“Impact of Store Atmospheric & Fixtures on Consumer Behavior”

AMITY SCHOOL OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY
AMITY UNIVERSITY
Industrial Internship
“Impact of Store Atmospheric & Fixtures on Consumer Behaviour”
Internal Guide: SUBMITTED BY:
SHIKHA CHANTIYA VISHWA VARN
Industry Guide A7820413001
Rahul Singh MA-FRM, 3rd SEM
Amity School of Fashion Technology
AMITY UNIVERSITY, UTTAR PRADESH

DECLARATION
I VISHWA VARUNhereby declares that the project entitled
“Impact of Store Atmospheric & Fixtures on Consumer Behavior”
Carried out atLandmark Group, Max Fashion India has been submitted
during the academic year 2013-14 under the valuable guidance of Ashtha
Virmani,Rahul Singh, Rajiv Ranjan,other Department Managers at Max Fashion India
and My faculty atAmity School of Fashion Technology Ms.Pooja Verma, Director,
Amity School of Fashion Technology, Lucknow, Amity Universityand keen supervision
of Ms. Shikha Chantia in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the MA- Fashion
Retail Management (MA-FRM) degree of Amity University. Further I extend my
declaration that this report is my original work and was previously not formed the basis
for the award of any Master degree.
VISHWA VARUN
Enrollment No:A7820413001

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I extend my sincere acknowledgements toMs.Shikha Chantiamy teacherAmity University,
Lucknow, without her teaching, this research would have meant meaningless. I am greatly indebted
toMs.Pooja Verma, Director, Amity School of Fashion Technology ,Amity
University Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, for his encouragement, guidance and assistance in
availing this opportunity of practical training.
It gives me immense pleasure to acknowledge and thank all those who have given consistent guidance
like my family member Surabhi Singh, My Father, Shishram Shivrayan, Astha Virmani, Mridula Sahay
Mehrotra, Sanjay Saxena Advice and encouragement in my endeavor. I would also like to thank all those
persons who have spent their Valuable time to contribute the required information to me and gave me
support while doing this project.
I indebted to the reports published on “Impact of Store Atmospheric & Fixtures on
Consumer Behavior”. All data and graph belongs to the above reports, wherever used
have been duly acknowledged. Last but not least , I would like to thank God for giving me
the strength, determinat ion and courage to complete my studies .
VISHWA VARUN

Executive Summary
This study aimed at highlighting the impact of environmental factors on the
impulse buying behavior of shopper using a Stimulus and response model. In this
research, it is identified and explored how factors related to the environment of
purchase and emotional states may influence various dimensions of such kind of
behavior at Fashion Retail Store in Lucknow, India.
According to the results; consumer's emotions cannot be a mediating factor in the
impulse purchase process. The results indicate that seller guidance has a
significant impact on the impulse buying. We have concluded also that perceived
human crowding influence positively the behavior of Indian shoppers, whereas
the time pressure was not approved.
As max is the mass brand it covers middle class and lower middle class
consumers, upper middle class go for daily wear clothing’s.
Indian consumers are very much pricing sensitive, too much competition in
market, so its assortment planner responsibility to understand the consumer
profile of Max consumers and mood.
If consumer don’t find product as per need and taste, they go for another brand.
So right merchandising and trend forecasting .during assortment planning and
replenishment ask help for merchandise selection to sale executives of particular
region.
Sales people know better regarding old merchandise which is best seller during
previous season.
4 Amity School of Fashion Technology

Content
Chapter: 1-About Landmark Group 1-4
 About Max Fashion 4-6
 Hierarchy at Max Fashion 7-7
 Departments in Max Fashion 8-14
 Fixtures & settings at Max Fashion 15-15
 The Inner Circle 16-17
 Promotional activities by Max fashion & Season Cycle 18-18
Chapter: 2-Introduction 19-22
 Role of external stimuli on buying behaviour 23-26
 Modular Fixture and Systems in store Planning 27-30
 Situational Influences & atmospheric31-32
Chapter: 3-Objective 33-33
Chapter: 4-Hypothesis 34-34
Chapter: 5-Reserch Methodology 35-35
Chapter: 6-Data Collection 36-36
Chapter: 7- Findings 37-37
Chapter: 8-Reccomendation 38-39
Chapter: 9-Conclusion 40-40
Chapter: 10- Questionnaire 41-41
Chapter: 11-Bibliography 42-42

