Sales & MarketZing !

Come to think most brand marketers work on demand generation and that typically consumes 80 % of their time , this post makes an attempt to rethink this age old principle /ways , in the sense from a pure demand generation play marketers need to work at driving consumption ,which according to this blog is the key for - if no consumption then the demand itself would not there in the first place ! (consumption )^2 , is a term that we are using to denote the process of driving consumption to newer level and how the rules need to change from pure demand generation to consumption drive by marketers ,lets look at some known consumption driving measures induce trial - the small sachets phenomenon which was a shampoo domain,has seen categories like pickles,hair oil , biscuits ,jams , on this bandwagon , the method is self explained change the product - guess you must have heard about toothpaste brands had increased consumption by changing the dia of the orifice ! smart move Combo deals - t

Here's a best of all latest retail news /articles from the web ... Arvind Singhal: Subhiksha and the Indian retail story Govt allows FDI in multi-brand retail Retail already correcting from its lows: Kishore Biyani UK retail major Argos to pull out of India Has organised retail lost the plot? SES Forays into Retail Big Indian Grocer Shutters Stores as Crisis Hits Birla Retail eyes 18-fold sales growth ..... look no further !

Along with all the social networking sites, there is a new wave of online shopping thats catching up , termed as " social shopping " it is nothing but the term to describe the gettting of like minded consumers on a single platform and harnesses their bargaining power , by the sheer number power . In its other avataars it uses the model of connecting to local retailers , and gets the best price comparison or it uses the price comparison and review mode . The most important marketing tool all these plaforms are trying to use is the much debated and discussed tool ,whose time has come , thanks to the internet ie WOM , word of mouth ! the platforms either give/or inform the "best deals off the street" . In the US of A , social shopping is already an established platform , the following are the sites the blog could dig out ThisNext.com : Users can browse recommended products, add them to their wish lists, recommend Crowdstorm.com : This site measures the buzz around

Like they say on TV this program is bought to you by ... its time we say that the republic day holidays is bought to us by Big Bazaar ! what was an one retailer initiative now has every retailer caught on to this fascination ,the long weekend this month till 26th January and the Big Bazaar original , sab se saaste 3 din ,is seeing clones left right and centre .The poor consumer is either confused with all the offers or would go to the original one, in this case Big Bazaar .Big Bazaar is estimated to be targeting round 300 crores from these 3 days nationally and thus the great surge in advertising spends too from them hope you have not missed their full page advts ! Come to think of it , its been a brilliant marketing move of creating the 26th January day as the cheapest price day for the year , considering what happened at Mumbai at the Big Bazaar stores , led to near riots ! What is good to note to see the spirit of do something big among retailers in these tough times . However the

If the traffic on the roads is any indication to go by then its surely a sign that things are surely heating up in India , in terms of jobs and business losses .Life has surely changed in a matter of 12 months , we have moved from India shining or say blooming to India waning ! These are surely Dire Strait retailing times . Speak to any one in the retail segment the biggest concern is that of their jobs in the first place , there are sparks flying at Reliance retail ( layoffs galore ) , Subhiksha ( no salaries /closing down ) , and other retailers are all looking at the extra hands in a microscopic way. People costs which is a size able cost, is on the hot seat . Product Mix on the shelf : retailers are playing the high private label sales game ,to shore up margins ,so don't be surprised if you find more of Spencer jams , Bigbazaar sauces on the shelves ,its another matter whether the suppliers are getting paid for these too ! Credit : The Retailers are not paying up on time

After the last few years of being gungho , Modern trade has also seen its fair share of trouble in these times of slowdown ,already reports indicate that there is poor off takes by big retailers as their sell outs itself is low , to add to this is the perennial payment delay problem from the retailer side . So how do brands operate in such a situation ,here are some blog suggestions : Pls note that these are not a straight fit recommendation , as it would depend upon the contribution Modern trade has to your business , higher the contribution higher the need to dance to the tunes of retailers ! i) The retailer would ask for a big piece :In these tough times retailers would know how to arm twist brands ,say by asking for a margin increase : if you have no way to go! then tie it to an off take Volume increase ,or the elusive prime space deal that you couldn't crack earlier or say a polite NO .Also remember word spreads too ,give it to one retailer ,others would ask for it soon .

Latest buzz on the Retail industry as it happens ! Key drivers of retail metrics Retailers may cut prices to spur demand The Growth of Organised retail and Retailers optimistic about next year Indian retailers focus on franchisee model Future Group hopes to sail thru difficult times in Retailers cut sourcing by 15% Retailers expect to gain from falling rentals Unorganised retail sector poised to grow by 10% India critical over next five years: P&G Planet Retail announces winners Brand new E commerce retail site www.govasool.com is live now ! World News Return Line: Retailers Brace for Step-Up in Exchanges - Wall Street Journal Desperate Retailers Try Frantic Discounts - New York Times Local store accepts gift cards for bankrupt retailer - 13abc.com Wal-Mart Set to Repeat Share Gains, Grab Target Sales - Bloomberg Bill Blass Bankruptcy Sheds Spotlight On The Soft Upper End - CNNMoney.com Key players in the Indian Retail sector The future of organized retail in India David vs G