Introduction

The changing expectations and needs of the customers

have undergone tremendous changes over a period of
time. Availability of multi-channels to shop has influenced
the buying patterns of the potential customers.
Smartphones has increased the chance to shop for the
products through online method. Potential customers
choose to gather product details from internet. Such a
process saves time and enables the customers to gather
maximum information about the services. Through such
information it has become possible for the clients to shop
from home, workplace, and even while travelling. This
wasnt possible for potential customers to shop while
years ago. Innovation has positively impacted the buying
pattern of the customers from the retail stores. The
process has also affected the sales process adopted by
the retail stores to sell products to the clients (Harris,
2010).
Innovation and retail
industry
Retail industry and the services rendered by the industry continue to change, for
betterment. The digital world has enabled the stores to overpower the challenges
involved with the business in an effective manner. Information, product delivery,
and services providing has become fast and reliable. Such opportunities were not
possible until a decade ago. Dot.com crash in the year 2000 has boosted the
performance of the retail industry. There are multiple sales channels available for
the users, who choose to invest in the purchase of reliable and cheap products and
services. Currently the industry is boosted by dynamism and global transformation
process, which enables the retailers to try innovative strategies to approach the
clients. This has also increased the competition level in the industry, which has
become one of the key driving forces for the retailers. Through innovation, it is
possible for the retailers to develop e-commerce strategies, which enables the
management to incorporate multi-channel approach for the developing different
business models. The factors related to increasing sales and availability of the
information through tablets and Smartphones has made it possible for the stores to
approach maximum number of clients. Easy accessibility of the details related to
the products has boosted the performance of the industry .

The US retail sales for the year 2008 reached up to $3.9 trillion. This was related to
the sales of the food, drugs, beverages, and departmental stores. Sales for the
products also increased due to online promotion and mail order stores. Price
promotions have been one of the key factors that have improved the key marketing
process followed by the retailers to promote the sales for the products and services.
Promotional activities has always been an integral part for the increasing the sales
for the products and services. Marketings strategies includes collecting vast
information and knowledge about the products and services that is being sold by
the retail stores. The behaviour pattern of the buyers has changed due to the
availability of various options for the clients. This has increased the level of
competition that exists in the industry .

Retail pricing method and promotion innovation plays an important role in the
product development, which is one of the most important factors for increasing the
sales. Innovations have simplified the process for marketing and promoting different
types of products and services sold by the retail stores. The relevance of the
innovation enables the management to find information in the below mentioned
manner -

What products to promote

What group of customers to target

Effective design that can be selected to increase the effectiveness for the
promotional activities .

Online promotional activities enable the company to promote the brand image for
the retail stores which is one of the prime requirements for the stores. Through
innovative strategies it is possible to develop and introduce customised promotional
activities that would approach the individual customers from different parts of the
market. With the help of the customised promotional activities it is possible for the
retail stores to use different channels for promoting the services that is considered
to be essential for the product promotion. Retail stores have adopted online
marketing process, which is cost effective and reliable. The method enables the
stores to reach out to maximum number of clients from various parts of the market,
and implement the changes required for introducing the changes. The promotional
activities need to be controlled as this will enable the experts to choose an effective
method through which the strategies for promoting the services can be improved.
Every campaign is carried out with an objective, which is associated with discussing
the details of the products and services and promoting the services .