About Landmark
Founded in 1973 in Bahrain, the Landmark Group has successfully grown into one
of the largest and most successful retail organizations in the Middle East and
India. An international, diversified retail and hospitality conglomerate that
encourages entrepreneurship to consistently deliver exceptional value, the Group
operates over 1800 outlets encompassing over 24 million square feet across the
GCC, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria,
Tanzania, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Group employs over 50,000 people.
Philosophy & values:
Statement of Purpose
Creating exceptional value for all lives we touch.
Core values
 Passion for excellence
 Integrity in everything we do
 Empowering people to strive and deliver
 Adapting to changing market and consumer needs
Key strengths:
The Landmark Group has grown consistently in every market condition displaying
stability of performance and high value for our customers across the globe. Our
strengths lie on the four pillars of strategic business, efficient operations, logistics
and the people who drive our success as a group.
 Business
 Logistics
 Operations
 People

Business:
 Large and diversified retail formats with anchor stores in major malls
 Core businesses successfully developed in-house are now category leaders
 Investment in research and development enables constant innovation
 Well funded and strong financial discipline
Logistics:
 Efficient supply chain management
 Competitive global sourcing capabilities
 State-of-the-art IT systems and solutions
 Largest importer of non-food items in the Middle East handling over 63,000
TEU's per annum.
Operations:
 Cost efficient operations and optimum use of resources.
 Attractive, extensive customer loyalty programmes.
People:
 Decentralized decision making teams with hands-on management
capability.
 Continuous investment in human resource development and training.
Our businesses:
As one of the largest retail conglomerates in the Middle East and India, the
Landmark Group has a diverse portfolio of retail and hospitality brands.
 Retail Brands
 Hospitality Brands
 Mall Management

Retail Brands:
The Landmark Group provides value-driven products for the entire family through
a diverse portfolio of core retail brands:
 Centre point
 Baby shop
 Splash
 Shoe mart
 Lifestyle
 Iconic
 Max
 Shoe xpress
 Landmark International
 Home centre
 Emax
 Home box
 Sports one
Landmark retail dealing in India…..
The Landmark Group provides a value-driven product range for the entire family
through a diverse portfolio of core retail brands. This includes a host of home
grown brands in addition to international franchise offerings.
These brands have evolved to become the preferred choice for consumers and
are category leaders.

Fashion
 Splash
 Max
Home & Electronics
 Home centre
India
 Lifestyle Department Stores
 Auchan hypermarkets
About Max
Launched in the UAE in May 2004, Max is the largest value-fashion brand in the
Middle East and caters to the mid-market segment.
With over 226 stores across the Middle East, North Africa and India, Max plans to
expand its network to more markets within the region. With stores that typically
measure between 1,800 sq. m to 2,800 sq. m, the company sells its own-label
apparel for men, women and children, along with footwear and home
accessories. With a friendly shopping experience, Max delivers More Fashion
More Value.
Brand Vision: To be the leading value-fashion retailer in the region by offering
good products at great prices.
Brand Philosophy: To be fair and transparent in our business transactions with
all stakeholders and to provide maximum opportunities for growth.

Social Responsibility
Max, along with its parent company, Landmark Group, has come together to
make a difference to people’s lives. Supporting Landmark Group’s campaigns
across all its stores in the UAE, Max helped provide free breast cancer screenings
while raising money for a related support group. The activities saw Max and
Landmark Group bond with the local community while contributing to global
awareness about the disease.
Adding support on an individual level, every staff member sported breast cancer
awareness badges, and encouraged sales of the badges to raise money
and increase awareness. Other activities include:
Beat Diabetes:
Landmark Group organized the Beat Diabetes walkathons and free blood glucose
tests in six countries. Over 25,000 people joined the walks and more than 30,000
people took tests.
Dubai Cares:
Landmark Group extended its support to Dubai Cares, for its School Feeding
Programme; customers could donate AED 5 or more while making purchases at
the stores. The Group raised AED 731,000 in three months.
Waste Recycling:
The Group’s recycling initiative has helped recycle 1,632 tonnes of paper in the
last year, which is equivalent to saving 27,000 trees. Landmark Group also uses
biodegradable plastic bags, recycled paper bags, and jute and canvas shopping
bags.

