Hypermarket vs Supermarket, the two of the most common retail options that are often used interchangeably & elevates our shopping experience, yet there lies a distinction between the two!
The world of retail which is dynamic as well as comes with multiple options, where the choices are as diverse as the products that are lined up on the shelves.
What is a Hypermarket?
Hypermarket refers to the stores or shopping place that offers an array of products at a lower and discounted price.
It is a giant store that often looks like a warehouse with large shelves that contains a wide variety of products that includes food items as well as non-food items. They are often available on sales criteria as well as on discounts.
The main aim to establish these hypermarket stores is to make goods and products available at one-stop shops for customers who want to buy everything they need in one place.
They are typically larger and offer a wider range of products and services compared to supermarkets. Some hypermarket stores are so big that they have café, restaurants inside that offer customers a great and relaxing shopping experience.
Some most common examples of Hypermarket are Big Bazaar, Walmart, HyperCITY, More Megastore, etc.
What is a Supermarket?
A supermarket store is a self-service store that provides a range of products that includes food items as well as non-food items. The size of the store is large, but comparatively low with hypermarkets.
Supermarkets offer goods in a limited range and prices are reasonable. As it is self service which means that customers are free to pick up the products of their need from any shelf and add to their cart.
The main goal of these stores is to provide a quick, convenient, and hassle free shopping experience for customers who want to purchase groceries and household essentials.
Some common examples of supermarkets in India are Reliance Fresh, DMart, Easyday, etc.
Hypermarket Vs Supermarket
| Aspects | Hypermarket | Supermarket |
| Size | Acquires a large space. | Typically smaller in size as compared to hypermarkets. |
| Aim | To facilitate & encourage more savings for the customers. | To make a profit out of the business. |
| Product range | Has a much wider range of products & goods for both non-food & food items. | Limited options of products. |
| Interiors | Not very attractive & appealing. A moderate interior. | Has an appealing and attractive interior. |
| Located | Are located at the outskirts of the cities. | Centrally, typically in residential areas. |
| Checkout points | Departments within hypermarkets have their own checkout counters and hypermarkets have multiple billing points. | Usually has a single counter with multiple rows for billing. |
| Target customers | Targets an extensive range of costumes who are ready to spend more. | They target mostly the budget-conscious people who look for lower prices of products. |
| Customer service | Provides good support for assisting, guiding, helping with decision making, etc. | Staff usually help out the customers in selecting from a small space. |
| Offers & Deals | Frequent discounts are offered due to high customer volume. | Offers less discounts. |
| Additional services | Has additional services like banks, cafes, restaurants, etc. | Rarely offers such services. |
| Frills offered | Fewer frills are offered. | More frills are available. |
| Marketing/Promotional strategies | Use discounts and offers strategy, however does not offer festive discounts. | Offers festive discounts, special occasion offers, etc. |
Size
Hypermarkets have a much larger space as compared to supermarkets. Hypermarkets usually look like warehouses. The average size of hypermarkets is 80,000 sq.ft to 200,000 sq.ft, and can be more than that too.
While supermarkets are also large stores but are comparatively smaller than the size of hypermarkets. The average size can be 5,000 sq.ft to 20,000 sq.ft.
Aim
Hypermarkets are usually set up to facilitate & encourage more savings for the customers as they offer products with more options and price range, whereas supermarkets aim to make profit out of their business. They set up their stores near or inside the residential areas that help them to drive more customs.
Interiors
Hypermarkets usually have a moderate interior design as it has many shopping points in it and pong huge product shelves. It usually looks like a warehouse. Whereas, on the other hand, supermarkets have an extensive interior which makes it look attractive and appealing to the customers while shopping.
Checkout Points
As hypermarkets are big in size and have a much larger space, it is pretty evident that there will be more customer volume than supermarkets, therefore, there are many billing counters available in hypermarkets.
In supermarkets, there is usually one billing counter that has multiple queues of customers. Sometimes, it is less due as it depends on customer volume.
Target Customers
Hypermarket targets customers who wish to shop from wide product options that have a varied line of prices, and are ready to spend more for a wider range of products. In the case of supermarkets, they target mostly the budget-conscious people who look for lower prices of products.
Additional services
Hypermarkets not only offer a broad line up of goods & items, but some of the hypermarkets also have cafes, restaurants, relaxing zones, banks, etc., inside them that offer costumes a better and relaxed shopping experience.
Supermarkets do not offer such services.
Offers & Deals
During festival days and on special occasions, supermarkets offer discount packages on various products and items, while hypermarkets don’t offer discounts and offers on special occasions as they always offer lower prices and discounts on many lines of products that includes food items as well as non food items.
Frills offered
Frills are generally something extra that are offered to the customers without any extra charges.
Hypermarkets usually offer less or fewer frills, as they come with a motto to enable customers to access different goods at reasonable and affordable costs. The goal of a hypermarket is to encourage more savings among customers.
In the case of supermarkets, they offer frills on the products. They strategies frills to attract a larger base of customers.
Marketing Strategies
Hypermarkets use a variety and vast line up of marketing or promotional strategies like reward or loyalty programs or in-store offers, best monthly deals, etc. and therefore do not offer special discounts in festive seasons as they do that all the time.
While looking at supermarkets, they offer special discount programs and offers specially for the festive and special occasions season.
Note: Visit our article Nestle Marketing – A Case Study.
Summing Up: Hypermarket vs Supermarket
The above differences between hypermarket vs supermarket, has showcased the various factors that encompasses our shopping experience.
However, the ultimate and final choice to pick the best one rolls down to the shopping preferences, needs, budget, location, priorities, etc., as both the shopping methods offer a range of products for both food items and non-food items.
