India Retail Forum 2007: ‘Customers are the best teachers, they will take care of you in the long run’
India Retail Forum, the country’s largest retail conference, got underway in Mumbai on September 4. The Forum has brought representatives of the Indian retail industry and associated industries under one roof. With the industry poised to touch Rs 12 trillion and create 3.5 million jobs, the focus on the Indian retail industry has only intensified.
India Retail Forum, the country’s largest retail conference, got underway in Mumbai on September 4. The Forum has brought representatives of the Indian retail industry and associated industries under one roof to debate and deliberate on the growing sector in the Indian context.
Welcoming the delegates, V Vaidyanathan, ED, ICICI Bank, and Chairman of India Retail Forum, observed, “The biggest boon for India is that 890 million people are below the age of 45 years.” He further said that India’s retail sector was expected to expand rapidly in the next decade and provide jobs to the country’s large young population.
The Indian retail sector is still largely closed to foreign investment and is dominated by millions of mom-and-pop stores, but with the entry of big multinationals, the organised retail sector is on an unprecedented growth curve.
“The story of India is still full of opportunities, it is definitely a huge ocean,” said Vaidyanathan, adding that over the next decade, “the projected growth for the retail industry Rs 12 trillion, which is expected to triple in the future. It will also create 3.5 million job opportunities”.
Vinod Sawhny, President and COO, Bharti Retail, spoke about the consumption driven Indian economy and also pointed out some of the drivers for this growth. G C Daga, Director (Marketing), Indian Oil Corporation, cited the company’s example to explain the retail options that could be used for driving growth.
Arun Nanda, ED, Mahindra & Mahindra, underlined the importance of environment and infrastructure in the Indian context. Providing a world view on India, the emerging market of the world, Abraham Goren, Executive Vice Chaiman, Elbit Imaging Group, compared the market with the Central and Eastern European markets that had gone through a similar phase some years ago.
The second session of the day saw the launch of the India Food Forum and had speakers like IGD’s Louise Spillard and ITC Foods Division’s CEO, Ravi Naware. The session also had Minister of Food Processing Industries, Subhodh Kant Sahai, sharing his views on the sector.
In a panel discussion post-lunch, speakers like Peter McCafferty, Director, Benoy Hong Kong; Rodney Fitch, Chairman and CEO, Fitch, UK; and Devita Saraf, CEO, VU Technologies, discussed on whether or not the small stores would be wiped out with the advent of big malls and multiplexes in India. All speakers on this front shared a similar view. It was concluded that small stores had their own space in the retail sector, and that they had an altogether different shopping experience as compared to big stores and malls. Fitch added that large malls were old fashion in America, and today American consumers were more inclined towards medium and small scale stores.
Ashish Kapur, MD, Yo! China, in a session on ‘Mentoring SMEs in Retail’ emphasised on key points such as the need for right location, right people, simple strategies and the most important – the ability to listen to the consumers. He also stressed on the need to invest in quality rather than quantity.
While in the same session, Witco’s V P Harris spoke about the need to keep a track record of the customer’s behaviour pattern right from the point of entry to the point of exit. Prashant Desai, Group Investor Relations and New Ventures, Future Group, laid stress on avoiding processes and systems. “If you think you have the money and the desire to invest in retail, then just go ahead and open a store. Customers are the best teachers, and they will take care of you in the longer run,” he said.
Talking about the retail scope in rural areas, Munish Hemrajani, MD, Big Apple, said that the retail sector in rural areas was not big as the industry primarily required a lot of disposable income among consumers, which apparently was not the case among Indian villagers.
In a session on ‘Market and Consumer Intelligence’, Rajiv Krishnan, Head-Large Format, Bharti, talked about getting into the right mindspace by building competitive products and identifying trends among consumers. He also spoke about customer segmentation, the need for personalised campaigns, building trust and using different channels to interact with the customers.
Dev Amritesh, VP – Marketing, Domino’s, explained a five-step marketing approach that his company had effectively used in marketing Domino’s Pizza in India.
The last session discussed on how to create impact as a leader in the retail industry. It was conducted by Nigel Risner, who is known for motivating and developing leadership skills in business.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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ShareSwapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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