Chairman's message
"At Landmark Group, our statement of purpose is 'creating exceptional value for
all lives we touch'. This is as true today as it was in 1973, when we started with
Baby shop in Bahrain.
The cornerstone of our philosophy is listening, adapting, and delivering
exceptional value. What sets us apart at Landmark Group is a strong and dynamic
culture of entrepreneurship."
God Bless.
Chairman
Micky Jagtiani

Management Hierarchy level
Here is explaining hierarchy of max at store level.
Area Manager
Assistant Store Manager
Departmental Manager
Senior Sales Executive
Sales executive
 Max offers apparels for whole Indian family from kids to adults and Men’s
to women’s, from ethnic to modern apparels.
 Max target consumer is middle class and lover middle class.
 As Max tagline says “Look Good, Feel Good”.
 If female wants to shop for daily wear she can get a t-shirt and kurtis in just
250 rupees onwards. Same with males.
 Max knows his target consumer and offer according to that.

Departments in Max Fashion
Max has following departments in each retail store
o Western wear Department
o Ethnic Wear Department
o Footwear Department
o Men’s Department
o Accessories Department
o Kid’s Wear Department
During my internship I studied each and every department with the range and
depth of department.
Each and every department has particular codes so that people can understand
the merchandise which it belongs.
Department Code:
Western wear department 52
Ethnic Wear department 48
Footwear Department 49
Men’s wear Department 51
Accessories Department 46
Kid’s Wear department 50

Average contribution of various departments in regular selling
Western wear department 20%
Ethnic Wear department 14%
Footwear Department 7%
Men’s wear Department 21%
Accessories Department 4%
Kid’s Wear department 22%
Concessional Department 12%
Product Categories:
On the basis of price band they categories products
o Basic
o Non Basic
Basic Products:
In this category product rage till 399.Simply one can say price of basic will always
be less than Non basic.
Daily wear apparels come under this segment.
Non basic products:
In this category product rage starts above 400.
Now I discus all the department one by one.

Western Wear Department:
 In this department western dresses are available for females.
 Here price starts
 Basic products start from 249-399.
 Non Basic products start from 400 and more.
CCP: Core Chest Print: 151 (For age more than 25)
YCP: Young Chest print: 152 (For age less than 25)
Sub sections in western wear department are as follows
o Essentials 157
o Denim 155
o Sporty 159
o Lingerie 163
o Night wear 158
Ethnic Wear Department:
This department has following sub sections
 Fusion
 Traditional
 Tavisha (Suit,Top,Higher cotton base embroidery work)
o CKD: Chudidar Kurta Dupatta
o SKD: Salwar Kurta Dupatta
Basic Products: Starts 399-499.
Non Basic products: 500 and more.

Product Line in ethnic wear Department:
o Short kurti
o Medium Kurti
o Knit Curidier :leggings
o Cotton churidar
o Salwar
o Dupatta
o Patiala
o Printed Patiala
Tavisha Line:
o CKD
o SKD
Fast fashion: Fusion
o Tunic Top
o Palazzo
o Dhoti pant
o Turkish Pant
o Fashion Tights
o Bottom
o Top
Fabric Used in ethnic wear departments:
o Cotton
o Polyester
o Viscose

Foot wears Department:
This department has 3 sub departments, as follows
Foot wear Department
Men’s Women’s Kids
Men’s Section:
In men’s section max have
 Shoes
 Sandals
 Max don’t have formal shoe’s
Women’s Section:
Sandal
 Fashion heel sandal 899
 Basic heel sandal 899
 Fashion flat sandal 899
 Basic flat sandal 899
Shoe:
 Ballerina shoe 799
 Casual shoe 499
 Canvas shoe 449
 Plastic Molded shoe 299

Kids section:
 Canvas shoe
 Sandal
 Plastic molded shoe
Men’s wear department:
Max offers following product categories for men’s
 Formal dress
Formal shirt 39 to 44
Formal trouser 28 to 38
 Semi formal dress
 CND: Casual Non Denim
 Casual dress
 Denim 28 to 38
 Sports
 Inner wear and Sleep wear
Sizes available in all categories
 Small is 39
 Medium is 40
 Large is 42
 XL is 44
 Double XL is 46
Fabric used in all categories
o In formal dresses fabric is Cotton + Polyester.
o In semiformal dresses fabric is Pure Cotton.

