A PROJECT REPORT ON

STUDY OF CUSTOMER PREFERNCE TOWARDS

APPARELS AT MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH
AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR AT SOUTH AVENUE MALL,
JABALPUR"
(Submitted in partial fulfillment for the Degree of MBA to Rani Durgavati
Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur)

SUBMITTED BY:
DIVYA DUBEY,
MBA III Semester
2013-2015

GYAN GANGA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND

SCIENCE
NEAR BARGI HILLS, TILWARA ROAD,
JABALPUR (MP)

CERTIFICATE
TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN

This is to certify that this Miss. Divya Dubey is the student of MBA III Semester at Gyan Ganga
Institute of Technology And Science, Jabalpur.
I hereby certify that the project work on customer preferences regarding apparels at MAX
RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR is an original and genuine work
carried out in the partial fulfillment of the requirement of masters of business administration for
the year 2013- 2015. The information is true and original to the best of my knowledge.

DR ANIL KUMAR DHAGAT

(DIRECTOR, MBA)

DECLARATION
I, Divya Dubey, hereby declare that the dissertation work entitled Customer Preference
Regarding Apparels at MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR is
carried out by me and submitted as under the requirement of Master of Business Administration
degree from Gyan Ganga Institute of Technology and Science, for the session 2013-2015.
I hereby authenticate that all the information furnished by me are true to my knowledge and
information and facts furnished by me are based on my own findings and as per the information
furnished to me by MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR.

Divya Dubey
(MBA IIIrd SEM)
BATCH-2013-2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my guide Mr. Nitin Shukla (Area Store Manager, MAX, Jabalpur) for
guiding me through my summer internship and research project. His encouragement, time and
effort were greatly appreciated.
I would like to thank Mr. Anil Kumar Dhagat (director, MBA) and all the members of Gyan
Ganga Institute Of Technology And Science for their guidance and support which was essential
in the completion of this project.
Lastly but not the least, I would like to thank all the respondents who offered their valuable time
and opinions towards the survey that helped me take out conclusions that lead to the completion
of the project.

Divya Dubey
(MBA IIIrd SEM)
BATCH-2013-2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Executive summary
i. -about the topic
ii. -objectives of the study

2. Introduction
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

-company profile
-vision
-mission
-Core values and list of awards

3. Research methodology
4. Data collection and topic analysis
5. Findings,
6. conclusions
7.

Suggestions.

8. Annexure
i. -questionnaire
9. Bibliography

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

About the topic covered

A study of customer preferences towards apparels at MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH

AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR is a descriptive study aiming at assuming the level of consumer
satisfaction and the factors that had influenced customer preference. Thorough investigation of
the fore mentioned topic was done to find out the perceptions that conceive inside the people
when they are offered various brands under the same roof and the pattern they undertake while
making appropriate selections from among the various brands made available to them. To reach
the final conclusions various stools of analysis were undertaken and are presented
diagrammatically in the fore coming pages of the project work.

Objectives of the study:

1. To study the impact of various factors such as price, payment system, variety, discounts,
and various offers offered in relation to the demand for apparels at MAX RETAIL
OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR.
2. To know the degree of satisfaction derived by the consumers.

3. To find out the alternative choice of consumers in case of non availability of the
preferred brand.
4. Finding out the factors that lead the customer to the targeted multi brand retail outlet.

introduction

COMPANY PROFILE

MAX is the international value fashion brand of the Dubai based Landmark Group.
Established in 2004 in the UAE, Max has become the largest value fashion brand in
India and the Middle East with over 200 stores across 15 countries; offering customers
a one stop shop for clothing, accessories and footwear needs for the entire family.
MAX India, a division of Lifestyle International (P) Ltd., has pioneered the concept of
value fashion in the country, thereby offering the discerning shopper a vast choice with
international fashion & quality.
It offers apparel, footwear & accessories that are of the latest fashion trends at a great
price, making it affordable to many. Max has its own label merchandise of in house
designs and planned color palettes for the season. Every season Max introduces a
fresh collection of international designs specially customized to the Indian market. The
brand adapts to the changing needs of the shopper every season and accordingly
introduces new designs, silhouettes & fabrics.
In India, MAX was established in the year 2006 with its first store in Indore. Now, Max
has around 105 stores across 45 cities with over 3500 employees
The store ambience offers an international shopping experience making shopping for
the entire family an absolute delight. Max focuses on strong visual elements at the store
for engaging customers while they are in store. The stores are designed for easy
navigation with distinct category display to facilitate customers in easily locating product
they are looking for.

