A research proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration.

Research Studies Project Report (M.B.A.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1997

The objective of the study is to investigate the customer shopping behavior at supermarkets in Hanoi city, then to find out the gaps between what is currently available and what shoppers want and are expecting. A personal interview survey was conducted around the stores in the city. The pattern found is that the target customers are quite sophisticated, they are value-oriented, they are young working people with above-average income. The top three important store choice criteria are merchandise quality, price level and product variety. The CtJstomers quite satisfy with product quality in supermarkets, but the stores fail to fulfill what shoppers consider the second and the third important. There is a big difference in behavior between the two groups: non-users and heavy-users. The latter hold much more favorable assessment on the stores and they seemed to prefer convenience, better atmosphere and services against higher prices. The market is potential with the growing affluence among urban population, but there is also a strong need for the supermarkets to adjust and upgrade themselves to get higher patronage among their customers. Some measurements suggested for improvement are expansions of product varieties and services, awareness promotion focus, increase in store size and modernization of facilities.