Addressing the first session on day 2 of The Shop, Delhi – “FMCG and Processed Food Businesses” – Sadashiv Nair, Food Bazaar, discussed the impact of organised retail by giving instances of Bollywood movies and comparing their titles to topical consumer needs and preferences as movies can convey the right message to the right audience. Food Bazaar prepared a theory called ‘Khalbali’, which helped the retailer to understand market needs.
For instance: movies like Roti Kapda aur Makaan expresses the basic human necessities; Khatha Meetha displays the hardships that a family have to go through and how it overcomes the problems; Bawarchi depicts the life of a chef; Mirch Masala, wherein the title itself sounds spicy and reminds one of mirchi; Garam Masala, which reminds one of the requirement of spice in life; and Cheeni Kum, which conveys the message with a pinch of sweet humour.
Talking about modern retailing, Nair said the retailers should stop using terms like SKUs (stock keeping units) and, instead, introduce consumer engagement units. Keeping in mind the demands of consumers, Big Bazaar introduced Maha Savings Day, Wednesday Bazaar and Sabse Sasta Din. It was an incentive for the consumers to shop at a cheaper rate and cherish the experience.
The session on shopfitting and design had Sanjeev Mohanty, Benetton; VP Harris, WITCO; and Sugato Bose, Art d’inox. Mohanty discussed Benetton’s strategy on how it has been changing and experimenting with the designs and how its innovations helped in growth of sales. As Mohanty emphasised, “The right store design can break the ‘threshold resistance’ that is the physical and psychological barrier that stands between the shopper and the inside of a store.” The design principle accommodates, among other aspects, SKU management, flexibility and modularity, flow of traffic, space utilization, and accessibility. Yet, design should be treated only as support to the merchandise management. Mohanty reminded retailers that “retail interior design is only the means to an end… finally, it is the product that is the hero.”