The target audience for Max India is primarily is contemporary middle class family and
young working couples within the age group of 25 to 35 yrs. As Max has positioned itself
as a youth brand, it also targets teenagers and college students within the age group of
18 to 24 years.
Max is reaching out to customers in Tier II towns through brand initiatives like Max
Fashion Icon which addresses the aspirations of the stylish youth of the city and Max
Little Icon which captures the interest of family oriented markets.
The Inner Circle' in a unique loyalty program, with current membership base of over 3.8
million customers, has emerged as one of India's leading loyalty programs offering
customers rewards and exclusive benefits. It helps the loyal customers to get more
value every time they shop at Landmark Group outlets.
Max has its footprints in Mumbai, Delhi/NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad,
Pune, Bhopal, Indore, Kochi, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Jabalpur, Nagpur, Raipur,
Surat and various such cities.
The brand plans to have a network of 120 stores by the end of the financial year.

VISION

To create a truly global brand that provides growth opportunities for the company and its
employees, whilst achieving its goal of becoming the number one value fashion retailer
across the Middle East & India.

MISSION

Be a market leader in the field of value retailing.

Provide fashionable products at affordable prices.

Be innovative, cost effective and globally competitive.

Exceed our customers expectations.

Provide opportunities of growth for our employees.

THE CORE VALUES

Constant focus and development on the product & value offered.

Continuous improvement of the customers shopping experience.

Commitment towards staff training & development.

Encouraging open work culture.

List of awards

2014
Indian CEO of the year

2014
Superbrands status

2014
World Retail Awards - Finalist

2013
World Retail Awards - Finalist

2013
Images Retail Awards - Finalist

2013
Superbrands status

2012
Superbrands status

2011
Superbrands status

Research methodology

MEANING:

By research methodology we mean the systematic study of any discipline and the path that has
been followed to take out various conclusions after taking into consideration the data so
collected, analyzed and interpreted by way of various statistical as well as non-statistical tools.

TYPES OF METHODOLOGY

Qualitative
Quantitative
Questionnaires

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

I.

Survey
Interviews
Focus groups
Census
Observational study
Experiments

THE STUDY
A study on customer preference towards apparels at MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH
AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR is a descriptive study aiming at assuming the level of
consumer satisfaction and factors that had influence the same. In the study the data has
been collected through conducting a questionnaire among the customers that were present
at the retail outlet.

II.

THE DESIGN

Non probability convenient sampling technique will be used to collect the data .Area of
the study has been restricted to South Avenue Mall, Gwarighat Road, Jabalpur. The study
of customer preference through MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL,
JABALPUR will be made through Questionnaire method which contained open ended
questions. Furthermore, the data collected has been presented in the form of bar diagrams
and a comparative study has been done and conclusions have been formed.
III.

THE SAMPLE

The sample size of 100 respondents has been picked up at random and is asked to fill in
the questionnaire. The sample of 100 respondents so collected has been collected without
any gender bias and on the basis of convenience.
IV.

THE TOOLS

A. For data collection:

The study based on primary data. The required information was collected through the
questionnaire from the customers directly by interviewing them.
B. For data Analysis:

Appropriate statistical tool such as comparison tables and bar diagrams are used for
the purpose of the analysis of the data.
V.

LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

The present study is an opinion survey. The analysis has been carried out based upon the
information collected from the respondents. The result of the study applies more specially to the
consumers in Jabalpur and care has to be exercised in extending the result to other area.

DATA COLLECTION AND

TOPIC ANALYSIS

INTERPRETATION OF THE AGE GROUP OF THE PEOPLE WHO USUALLY

VISITED THE RETAIL STORE THE MOST
15yrs-20yrs
20yrs-25yrs

7%
36%

26yrs-30yrs
31yrs-40yrs
40yrs and above

28%
27%
9%

age group of the customers

20yrs-25yrs
40yrs and above

26yrs-30yrs
15yrs-20yrs

8%

31yrs-40yrs

7%
33%

25%
26%

After analysis and interpretation it was found that most of the respondents belonged to the age
group of 20 to 25 years that formed almost 36% of the total 100 respondents. The next in the row
were the people who belonged to the age group of 26 to 30 years and out of total they were
around 28%. The people of the age group of 31 to 40 years and above were also the respondents.
It was also seen that interest towards the choice of apparels was also driven among the yong
generation of the society ranging from 15years to 20 years (7%).
So, it is evident from the above explanation that people of all the age groups visited the retail
outlet MAX.

