[Krishnamurti, 4(1), January, 2017] ISSN: 2394-7659 IMPACT FACTOR- 2.789 International Journal of Engineering Researches and Management Studies ©International Journal of Engineering Researches and Management Studies http://www.ijerms.com [21] THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN GENDER, AGE AND CONSUMER GROCERY SHOPPING BEHAVIOR: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY Dr. Shivakumar Krishnamurti 1 * and Dr. Ruchi Agarwal 2 * 1 Professor, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management-Bengaluru (A Constituent of Symbiosis International University) 2 Assistant Professor, College of Business Administration University of Modern Sciences, Dubai ABSTRACT The study examines the grocery shopping behavior of the residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A pre- designed questionnaire was used to collect the primary data (experiences) from 264 respondents residing in and around the Emirates of Sharjah and Dubai of the UAE. The collected data was analyzed with the help of statistical tools such as averages, percentages, factor analysis, Student’s t-test, structural equation model and correlation. The objectives of this study were the following:  To know the extent to which men and women residents differ in their grocery shopping behavior  To know the extent to which older and younger residents differ in their grocery shopping behavior  To know whether the grocery shoppers are satisfied with their grocery shopping experience. The study revealed the following: The majority of the surveyed shoppers do grocery shopping once a week and the majority of the shoppers indicated that they spend an hour grocery shopping during each visit. Although the respondents show some differences in their grocery shopping behavior depending on their gender and age, there appear to be a number of similarities in their grocery shopping behavior. Irrespective of their gender and age, grocery shoppers always look for lowest prices when they shop, like to list specific private label/store brand items to buy, are keen to buy fresh and new stocks of items and shop at a particular grocery outlet because they get all their requirements. Keywords: Grocery shopper, gender, age, residents, price, brand, post-purchase, satisfaction. I. INTRODUCTION Consumers make buying decisions every day in their lives, and these decisions mark the focal point of a marketer’s effort. Consumers buy a variety of goods and services. The manner in which they relate to each other and to the other elements of the world around them impacts their buying decisions. Marketers need to affect how consumers think and act. In order to affect the whats, whens and hows of consumers’ buying behavior, every marketer needs to comprehend the whys. These whys cannot be controlled by the marketers, but have to be well understood. Age and gender are two such important characteristics for grocery shopping. Grocery shopping constitutes an important and routine type of consumer behavior. Food and grocery items reflect low levels of involvement; that is, such products are bought with a minimum of comparison and buying effort. They are less expensive, available in many locations and have less associated social risk. Some might be bought regularly while some might be bought impulsively. Consumers do not wish to spend much time when shopping for groceries. Since grocery shopping is one of the most basic elements of consumer behavior, marketers and retailers need to increasingly focus on the dynamics affecting the buying behavior.