Anythin to do with Microeconomics Research Proposal

Anythin to do with Microeconomics - Research Proposal Example Retail shopping can be defined as the process of evaluation of goods or services from retail outlets by consumers aiming to buy those goods or services. Retail shopping takes place in different venues ranging from hypermarkets, shopping malls and departmental stores to bazaars, second-hand stores, dollar stores and flea markets. Today, retail shopping is not only a necessity that enables retail consumers to acquire goods or services for use in everyday life, but it is also a leisure activity that combines delight, relaxation, amusement and the chance to spend ‘quality time’ with friends and relatives. In a few cases, retail shopping is an arduous, time-consuming and unpleasant activity where consumers are obliged to line up in long queues for long hours to purchase popular items {for example, during holiday shopping}. The retail consumer’s decision to buy is a successful culmination of eight consecutive stages: ‘need’ which convinces the retail consumer to buy certain goods or services, ‘awareness’ involving advertisers of goods and services reaching out to prospective buyers using persuasive brand communication, ‘preference’ when retail consumers decide that they prefer certain brands, ‘search’ involving consumers initiating searches for retail outlets where their preferred brand is being sold, ‘selection’ involving choosing their preferred item, ‘purchase’ involving the consumer conveying final confirmation by paying for the item, ‘use’ involves the consumer making practical use of the item, and ‘satisfaction’ involving the consumer’s firm conviction that the item purchased has fully lived up to expectations (Sharma). Phil Kotler defines Atmospherics as â€Å"the effort to design buying environments to produce specific emotional effects in the buyer that enhance his or her purchase probability.† In â€Å"Marketing of the Mind†, the