The Shopping Behaviour of Urban Women Co PDF

Vidya B. Panicker et al.
, International Journal of Research in Management, Economics and Commerce,

ISSN 2250-057X, Impact Factor: 6.384, Volume 07 Issue 12, December 2017, Page 107-115
The Shopping Behaviour of Urban Women

Consumers in India for Certain Products
and Services
Vidya B. Panicker1 and Dr. Khalil Ahmad Mohammad2
1
(Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Business Policy and Administration, University of Mumbai, India)
2
(Principal, Kalsekar College of Commerce and Management & Registered Ph.D. Guide, University of Mumbai,
India)
Abstract: Women consumers are emerging as a great force to reckon with by marketers all over the world.
They are considered to be the most attractive and influential segment as they themselves are consumers of
varied products and services as well as they exert a great influence on all other segments as well. Extensive
studies have been conducted on women consumers since the past few decades and their unique shopping
behaviour and attributes have been studied by researchers. The main reason being that all over the world, an
increased number of women are entering the workforce and they possess tremendous financial clout. They are
considered to be the major decision makers with regard to their family’s purchases and it has been seen that
working women in particular, spend a considerable part of their income for enhancing their beauty and
personality. Working women have to juggle many responsibilities and they have to be equipped for the same,
resulting into a need for many products and services. This study is a part of research studies in the area of
consumer behaviour with special focus on women consumers and their need for select products and services. In
this paper, we shall focus on their general shopping behaviour and try to find out if there is an association
between certain demographic factors with few variables of women’s shopping behaviour.
Keywords: female shopping behaviour, women consumers, apparels, footwear, beauty parlour
I. INTRODUCTION
Shopping has been a very important activity for women since time immemorial. Till a few decades ago,
shopping was mostly the responsibility of the men of the household. As times changed with women getting
more educated and independent, shopping gradually became one of the most important chores for women. From
shopping for groceries for the household, to uniforms for their children, apparels for all family members to
greater purchases such as homes, cars, consumer durables, computers etc., the involvement of women is
paramount. Shopping also means ‘buying’ and ‘consumer buying behaviour’ consists of a decision making
process which consists of searching for, analysing among several choices, evaluating and finally purchasing the
product/service. Therefore, women are constantly making several decisions during a day and millions during a
lifetime deciding upon which products or services they need to buy. It is a daunting task but as per several
researches conducted in the field of consumer behaviour, it is not a difficult job for women to make these
decisions. On the contrary, women are found to enjoy shopping and derive great pleasure choosing and selecting
products. They can spend considerable amounts of time and money at a market place without feeling tired
unlike their male counterparts.
The challenges women face are enormous. They have to work towards creating a work/life balance,
they face conflicting demands from several quarters and have very little time on hand. Women feel that they are
greatly underserved as a segment and they expect marketers to understand and explore their exact needs and
wants and design products that meet their specific needs. Even in these times, it is difficult for women to find
well-fitting pants, buy a healthy meal or get sound financial advice that fits their requirements. Even though
women control over 80% of consumer spending globally, companies continue to offer poorly conceived
products and services to them. Marketing communication to them is mostly ill designed and fails to convince
them as a segment. For marketers, attracting, acquiring and retaining women consumers has become the biggest
challenge in recent times. From the point of view of women, four industries hold the greatest potential for
marketers and they are food, fitness, beauty and apparel (Silverstein M.J. et al, 2009).
The income of women globally will reach a staggering figure of US$ 18 trillion by 2018 as per global
professional services firm EY. An important fact to remember is that more and more women are entering the
workforce across the globe. Even though they might not actually, pay for the purchases, women are the main
gatekeepers for the family’s purchases. A point to remember that women are females first and consumers
second. The demographics of women has undergone a sea change during the past few decades. They are well
educated, self-earning and independent in their decision-making. Marrying late, having fewer children, larger
number of single women (either divorced or unmarried) are the defining characteristics of the present woman
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Vidya B. Panicker et al., International Journal of Research in Management, Economics and Commerce,
populace. They live life on their own terms, have a mind of their own and they are very assertive and
determined in the things they do. Service is the most important aspect that woman looks for when scouting for