INTERPRETATION OF THE GENDER THAT VISITED MAX MOSTLY

Males

28%

females

72%

gender
females

males

28%

72%

ANALYSIS
Clearly seen that it I the females shoppers that mostly visited the retail outlet rather than the
percentage of the males. Females comprised 72% of the total respondents, however, the males
respondents were 28% of the total.
Through analysis it was also seen that on weekends this ratio fluctuated due to work offs.

INTERPRETATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OF THE SHOPPERS

AT MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR
scholars

9%

Under graduates
Graduates
Post graduates

64%
25%
11%

Educational qualification
under grauates
post graduates

10%

graduates
scholars

24%

38%
29%

ANALYSIS
Apparels are one of the essential needs of every individual. And hence looking at the above pie
diagram it is clear that people of all age groups, males as well as females and of all educational
background visit the retail store. Talking about the educational background specifically, it was
seen that maximum visitors were post graduates comprising of 42% of the respondents followed
by graduates (32%) and under graduates (26%).

QUESTION 1
DO YOU VISIT MAX REGULARLY?

frequency of visit
yes

no

31%
69%

ANALYSIS:
Most of the respondents, nearly 69% said that they were regular visitors of MAX. There were
also a few people who were not very regular to the store, and their visit depended on the need of
the apparels and also on the various discount offers and schemes that are regularly offered by the
retail outlet.

QUESTION 2
ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE AVALABILITY OF APPARELS AT MAX?

Extremely often
Often
Moderately often

53%
38%
9%

avalability of desired apparels.

etremely often

often

moderately often

9%
38%

53%

ANALYSIS:
From the above pie chart it is evident that the customers mostly are satisfied with the apparels
offered to them at MAX and that the apparels suit the desire of the people.

QUESTION 3
WHAT APPARELS DO YOU LIKE THE MOST?

Preferred apparels
kids wear

ladies wear

19%

gents wear

31%

50%

ANALYSIS
From the analysis it was found that mostly women wear was preferred by the customers at MAX
which was leading with the highest percentage of 50% and the same was followed by kids wear
at 31% and finaaly in the list was the gents wear with 19%.

QUESTION 4
ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE AVALABILITY OF BRANDS UNDER ONE ROOF?

Yes
Sometimes
No

71%
27%
2%

Brand satisfaction
yes

sometimes

no

2%
28%

71%

ANALYSIS:
The next investigation was made about the brands being made available under one single roof. In
return of the investigation it was found that maximum of the respondents were absolutely
satisfied with the available brands. A part of the respondents said that they were sometimes
satisfied due to the unavailability of some brand due to stock out and other such factors.

QUESTION 5
ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE PRICE OF THE APPARELS?

Yes
Sometimes
No

70%
18%
12%

price satisfaction
yes

sometimes

no

12%
18%

70%

ANALYSIS:
Further the respondents were asked about the satisfaction they get from the price being offered to
them at the retail outlet. Maximum of them were satisfied with the price being offered to them
for the apparels. The few of them which were not very sure of the satisfaction because sometimes
the apparels of their choice go out of their budget and hence become unaffordable. There are still
few of the people who find the price absolutely unaffordable.

QUESTION 4

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE QUALITY OF THE APPARELS?

very high quality
high quality
Low quality

42%
55%
3%

quality satisfaction
very high quality

high quality

low quality

3%
42%
55%

ANALYSIS
When the customrs at MAX were asked about the quality of the apparels at MAX and were
asked to rate the apparels in terms of quality, the most percentage of people said that the apparels
at MAX were high in quality, some people were in the favour of very high quality and still apart
from these there were customers which said that the apparels at MAX were low in quality.

QUESTION 7
WHAT QUALITY OF THE RETAIL OUTLET DO YOU PREFER THE MOST?
Visual merchandising
Fast check out
Mode of payment
Employee behavior

38%
25%
6%
31%

preferred store feature

visual merchandising
mode of payment

fast check out

employees behaviour

31%

38%

6%
25%

ANALYSIS
When the people at the store were asked about the store that what store feature attracted them the
most a very mixed response was given to me by the customers. They said that mostly the
behavior of the employees at MAX and visual merchandisings were the two attractive feature of
the store. Few people also said that fast check out and the payment system at MAX was also very
attractive.

