A social media face for your retail store

Retailers where are you ? Youngsters are your market :- Do they really know, where are you , when they are searching for products to shop ? Many of them are new to your city ! As  youngsters become the main stay for many retail businessess, it is no longer enough to just advertise in your favourite newspaper and hope it will attract your customers to your store. Bangalore's MG Road, Brigade Road and Commercial Street are no longer the attractive places to shop ! Who has the time to travel to them on the only sunday they get ? More and more young people work more than just the normal 9 to 6 now a days  5 to 6 days a week and then take home to work on their laptops . We see less and less of them reading news papers, including those using company buses. Considering that...

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An unrefusable offer for Bloggers ..

Background :- We are all customers for a wide variety of products like daily grocery shopping, lifestyle products, consumer products, homes, etc etc. Many of us are regular bloggers on the indiblogger network and other networks as well. Currently we blog what is closest to our hearts and hope that it is of interest to others. In another world, are the retailers like me representing 1000's of brands who spend their entire lifetime understanding customers like you. Some time successfully, many times failing badly. Recall the number of times, we have made  you happy with your shopping and times we have upset you. We know we should do better. Your happiness is our survival after all. Give us a chance...

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Malls Vs High Street - Where to set shop ?

India's population is shopping for more brands than ever before. Whether it is shopping for high value products ranging from imported apparel or daily needs like vegetables, groceries, it is both an entertainment and a activity to be done. No wonder "retail therapy" is the new buzz word. What can Retailers do to catch the Shopper ? Location :- With time at a premium, Shoppers look for convenience where they can shop for multiple things in one place. This is where the Malls are taking over from the tradional high street. Malls are offering :- a. Starting with the convenience of parking, including valet parking. b. Airconditioned ambience starting right at the door / floor of the mall. c. Widest range of brands under one roof, and a...

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Retail Metrics - Can they change suddenly ?

Dhirubhai Ambani :- The story goes, that Dhirubhai Ambani, Reliance Group Founder Chairman, could just put his hand on any machine in his VIMAL textile plant and just by feeling the vibrations, he could tell what was right or wrong with the machine. I am not so smart, but some thing similar happened to me today. I do a 5 minute run on the tread mill, at my gym, and on an average burn about 50 calories,  but more importantly, I will be sweating by the end and trying to catch my breadth. Today, I seem to do 50 calories in less than 4 minutes and with hardly any effort ! While I was happy at my improvement, something told me the machine was not moving fast enough . I told my Trainer Irfan about my...

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Credit Card Lost and Found after 15 days. Safe !:)

Incident :- My wife, had gone out shopping some time ago and used her credit card. Suddenly at 10 pm , she remembered that her card was not in her purse, and after searching the whole house, did not find it. The immediate response was to call and block the card. She then checked the last time she had used it was in Namdhari Fresh store at the BTM Layout Bangalore . We then decided that the only way was to check with the store first thing in the morning, if they had found it and kept. Mr. Ravikumar of Namdhari had found that she had left without collecting her card, and they had gone out to look out for her, but could not locate it. So they kept it with them safely . She was relieved to find that the store had kept it safely and kept...

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Happy Customer Services to share ?

Once upon a time, we would go to the tailor first with the cloth, who would take the measurements, then go another day he told us would be ready and find it was not. Go back a few more times, curse your tailor and finally get it . Now a days, we go to a branded ready made store in a mall, mostly on weekends and that too in the evenings ,  try out many many dresses and finally select a pant ! Only to find in the trial room, the length of the pant is too long, the ends are not stiched. You dont give it too much thought, you bill it and then you are asked to go to the alteration desk ! Frustration :- This is where the frustration starts. After a long queue at the billing counter, there is a even longer queue at this alteration desk....

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Everlasting prosperity in one day !

Looked like every man, woman and child from  Jammu or Kanyakumari, Bombay or Kolkatta or any city or town for that matter, was too busy, buying "Everlasting Prosperity" today. Akshaya Tritiya , which meant any one starting any thing today, was assured of perpetual prosperity was the main reason, the country went shopping ! Regular shoppers knew that if they come in early ( some came as early at 7AM !), they could get the best of the products, at the best of prices and best of service, before the crowds start coming in. Jewellers after a 3 week long strike were more than ready to service these customers. Gold prices seems to have stabilised, diamonds continue to attract the new age middle class Indian like never before, new designs...

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Loss Protection @ Your Retail Store

Ramesh, was a dedicated Customer Sales Associate with a well known retail store for many years. But, the income that he was earning was not sufficient for his living expenses and his life style. He often saw many of  his customers lead a lavish lifestyle and wanted to live a flashy lifestyle as well. What he forgot was that many of his "customers" were often well educated and often worked very hard in their businesses or offices to be able to lead such a life. Very few really had "easy money". He often saw, day in and day out, how even these customers would look for value in the purchases. Opportunity ? One day, he saw what was a simple and easy way to make money. His owner / franchisee had gone out of the store,...

