RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ASSIGNMENT

Exploratory Research on a Problem in Flipkart

Submitted by:
Group 26

Name PRN Roll No Email Id

Shubhada Vyawhare 21020141212 44312 [email protected]

Shreyanshi Agarwal 21020141209 44309 [email protected]

Shreya Dayal 21020141208 44308 [email protected]

Shiv Shankar Srinivasan 21020141206 44306 [email protected]

Shivam Narang 21020141207 44307 [email protected]

Shruti Agarwal 21020141211 44311 [email protected]

Shreyas Nair 21020141210 44310 [email protected]

When it comes to internet purchasing, there isn't much of a gender divide. Flipkart's most frequent users
are students and paid individuals. Flipkart has a higher frequency of purchase for electrical appliances,
luxury items (watches, bags, etc.) and electronics. Many people were made aware of this website by their
friends and family when customers recommended it to them, therefore word of mouth was more influential
in promotion.

Flipkart's services are good, yet there is still room for improvement in terms of boosting consumer
strength. Digital marketing strategies such as search engine marketing, providing links to other websites,
and advertising were also effective in promoting this website. Flipkart offers one of the greatest services
in the industry i.e., packaging.

Different payment options available in Flipkart made customers more satisfied and comfortable for
paying while purchasing products. Customers feel more secure when purchasing through Flipkart
because of different policies and services they have. In comparison with competitors, Flipkart is charging
free shipping for the purchase of 300 plus rupees, while others free ship the service without any barrier.
Most customers have good experience with Flipkart while purchasing products.

Customers were more satisfied and at ease when paying for products on Flipkart because of the various
payment alternatives accessible. Because of the various policies and services offered by Flipkart,
customers feel more comfortable when making purchases. Compared to competitors, Flipkart charges
free delivery for orders of 300 rupees or more, whereas others offer the service without charge. When it
comes to purchasing things, the majority of customers have had a positive experience with Flipkart.

Introduction

Since the last few years, e-commerce has quickly become one of the most popular forms of purchasing in
India, but the Covid-19 epidemic has boosted the adoption even more in the last 12 months. Shoppers
cited safety, competitive pricing, and simplicity of returns as the top reasons for trusting online services
over brick-and-mortar businesses. Both consumers and sellers have adopted digital channels more quickly
as a result of the epidemic, especially in non-metro locations. Consumer tastes have changed as a result of
the increased availability of low-cost goods. Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal, Myntra, Paytm mall to name a
few have shown phenomenal success in the past few years and have become one of the top choices for
shopping in India. The Indian E-commerce market is expected to grow to US$ 111.40 billion by 2025
from US$ 46.2 billion as of 2020 as per the recent research studies. Although E-commerce is an evolving
industry and it has shown consistent growth, there are a large number of challenges that need to be
addressed so as to make the online purchasing scenario completely hassle free for the customers. Delay in
delivery times, issues in the replacement of the wrong or fake product, tedious refund process in case of
wrong or fake product are some of the issues that develop untrust in the minds of the customers.
Objective

To conduct the Exploratory (Qualitative Research) using Primary and Secondary Information in order to
identify the problems that the customers are facing w.r.t shopping on Flipkart.

Conducting in-depth interviews and referring secondary sources to analyze the issues that the customers
are facing on Flipkart before and after placing the order on the E-Commerce platform as well as after
receiving Fake Products or Wrong Orders to understand their perception of the quality of products and
services of Flipkart as compared to its counterparts. Based on the Qualitative Research, defining the
Management Decision Problem – MDP and Marketing Research Problem – MRP.

Method of Study

For the said assignment we have identified the company Flipkart and decided to conduct Exploratory
Research by interviewing customers and gathering insights from the same about their experience while
shopping on Flipkart as well as any discrepancies they might have faced with the said organisation at the
time of Refunds and Replacements. Additionally, apart from Primary Data Collection, we also gathered
information from Secondary Sources to facilitate our study, the references are attached in the end of the
document.

