Sales & MarketZing !

... at the end of tunnel for Indian retailers or is it the light of a fast moving train :) well according to us things shud be slowly but surely coming back on track here's why :: - Sensex feel good factor , the great measurable feel good factor seems to be on its climbing ways ,consumers invested in it must have either recovered or must be visioning a recovery , a good sign - Retail giants like Pantaloons have made statements of things looking up to pre recession levels . -Walk into a mall u still hear the cash counters ringing at various stores , you were sometimes left wondering about recession , remember , a marginal lot of Indians pay up tax :) Not very sure but retailers are also recruiting again it seems , though a lot of layers that existed in the structures have just vanished , learnings from the past we guess . The IT slowdown which hit a number of key retail cities like Bangalore , gurgaon , etc seems to be slowly but surely waning off . Its a cycle ,things that g

We have been thrilled by the concept behind the Blue Ocean strategy wave that's hit the management circles , however on delving deeper into it one realises that this is an interesting tool one can use for - - understanding the market opportunities , from consumer need ,how do you work on taking the willingness to pay ( WTP ) up . -finding out who are ur NON consumers in a big way ( when was the last time that this happened ! ) by plunging into the market and see signs that open up non segments and not classical market research driven segments ( for eg : one big segment for Nintendo WII is old aged people which wud have never come out in a normal research ) -drive differentiation up and cost down . -and in the process make competition irrelevant . Its about Winning Without Fighting ! With this in mind lets see whether we can use the blue ocean frame work for creating India's retail blue ocean player who for sometime can make competition irrelevant ( as said blue ocean strategy

Come to think of it there was huge hue and cry when the large retailers where expanding the entire Small retail death knell was sounded and the left parties where worried about the impact , fast forward it to the current times , there has been hardly any effect on the small retailers ,is our feeling , to an extent of 95 % of your shopping still happens from the friendly neighbourhood stores . In fact its the big boys who are in trouble as with high opex( high rentals ) and the recession economy backed with net margins which was anyways single digits wud be in stress . The newness of shopping in a freshly painted , nicely laid out store is surely fading off , as consumers are surely realising that cost of travel savings , the one to one shopping experience , even credit that the local kirana store gives is much better than the freshness and newness of the retail players . Unlike the wild west where shopping is a once a month visit to the big retailers , in India its almost a daily or a

here's the latest and best on Indian Retail: Indian retail sector to grow by 9 pc; to touch $521 bn by 2012 India's Online Retail Saga - A Review Foreign apparel brands fail to find the right fit Arvind Singhal: Re-connecting with the consumer Slowdown-hit DollarStore shuts 41 stores Mobile handset retail is not viable in current form: industry India: Tops the List of Emerging Retail Markets Organized retailers seek new strategies to improve sales Delivering better value Company Update: Pantaloon Retail Now, shopping online just got a lot easier ( not an original post ,complied from the web !)

as a consumer walks in to any large sized store , the 1st step is normally backed with some confusion ,as the consumers seeks direction , thus each good store starts with the store directory ,however this is one small step which eases the consumers . After reaching the destination the consumer is further confused about where to find the merchandise or the item that's one is looking for he /she is inundated with items on the shelves , the biggest indicator for help at this moment is the Staff ,that's the issue as ones experience of even finding a staff to help is tough . One thought that can help is maybe some self help touch kiosks that helps consumers to find location , based on "you are here " location indicator ,a lot of shopping decision are made or broken based on the clutter level of your store , and the ease with which one finds ones stuff ,try it , make life easier , and let the consumer find what is needed fast and help them check out faster , by reinven

Well getting your shoppers to GA GA is not very tough to think about but as usual its the execution that is the tough part , but its importance in the current recession times is high , customers itself are becoming scarce ! yes on a relative basis when compared to good old times , say 1 year back ! So here we go with our basic version of what we think can make a difference and generate the GA GA experience , as unlike other sunrise industries retail is a FACE 2 FACE business ( F2F ) , customer interactions is the key . Staff Engagement: being polite, genuinely caring and interested in helping, acknowledging and listening to the customer ( easy to say tough to deliver ! ) Going beyond the normal call of duty : patiently explaining and advising, checking stock, helping to find products, having product knowledge and providing unexpected product quality , it works , we have seen customers coming to stores asking for front end staff by names . Experience: exciting store design and atmos

latest and best on Indian retail , look no further : India can have over 300 new hypermalls by 2011: Neighbourhood stores go off the beaten track Gitanjali Gems acquires 70% stake in MobileNXT Indian People Purchasing Power Myth India Assumes Top Spot as Target for Retailers India: Reliance retail looking to acquire Henkel brands India offers greatest retail opportunities study shows Delivering better value ( Not an original post , complied from the web )