Accessories Department:
o Belt
o Bracelet
o Earring
o Finger Ring
o Bags
o Cushion
o Cotton bags
o Hand Bags
o Necklace
o Scarf
o Sling Bag
o Wallet
o Caps
o Hair accessories
Kids Department:
Max offers products for
o New born baby (till 6 months) Max only have bodysuit.
o Infants (till 6 months to 24 months)
o 2-8 year boy .Sizes available in this category are2-3, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8.
o 2-8 year girl.Sizes available in this category are 2-3, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8.
o 8-14 year boy. Sizes available in this category are 8-9, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-
14.
o 8-14 year girl.Sizes available in this category are 8-9, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-
14.
Codes for Basic and Non basic:
 Basic: 124
 Non basic: 125

Fixtures and setting used in Max Fashion
Fixtures and setting used in max Fashion India are as follows
o Gondola
o 4 way browser
o 6 way browser
o D-shape browser
o T-arm
o Step Arm
o Round Table
o Nesting Table
o A-Stand
o A-Rail
o Wall (area count in meters )
Concessional brands:
 Kappa (lifestyle brand)
 Mélange (lifestyle brand)
 Peter England
 W
 Bossini
 John Player
SOP: Standard of the Process.
 Max follows SOP designed by landmark group.
 Quality and service standard defined by group.
 Max follows human resource policies to employees.

TIC: The Inner Circle
 ‘The Inner Circle’ membership card is valid for a lifetime.
 The Inner Circle membership is voluntary and is open to Indian citizens who
have attained the age of 18 years.
 On receipt of your ‘The Inner Circle’ membership card, please sign on the
reverse of the card immediately.
 While making purchases at Lifestyle, Home Centre, Splash, Bossini, MAX,
Auchan, Gloria Jean’s Coffees & Polynation across India belonging to
associate companies of Landmark Group, please present your membership
card to the cashier before billing.
 The allotment and redemption of loyalty points will be solely at the
discretion of the associate companies of Landmark Group.
 For every net spends of Rs 100/-, points will awarded as per the below
table
Tier Lifestyle Auchan MAX Citymax Auchan
Silver 2 1 2 2 1
Gold 3 1 2 2 1
Platinum 4 2 2 2 2
 Member will be upgraded or downgraded based on the tier threshold
shopping value. The member will have up to 12 months from the month of
new tier status to retain, upgrade or downgrade the tier level. Tier status
will be updated at the beginning of every month. All spends considered for
tiring will be net of tax.
 The loyalty points can be redeemed at Lifestyle, Home Centre, Splash,
Bossini, MAX, Auchan, Gloria Jean’s Coffees & Poly nation across India. The
value of 1 point is equal to 60 paise. However, the loyalty points cannot be
redeemed for cash. The member will be required to present the
membership card at the time of redemption of the loyalty points.
 The card remains the property of associate companies of Landmark Group
and the cardholder will be the custodian of the same.

 The associate companies of Landmark Group reserve the right to withdraw
anyone or all of the cards issued by them. The associate companies of
Landmark Group will have limited liability to the card holder only to the
extent of the points available in the credit of the member /cardholder’s
account.
 The associate companies of Landmark Group reserve the right to refuse, to
award points or refuse the right to redeem points accumulated, for any
breach of these conditions or failure to pay for the purchases.
 The Inner circle program benefit cannot be clubbed with any other offer or
discount, viz. the loyalty points will not be awarded or earned in the
following cases
I Discounted or Marked down Merchandise.
ii Special offers, promotions or items excluded by the management.
iii Purchase of Gift Vouchers.
 Loyalty Points once redeemed against a purchase can in no event be re-credited.
 No cash refund will be entertained for purchases made by redeeming the
loyalty points in the case of purchase returns.
 The points credited to the account of the member shall be redeemed.
Points can be redeemed across any of the Landmark Group outlets at
Lifestyle, Home Centre, Max, Bossini, Auchan, Splash, Gloria Jean’s Coffees
& Polynation in India. At Lifestyle, Home Centre & Max stores points can be
redeemed real time at the cash counter. Gift Vouchers are issued in
multiples of Rs.100 at other Landmark Group outlets. Once redeemed, the
points balance becomes nil, or if there is any remaining points, it gets
carried forward to the account.
 ‘The Inner Circle’ membership will be issued solely at the discretion of the
management and the final discretion on all matters relating to the
membership shall rest with the associate companies of Landmark Group.
 The Inner Circle Membership Cards lost shall be the sole responsibility of
the cardholder and such loss should be intimated to any of the associate
companies of Landmark Group immediately