products or services. Therefore offering best customer service to consumers in general and women consumers in
particular can be a great differentiating factor or any business (Brennan B., 2015).
This study will deal with understanding the general shopping behaviour of women. We shall also try to
establish relationship between certain demographic factors and the variables of general shopping behaviour.
Through literature review we shall gain insights into the results of few research studies conducted in the area of
consumer behaviour of women. This study will also try to find out as to what aspects women give importance to
while shopping. We will also try to understand as to what are the underlying latent factors that dictate shopping
behaviour of women.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Consumer behaviour is the study of what people buy, why they buy, how they buy, when they buy and
the decision making processes they undergo in order to acquire, use and dispose off the products. It concerns
with the study of demographics, psychographics and behavioural variables pertaining to consumers belonging to
different segments. It also attempts to assess the influence of reference groups on consumers such as family,
friends, colleagues and society in general (Chopra A. N. 2014). The study of consumer behaviour is extremely
important for businesses as it helps to understand the precise wants and needs of customers and help marketers
to devise appropriate strategies to come out with products and services that exactly meet customer requirements.
Therefore study of consumer behaviour has a direct impact on the revenue generation of a firm.
It has been estimated that in the near future, women will control around $28 trillion of global spending.
Women as consumers are extremely important to marketers as they are not only purchasers or consumers but
they are also ‘influencers’. They have the power to influence the purchase decisions of all the other segments.
They possess the ‘multiplier effect’ meaning that once they are satisfied with any product or service, they pass
on the positive message regarding products and services they are satisfied with, to all people in their reference
circles, thus helping in increasing revenues of companies. (Silverstein M., et al., 2009).
Marketing to women proves to be much more beneficial to marketers as it helps in new customer
acquisition and also contributes towards greater customer retention. Women, unlike men, build long term
relationship with products and brands thus helping in greater revenue generation for marketers (Barletta M.,
2003). It has been found that women are more pro-environmental in their shopping behaviour than males
(Zelezny et al., 2000). It has been concluded through research studies that families and friends have a great
influence on the buying behaviour of women consumers (Fairhurst et al., 2007).
A study was conducted on the retail buying behaviour of 125 women consumers at two big retail store
chains in the Delhi region with respect to purchase of grocery items. The objective of the study was to find out
as to what factors dictate the buying behaviour of women grocery consumers. The two retail chains selected for
the study were Big Bazar and More Mega Store. Six factors were derived which served as the basis for
selection of a grocery store and they were promotional strategy, festival offers, discounts, availability, billing
speed and ambience. It was concluded from the study that marketers have to provide ample information to
women consumers as they give a lot of importance to communication. In contrast, men rely more on personal
assessment while buying products while women give more importance to ‘developing trust’ with the marketer
which goes a long way in establishing a long lasting relationship leading to customer loyalty (Chopra A. N.
2014).
According to Mintel report (2008) the women segment in the age range 20-24 and 25-34 age groups are
of utmost importance to the marketers. It has been found that women consumers belonging to this particular
segment give more importance to style than quality when it comes to clothing purchases. Swarna Bakshi, (2009)
conducted a research on “Impact of Gender on Consumer Purchase Behaviour” in order to study the differences
in the purchase behaviour of
men and women. As per the study, men and women totally differ in their decision making in their personal and
professional lives. It was found that in the consumer decision making process, right from the need recognition
level to post purchase behaviour, men and women have a very different approach towards shopping in general.
The conclusion was that women find the shopping experience pleasurable and satisfying whereas most men
have a feeling of contempt for shopping.
A study was conducted in Bangladesh to examine the buying behaviour of women consumers and to
derive the factors pertaining to branded clothing in Bangladesh. Another objective of the study was to
understand the aspects that influence women consumers for apparel purchase so as to enable marketers to devise
effective marketing strategies to be able to target them. The study showed that women who possess strong
positive attitudes towards the brands show a high involvement in purchase of fashion apparels. It was also
deduced that women show affinity towards those brands that somehow matches their personality. It was also
found that the element of self-respect had a great influence on women’s involvement with brands (Md. Farijul
