Retailing is the final step in the distribution of merchandise - the last link in the Supply Chain - connecting the bulk producers of commodities to the final consumers. Retailing covers diverse products such as foot apparels, consumer goods, financial services and leisure.
A retailer, typically, is someone who does not effect any significant change in the product execs breaking the bulk. He/ She is also the final stock point who makes products or services available to the consumer whenever require. Hence, the value proposition a retailer offers to a consumer is easy availabilities of the desired product in the desired sizes at the desired times.
In developed countries, the retail industry has developed into a full-fledged industry where more than three-fourths of the total retail trade is done by the organized sector. Huge retail chains like Wal-Mart, Carr four Group, Sears, K-Mart, McDonalds, etc. have now replaced the individual small stores. Large retail formats, with high quality ambiance and courteous, and well-trained sales staff are regular features of these retailers.
Online retailing has its own benefits and limitations vis-à-vis the traditional retailing. To customers, online retailing offers the advantage of a 24-by-7 shopping window, the comfort of shopping without having to visit any shop, the information availability on a click and sometimes even lower prices on the products/services. For the retailers/manufacturers the key benefits are the breadth of potential target customer base, increased visibility in the marketplace, ease of capturing customer data, micro-targeting along with mass personalization, lower operating costs due to inventory reduction, absence of retail outlet costs and reduced marketing costs. If it all looks like a win-win situation, then the question is why the concept not picked-up in India has? The key reasons behind this are lack of information available on the portal, security concerns during online payment, touch-n-feel being an important deciding factor, lower trust in authenticity of the online products sold and the transaction fulfillment and returns-related issues. Furthermore, the retailer has the disadvantage of not having a mature operational strategy and good technological and physical infrastructure to support its e-tailing vision.
[...] Though both Tango and Lifespring would consist of a pharmacy as well, Dr Morepen is currently studying the option of entering into a third retail format - that of a pure pharmacy. Though concrete plans have not been finalized for the foray yet, company officials say that the pharmacy model may be rolled out in a tie-up with other players such as petroleum companies for retailing at petrol pumps, and so on. Meanwhile, even though it does appear that corporate India is gearing up to provide a new buying experience to the Indian consumer, much would, however, depend on how well the concept is implemented in India. [...]
[...] Source: KSA Technopak Like China, since India is witnessing an evolution of its retail sector and mall development activity at a relatively later stage as compared to major countries across the globe. It has the potential to integrate learning's from those nations and leapfrog into higher stage of development in relatively shorter time span. Mall Development in 2005 Almost 10 million sq ft of mall space is expected to come up in 2005 across 12 major cities of India. Most of these malls will be concentrated in North India attributable to high disposable income and spending power in the region. [...]
[...] However it is facing a lot of resentment from the left parties and the opposition parties in India Evolvement of Franchising in India & the Road Ahead The retail sector in India has seen immense activity in the last couple of years. This can largely be attributed to the availability of better infrastructure, improved technology support and an increase in purchasing power among consumers. This has further led to a need for retailers to spread beyond geographical boundaries and extend their reach to every conceivable corner of the nation. [...]
[...] Although this model has proved to be highly successful franchise-able format across the world, in India what is needed is a business model that takes into account the nuances of the Indian market and be localized. Food, Grocery & Discount Retailing South India has led the way in Food & Grocery retailing with retailers like Nilgiri's and Subhiksha expanding through franchise formats across states. Discounting is one feature in India which cannot be ignored. We have seen all major brands go into the discounting mode almost twice a year some even more often, which gets absorbed in the system. [...]
[...] According to a study conducted by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), India. The study also points out that franchising will emerge as a poplar mode of retailing and will lead to proliferation in brands with foreign and Indian companies, acquiring strong brand equity for their products. This proliferation would definitely reflect in health retail. Also, with foreign direct investment (FDI) poised to come into retailing, technical know-how, availability of free money in the market and increase in quality benchmarks will boost health retail. [...]
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