Promotional Activities at Max Fashion
Its shop o’clock! Check out the latest offers, promotions and sales from max.
 Max Trenday
 Women’s day out
 End of season sale
 Max kids festival
Season Cycle:
Spring
Season Cycle
1) Spring: This season starts from February and ends in April end.
2) Summer: This season starts from May and ends in June.
3) Pre Autumn: This season starts from July and ends in the month of October.
4) Winter:This season starts from November and ends in the month of January.
Summer
Pre Autumn
Winter

Chapter: 2-Introduction
In today’s keen competitive environment store image and atmosphere are
recognized by retailers as important factors influencing customers’ decision
making processes.
Kotler was the first person to define atmospheric ….
“The conscious designing of space to create certain effects in buyers. More
specifically, atmospherics is an effort to design buying environment to produce
specific emotional effects in the buyer that enhance his purchase probability”
Moreover, the term atmospherics refers to the stimuli in the store environment
which have a direct influence on customers purchase behavior.
Four dimension of store atmosphere
a. Visual /Light
b. Sound
c. Fragrance /Smell
d. Touch
To understand how impulse buying occurs, we have to start from scratch and first
have a look at the “normal/planned buying process” before moving onto the
“impulse buying making process”.
The purchasing process starts with need recognition – the buyer recognizes a
need.
This recognized need can be triggered by internal or external stimuli. Once the
need is identified, consumer will start seeking for information. At this level,
consumer will process the information and may take the buying process to the
next level, which is the purchase decision.

Finally, he will assess his satisfaction or dissatisfaction toward the purchased
product. This final step is crucial for the store because a satisfied customer may
develop loyalty towards the store where he bought the item. The process will
start over, as the consumer needs another product
This buying decision process is shaped by social, marketing and situational
influences.
Firstly, social factors involve geographic and sociologic influences, which are
culture, subculture, social class and family that affect the consumer’s behaviour
through direct and indirect messages and feedbacks.
Sticking to the social factors, reference groups also affect consumers’ thoughts,
feelings, and actions. Secondly, marketing influences, known as the 4P’s (Product,
Price, Place, Promotion), also have an impact on the process.
Finally, situational influences, which can be described as the characteristics of the
situation or the circumstances surrounding the shopping trip.
Those include the physical surroundings, social surroundings, time, task,
monetary conditions, and monetary moods. Among those situational influences,
some of them will be later explain in further details within the external motivator
Unlike planned purchase, impulse buying does not result from an information
search to satisfy a particular requirement since the fulfillment may come from the
act of shopping itself.
Consumers impulse buying process begins now with browsing, followed by create
desire before entering the purchase and the post purchase stage.They are also no
longer affected by social, marketing and situational influences but by internal and
external factors

Internal Motivators:
o Self discrepancy
o Hedonic needs
o Self regulatory resource availability
o Autistic stimuli
o Social status
o Subjective well being
External Motivators:
o Visual stimulus
o Self service
o Store environment
o Discounts
o Display
o Shelf space
o Ambient factors
o Social factors
o Perceived crowding
o Ownership of credit card
o Shopping format
This internal and external stimulus helps in buying behaviour of consumers.
Browsing Create Desire Purchase Decision Post Purchase Evaluation
“Impulse buying process”

Mood states play also an importance role that leads to impulse buying. Some
people lose themselves in impulse purchase in order to relieve unpleasant mood
but also to cheer up themselves similarly.
Feeling states are potential motivator for impulse buying.

Role of External stimuli on buying behaviour
Unlike internal motivators, external factors are those that retailers can influence.
Here, consumer impulse purchasing behavior is influenced and triggered by many
shop related factors such as visual stimulus, shopping format, self-service, store
environment, discounts, display, shelf space, ambient factors, social factors
perceived crowding, ownership of credit card
Visual Stimulus:
Visual stimulus encountered accidentally by the shopper can generally be the
product itself or promotional signage .consumer impulse buying is driven by the
environmental stimulus and is followed by an unexpected urge to obtain it (I see I
want to buy).
According to previous research on “impulse buying” related to “encounter with
the object”, the latter one is seen as a very powerful trigger to the act of impulse
buying is hard for consumers to refrain from the urge in the moments following
their encounter with the object. Therefore, touching, tasting, sniffing and physical
proximity with the product bolster the desire to purchase it.

