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COVER
STORY
Retail
Marketing in India : Key Issues and Challenges
-- Kavaldeep Dixit
Retail
marketing in India has come a long way in recent years but,
has a much longer way to go. This article examines the current
Indian retailing landscape, its evolution and various formats,
key drivers for its growth and the challenges it faces. It
also analyzes critical success factors in retailing and the
future prospects.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
RETAIL
TRANSFORMATION
The
Changing Face of Retailing in India
-- Shital Vakhariya
Retailing
in India has been growing at a frenetic pace over the past
decade. More importantly, it has witnessed rapid change in
terms of the retail mix (organized versus unorganized), the
quality and scale of retailing, the varieties of retail formats
and also change in consumer preferences and shopping habits.
The retail sector has attracted many Indian corporate houses
such as the Future Group, Reliance, Bharti, Tatas, AV Birla
Group, Godrej and others to make substantial commitments and
investment plans in this sector. Leading multinational retailers
such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco are waiting in the wings
to get a share of the Indian retail pie. The Indian retail
scenario is definitely headed for a major transformation in
the years to come.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
ORGANIZED
RETAILING
Organized
Retailing in India : Need of the Hour
-- Tamana Anand
This
article takes the stand that India will benefit a great deal
if the government can encourage organized retailing through
proactive policy measures, including opening up of FDI for
multi-brand retailing in a phased manner. The author argues
that though the growth of organized retailing may lead to
some unemployment and displacement in the short term, the
long-term benefits will far outweigh the possible negative
consequences.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
RURAL
RETAILING
Villageward
Ho!
-- Kaberi Bhattacharyya
With
a downward slide in agriculture and an upswing in non-agricultural
activities, retail trading seems to hold great promise for
rural India. Starved of modern forms of entertainment, the
rural middle class as well as those in semi-urban areas have
welcomed these shopping centers with great gusto. And the
corporate sector is similarly enthusiastic to drive volume
growth in what is possibly the world's largest untapped market.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
VALUE-BASED
RETAILING
Can
the Indian Model Take on Global Retailing Giants?
-- A Lakshminarasimha and Atanu Sinha
Large
format retailing, department stores and discount stores are
all perceived as western concepts; and we think of global
retailing giants and such others as the sources of inspiration
and guidance. However, India is no stranger to innovative
retailing. This article explains the unique and very successful
business model developed by a retail outlet in a South Indian
city, which we identify as the High-Value Store (Name Masked).
This store has evolved from being a small traditional outlet
to a gigantic discount department store. There are surely
other comparable business models being followed by Indian
retailers in various retailing sectors in different parts
of the country, each of which offers a unique proposition.
If only these models can be suitably customized and scaled
up, we can perhaps have an Indian version of global retailing
giant.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
RETAIL
TRANSFORMATION
The
Gains and Pains of Globalization
-- Rajan Mani and Mohandas J Menon
The
effects of globalization are very visible in the retail space,
especially by way of changes in the retail format. To illustrate
this transformation, we shall look at what has been happening
in a locality of Chennai city over the past two decades. A
particular outlet in this area - S M Provision Stores (name
changed), which reinvented itself from its `kirana' (provision)
store origin to become S M Shoppe, a departmental store-provides
a living metaphor for this change.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
MEDIA
& ENTERTAINMENT
Multiplex
: Emerging Business Model in Film Exhibition
-- Ashwini Sovani
Multiplex
is the new business model that emerged a few years back in
the film exhibition industry. This format is transforming
the entire outlook towards the silver screen and is all set
to slowly take over a significant slice of the entertainment
market in the country. As it is evolving and transforming
into a popular business model, there are certain soft patches
to be watched out for. This article focuses on the driving
forces that can make this business model a success story.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
SALES
MANAGEMENT
Great
Learning : Sales Management Revisited
-- MJ Menon and R Venkatesh
This
article presents a lucid elucidation of the basic principles
and practices of sales management. It is put together in the
form of a conversation between a final year college student
who is on the threshold of pursuing a career in marketing
and sales, and his father, who has been a marketing professional
for over three decades. This article draws upon the personal
experiences of the two authors, who have rich industrial exposure
in the field of sales and marketing management.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
SERVICE
QUALITY
Building
Service Quality using the SERVQUAL Model
-- Kaushik Mukerjee
Marketers
of services have seen increasing demand for high quality of
service from hard-to-please customers and this has resulted
in tremendous churn in the customer bases of services like
banks, credit cards and airlines. Therefore, marketers need
to use sophisticated tools like SERVQUAL to ensure that they
track the service in a more effective manner and take up necessary
steps for enhancing customer satisfaction.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
INDUSTRY
FOCUS
Indian
Telecom Market : Wired for Incredible Expansion
-- Siba Prasad Pothal
Despite
spectrum allocation and other technological challenges, the
growth buzz of the Indian telecom market continues unabated,
thus bearing out its strong growth potential. While the telecom
network (particularly the cell phone network) and subscriber
base have grown exponentially over the past five years, it
is just the beginning and there is still a lot more to come.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BOOK
REVIEW
Global
Remix : The Fight for Competitive Advantage
-- Author: Richard Scase
Reviewed by Narayanan P
The
book discusses the future directions of broader global business
trends and how these are likely to impact on our businesses
and ourselves. The rise of India, China and other Asian economies
will lead to a shift of mass manufacturing to these countries.
China accounts for one-third of the annual increase in oil
consumption. The world may run out of oil in 40 years' time.
At the corporate level, creative ideas may be the drivers
for future competitive advantage. Employees have to reinvent
themselves continually for survival in the corporate sector.
University qualifications may not be enough and we have to
develop our own unique identified skills. The author combines
a rigorous analytical approach with a style that is entertaining,
and easy to read.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
CASE
STUDY
Bharti-Wal-Mart
Tie-up : Opportunities and Challenges
-- Doris Rajakumari John
The
Indian retail scene is abuzz with activity. With AT Kearney
listing India as the topmost in market attractiveness, many
foreign retailers are looking to enter India. Wal-Mart, the
world renowned retailer has tied up with Bharti Enterprises
Ltd., a leading telecom company in India. While many synergies
are expected out of the deal, the Indian retail scene has
its share of challenges. The case study outlines the areas
of opportunities and challenges that the Indian retail scene
offered. It provides scope for the student to understand the
dynamics of the Indian retail scene and facilitates debate
on the future of Indian retail. It also allows for discussion
on whether the Bharti-Wal-Mart combine will win the race in
the Indian retail market.
© 2007 IRC , Chennai. All Rights Reserved.
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