Author(s): Sagar Gajre, Ganapati B. Sinnoor, Nataraj B. Patted
Indian traditional open-air vegetable markets offer a richly multisensory shopping environment characterized by vibrant colours, sounds, interpersonal exchanges, and performative selling practices. This form of retailing stands in sharp contrast to the increasingly dominant model of app-based fast grocery delivery services, which prioritize speed, efficiency, and convenience while minimizing personal interaction. This paper examines how these two retail formats create value differently by analysing the impact of performative selling methods employed by street vendors such as loud price calls, rhythmic songs, humorous banter, visual product displays, and personalized rapport on consumer experience and loyalty, compared with the role of convenience in quick-commerce platforms such as Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart. The study is based on a two-year mixed-method field investigation conducted in Kalaburagi town in Karnataka, India. The research design integrates ethnographic observation of vegetable vendors, in-depth qualitative interviews with vendors and consumers, and a structured consumer survey administered to 400 households. This methodological approach enables a holistic examination of seller practices and shopper preferences across traditional open markets, cooperative retail outlets, and app-based grocery platforms. The findings reveal that traditional vegetable markets are overwhelmingly perceived by consumers as superior in terms of product freshness, personal trust, and social interaction. These attributes emerge as more influential in shaping purchase decisions for the majority of respondents than the speed and convenience offered by quick-commerce applications. Survey results indicate strong experiential and relational motivations underlying vegetable purchases: 86 percent of respondents identified freshness as their most important purchase criterion, while 64 percent reported that the opportunity to bargain enhanced their shopping satisfaction. These results highlight the continued relevance of sensory verification, interpersonal familiarity, and social engagement in everyday food retailing. At the same time, the analysis shows that quick-commerce platforms appeal to specific consumer segments particularly higher-income and time-constrained households due to their ability to reduce shopping effort and save time. Factor analysis suggests that approximately 30 percent of the variance in purchase criteria is explained by a convenience-oriented factor that favours app usage. However, both qualitative and quantitative evidence point to persistent consumer concerns regarding online grocery shopping. Nearly one-quarter of respondents expressed distrust related to the quality and freshness of vegetables purchased through apps, and many reported missing the social interaction and sensory reassurance traditionally associated with bazaar shopping. Theoretically, the findings extend experiential marketing and consumption value perspectives to the context of informal retailing, reinforcing prior research that emphasizes the importance of cordial seller–buyer relationships and assured freshness in street markets. From a practical standpoint, the paper proposes a hybrid cooperative retail model inspired by Karnataka’s Nandini milk-parlour system, combining digital ordering and logistics with the trust-based, social, and sensory attributes of traditional markets. Such a model has the potential to strengthen farm-to-fork supply chains, support small farmers and street vendors, and preserve culturally embedded shopping experiences amid the rapid expansion of digital commerce.