Role of Visual Merchandising:
As presentation of goods is often the most crucial factor in decision-making
retailers place more importance on visual merchandising in order to differentiate
their offers from others due to the similarity of merchandize nowadays.
The primary purpose of merchandising is the presentation of products in a way
that causes them to be sold quickly, and at the highest possible retail margin.
Merchandising also seduces and charms your customers into add-on sales. With
careful consideration, retailers can relate directly to their customers and obtain
customer loyalty through careful branding and attractive stores.
 Create awareness among customers about a product and provide relevant
information about it;
 Remind customers about the benefits of a product and of its availability;
 Encourage customers to buy a particular product or brand;
 Maximize the utilization of space, while at the same time making the
buying
 Experience as easy as possible for customers;
 Reinforce the retailer’s communications campaign;
 Assist the customers in locating, evaluating and selecting a product.
Visual merchandising maintains the stores image through effective graphic
designs and attractive visual arts with the purpose to attract, engage and
motivate the customer towards making a purchase.
Makes it easier for customers to shop.
Assists customers with the possibilities of coordinating and accessorizing.
Recommends highlights and demonstrates particular products at strategic
locations.

There are several techniques used to deliver great merchandising solutions:
o Creating themes/stories
o Co-ordination
o Blocking by style/type
o Using color (complementary or contrasting)
o Symmetry and balance
o Repetition
Creating Themes and Stories:
Don't limit visual merchandising themes to winter, spring, summer and autumn.
Try to use at least six different themes in a year. Think about using special events
such as Mothers Day, Valentines, back to school, festivals and local events.
Think about how the merchandise 'sits together' does it tell a story? Dare to be
different. Unusual and big displays attract interest.
People love novelty and something they haven't seen before. Look for inspiration
from the Internet, films, books and most importantly other retailers. The best
ideas may come from what they have tried and tested.

Store Layout Management:
 Store Image is the overall perception of the customer has of the store’s
environment.
 Effectively utilization of Store space.
 The more merchandise customers are exposed to, the more they tend to
buy i.e. Store Tourism.
Purpose of Planning Fixtures:
Merchandise presentation includes the ways that goods are hung, placed on
shelves, or otherwise made available for sale in retail stores.
Shoulder-out presentation:
The way most garments are hung in home closets with only one side showing
from shoulder to bottom.
Face-forward presentation (face-out presentation):
Hanging of clothing with the front fully facing the viewer. This should always be
done at entrances and aisles.
To utilize the maximum space of the store it’s very important to do the well
managed planogram.
Select the right fixture as per the space and merchandise to be displayed.
Today various types of fixtures in use. Such kind of fixture comes under category
of modular fixtures

Modular Fixtures and Systems in Store Planning
A modular system is one designed in sections or pieces that can be added to or
subtracted from as needed.
This wall system combines 4-foot wall panels with 2-foot panels, and they are
connected by vertical slotted standards that hold the assorted hardware available
for the system: hang-rods, shelf brackets, books, bins, and so on. In addition, the
panels are finished with drilled holes so that hangers or forms can be pegged into
them for merchandise display.
A modular system consists of same-size, interchangeable units or elements that
can be combined to make up a specified modular size, for example, a 2-foot
module made up of a single 2-foot unit or two 1-foot elements.
Most important in a modular system are the strict adherence to the dimensions,
the detailing of the connections and connectors, the availability of accessories,
and the ability to rearrange parts visually and easily.

Retail Fixtures
Carousels: Circular racks that turn.
Dump tables/bins:
A rimmed table or bin used to hold sale or special merchandise on the sales floor,
especially in discount operations; it has no formal
arrangement
It can be in any material like Metal, Plastic, and
Wooden.
Four-way rack:
A fixture with four extended arms, that permits accessibility to hanging
merchandise all the way around.

Rounder:
Circular racks on which garments are hung around the entire circumference.
T-Stand:
Freestanding, two-way stand in the shape of a T, which holds clothes on hangers,
sometimes with one straight arm and one waterfall.
Waterfall:
A fixtures with an arm that slants downward, that contains knobs to hole face-forward
hangers with clothing at various levels.