Islam et al, 2014).
In Indonesia, research was carried out to find out the differences in shopping behaviour between men
and women consumers. The sample consisted of around 200 men and women respondents and the influence of
utilitarian and hedonic shopping values on their shopping behaviour was studied. It was found through the study
that men and women greatly differ in their perceptions towards shopping. It was found that women enjoyed
shopping more than men and their frequency of shopping was also greater. It was also found out through the
study that men had lower shopping behaviour orientation than women. Also, men had lower hedonic shopping
orientations scores than woman consumers (Wahyuddin M., et al, 2017).
An attempt was made to examine the buying behaviour of Pakistani women for trendy branded clothing
and to understand the important factors that influence their brand involvement. In this research, the prime focus
was on females of age 20-35 years in order to analyse and evaluate their perception and behaviour, when they
purchase their clothing brands. It was found that status, branding, brand attitude, paying premium for branded
clothing; self-concept and reference groups were found to have positive effects on female consumer buying
behaviour (Hareem Zeb et al, 2011).
As per Euromonitor studies, (2007) age is a stronger determinant that controls the purse strings of
women than their socio-economic status. Therefore, in this study we have tried to establish an association
between the age of respondents and certain variables pertaining to general shopping behaviour of women
consumers.
Research Objectives
Objectives of the study
1. To understand the general shopping behaviour of urban women belonging to a particular segment
(working urban women in the age range 21 to 35 years).
2. To conduct literature review of studies conducted in the area of consumer research pertaining to
shopping behaviour of women.
3. To find out as to what aspects do women give importance to when they shop and to understand the
underlying latent factors that dictate shopping behaviour of women.
4. To analyse if there exists any association between age of respondents and few of the general shopping
variables under study.
Hypotheses of the study
Ho1: The variables of general shopping behaviour of women are not found to significant.
HA1: The variables of general shopping behaviour of women are found to be highly significant.
Ho2: There is no association between age of respondents and influence of advertisements.
HA2: There exists an association between age of respondents and influence of advertisements.
Ho3: There is no association between age of respondents and usage of credit cards for shopping.
HA3: There exists an association between age of respondents and usage of credit cards for shopping.
Ho4: There is no association between age of respondents and expenditure on personality enhancing
products.
HA4: There exists an association between age of respondents and expenditure on personality enhancing
products.
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This is a part of comprehensive studies on women consumers buying behaviour and it is an attempt to
study the general shopping behaviour of urban women consumers for select products and services. It is a
descriptive cross sectional study, conducted in the metropolitan city of Mumbai. The respondents for the study
were 100 employed and self-employed women in the age range 21 to 35 years belonging to various professions.
The data collection instrument was a questionnaire consisting of a total of 22 questions. Sixteen questions
pertaining to general shopping behaviour of women consumers and six questions pertaining to demographic
variables. A 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree was used to measure the
response of the respondents under study. The sampling method used was Non-probability, Convenience
sampling. Books, newspapers, magazines, journals, research papers and periodicals were used as secondary data
sources. The internet was used to refer online resources such as online databases, newspaper articles and
journals.
In this study we have used SPSS package for analysis of our data. Frequency Analysis and Chi-square
tests are the statistical tests which have been used. Chi-square test is a non- parametric test for testing
association / relationship between categorical variables. If the Chi-square statistic or p-value is found to be less
than 0.05 (p-value < 0.05), it suggests that there is significant association between the two variables under study.
IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Table1.1: Coding of variables
‘General Shopping Behaviour’ variables Code
I enjoy shopping Var1
Shopping helps me relieve my stress. Var2
I like to spend on products that enhance my personality. Var3
I always plan my shopping. Var4
I prefer to touch and feel the products I purchase. Var5
I tend to shop more when I am with friends. Var6
I prefer to shop online. Var7
I mostly use Credit cards for shopping. Var8
I prefer shopping at malls. Var9
My purchases are greatly influenced by advertisements. Var10
I am greatly influenced by opinion of others for my purchases. Var11
I frequently shop for apparels. Var12
I frequently shop for shoes. Var13
I visit the beauty parlour for enhancing my appearance. Var14
I am very particular about being well dressed for work. Var15
I mostly shop with my earnings. Var16
Table 1.2: Age of the respondent

