Only the logo has. Out of curiosity to check out the changes as per the new campaign, I visited the store at Inorbit , Malad. The logo has definitely become bolder and the campaign has got some attention back to the retailer. But the exercise doesn’t seem to have delivered anything more. Nothing else in the store appeared to have changed. The target audience was still the same, though I saw a couple of kids there, but they all were Singaporean tourists. Nor did anything bring out the kid in me. The only change I found was one small cool summer campaign where coconut water was served to every customer who purchased a pair of sunglasses.
is now 
Shoppers Stop undoubtedly is one of the leading retailers and the most successful department store in India. Now they have entered a major re-branding exercise . Will the logo change do wonders for them.? BSN , the CEO wants to target the Indian youth and change the image of SS as a mom n dad's store. Well personally i never felt it was a mom-dad store.. but then I reminded myself..I am not the youth he probably wants to target.
I liked the earlier logo much more..but till the time shopping_experience @SS doesn't detiorate , I dont mind any changes. Will the youth be impressed? We'll have to wait -n-watch.
Some ideas for global retailers to tackle competition in India -
1. Partner mom – n pop stores – retailers can offer franchise rights to local retailers for operating neighbourhood markets. This has a dual advantage –
a. In this scheme the local retailers retain their jobs and hence do not object to the international retailers’ entry.
b. This provides the retailers access to mass markets at faster pace and lesser cost.
The international players can take reap the benefits of the expertise, knowledge and experience of the local retailers in operating in that market.
2. Strategies to combat political opposition – to avoid fuelling the ongoing furor over FDI in retail, international players must -
b. Avoid violating laws and regulations
c. Practice CSR- international retailers are already under clout for tweaking the FDI norms to find enter the Indian market. To gain the confidence of politicians and general public, these players must contribute to the society and practice social development.
d. Keep a low profile in the country and keep politicians at bay
3. Don’t exert margin pressures on suppliers – international retailers, especially Wal-Mart, are known for exerting excessive pressure on suppliers to provide goods at wafer-thin margins. Wal-Mart has already burnt hands with this policy in the U.S. It is much criticised for being responsible for losses to suppliers. If it does the same in India, it will face political opposition.
Retailers must find others ways like and lifestyle retailing to make up for the margin difference.
Global retailers looking to make a foray or already having a presence in India can find the below strategies useful to lure the Indian consumer
- Hypermarkets must target families: unlike US where individuals purchase from hypermarkets, in India a visit to the hypermarket is a family outing. Hence retailers must target families as a whole. Also by doing so the retailers would gain from more purchase per footfall (considering the family as one unit).
- Store accessibility: the nearer the store, better it is. Retailers must assure they are within convenient reach of the consumer. To better reach the customer they can open outlets in places where products can be picked on the way back home from offices. In fact stores can be opened in commercial complexes also to target the workingwomen. This is particularly necessary for grocery and general merchandise stores.
- Introduce international labels: the Indian consumer, especially the aspiring middle class; is obsessed with the western culture and brands. They would naturally expect the global retailers to bring in western products to the country. These international brands would differentiate the product offerings of the global and domestic players. They would also provide better margins to retailers.
- Keep them involved - keep the customers involved with the stores,increase the footfalls. When an Indian customer comes to the store, he generally ends up buying something or the other, more so if children accompany him. It is a general practice in India for parents to buy something (normally snacks and desserts) for their children. Even if they don’t purchase general merchandise, the kids will surely be tempted to buy some eatables. Also parents feel guilty when they eat out without their children. This shows the importance of attracting children or parents with young children to the store.
The retailers must keep the consumers highly involved with their stores. A case in point is the latest Big Bazaar exchange scheme. One can exchange any old thing for anything new from the store and get the difference waived off. Another case is of Wal-Mart’s in-store events like the teacher of the year award.
- Keep waiting time low – this is the chink in the armour of many supermarkets and hypermarket in the country. Time spent in taking the shopping cart and at billing counter must be reduced as far as possible.
- In-store events: Introduce innovative in-store events especially in hypermarkets. These though are not very commonplace in India but have a great potential of attracting customers, especially women and children.
- Provide modern store amenities and ambience: retailers must provide amenities likeescalators, lifts, clean and adequate restrooms, presence of information kiosks, entertainment facilities for children, good fire safety equipments, presence of bank ATMs, electronic communication facilities like internet café, telephone booths. The stores especially hypermarkets and supermarkets are crowded, congested and suffocating. Retailers must provide appropriate ambience especially in these formats.
- The right shopping experience: There is already a strong trend in favour of large format retail outlets, in both food and non-food sectors, as people are showing preference for one-stop shops. Customers are also looking for ambience and convenience in shopping. In the future, with more dual income families, the consumer ability to spend will increase, but at the same time, it is predicted that the time available for shopping will go down. In such a scenario, the retailers will have to increasingly develop shopping as an experience and at the same time, the more successful ones will be those that provide faster service.
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