QUESTION 8
ARE THE EMPLOYEES AT MAX RESPONSIVE TOWARDS CUSTOMERS
QUERIES?
Highly responsive
Responsive
Not responsive

35%
53%
12%

responsiveness towards customer queries

highly responsive

responsive

not responsive

12%
35%

53%

ANALYSIS
When the respondents were asked if their queries relating to the apparels at MAX were attended
well or not the people said that they were moderately attended and their queries were solved.
However, few said that it depends on the crowd management of the store if their queries are
being attended or not. However, still a small percentage said that they were not attended by the
employees at MAX.

QUESTION 9
ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE ARRANGEMENT OF BRANDS IN THE STORE.
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Bad

12%
31%
56%
1%

arrangment inside the store

excellent

good

satisfactory

bad

1% 12%

56%

31%

ANALYSIS
Arrangement of the brands inside MAX was also the area of concern. The people said that the
arrangement inside the store was satisfactory enough and it was not always tough to find the
desired apparels. However, some said that there is always a scope of improvement and hence at
MAX also there can be an improvement brought towards the arrangement of apparels.

QUESTION 10
WHAT TYPE OF DISCOUNTS DO YOU LIKE THE MOST?
Price offs
Buy one get one free
Lucky draws
Day offs

44%
28%
6%
22%

Types of discounts
price offs
lucky draws

buy one get one free

day offs

22%
6%

44%

28%

ANALYSIS
From the above analysis it is clear that price offs were the most popular form of discounts (44%)
followed by the buy one get one free scheme, day offs and lucky draws.

QUESTION 11
DO YOU USE THE DISCOUNT COUPONS AT MAX?
Yes
Sometimes
Depends
No

59%
24%
16%
1%

using coupons
yes

sometimes

16%

24%

depends

no

1%

60%

ANALYSIS
The discount and other offer coupons at MAX were frequently used by most of the public.
However the percentage of the respondents who said that it depends if they are using the coupons
or not gave the reason that it depends on the price of the product they are buying if they would
use the coupon or not. The usage of coupons was found indirectly proportional to the price of the
apparel.

QUESTION 12
DO YOU SAVE AFTER USING THE DISCOUNT COUPONS?
High savings
Moderate savings
Minimal savings

64%
25%
11%

Savings after using the coupons

high savings

moderate savings

minimal savings

11%
25%
64%

ANALYSIS:
The question about the savings after using the discount coupons had mixed responses and was
directly proportional to the people using the discount coupons. Also it was seen that because
people use these coupons in relation to the price of the apparels there was a good percentage of
people who made moderate savings.

QUESTION 13
DO YOU GET A FEEL GOOD AFTER SHOPPING AT MAX?
Very happy
Happy
Satisfied

64%
25%
11%

feeling after shopping

very happy

happy

satisfied

11%
25%
64%

ANALYSIS:
When encountered about the feel good factor among the respondents it was found that the
people were generally happy after shopping from MAX. This was the outcome of the various
brands and other factors are able to meet the requirements of the customers. There were some
who faced problems sometimes when they werent really satisfied after shopping or returned
empty handed from the store.

QUESTIONS 14
DO THE APPARELS AT MAX SUIT ALL THE SEGMENTS OF THE SOCIETY?.
Yes
Sometimes
No

62%
31%
7%

segment satisfied
yes

sometimes

no

7%
31%
62%

ANALYSIS
The apparels at MAX suited most of the segments of the society and this was agreed by the
targeted customers. The few who disagreed gave the reason that not always the apparels that are
introduced in the market suited all the segments of the society.

QUESTION 15
Is the trend being followed?
Yes
No
Sometimes

71%
4%
25%

trendy
yes

sometimes

no

4%
25%

70%

ANALYSIS
Most of the crowd at MAX agreed that the apparels being offered for sale follow the ongoing
trends in the market and enable the people to keep a regular pace with the fashion. Only a few
said that sometimes the trend does not keep pace with the fashion but that is probably due to the
stock out and late in the delivery of the latest items at the store which kept the customers at a bay
with the new products.

QUESTION 16
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU PREFER THE MOST?
MAX
Westside
Shoppers stop

44%
32%
24%

competitors
MAX

WESTSITE

BIG BAZAAR

24%
44%

32%

ANALYSIS

As the above pie diagram suggests that when a comparative study was done keeping in mind the
various other competitors of MAX it was found that westsite and RELIANCE TRENDS are the
very close competitors of MAX and it was found that there is a tough competition.