Situational Influences and Atmospherics
The three major situational influences are Time, Place and Conditions.
Time—If a customer is in a hurry or the store is crowded this can change the way
information is processed. The customer may not have time to consider all the
brand alternatives and this will affect what they purchase.
Point-of-purchase displays
Such display can attract attention to a brand and produce a greater likelihood of
purchasing that brand. For example, an end-of-aisle display featuring a particular
brand of snack food will increase purchases of this brand over normal shelf sales.
Color:
Colors mean different things to different cultures, and the store (or website)
needs to have full understanding of colors and their meanings. Colors are used to
affect customers and in most cases they won’t even know it! In the US red is an
energy color and is often used to stimulate the appetite, where as blue is a
calming color.
Smell:
The study of smell and how they affect shopping habits is just beginning, however
we already know one thing—if a store smells bad, customers won’t shop long!
Music:
Music influences a customers’ mood. Slow tempo music relaxes the customer and
causes them to linger in the store longer, whereas fast tempo music may be
better for stores and restaurants that need rapid turnover. Music isn’t just about
speed, the type of music must match the store. A Texas barbeque themed
restaurant would attract more customers with country music rather than pop
music.

Crowds:
Crowds are always going to lead to negative shopping experiences. The more
crowded a store is the more likely customers are going to feel confined and
unhappy and will find a way to spend less time in the store and may make
uninformed shopping decisions.
Promotional deals:
Such as off sales or 2-for-the-price-of-1, offer an economic purchase incentive.
This is done quite often in the promotion of frequently purchased products like
toothpaste.
Stock out means that:
Stock out meansa store has run out of a product (or has not restocked the
product) and this can lead to brand switching or store switching. There are several
things a customer would do in this situation.
Physical Features:
Décor, lights, sounds, weather, employee clothing, store layout and visible
configuration of shelves and merchandise. All of these things combine to create
feelings in customers.
A department store that wants to sell expensive clothing needs to have stylish
fixtures, colors and furnishings, and the employees should fit into this stylish
atmosphere.
Sales personnel can often persuade a consumer to purchase or not purchase a
particular brand based on their mood, attitude, clothing and knowledge of the
products.
Store layout can also affect brand purchase as well as the total in-store
expenditure.

Chapter: 3-Objective
 Objective of my study to understand the consumer behavior in today’s
retail apparel business.
 What are the factors which influencing consumer behaviour.
 What is the role of store atmospherics in consumer buying behaviour?
 Is there any relation in consumer buying behaviour and store format, store
display?
 To study the factors which influence consumers to buying apparel
products?
 Objective to find the consumer needs?

Chapter: 4-Hypothesis
Aims to discover whether there is a significant relationship, correlation between
customers’ impulse buying behavior and the layout of the studied store and if this
visual merchandising technique enhances this behavior.
I intents to find out whether there is a significant relationship, correlation
between customers’ impulse buying behavior and the way products are placed on
the stores’ shelves and if this visual merchandising technique enhances this
behavior.
What are the factors which influencing consumer behaviour.
What is the role of store atmospherics in consumer buying behaviour?
Is there any relation in consumer buying behaviour and store format, store
display?
To study the factors which influence consumers to buying apparel products?

Chapter: 5-Reserch Methodology
This study was conducted with the following methods
Observation methods
Direct interaction and solving queries of consumers. To find out the affect of
visual merchandising on buying behavior of customers.
I frequently asked question to consumer’s sample of questioaire attached in last.
Sample size:
100
Location:
Max fashion India, Fun Republic Shopping Mall, Lucknow.
Data Source:
Both secondary data and primary data were used for the information generation.
The inferences were drawn mainly from primary source by making them fill
questionnaire

Chapter: 6-Data Collection
 During the study, five important factors (quality, price, variety, design and
visual merchandising) affecting the purchase of apparels have been
identified.
 Data collection by following methods
 Direct interaction and solving queries of consumers. To find out the affect
of visual merchandising on buying behavior of customers.
 I frequently asked question to consumer’s sample of questioaire attached
in last.

Chapter: 7- Findings
As window display is the face of store, it must need to change on regular basis.
Visual display change as per seasons and latest arrival in the stores.
Which apparels are displayed in store branding was not available in store.
Music was also not happening in the store to set consumer mood.
Assortment planning need improvement. Which products are not moving are still
displayed in sections.
Fast moving product need to replenish as soon as product move from store.
Inventory management & assortment planning in store from corporate office is
poor.
Like in kids department consumers were looking for more ethnic and party
dresses.
Max doesn’t have kurta form men’s so many consumer asked.
Relationship between sales executive presentation and consumer behaviour.
Shopping basket is necessary to give every consumer?
Consumer behaviour on product out of stock.
Accessories department product width & depth (Assortment).
So many consumer asked for resting area.