Since the problem is not clearly defined initially and the said research is being conducted at a preliminary
stage in order to clearly define the problem, a Grounded Theory Approach has been adopted.

In order to have a clearer image about the services rendered at the time of providing products to customers
as well as at the time of Return/Refund/Replacement by Flipkart, they were compared with its direct and
indirect competitors such as Amazon, Myntra and the like.

The group decided to formulate a series of questions for the respondents that would facilitate us in getting
hold of the issues identified by the group and to highlight additional problems raised by the respondents.
Questions were drafted in a way so as to get a complete picture about the respondents’ activity,
preferences, experiences, issues and suggestions. It was also kept in mind, since the Big Billion Day Sale
of Flipkart was going on, at the time of discussion, questions around the same must be included, in order
to gauge the pulse of the customers.

Following were the questions asked from the respondents -

● Do you shop from E-Commerce Platforms such as Flipkart, Amazon, SnapDeal, Myntra, Paytm
Mall to name a few?
● Compared to Flipkart, which Platform do you prefer the most?
● How has your experience with Flipkart while purchasing goods from it been like?
● What is your experience of Flipkart Delivery?
● Did you ever receive a Fake Product or a Wrong Order while shopping on Flipkart?
● If yes, what did you do after the same?
● If you went ahead and raised the issue with the organisation, what was Flipkart’s reaction? Did
 they take any measure after you brought it up with the management?
● Did you ever have to apply for a Return/ Refund/ Replacement while shopping on Flipkart?
● If yes, can you share your experience?
● How was the interaction with customer care like for the above issue?
● If the above-mentioned problems are resolved, would you prefer coming back to Flipkart for re-
purchases?
● Do you find an anomaly in the delivery time or products per se during Special Sales days such as
Big Billion Days or Diwali Sale as compared to normal Business Days?

Having collated all the Responses and Secondary information available, Management Decision Problem
as well as Marketing Research Problem were defined

Literature Review

There are a few aspects that influence how people perceive online purchasing. Among these criteria, users'
risk perceptions were found to be the most important differentiator between those who bought online and
those who did not. Other distinguishing variables included control over and comfort of the purchasing
process, goods affordability, customer service, and shopping site simplicity of use.

For customers considering online purchases, quality of service and information, speed and reliability of
delivery, ease of on-line buying, and trust in vendors are essential variables that will increasingly decide
their inclination to engage in E-commerce. Increased website trust will result in increased online purchase
intent. Perhaps other factors, such as product types, are more essential than trust. This result, on the other
hand, contradicts the findings of other studies, which suggest that consumers' inclination to buy and return
to a website is influenced by their level of trust.

Flipkart has successfully positioned itself in the minds of its customers, making it India's largest online
store with a diverse product offering. However, it must continue to improve its main competency, which is
books and stationery. Delivery services, particularly in rural areas, can be improved by selecting an
appropriate courier provider that offers services in the customer's location for shipping an item. Can
provide free shipping on all products.

The comprehensive research is based on consumer behaviour analysis, which provides a valuable insight
into consumer perceptions when it comes to online buying. The principle is also applicable to ecommerce
businesses, as these industries are too busy to focus on providing excellent customer service and
merchandising solutions using cutting-edge technology and experience.

Flipkart has not been closely monitoring the quality and efficiency of customer service and distribution,
with lower costs and a nimbler work flow through its network of shops and other suppliers.

Flipkart's inventory-led model focuses on product consistency and long-term client retention by gaining
their trust in the e-business and commerce marketplace. One complaint addressed against Flipkart is that it
spends money too quickly.
More coupons and gift vouchers might be included to increase customer traffic. Critical mass of Internet
users — As the number of Internet users in India grows, Flipkart will be able to target more and more
cities, including not only tier 1 and 2 but also tier 3 and 4 cities, resulting in a stronger client base and
increased revenue. Logistics & Supply Chain: can strive to shorten the delivery cycle time as much as
possible. Price will still be a concern since Amazon, as a large corporation, will use its economies of scale
to eliminate competitors from the market; as a result, they must be more competitive in that area.