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Old stock old price or old stock new price ? Is it ethically right ?

Balaji Helmet Palace, is one of the many helmet shops on Lalbagh Road, Bangalore where we stopped today to buy a helmet for my daughter, who is going to learn to ride a bike. We had stopped there, as it was a store with a parking space in front of it, and had an interesting way of showing off his "helmet store", where all the old helmets had been painted red and yellow, the colors of Karnataka. As with most of these stores, once we told him, about our requirement, the Sales man showed us a few helmets, we finally settled on one,  a dull black with a white visor from the Brand Vega. He had told us the price was Rs. 940 while another brand Globe was about Rs. 880 or so. My daughter found that the Vega one was a better fit and preferred...

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Akshaya Tritiya on April 24th.Learning from the jewellers..

Akshaya Tritiya or Akshaya Trithiya is one of the most auspicious days for Hindus. In 2012, Akshaya Tritiya date is April 24. It is celebrated on the third day of the bright half of Vaishakha Maas (Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya or Thadiya). Akshaya Tritiya 2012 is even more auspicious as it falls on Rohini Nakshatra (Rohini star) day. As per the Hindu traditions and culture, this festival is considered as the most significant day to perform sacred deeds (Punya Karya).  In Sanskrit, the meaning of Akshaya is never diminishing. As the meaning says, on the day of Akshaya Tritiya people never feel the dearth of happiness or bliss. Akshaya Tritiya Muhurat 2012-Best time to buy gold or silver on Akshaya Tritiya 2012 The photo below is a jewellery...

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Anniversaries - Another Business opportunity for Retailers.

Anniversaries were celebrated for long associations of 10, 25 years ! An Anniversary invitation meant, some old couple was celebrating their Silver (25 years) or Golden Jubilee (50 years ) of marriage. No longer, now companies and even Malls have joined in celebrating their anniversaries. The Royal Meenakshi Mall @Bangalore invited customers to join in its Anniversary Celebrations, with special offers, parties, music, etc  . Guess how old is the Mall. ? All of 1 year . Thought one year meant a Birthday, not an anniversary . Opportunity:- The occasion should be converted into a Special Event, to improve the Brand value, Consumer connect, and an overall atmosphere of joy and oneness for the staff at the Mall or Store or Company. Planning:-1. Form...

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Exam Hall Tickets are the new Currencies for your business.

Exchange Exam Hall Tickets for Business! Exams are getting Over ! What retailers can do ? This is the beginning of the end of the examination season. In the next few weeks, lakhs of kids will be let loose from their cages at homes and colleges onto the roads, shops and shopping malls, with time to kill and money in their pockets. What did you do last year ? Never really thought about it as an opportunity right ? What can you do this year ? How can you convert this into a business opportunity for the next few months and for ever in the future ! The magic is in some thing called a “HALL TICKET”.  Idea is to get them in? Put up a standy outside your store, put up a “banner” if examinations are still on, offer something special...

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Is there a Rahul Dravid in your team...?

At the outset, let me add my congratulations to Rahul Dravid for his many contributions to Indian Cricket. What can retailers learn from his contribution.? Like Cricket, any store can only perform, if all employees play like a team, whether it is the greeter, the salesman, the cashier and even the door man and the security. Why does Australia win so consistently compared to any other country. Because there every one plays for the team, not for his personal "milestones". Like again in cricket, one of the members has to be the captain or the store manager. Yet, captains alone cannot win matches consistently. That is where, it is the Captain's  responsibility to identify a WALL in his team, one who is consistent, non controversial,...

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Are tough days ahead in 2012-13 ?

Chains stores are beginning to feel the heat. After the Future group started closing unviable stores, it is now the turn of Aditya Birla Group to begin to close some 30 stores. Store closing per se is not necessarily an ominous sign of bad things ahead. Decisions on store openings are made based on multiple factors and not all stores achieve targeted top line and bottom line numbers. When the going is good, typically, companies tend to keep the "non performing store" going for some more time, because of the efforts, not to mention the costs that have already been sunk in. This is very similar to buying shares and hoping the share, which is currently below the purchase price will turnaround in the future. But, once the going gets tough, then tough decision are made. And it looks like the...

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Happy and Prosperous New Year !!

Whether you are an entrepreneur, employee or even a government "servant", you are about a start a new financial year, ie 2012-13. Looking forward, the top 5 things, you may consider doing. 1. Goal. Set yourself a "Goal" and announce it to your team, friends and relatives (TFR) who wish you well. This can range from achieving a sales turnover, a bottom line target, setting up new stores, training and even rewarding your staff. 2. Ask for suggestions, criticisms and way forward from your team above (TFR ) on how they would like to achieve the goal. They will initially say all the nice things , but on seeing your genuine interest, are likely to come up with really beautiful and workable ideas.You will need to be genuinely interested in...

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