Online marketing and delivery of the products has enables the store to reach out to
maximum number of clients from various parts of the market. Through innovation it
has been possible for the retailers analyse the needs of the customers on the real
time basis. The collected facts and figures enable the management to develop new
and better methods for promoting the services that is being used for approaching
the clients. It is possible for the management to analyse the needs and preferences
of the customers which is one of the prime essential factors to reach out to
maximum number of clients .
Mobile technology
The success of the retail industry depends upon the technology that has been used
by the retailers for promoting the services. Mobile users have been rapidly
increasing, and this has made it possible for the company to introduce an effective
strategy for reaching out to maximum number of clients. Consumers acquire next
generation smartphones to access the necessary information about the products
and services offered by different companies. Through this method, it is possible for
the users to gather the required information and access the details in an effective
manner. Companies choose mobile marketing, as it becomes easy to target
customers on a larger scale. This is one of the prime requirements through which
the required changes within the system can be introduced by the company. Through
mobile marketing, the company could easily reach out to maximum number of
clients and convey the positive aspects of the services that are being rendered by
the stores. Mobile marketing is usually referred to be two way method or multi
communication method. This process enables the management to market the
products in an effective manner. Through such a process, it is possible to highlight
the services that are being used by the company to promote the services to the
clients. Integrated mobile marketing enables the management to adopt integrated
communication method, which is one of the prime requirements for the successful
business conduct. Innovation has enabled the management to interact with the
clients located in different parts of the market. Through this method, it is possible to
develop effective strategies through whack the product details can be shared with
the clients, and product improvement strategies can be adopted. Short messages
about the products and services, the price, and other factors can be easily shared
with the end users (Bell et al., 2011).
Benefits to the retailers
Due to technology growth and development, it has become possible to adopt the
best strategies related to mobile digital services. The information related to the
products and services can be easily and effectively transferred between the stores
and the clients, and this makes possible the retail stores through which enables the
management to approach the clients and convince for the purchase of the good and
services sold. Information shearing becomes possible and effective as this is one of
the important factors, which improves the sales for the products and services sold
by the retail stores. Technology has become an integral part of the business
activities, and this helps in the market differentiation, implementing growth
strategies, and increase profit .

The strategic plan for the retail industry includes adopting different methods for
increasing sales through the implementation of the technological factors. The
process enables the management to create and provide targeted advertisement,
which can reach out to maximum number of clients from different markets. Through
this process, it is possible to provide details on the go services, which basically
engages the clients or the customers. Such factors enable the management to
maintain long term positive relationship with the clients. This is one of the important
factors through which the sales process can be improved and increased in the
industry. With the help of the technology, the retail stores attempt to develop
relationship with the clients, which go beyond the physical stores. The digital
innovation has been termed to a boom for the retail industries as it helps in
improving the sales and promotional activities, which is essential for the business
development. Customers are encouraged to participate in the discussion related to
the product quality and services. This enables the management to adopt and
implement new strategies through which the changes in the production activities
can be implemented. The company could develop and retain positive relationship
with the clients through other techno like

Quick response, which is also called as the QR

Through such process an attempt is made by the retailer stores to develop better
strategies to reach out to the clients and increase the sales activates.

Uniqueness of the design

elements
Online and mobile communication is related to the services that are being sold by
the company to the clients. The unique about the logo of the products and services,
represent the brand image. This is one of the important factors through which the
sales for the company can be increased. The process is considered to be quite
challenging and it includes undertaking different challenging tasks through which
the customers attention can be attracted towards the products and services sold by
the retail stores. The design needs to be simple and effective as this would enable
the company to approach the clients in an effective manner. Through this process,
the strategies for implementing the changes can be analysed and corrective steps
can be introduced by the management of the company or the retail stores

Brand appeal
Building brand appeal for the company or the retail stores is one of the most
important factors, through which the sales for the products and services can be
improved. The process includes developing better strategies for approaching the
clients. Innovative strategies enable the management to reach out to the clients
and highlight the feature of the products and services sold. Through online
marketing, it is posies for the management to develop an effective strategy for
building brand. Through bran building it is possible for the retail stores to gain a
competitive advantage over the products and services that is being sold by the
company. This is one of the prime requirements through which the sales for the
products and services can be improved. While brand building, the management can
share maximum information about the products and services that is being sold by
the retail stores. This also includes discussion the details of the services that would
help the clients to choose the better option when it comes to investing in the
purchases of the products.

Brand promotion includes discussion the details of the services, the benefits
associated with the same, and other important factors. This is one of the important
factor through which the sales for the company can be increased tremendously. The
strategies adopted by the management differ as it intends to reach out to maximum
number of clients from different parts of the market.

Conclusion
Innovation has positively impacted the way the business activities have been
carried out but e management. Companies attempt to reach out to maximum
number of clients from different parts of the globe. Through this method and
attempt has been made to improve the sales activities, which is one of the prime
requirements for the smooth conduct of the business activities. The strategies
adapted by the retail stores have to be innovative and helpful for the business
management. In this process, the challenges faced while promoting the services
with the traditional method needs to be adopted for improving the performance.
This will help in introducing the changes that is related to the business
development.
The customer and retail
business
Putting the customer at the centre of your retail business

Modern shoppers need modern service it's about having a flexible, cross-channel
approach Service remains the most important element of the shopping experience.

