Title: Sustainability of kirana stores in India: reengineering physical with some digital

Authors: Jehangir Bharucha

Addresses: UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract: The kirana stores, the typical Indian grocery mini-markets have been facing a serious threat due to the growth of organised retail and the e-commerce sector in India. The primary study queried consumers residing in five Indian cities to understand their consumption patterns and FMCG buying behaviour. The implication of the research is that these kirana shops would have to go in for different and innovative strategies to face the competition from the retail dragons and to meet the new customer expectations. As seen here, kirana shops will always survive and outlive any kind of competition. The heart of Indian customers still continues to rest with the kirana stores. The paper suggests various ways in which these stores can enhance their worth, practice innovative retention strategies and build mutually beneficial partnerships with big companies. The bottom line would have to be – it is physical with digital!

Keywords: kirana stores; e-commerce; organised retail; consumer behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2019.104866

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2019 Vol.15 No.6, pp.751 - 764

Received: 13 Feb 2017
Accepted: 26 Jun 2018
Published online: 05 Feb 2020 *

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