Keywords

Henry Garrett Ranking Technique, Kirana Shop, Shop Location.

Introduction

The Mom-and-pop shops are generally called by name Kirana Shops in India. These are the small scale retail establishments usually found in every neighborhood. Multiple such shops are found in a single locality as well. These small scale retail shops serve to the routine requirements of consumers by offering a variety of frequently purchased goods like groceries,

Household products, personal care products, etc. Such Kirana shops contribute to local economy and provide easy approachability and convenience to the nearby neighborhoods and communities.

There is a transition witnessed in the retail industry where the organized retail store is trying to snatch the market from traditional/ unorganized retail store and the traditional store is reformulating their strategies by trying to imitate the strategies of organized retail stores to the extent possible depending upon their resource availability.

The retail industry is developing very quickly than before. Developing contest and really exhausting, complex clients who have better standards for their utilization and purchasing encounters are signs of this. (Sriviastava, 2008).

Kirana store is one of the types of traditional/ unorganized store which is usually run individually by the owner or their family members. Understanding the factors to be considered by the consumers in choosing the Kirana shop for purchase of regular products is critical for the retailers to improve the services to the customers. With the mushrooming of organized retail outlets like supermarkets and hypermarkets, Kirana shop is facing challenges to win the loyalty of the consumers. Understanding the preferences of the consumers in choosing the Kirana shops will help the owners to understand their consumers well and plan their strategies accordingly.

For the purpose of the study such Kirana shops are considered which offer the daily required products which are purchased frequently. These offering include daily used products or food products like grains, pulses, personal products, vegetables, and other household goods Sreenath & Shetty.

Review of Literature

1. The shopping process has become complex due to the impact of various factors which shape the choice of the selection of a particular retail outlet. (Reardon & Minten, (2011).

2. The retailers located in prime location gain 15-20% of prime customers and higher percentage of secondary customers. The shoppers/ customers don"t want to compromise with the convenience of location and also with the product quality and the assortment (Seiders, et al. 2000).

3. Customer go to discount shops for low price and discount offers and also that they get varieties of products there (Brennan & Lundsten, 2002).

4. The housewives find these grocery store very favourable as it is very convenient for them to buy regularly used products nearby their house. (Anil, et al, 2022).

Objectives of the Study

1. The main objective of the study is to rank various factors considered in choosing a Kirana shop so that the preference of the consumers can be understood. Understanding the consumer preferences in choosing the Kirana shop will help the shop owners in focusing on those factors to improve their offerings and services and not emphasizing more focus on those factors which are of not much importance to them.

2. To understand the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of consumers who prefer Kirana shops.

Methodology of the Study

The primary objective of the study is to assess the preferences of various factors that are considered in selecting to shop in a Kirana shop (namely Product assortment, Offers/ discounts, Credit facility, Shop location, Parking facility, Staff manners, Product exchange, Shop hygiene, Product quality and Home delivery).

For this, Henry Garrett ranking method was used to find the average score for each factor and accordingly the rankings were given to various factors and the preference of the factors were assessed. Percentage analysis was done to understand the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of consumers who prefer Kirana shops.

Sampling Procedure

A non-random convenience survey method was conducted to collect the data from the respondents. The Kirana shops were chosen at my convenience from different areas in Visakhapatnam city and the respondents were selected randomly visiting those Kirana shops.

Sample Size

Out of 363 questionnaires collected with the answers, 312 were considered for the study. Hence the acceptance percentage was 85.95.

Area of Survey

Seethammadhara, Gajuwaka, MVP colony, KRM colony, East-point colony, Murali Nagar, yendada.

Statistical Tests

Henry Garrett Ranking technique was used to assess the ranking of various factors of Kirana shop selection and percentage analysis was used to understand the demographic and socio-economic profile of the respondents Srivastava, (2008).

Data Collection

Both primary and secondary data was collected for the study. The secondary data is the data which already exists and was collected by some other source for their requirement. Collection of secondary data saves time and money. For this study, the secondary data was collected from published journals, websites and books.

The primary data is the first hand information that is collected by the researcher. Though it takes time and effort to collect this data, but one can rely on the authenticity of this data more than the secondary data. For this study, the primary data was collected directly from the respondents. A structured questionnaire was constructed and administered to the respondents and was collected back with the answers. Some primary data was collected by interacting with them.

A total of 363 questionnaires were administered out of which 312 was considered for the study. The balance 51 responses were discarded as they were not answered completely.

Factors Considered in the Study

Based upon the review of literature, following factors were included in the study. These factors are considered to assess the preference of the shoppers in choosing a grocery store/ kirana store.

1. Product assortment: The shoppers prefer to look for a shop which can provide assortments of goods from groceries to household items. Finding more items in one place makes the shopping more convenient.

2. Offers/ discounts: Offers / discounts make the shop more attractive as it helps in saving the money of customers.

3. Credit facility: Some of the Kirana shops have starting lending credit facility where they maintain books for the entry. This facility is helpful for those who cannot make the payment at the time of purchase. This can improve the purchase power and loyalty towards the shop.