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid 21 to 25 years 34 34.0 34.0 34.0
26 to 30 years 38 38.0 38.0 72.0
31 to 35 years 28 28.0 28.0 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0
Educational Qualification of the respondent
Valid Graduate 36 36.0 36.0 36.0
Masters 64 64.0 64.0 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0
Marital status of the respondent
Valid Single 49 49.0 49.0 49.0
Married 51 51.0 51.0 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0
Employment status of the respondent
Valid Self employed 30 30.0 30.0 30.0
Employed 70 70.0 70.0 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0
Personal Annual Income of the respondent
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid Rs 2,00,000 to Rs. 4,00,000 38 38.0 38.0 38.0
Rs. 4,00,001 to Rs. 6,00,000 20 20.0 20.0 58.0

Rs. 6,00,001 to Rs. 8,00,000 34 34.0 34.0 92.0
Rs. 8,00,001 to Rs. 10,00,000 4 4.0 4.0 96.0
Rs. 10,00,001 to Rs. 12,00,000 2 2.0 2.0 98.0
> Rs. 12,00,0001 2 2.0 2.0 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0
Table1.3: Tabulated results of frequency table data

Variable Strongly Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly
Disagree agree
Freq. % Freq. % Freq. % Freq. % Freq. %
Var1 0 0 2 2% 10 10% 33 33% 55 55%
Var2 5 5% 10 10% 26 26% 33 33% 26 26%
Var3 0 0 1 1% 28 28% 20 20% 51 51%
Var4 15 15% 20 20% 28 28% 31 31% 6 6%
Var5 2 2% 11 11% 29 29% 23 23% 35 35%
Var6 16 16% 6 6% 37 37% 29 29% 12 12%
Var7 11 11% 22 22% 45 45% 13 13% 9 9%
Var8 17 17% 13 13% 29 29% 29 29% 12 12%
Var9 14 14% 18 18% 38 38% 17 17% 13 13%
Var10 29 29% 34 34% 24 24% 10 10% 3 3%
Var11 19 19% 23 23% 27 27% 28 28% 3 3%
Var12 3 3% 20 20% 26 26% 41 41% 10 10%
Var13 7 7% 21 21% 32 32% 33 33% 7 7%
Var14 12 12% 13 13% 33 33% 29 29% 13 13%
Var15 0 0 4 4% 20 20% 41 41% 35 35%
Var16 6 6% 17 17% 30 30% 23 23% 24 24%
1. Interpretation of Frequency Tables
2. Table 1.1 shows the coding of variables pertaining to general shopping behaviour of women
consumers.
3. Table 1.2 illustrates the frequencies of demographic variables such as age, occupation, marital status,
employment status and annual income. With respect to age, it can be seen that there are more or less
equal number of women in all the three sub-segments of age. Around 64% of women are post
graduates. An equal percentage of women comprise of married and single (approximately 50% each).
70% are employed and 30% are self-employed. With respect to annual income it can be seen that 38%
of women respondents fall in the range of Rs. 200,000 to 400,000, 20% in the range of Rs. 400,001 –
600,000 and around 34% in the range of Rs. 600,001 – 800,000. Very few women fall in the higher
annual income categories of greater than Rs. 800,000.
4. Table 1.3 illustrated the frequency analysis of all the variables pertaining to general shopping
behaviour among women. The results are as given below.
5. 88% of respondents agreed that they loved shopping. It therefore proves that shopping is favourite
pastime for women and they enjoyed it immensely.
6. 59% of respondents agreed that shopping acted as a stress buster for them. 26% were undecided and
15% disagreed.
7. 71% of the respondents agreed that they loved to spend on personality enhancing products. It is
therefore evident about the increasing awareness among women regarding beauty products and their
urge for maintaining their looks and appearance.
8. 35% of respondents agreed that they did not plan their shopping, 37% planned their shopping visits and
around 28% were undecided.
9. Around 58% of respondents preferred ‘touch and feel’ for the products they purchase, 29% were
undecided and 13% did not feel the necessity for ‘touch and feel’.
10. 41% of respondents agreed that they shopped more when they were with friends, 37% were undecided
and 22% disagreed.
11. It was found that most women are undecided regarding online shopping, 33% did not prefer online
shopping and 22% preferred online shopping.
12. 41% of respondents preferred using credit cards for shopping, 29% were undecided and 30% did not
prefer credit cards for shopping.
13. It was found that an equal % of women preferred and did not prefer shopping at malls and around 38%
were undecided.
14. 63% of respondents were not influenced by advertisements. 24% were undecided and only 13% of
respondents agreed that they were influenced by advertisements.
15. Around 42% respondents did not rely on opinion of others for shopping, 27% were undecided and 31%
relied on opinion of others for shopping.
16. 51% of respondents shopped for apparels frequently, 26% were undecided and 23% were not frequent
apparel shoppers.
17. 40% of respondents were frequent footwear shoppers, 32% were undecided and 28% were not frequent
