The retail wish list

In the July 31 issue of the strategist, industry veterans shared their advice for kickstarting organised retail in India. the strategist, too, compiled its own wish list and asked readers to send in their recommendations. Here is a selection of the best suggestions.

A doctor on call and an ambulance on the premises.

""V Ganapathy

Well-displayed goods and signages.

Super-saver combo packs.

""Aditi Bhardwaj,
New Delhi

Play area for children.

Confident sales staff, who can convert walk-ins into sales.

Fast and correct cashiering.

""Ranjan Kumar,
New Delhi

Home delivery.

Customised services, on the lines of Levi Strauss's arrangement with Wal-Mart, where customer designs his pair of jeans, deciding on the colour, the fit, pattern by choosing from available options.

Special discounts during low-traffic periods (11 am to 5 pm on weekdays), especially to target housewives.

""Veena Jhamtani,
Jaipur

Creating a theme in each outlet "" in terms of organisation of store, colour schemes and so on "" that can be further leveraged during festive periods. The theme could vary from one outlet to another in the same chain; but it will ensure higher customer satisfaction level and delight.

""Shalin Shah,
Indore

Highlight the total savings on the bill, in percentage terms, so customers have a heightened awareness of having saved money.

""Viral Pandya,
Gandhinagar

Brands/companies are not necessarily saving on intermediary costs such as distributors and stockists. Either they are passing on their higher margin costs to consumers in the form of higher MRPs, designed to accommodate a larger margin payout to modern retail, or ducking out of these stores altogether, as MTR and Frito-Lays recently did with some high profile retailers. Until scale and cost economics for these retail behemoths generate savings in excess of 10 per cent in logistics costs, the small retailer will remain king in India.

""M Sundarraj,
Bangalore

Professional and customer-friendly sales staff who help customers find solutions.

""Arpita Kaul

Free music and video shops.

Facilities for indoor games such as table tennis, snooker and billiards.

""Aanchal Narang

Easy accessibility to products.

Products displayed such that customers can recall their location easily.

""M Srinivasa Rao,
Nizamabad

Click here for July 31 issue