Enhancing global competitiveness for fresh produce retail shops in India: investigating consumers perceptions and opportunities

摘要

India is the second largest producer of fruit and vegetables but the industry continues to face major challenges due to inefficient supply chain management, leading to the poor availability of good quality fruit and vegetables at a reasonable price. The retail sector in India has evolved dramatically from traditional village markets to large modern retail outlets. This study sought to explore consumers' preference for modern retail stores for fresh produce. Fresh produce stores studied included Reliance Fresh, Big Bazaar, Easyday, Spencers and More. Modern retail stores were the most preferred shopping destination for consumers over wholesale, sabzi mandi, kirana (local shops) stores and reddi walas. Consumers preferred modern retailers due to the reasonable price, the good quality and ambience. However, personal attention to customers was found to be well below expectations.