A Street side Hawker's innovation

Streets in India, we get see and hear, hawkers, with all kinds of things for sale. They typically, keep “shouting “ about their wares and before long, some home maker or another will come out and buy one of those things, typically vegetables, fruits etc. Most of the hawkers even have a regular route and so are their customers as well. A bit of bargaining goes on, and every one is game for it. Some hawkers dont go out into the streets, but stay in a "market place" like a mandi !

But, recently, I was out on the streets on my morning jog,  when I was  surprised to hear  a hawker’s voice louder and clearer than what I normally hear and turned around to see where was it coming from?   There was only one hawker way down the road, and it was too far for the voice to be so loud and clear !

Curiosity got the better of me and I moved to wards the sound, and surprisingly the hawkers voice became louder and clearer and it was obvious that he was not even “shouting”. Imagine, what he had very smartly done ! Look at the picture ! He was selling raw mangoes..

Instead of having to shout all day long, he had invested in one of those Chinese loud speakers, that runs on batteries and recorded his whole “sales pitch “. Now all he had to do, was to put it “on”, and let it do the shouting, while he concentrated to pushing his cart around and selling.

I asked him how to got the idea and he said, he saw this in a “city market” and thought of it, that he would be able to reach out to more people  this way, as he could not constantly keep “shouting” his wares for every one in the hear !

So, quite a jugaad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugaad ) of an idea. What do  you think? Do you know of any such retailing solutions.? In a country like ours, there are a number of ways to reach out and impact your customers. 

Join us to become an author of a to be released book, For Retailers, By Retailers, Of Retailers - Top 100 Ideas. or forward to any one you know..

Reach us at RetailGurukul@gmail.com

Another popular book on Jugaad..http://jugaadinnovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Jugaad-Innovation-excerpt-final.pdf

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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 to correct and improve ourselves... We have Crores of investment to take care .

The opportunity  :-

Retailers are always looking for honest, critical feedback on their business to help them improve.

The current methods of understanding customers , doing surveys, focus groups inside 5 star hotels or door to door surveys have their limitations.

For the 1000's of bloggers on the Indi Blogger network, I have an unrefusable offer :-

We are setting up India's first Online /Offline Retail Staff Training Portal called http://www.RetailGurukul.com

Unrefusable Offers :-

We are looking for authors to write on the entire shopping experience from the Customers perspective . What you liked , what you did not, what made you buy, what put you off , what can we do it make it better, make you happy :), how to solve a problem ?

We like authors, customers and anyone interested in providing feedback, suggestions and comments on the way Brands are retailed in India.

You have typically discussed your experience with your friends and family about your experiences, but rarely got in touch with the retailer or the Brand itself. Most often you have gone back to the store if you  had a good experience or voted with your feet, if it was bad.

Brands and Retailers are spending enormous amount of time and effort to understand the customers, often with mixed results.

Let us talk ? And make some decent money too.... Nothing is lose any way ! Everything to gain.

Call me Shivaram

90360 365 24.

www.retailgurukul.com

http://www.retailgurukul.blogspot.com for my blog

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Do you know the way to your women's heart ?

Ask any man, whether a 21 year old boy with a girl friend or a married man in his late 30's with a kid or even a guy in his late 50's with over 30 years of married life...

Do you know the way to your woman's heart ?

The response will be a surprise, a blank face  or a huge laugh, all meaning the same thing, that he just doesn't know.

Approach your  woman and ask her if an unexpected gift from her man at an unexpected time will mean a lot to her ? and the answer will be an emphatic yes.

Remember the TV advertisement from SBI Life about an old man gifting his wife a diamond, the surprise on her face and she asking him why does she needs a diamond at her ripe old age.. ??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMMNbY4STfU

These incidents have lessons for all men ... next time go out ,buy something for her, whether it is a single red rose (costs about Rs. 10 again, fallen from Rs. 60 on Valentine's Day) to a new dress or some fancy precious jewellery and see the smile on her face and you will know you have reached her heart...

And for the many retailers, next time you see a man in your store , ask him the question...

Do you know the way to your woman's heart ?
He will again be blank because he has never thought he will ever understand her !

And if he by any chance says something , tell him your ready answer , " an unexpected gift at an unexpected time " and take him to show some of the "unexpected gifts " ready in your store.

And take a few minutes to tell us how was your experience ...

Retail Gurukul
Shivaram
shivaraaam@gmail.com
90 360 365 24

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