footwear shoppers.
18. 42% of respondents felt that visiting the beauty parlour was essential for enhancing their appearance,
33% were undecided and 25% did not feel the necessity for visiting beauty parlours for enhancing their
appearance.
19. 76% of the respondents are particular about being well dressed for work, 20% were undecided and 4%
disagreed.
20. 47% agreed that they mostly shopped with their earnings, 30% were undecided and 27% disagreed.
Inference: Frequency Tables
Thus from Table 1.3, the general shopping behaviour of Indian urban working women in the age range
of 21 to 35 is clearly evident. These women loved shopping in general and considered it a stress buster. It was
also found that majority of these women loved spending on personality enhancing products. Very few women
actually planned their shopping trips and therefore it depicts their impulse buying behaviour. Most of the
respondents preferred the ‘touch and feel’ aspect for products they purchase. Also, it could not be concluded
whether they shop more when are with their friends. Indian women have not yet accepted online shopping in a
big way. This non-acceptance may be attributed to the lack of the touch and feel aspect or the ‘trying on’ aspect
before buying or due to certain fears and risks associated online shopping (passing on credit/debit card
information, receiving damaged goods, fitting or size issues, discrepancies in products actually viewed online
and received etc.). Proliferation of internet and mobile banking will contribute to online shopping in a big way.
However, it has to be admitted that there exists a great scope for online shopping. Buying on credit is slowly
catching up with Indian women and the trend is expected to go on increasing due to the inconvenience of
carrying cash and the ease of making payments through credit cards. Shopping at malls does not seem to be
highly preferred by Indian women even though a moderate percentage of women prefer it. It was also seen that
women’s purchases are not influenced by advertisements. Only few women rely on the opinion of others when it
came to purchase decisions. It was seen from the responses that women were frequent shoppers of apparels than
shoes. Most of the women gave utmost importance to being well dressed for work. Nearly 50% of the women
disclosed that they mostly shopped with their earnings. It depicts that there is a strong urge for independence
among women and the satisfaction of spending with their earnings is of paramount importance to them.
Hypotheses Testing
Table1.4: Test Statistics
Variables Chi-square df Asymp. Sig.
I enjoy shopping (Var1). 68.720a 4 .000
Shopping helps me relieve my stress (Var2). 28.300b 4 .000
I like to spend on products that enhance my personality (Var3). 51.440a 4 .000
I always plan my shopping. (Var4). 20.300b 4 .000
I prefer to touch and feel the products I purchase (Var5). 36.000b 4 .000
I tend to shop more when I am with friends. (Var6). 32.300b 4 .000
I prefer to shop online. (Var7). 44.000b 4 .000
I mostly use Credit cards for shopping (Var8). 14.200b 4 .000
I prefer shopping at malls (Var9). 21.100b 4 .000
My purchases are greatly influenced by advertisements (Var10). 34.100b 4 .000
I am greatly influenced by opinion of others for my purchases 20.600b 4 .000
(Var11).
I frequently shop for apparels (Var12). 43.300b 4 .000
I frequently shop for shoes (Var13) 32.600b 4 .000
I visit the beauty parlour for enhancing my appearance (Var14). 20.600b 4 .000
I am very particular about being well dressed for work.(Var15) 32.880a 4 .000
I mostly shop with my earnings (Var16). 16.500b 4 .000
0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 25.0
0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 20.0
Table1.5A: My purchases are greatly influenced by advertisements. * Age of the respondent Cross
tabulation Count
Age of the respondent
26 –
30
21 – 25 yrs yrs 31 – 35 yrs Total
My purchases are greatly Strongly disagree 10 9 10 29
influenced by
Disagree 16 8 10 34
advertisements.
Undecided 5 13 6 24
Agree 0 8 2 10
Strongly agree 3 0 0 3
Total 34 38 28 100
Table1.5B: Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)
a
Pearson Chi-Square 21.456 8 .006
Likelihood Ratio 24.514 8 .002
Linear-by-Linear Association .092 1 .761
N of Valid Cases 100
a. 6 cells (40.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .84.
Table 1.6A: I mostly use credit cards for shopping * Age of the respondent Cross tabulation
Count
21 to 25 31 to 35
years 26 to 30 years years Total
I mostly use credit Strongly disagree 9 4 4 17
cards for shopping
Disagree 8 3 2 13
Undecided 10 10 9 29
Agree 7 11 11 29
Total 34 38 28 100
Table 1.6B: Chi-Square Tests