Conclusions, findings and

suggestions

FINDINGS:

From the above data collected and after the analysis of the data through the pie diagrams and
through personal investigation from the customers present at the retail outlet following are the
findings:
Most of the customers at MAX are satisfied in terms of price, quality standards and
various other factors that enable any customer to take a positive decision that gradually
result in the sale of the apparels.

The various other services offered in the store are satisfactory and attract the customers
towards an approval for sale.

Through the survey carried out in the form of questions asked it was found that people
are satisfied but also look for more and more improvement and are willing to see more
introductions in the apparel market in terms of design to keep a pace with the going on
trends.
The people also were towards the usage of the discount coupons and other offers at MAX
from time to time. However, they used it in relation to the price of the apparels at MAX.
They were also benefited by the same.

CONCLUSIONS

After getting in knowledge about the findings of the research it can be clearly concluded that the
MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR has met all the obligations
to satisfy the customers who rely in the quality and other standards that MAX offers.
The quality standards, the pricing of the apparels, the various timely discount schemes, and the
product range offered etc all attracted the customers to be the regular visitors of the store
impelling the customers to make some or the purchase of the apparels at the retail outlet.
It was also found that despite of various competitors that are prevailing in the apparels market
people still prefer MAX as they feel that it is meeting with needs and wants of the customers and
also gives a feeling of feel good to its customers who come for shopping here. From the data
so collected and analysis that was done of the collected that it was also seen that MAX is able to
cater to needs towards apparels of all the age groups of both the genders that exist in the society.
From young to elder to older people everybody has shown satisfaction towards the multibrand
retail outlet.
On the whole MAX is a preferred multi brand outlet which is relied by the customers based on
factors such as price, quality, variety and various other factors that usually stimulate sale.

SUGGESTIONS

As rightly said that every single thing has its own pros and cons, same is the case with the retail
outlet MAX. In the above pages of the project we saw that MAX is the preferred and leading
multi brand outlet for apparels. But there is always a scope for improvement. Therefore
following points can be suggested for the improvement:

Regular introduction of various discounts should be made to attract more and more
customers, rather than introducing the same only during some specific time.
During times when crowd emerges the payment counters can be increased so that the
convenience of the customers is met and all of them are given equal importance.
New designs and patterns of apparels should be introduced in a more prompt manner so
that customers are not given a chance to visit other stores.
Appropriate advertising schemes should be introduced and revised from time to time.
The competitors should be kept an eye on to keep pace with them and not lag behind.

ANNEXTURE

Questionnaire

Dear Respondent,
I request you to kindly fill the Questionnaire below according to your experience at MAX.. This
Questionnaire is for research purpose only and assures you that the data generated will be kept
confidential.
Please tick the number that best indicates your satisfaction or dissatisfaction with each statement
concerning shopping at MAX RETAIL OUTLET IN SOUTH AVENUE MALL, JABALPUR.

NAME: __________________________
AGE: ___________________________
SEX: ___________________________
1) Do you visit MAX regularly?

Yes
no

2) Are you satisfied by the availability of apparels at MAX?

Extremely often
often
moderately often

3) What apparels do you like the most?

Kids wear
Ladies wear
Gents wear

4) Are you satisfied with the multi brands being made available here?

Yes
Sometimes
No.

5) Are you satisfied with the price of the apparels?

Yes
Sometimes
No.

6) How would you rate the quality of the apparels at MAX?

Very high quality

High quality
Low quality

7) Which is the most preferred quality of the retail outlet MAX?

Visual merchandising
Fast check out
Mode of payment
Employee behavior

8) How responsive are the employees at MAX towards the queries?

Highly responsive
responsive
Not responsive

9) Are you satisfied by the arrangement of the brands under on roof?

excellent
good
satisfactory
bad

10) What type of discount do you like the most?

Price offs
Buy one get one free
Lucky draws
Day offs

11) Do you use the discount and other offer coupons?

Yes
Sometimes
depends
No.

12) Is the usage of discount coupons beneficial? Do you save by using them?

High saving
Moderate savings
Nominal savings.

13) Do you get a feel good feeling after shopping at MAX?

Very happy
happy
satisfied

14) Does the apparels here suit all the segments of the society?

Yes
Sometimes
No.

15) Do the apparels at MAX keep pace with the ongoing trends in the market?

Yes
Sometimes
No.

16) Which of the following do you prefer the most?

MAX
RELIANCE TRENDS
WESTSITE.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.google.com

www.maxindia.com.