Flipkart has a higher frequency of purchase for electrical appliances, luxury items (watches, bags, etc.)
and electronics. Flipkart's services are good, yet there is still room for improvement in terms of boosting
consumer strength. Customers were more satisfied and at ease when paying for products on Flipkart
because of the various policies and services accessible. Customers felt more comfortable while purchasing
through Flipkart because of the various policies and services offered.

Findings

● Customers faced issues regarding the delay in the delivery of the products.
● Customers received Fake Products, Wrong Orders and sometimes Used Products as well.
● There were issues in replacement or return of the wrong product. It was a hassle for the customers
as they had to take regular follow ups with the customer service helpdesk of the company.
● Refund Process had multiple levels which made it tedious as the customers had to justify at every
step of the way to get their money’s worth.
● Customers preferred shopping back on Flipkart only when these issues were resolved.
● The customers reported that they need improvement in the delivery process, refund/return policy
and the quality of the products and services as compared to competitors like Amazon. They
recommended a Quality check for the products and a Hassle -Free Return/Refund mechanism.
● Customers prefer high-quality electronics with updated features at a reasonable price.
● Customers also expected delivery services of the Flipkart to be available in rural areas of the
country. They found the availability of these services provided by their competitors like Amazon
in these areas.
● Some customers also reported the less variety or less choice availability of products in a particular
segment such as books, although their opinion was that Amazon is very good in that particular
segment.
● Flipkart is putting in a lot of effort to go to the top, but Amazon India is putting up a stiff
challenge, due to the resources available and network established.
● Amazon is the clear winner in every category of the survey, including pricing, quality, customer
service, secure transactions, and so on.
● Without a doubt, Flipkart and Amazon made a big impression on people and have gained a lot of
loyal clients.
● Both Flipkart and Amazon India's advertisements were creative and appealing. People of all ages
are fascinated by offerings, regardless of whether they are in need or not.
● It was observed that during the sale season like the Big Billion Days, due to the excessive discount
provided by Flipkart, some sellers faced losses. Whereas on the other hand a large number of
customers were attracted by it and bought a variety of products.

Management Decision Problem

After conducting Primary Research which included getting insights of various customers of Flipkart and
doing the extensive Secondary Research through different journals, magazines, newspapers to name a
few,. common issues which came forward were found in the internal quality control of the products such
as getting damaged, used, fake or wrong products and issues pertaining to services found were, delay in
delivery time of a product not only on some special sale days such as Big Billion Days Sale but also in
Routine Business Days, inability to provide provision for delivery of products in rural areas, doing a lot of
follow ups for any issue pertaining to refund/return/replacement of the product were the common
problems. These problems also led to people not coming back to Flipkart and preferring other E-
Commerce Platforms over it. Therefore, the problem of improving the internal quality and services was
identified for achieving customer satisfaction and eventually customer delight.

Marketing Research Problem

Would this action help to retain and attract customers and improve the revenue of the
organization?

Having asked the respondents and after analyzing the trends in secondary information, it has been
observed that customers tend to positively react to improvement done by management. If Proper Quality
checks before the shipment of products to customers as well as a streamlined communication system is
implemented at the time of Returns/Refunds, this might be fruitful for the organisation in attracting
customers thereby improving revenue.

Conclusion

Flipkart is a well-established organization and has shown phenomenal growth in the recent few years and
has actually played a very important role in building the E-Commerce sector of the country. The number
of people buying online has also increased in the recent past due to the strong penetration of internet and
supply chain services reaching to the remote areas of the country. The pandemic has even helped in the
rapid growth of the E-Commerce sector of the country but still there is a long way to go and various issues
needed to be addressed to make it even robust. Major issues that need to be addressed are strong supply
chain management, better refund/replacement policy of the organization, improving the quality of the
products, providing better deals such as more discount offers to attract more customers. Flipkart can
compete even better and increase their market share if they address these issues of the customers.

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Annexure 1

● Interviews - Google Drive

Annexure 2

● Aditya_Customer_Flipkart.doc - Google Docs