Chapter: 8-Reccomendation
Windows display acts as a stimulus for the customers to enter the store. It has
various benefits like displaying best merchandize, providing information about
new arrivals and attracting price sensitive customers by displaying promotional
merchandise therefore retailers should put up an attractive and informational
display.
Visually appealing stores and outlets did help the respondents to create an image
of the brand in the minds of the customers.
There should be proper relation between the season and the products displayed.
The store environment should be warm, welcoming and friendly giving a
customer a memorable shopping experience.
Music is played in retail store not with the objective of providing entertainment
but for influencing buying behavior.
The Store should be organized logically like proper groups and categories should
be mentioned, so that all merchandize of one type, color, and size is positioned
together helping the customer to make a clear choice.
Do proper assortment planning from corporate to store level as per trend and
past sale.
Ask to sales associate regarding assortment for particular region.
Introduce ethnic and party dresses in required sections.
Play Hindi songs, soft music, very irritating songs play in max.
Product used in branding must available in store.
Replenishments in all categories available in store. No out of stock situation.

Weekly store manager need to take meeting of all store employees.
Sales executive grooming & presentation in front of consumer makes a big
difference in purchase. I think max uniform must need a change for good.
Offering Shopping basket is good, butit’s not necessary to go with shopping
basket to customer, customer feel irritated sometimes. Consumer wantsfree
space to think and decide.
Max running out of stock in many categories, on moving stock stored in stock. It
needs improvement.
In accessory department also introduce Bronze, Copper, and Silver Jewellery.
Improve consumer and sales people interaction; way of interaction must be
different from shopping basket.
It may be some fabric knowledge, Washing pros and cons, how to improve life of
garment, something interesting.
Why not introducing some CREDIT facility for students, either students can
deposit small amount in installments and shop after 3 or 6 month of whole
amount they deposited.
Introduced resting area in store if possible in all the departments. So many
consumers complained.

Chapter: 9-Conclusion
One major finding is that visualmerchandising influences young customers’
impulse buying behavior. The selectedvisual merchandising techniques have each
been found significantly correlated toyoung customers’ impulse buying tendency.
The data provided sufficient evidenceregarding significant relationships between
impulse buying and in-store productdisplays and product shelf position.
Even though significant relationships haven’t been found between
customers’impulse buying tendency and store layout and promotion signage, the
results provedthat these variables are significantly correlated to impulse buying.
The result of the study states that there is a directional relationship
betweenyoung customers’ impulse buying behaviors and two visual
merchandisingtechniques: in-store product display and product shelf position.
The findings implythat young consumers tend to make purchases on impulse
when exposed to thestimuli from the two techniques.

Questionnaire: Measurement of buying behaviour
Did you buy any item impulsively i.e. items that you didn’t plan tobuy before
entering the store but you end up buying it ? Yes or No
If so, what did you buy?
Section-A Consumer Buying Behaviour
Strongly disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5
1 I often buy things spontaneously.
2 "Just do it" describes the way I buy things.
3 I often buy things without thinking.
4 "I see it, I buy it" describes me.
5 "Buy now, think about it later" describes me.
6 Sometimes I feel like buying things on the spur of the moment.
7 I buy things according to how I feel at the Moment.
8 I carefully plan most of my purchases.
9 Sometimes I am a bit reckless about what I buy.
10 I tend to purchase unintended products while trying to find a specific
product.
Section- B Influence of Store Layout and Fixtures
Strongly disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly agree
1 2 3 4 5
11 I tend to buy product while walking towards to back walls or sidewalls
of stores where meat section and/or dairy product are placed.
12 When I enter a store I tend to walk directly towards the products I
have planned to buy
13 When I enter a store I tend to head toward the Latest apparels.
14 When I enter a store I tend to follow the store layout while browsing
the store.

Chapter: 11-Bibliography
 Data collected during study
 Marketing by Philip Kotler
 Consumer behavior
 http://www.marketingteacher.com/consumer-behavior-atmospherics/
 Visual Merchandising
 Landmark Group website
 http://www.landmarkgroup.com/about-landmark/philosophy-values.
html
 Google
 Wikipedia

“Impact of Store Atmospheric & Fixtures on Consumer Behavior”

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