4. Shop location: A shop which is located in a convenient place and is available in next door is easily approachable and accessible to the customers. This saves a lot of time and efforts of the customers. Especially if the customers are not going to a big store and opting to buy from a small Kirana shop, then they definitely prefer the shop that is located at a convenient place. This also provokes the customers to visit the store multiple times.

4. Parking facility: If there is enough parking spaces, customers feel comfortable as they don"t have to look and search for the parking at a distance. Also, as the kirana shops are available in many neighbourhoods, they would prefer to go to that kirana shop with parking space.

5. Staff manners: The staff manners can create a congenial shopping environment. Although the staff in kirana shop may be limited to 0ne or very few, but their interaction can help in a pleasant experience of the customers.

6. Product exchange: The exchange of product is a very rare phenomenon in kirana shops. But the possibility cannot be ruled out completely. The exchange policy can keep the customers at ease that the product can be exchanged if not satisfied or purchased wrongly.

7. Shop hygiene: Clean and hygienic shop is attractive to the customers and they are relieved that they are buying healthy and fresh products. Cleanliness ensures safety and safety of the customers.

8. Product quality: Customer expects good product quality. Good quality meets their expectations and builds trust towards the shop.

9. Home delivery: Many kirana shops have started the service of home delivery. This can add on the value services and can attract more customers. As most of the items purchased from kirana shop are not expensive, the customers can opt for the shops with home delivery facilities Table 1.

Table 1 Demographic and Scoio-Economic Profile of the Respondents
Demographic/ socioeconomic variable	Respondents (In percentage)
AGE (IN YEARS)
less than 30	33
30-40	28
40-50	19
50-60	9
above 60	11
GENDER
Male	48
Female	52
others	0
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
Inter or less	41
graduate	47
Post-graduate or more	12
MARITAL STATUS
Married	52
Unmarried	47
Single/ divorcee	1
FAMILY SIZE
Less than or equal to 3	13
4	55
5	22
More than 5	10
OCCUPATION
Student	25
Private job	35
Govt. job	16
Business	19
Retired/ Not working	5
EXPERIENCE (IN YEARS)
0 to 10	55
10 to 20	29
20 to 30	10
More than 30	6
FAMIL MONTHLY INCOME (IN RS.)
0 to 50k	32
50k to 75 k	26
75 k to 1 l	38
More than 1 l	4

Result and Analysis

Demographic and socio-economic profile of the respondents

Surprisingly, 33% of the respondents are less than 30 years of age . As the products purchased from such Kirana shops are regular used items and they done need any assistance or extra information to be purchased, the children are also sent by the parents to this shop. Also, these shops are available in the next door, so the parents do not hesitate to send their children for the purchase.

Most of the respondents are female (52%). Most of the respondents (47%) are graduate and 41% of the respondents have their educational qualification as intermediate or less than that. Since many respondents are students, small children also come to do purchase at Kirana shop as it is next to the house and no specific information is required to purchase the goods.

35% of the respondents are working in a private job and 25% of the respondents are students. 38% of the respondents who shop in Kirana store are with monthly income of Rs. 75,000 to Rs. 1,00,000/-.

Henry Garrett Ranking method id used to assess the ranking of 10 factors that are preferred to choose a Kirana store for shopping in Visakhapatnam city.

Calculation of total rank for each factor

In this step, we find and record the number of respondents raking for each rank for each factor Table 2.

Table 2 Total Rank for Each Factor
RANK
Factors considered for selecting kirana shop	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
product assortment	54	36	75	18	24	57	18	9	12	9
offers/discounts	18	9	12	24	12	27	48	30	96	36
credit facility	9	36	54	48	24	72	6	12	15	36
shop location	102	48	36	12	57	48	6	3	0	0
parking facility	30	24	24	36	72	12	48	36	6	24
staff manners	0	0	6	12	18	36	24	60	66	90
product exchange	0	12	6	51	33	36	42	72	24	36
shop hygiene	0	18	39	36	12	12	57	36	60	42
product quality	36	42	57	84	48	12	12	21	0	0
home delivery	48	69	36	36	51	12	12	12	24	12

The above table shows the number of respondents ranking various factors considered for selecting a particular kirana shop for the purchase of goods. It is evident that 102 respondents out of 312 respondents have ranked location in the first place. Since the items.

purchased are regular and frequently purchased items and are not any technical or complex product, the customers prefer to shop such products from nearby shops without using any energy and efforts.

96 respondents have ranked offer/ discounts in 9th position as they the customers are aware that these kirana shops don"t give and offers/ discounts on the items. 90 respondents have ranked staff members in 10th position as not much are expected from the staff members while selling the products. Since the products sold are not technical or complex products, customers don"t require or expect any information from the store staff.

69 respondents ranked the factor “home delivery” in the 2nd position as many kirana shops are offering home delivery services to their customers. This is one of the strategies to attract the customers. The shops can also lure the customers not in the same neighbourhood with this kind of offer Table 3.

