What happens when Big Bazaar & Food Bazaar enter small towns?
By small towns I mean towns where people have more time for themselves than their metro counterparts.
Big Bazaar or similar such stores might have to remodel themselves.
By small towns I mean towns where people have more time for themselves than their metro counterparts.
Big Bazaar or similar such stores might have to remodel themselves.
Most of the evolving retail formats that we see around us today are based on the Convenience Model. This convenience is based on efficiency; predominantly about saving time and is borrowed from the West.
In the western world it is assumed that the shopper does not have time thanks to a busy work life, social life & family life. This busy life is not just about busy men but includes women too. Thus helping the shopper save time is of great value in the Western Markets.
In the western world it is assumed that the shopper does not have time thanks to a busy work life, social life & family life. This busy life is not just about busy men but includes women too. Thus helping the shopper save time is of great value in the Western Markets.
Contrast this with India and more specifically small town India. The assumption about convenience/saving time does not apply as well here. Leave aside women with busy work life, social life & family life, even men in these small towns are not pressed on time as much. As a result they do not look at regular shopping as problem to be solved. Instead it is a process to be enjoyed. Absence of many family recreational activities makes shopping a social & leisure activity that they enjoy together. The meaning of convenience for this shopper is less about saving time & more about engaging and spending time in a new, well organized, & comfortable shopping environment. In fact even in big cities a large number of middle & lower middle class treat shopping destinations as recreational spots.
Perhaps the retailer imperative in this context is to recast the retail format as a leisure-cum shopping destination. The shelves need not be organized to save time; instead they could be designed to engage the shopper, keeping in mind a bored homemaker who is having a day out with her kids, husband or her neighourhood friend.
As organized retail moves into the rest of India it would stumble upon new meanings of convenience. We might witness evolution of newer retail formats to cater to the multiple meanings of convenience that could range from extremes of saving time to the limits of spending time.
Perhaps the retailer imperative in this context is to recast the retail format as a leisure-cum shopping destination. The shelves need not be organized to save time; instead they could be designed to engage the shopper, keeping in mind a bored homemaker who is having a day out with her kids, husband or her neighourhood friend.
As organized retail moves into the rest of India it would stumble upon new meanings of convenience. We might witness evolution of newer retail formats to cater to the multiple meanings of convenience that could range from extremes of saving time to the limits of spending time.
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