Pearson Chi-Square 20.416a 8 .009
Linear-by-Linear Association 6.046 1 .014
a. 7 cells (46.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 3.36.
Table1.7A: I like to spend on products that enhance my personality * Age of the respondent Cross
tabulation Count
21 to 25 26 to 30 31 to 35
years years years Total
I like to spend on products that enhance my Disagree 1 0 0 1
personality Undecided 4 11 13 28
Agree 6 12 2 20
Total 34 38 28 100
Table1.7B: Chi-Square Tests

a
Pearson Chi-Square 16.458 6 .011
Linear-by-Linear Association 5.063 1 .024
a. 3 cells (25.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .28.
Inference: Hypothesis Testing
It can be seen from Table 1.4 that all the variables considered for the study are found to be significant
as the significance values are less than 0.05 (p value = .000). We therefore reject the null hypothesis and accept
the alternate hypothesis. It can therefore be deduced that all the variables considered for the study are adequate
and are relevant to the study. (HA1 accepted, Ho1 rejected)
Table 1.5A shows a cross tabulation of age with influence of advertisements on urban working women.
It can be seen that 63% of the women disagreed that advertisements have any influence on them. It can also be
seen from this table that women in the age group of 21 to 25 years disagree the most which suggests that this
promotional campaigns will have the least effect on this particular segment as they are much younger than the
other two sub-segments and are more exposed to various media channels, are more tech savvy and are more
capable of arriving at their own conclusion based on comparison of advertising on different media. Table 1.5B
shows that there is significant association between age and influence of advertisements as the Chi-square
statistic is less than 0.05 (p value = 0.006). The null hypothesis is therefore rejected and the alternate hypothesis
is accepted. We could therefore establish that age has a significant association with influence of advertisements
on purchase behaviour of urban working women. (HA2 accepted, Ho2 rejected)
Table 1.6A depicts cross tabulation of age with usage of credit cards for shopping. It can be seen that
only 41% of women prefer the use of credit cards for shopping. It shows that among urban women, credit cards
are still not the preferred mode of payment. It may be due to the many risks associated with credit card usage. It
means there is lot of scope for promoting credit card usage by banks among young urban women by focussing
on the various positive aspects of credit card usage. It can be seen that most women in the age group 26 to 30
years prefer credit card usage compared to other two sub-segments. Table 1.6B shows that Pearson chi-square
significance value to be less than 0.05 (p value = 0.011). It therefore suggests that there is significant association
between age and usage of credit cards for shopping among urban women consumers. The Null hypothesis is
therefore rejected and alternate hypothesis is accepted. (HA3 accepted, Ho3 rejected)
Table 1.7A depicts the cross tabulation of age with expenditure on personality enhancing products. It
can be seen that around 71% women like to spend on products that enhances their personality such as apparels,
footwear, bags, jewellery, accessories etc. Women belonging to all three age sub-segments equally agree that
they like to spend on such products. It can be seen from Table 1.7B that the Pearson Chi-square significance
value is less than 0.05 (p-value = 0.011). It therefore suggests that there is significant association between age
and expenditure on personality enhancing products among urban working women. (HA4 accepted, Ho4 rejected)
Limitations of the Study
The study has been conducted in Mumbai, India and therefore cannot be generalised to consumer
behaviour of Indian women in general. Sampling method used was Convenience sampling and therefore the
results of the studies would not be completely accurate. The consumer behaviour of urban working women
belonging to a specific age group have been considered for this study and therefore results of this study cannot
be generalised to all women such as women belonging to other age groups or rural women. We have considered