Table 3 Percentage Position Value and Garrett Value
factors	Percentage position value/score	Garret value
product assortment	5	82
offers/discounts	15	70
credit facility	25	63
shop location	35	58
parking facility	45	52
staff manners	55	48
product exchange	65	42
shop hygiene	75	36
product quality	85	29
home delivery	95	18

Based on the values of percentage position values, the Garret values are taken from the Garrett"s Table 4 given by Garrett & Woodworth, (1969)

Table 4 Factor Total
factors	1*82	2*70	3*63	4*58	5*52	6*48	7*42	8*36	9*29	10*18	Total factor
product assortment	4428	2520	4725	1044	1248	2736	756	324	348	162	18291
offers/disco unts	1476	630	756	1392	624	1296	2016	1080	2784	648	12702
credit facility	738	2520	3402	2784	1248	3456	252	432	435	648	15915
shop location	8364	3360	2268	696	2964	2304	252	108	0	0	20316
parking facility	2460	1680	1512	2088	3744	576	2016	1296	174	432	15978
staff manners	0	0	378	696	936	1728	1008	2160	1914	1620	10440
product exchange	0	840	378	2958	1716	1728	1764	2592	696	648	13320
shop hygiene	0	1260	2457	2088	624	576	2394	1296	1740	756	13191
product quality	2952	2940	3591	4872	2496	576	504	756	0	0	18687
home delivery	3936	4830	2268	2088	2652	576	504	432	696	216	18198

Calculation of Factor Total

Factor total is calculated for each factor by multiplying the Garrett value for each rank and for each factor Table 4.

Calculation of Average Score and Rank

The average score is calculated for each factor. The formula for calculating Average score is :

Here, in this study the total numbers of respondents are 312 Table 5.

Table 5 Average Score and Rank
FACTORS	TOTAL FACTOR	AVERAGE SCORE	RANK
product assortment	18291	58.625	3
offers/discounts	12702	40.711538	9
credit facility	15915	51.009615	6
shop location	20316	65.115385	1
parking facility	15978	51.211538	5
staff manners	10440	33.461538	10
product exchange	13320	42.692308	7
shop hygiene	13191	42.278846	8
product quality	18687	59.894231	2
home delivery	18198	58.326923	4

The factor with the highest average score is ranked first, the factor with second largest average score is ranked second, and so on. The factor with least average score is ranked least. The average score of all the 10 factors calculated are depicted in the graph below Figure 1.

The average score of the 10 factors considered for Kirana shop selection by the customers are shown graphically above in figure 1. It is evident from the graph that „shop location" is with maximum average score (65.11) and hence ranked first and „staff manners" is with minimum average score (33.46) and hence ranked last as the preference by the customers in selection of kirana shops.

Discussions and Conclusion

The average score of the factor “Shop Location” was calculated to be 65.11 and thereby was ranked first by the respondents. As most of the items purchased from Kirana shop are low priced and are frequently purchased products, the customers prefer to buy them without wasting much time and efforts. The customer would not prefer to go to some other kirana shop for purchasing such less priced and simple daily used products. The same is investigated in a study in Singanallur that the retail location is ranked first by the customers. (vanaja, Anukeerthana, 2021)

The factor “product quality” was ranked second by the respondents. Customers always expect good quality products irrespective of the price and place of availability of the product. Even if the products are not expensive and are purchased from shop next door, the customers don"t want to compromise with the quality of the products. Customers always want quality of the products and prefer the shop which gives them the same. (Barreto, Silveria, 2023)

With the average score of 58.62, “Product assortment” was ranked third by the respondents. The customers don"t like to visit multiple shops for buying frequently purchased goods. They prefer to buy them at one place. As visiting a kirana shop is with a purpose to save time and efforts.

Not surprisingly, “home delivery” is ranked 4th by the respondents. There are some kirana shops who offer the home delivery services to capture more neighbourhoods. Most of the customers today are double income family and the spouses prefer to choose to buy from the stores with home delivery facilities.

Parking facility is ranked 5th as these shops are quite near to the household and the customers prefer to either walk to these shops or drive on 2 wheelers. Also, as they do spend much time to shop, even if they go in a 4 wheeler vehicle, they manage to park nearby. So parking facility for kirana shop is not given more importance by the respondent customers.

With average score of 51, 42.69, and 42.27 for Credit facility, product exchange and shop hygiene respectively, the ranks given by the respondents are 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. As most of the item purchased from kirana shops are not that expensive, credit facility is ranked 6th.

Offer/ discounts are ranked 9th with an average score of 40.71 since the kirana shops do not use such promotional technique and the customers also don"t expect the same from the shop while purchasing such low priced products. The staff manners are ranked last with the average score of 33.46. As the products purchased from these kirana shops are not complex or are non-technical, the customers don"t require any assistance or information from the staff. Hence, the staff manner/ interaction is given the least preference by the respondents.

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Received: 30-Sep-2025, Manuscript No. ASMJ-24-14792; Editor assigned: 03-Oct-2025, PreQC No. ASMJ-24-14792 (PQ); Reviewed: 18-Oct- 2025, QC No. ASMJ-24-14792; Revised: 21-Oct-2025, Manuscript No. ASMJ-24-14792 (R); Published: 28-Oct-2025