnaires were constructed based on the following types- Open ended questions as well as Close ended questions. Sampling Plan Sample: The sample frame is sports market of Bangalore and customers of sports goods in Total Superstore. Sample Size: Four competitors of Total Superstore and hundred customers of sports goods in Total Superstore, chosen by random sampling method. Data Collection Primary Data: Data of competitors were collected by observation and personal interview with sales persons and satisfaction of customer was found out by direct interaction with the customers with the help of questionnaire. Secondary Data: The secondary data have been compiled from the internal and external sources. The internal source includes the information from the company reports, journals etc. Besides this, a number of discussions were held with the authorities concerned. The external data are from the websites and literature on competition benchmarking of a store. Data Analysis The primary data and secondary data were analysed using observation, interview and graphical presentation. Statistical tools used: Tables, frequency charts and pie charts have been used to analyse the data. Microsoft Excel was mainly used for analysis. 17

3 Limitations of the Study Accuracy of this report is restricted and limited by the degree of authenticity of data collected and sincerity and honesty of respondents. The study was conducted with a limited number of samples. The findings were substantially based on information given by the respondents and in many cases, subjective bias cannot be completely ruled out. Findings Benchmarking with competitors From the competitors data which were collected through observation and personal interview with the sales persons, the Total Superstore can be considered as one of the major players in hyper format in sports goods business in Bangalore. From the study conducted the following findings are made. As the study was focused only on hypermarket, most of the hypermarkets kept only basic products in sports section with more focus on cricket Sports section in hypermarkets focus more on middle class range products. In most of the hypermarkets the brand presence in sports section was found low. Hyper city and More are considered as the major competitors for Total Superstore in sports Total Superstore is a major player in hyper format in sports section in terms of assortment. Big bazaar and Auchan have very less assortment in sports Display and layout of sports section in Hypercity can be considered as one of the best in the market. Customer satisfaction of sports section The satisfaction of customer of sports section was found out through questionnaire and personal interviews. Some of the interesting findings were: Customers find the product price in sports section cheaper in Total Superstore than the other stores. Most of the customers find it easy to reach the product with the help of signage boards and most of them find offer board helpful in their purchase. The product availability has to be increased in sports section of Total Superstore as less number of customers find their desired products. Majority of the customers rate the behaviour as satisfactory which has to be improved. Suggestions and recommendations After conducting competitor survey and customer satisfaction survey in sports section of Total Superstore, following suggestions and recommendations are made: New assortment in sports section has to be made with more number of SKUs and wide range of products. 18

4 More branded products have to be included in the sports Products from brands like Nivia and Yonex can be introduced more. Good tie ups with well known sports suppliers could enhance the sports category. The display and layout of sports have to be improved in order to enhance the aesthetics and feel of the sports Branding of different brands in sports section will help to improve the look and feel of the Marketing has to be more aggressive for the sports section in order to compete with local players. Marketing in some local sports and games fest will be a good idea to attract more sports lovers to the store. Wide range of sub categories can be added to make the store a sports destination. Conclusion From the study of competitors of Total Superstore in sports section, Hypercity and More Mega store can be considered as the major competitors in sports Total Superstore is also a major player in sports section in Bangalore. The local kirana sports shops pose major competition to the hyper markets. As a department store Total Superstore has a good range of products in sports The display and layout of sports section has to be improved in order to enhance the category. Total Superstore has a competitive pricing of sports products. More brand and quality products have to be introduced into the sports Total Superstore has to allocate trained sales persons to the sports Total Superstore can become the leader in the sports section in hyper format by including more range and variety of products as they have a large customer base in Bangalore. The location of Total Superstores is also a major advantage. Bibliography Books Kothari, C. R.. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Delhi: New Age International, Kotler, Philip. Marketing Management. India: Pearson Education, Dorling Kindersley Pvt. Ltd., Saxena, Rajan. Marketing Management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill, Websites Decathlon sets off with 100 fdi in sports retail. (n.d.). Retrieved from Forbes india: : decathalon-sets-off-with-100-fdi-in-sportsretail/#ixzz2fkgjkyzi Indian sports industry. (n.d.). Retrieved from bharathividyapeeth: KIT:sports goods market in india. (2013, march 28). Retrieved from Business standards: _1.html Mukherjee, A., goswami, R, & Goyal, T. M. (N.D.). Sports retailing in india: oppportunities,constraints and way forward. Retrieved from eaber: 19

5 Appendix Questionnaire Name: Age: Place: 1. Is the price of products in the sports section cheaper in comparison to other stores? Yes No 2. Is it easy to reach or find the products? Yes No 3. Is the desired product available? Yes No 4. Is the signage board or offer board helping you for the purchase in sports section? Yes No 5. Rate the behaviour of our Sales persons/ promoters Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor 6. Rate the functioning of Billing Counter Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor 7. Any suggestion to enhance the sports category Thank you for your valuable Time and kind cooperation 20