only few products and not all products and services used by urban working women.
V. CONCLUSION
Globally, women have been found to be great spenders. They are not only buyers or consumers but
they are influencers too. They have a great influence on all the other segments as well and thus they cannot be
ignored by marketers. A great transformation has been seen among women globally and particularly in India.
Indian women are slowly and gradually moving up the ladder in the higher bureaucracies of many businesses.
They are excelling academically and they hold positions of power across various industries. Their earnings have
risen and they have found a new sense of freedom and independence. In order to be able to handle their personal
and professional responsibilities well, they need to feel confident. Women derive a lot of confidence by
grooming themselves and for that, they rely on an array of products and services which help them achieve their
goal of enhancing their appearance and personality. Apparels, footwear, accessories, jewellery etc. are the
products that help women to look and feel good. Beauty parlours, spas and gymnasiums deals with their need of
grooming, good health (wellness) and fitness. This study is in continuation to research studies in the area of
women consumers buying behaviour with respect to apparels, footwear and beauty services. In this particular
paper, we had tried to find out aspects of general shopping behaviour of women and if there is an association of
age with certain variables of general shopping behaviour. We could conclude that urban working women are not
influenced by advertisements. It was also found out that credit card usage has not penetrated enough among the
women populace as expected. Promotional efforts by banks in this direction could help increase usage by
promoting benefits of using credit cards. It was also found that a great majority of women like to spend on
personality enhancing products which suggests that there is a great need among women to look good and feel
confident as these products helps increase their self-image and self-esteem levels. Another aspect which we tried
to explore was association of age with certain variables of shopping behaviour such as influence of
advertisements, credit card usage and preference to spend on personality enhancing products. It was found that
there is significant association between age and the mentioned variables. It was found through thorough
literature review that there are few qualities of women that women consumers possess that would prove to be
very beneficial for marketers. Firstly, they are great shoppers and spenders. Secondly, the right marketing
communication and promotional messages targeting them can work wonders for any business as women attach a
lot of importance to communication. Thirdly, women consumers possess the ‘multiplier effect’ meaning they
pass on positive word of mouth to all they are in touch with, if they are satisfied with any product/ service. Last
but not the least, they believe in building long term relationships with products or brands they believe in. It is
therefore imperative for marketers to focus their marketing efforts on women consumers in order to reap rich
harvests for their businesses.
VI. REFERENCES
[1] Dr. Chopra Anu Nagpal (2014), “Factors affecting Purchase behaviour of Women grocery consumer-An Insight”, Journal of
Business Management & Social Sciences Research, ISSN No: 2319-5614, Volume 3, No.6, June 2014
[2] Mintel, (2008) “Women swear - UK - March 2008” [11.]
[3] Euromonitor, (2007), Clothing- United Kingdom,
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Vidya B. Panicker et al.

, International Journal of Research in Management, Economics and Commerce,

The Shopping Behaviour of Urban Women

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II. LITERATURE REVIEW

III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Table 1.2: Age of the respondent

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Rs. 4,00,001 to Rs. 6,00,000 20 20.0 20.0 58.0

Table1.3: Tabulated results of frequency table data

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Table 1.6B: Chi-Square Tests

Table1.7B: Chi-Square Tests

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