There is a fundamental relationship binding service to retail. In its most complete

sense, retail cannot exist without service. While perceptions and the categorisation
of service may have altered over the years, it remains the most important element
of the shopping experience.

Understanding the value of service

In our commerce-anywhere environment where shoppers want to be able to
interact with a retailer through any channel at any time the role of the sales or
service assistant in a retail organisation is still considered critical to a positive or
negative service experience.

Our findings revealed that unhelpful or unfriendly staff were listed almost
universally as the primary cause of poor service, followed by poor knowledge,
outweighing other factors including poor fulfilment, lack of choice and inefficient
returns processes.

Meeting the modern service requirement

The global marketplace has opened up a new world where shoppers can source the
products they want by price, range, review and recommendation. We see customers
expecting a more sophisticated and flexible set of components that meet their
individual demands, when and where it is convenient for them.

Realistically, the only way a retailer can create this flexible service model is by
aligning the business around the customer by putting them first. By doing so,
retailers can meet the needs of each individual customer.

The store as a differentiator

Take the store, for example. Our research revealed that the role of the people in an
organisation, particularly store assistants, is still critical to the overall delivery of
service. Yet with more and more information in the hands of shoppers, assistants
are frequently at risk of disappointing the customer with their lack of knowledge,
suggesting that many interactions may deliver less than satisfying outcomes.

Empowering assistants with the right insight, whether this is access to real-time
stock availability, loyalty programme data or the fastest way of sourcing that must-
have item can be a key differentiator in the outcome of a retail interaction.

Flexibility and agility of the supply chain

Retailers are facing significant operational challenges in providing consistent
product content, pricing, promotions and inventory across multiple sales channels,
store formats and international borders. Add to this the need to allow customers to
buy merchandise across any channel and have it fulfilled on their terms perhaps in
store or via home delivery, and return it easily if they choose and this process
becomes even more complex.

Retailers must focus on optimising their planning, merchandising and supply chain
operations. In achieving this, it is vital to work from a common and integrated
platform that provides visibility across the business.

Connecting the customer experience

Although we found in the research that the store remains the preferential channel
for shopping and service, online commerce and service is a very close second,
followed by mobile and social networking websites. Shoppers are now using several
channels throughout the shopping process. Survey results indicate that the key to
facilitating this kind of 'commerce anywhere' requirement is to connect each of
these touch points to create a single view of the customer.

Cross-channel (or omni-channel) integration is imperative to a retailer's ability to

market, interact and transact consistently across multiple touch points, whether the
shopper is online, on the move or in the store. Shoppers want a seamless brand
experience irrespective of channel, so retailers must evolve from considering
individual, channel-specific transactions to that of a holistic, company-wide view of
shopping behaviour.

Naturally, the customer lives at the centre of this picture. This extends to the
provision of services such as click and collect, live chat, delivery to a location of the
customer's choice or even shared shopping baskets all these elements need to be
brought together.

Ultimately, getting the fundamentals of service right is about prioritising the

business around what the customer prefers. Retailers that achieve this will have a
significant opportunity to differentiate and distinguish value for their customers.
Customer service a key differentiator in retailing

We have all felt the growing frustration of waiting unnecessarily, being ignored or
facing inefficiency when shopping. In these tough times, customers are more and
more likely to reject bad service when a competitor can offer the same products and
price without the hassle. Retailers can no longer view customer service as an option
and providing a positive retail customer experience is vital. A coherent and
successful retail service model is the differentiating factor between a successful and
unsuccessful business.

Based upon research conducted by Customer Champions, on behalf of Skillsmart

Retail, and utilising interviews with a range of retailers such as Waitrose and Marks
& Spencer through to outstanding independent retailers, this article begins to cover
some of the findings when it comes to retail customer service.

customer service is a vitally important differentiator across the retail industry.

Regardless of whether the customer proposition is higher value or basic/simple, the
challenge is to develop a retail service model that treats each customer as an
individual and maintains satisfaction and loyalty levels.

retail customer service strategies vary between larger chains and the smaller
independents. As you would expect larger retailers tend to have a more formal
strategy for the retail customer experience in place, although the overriding factor
for both was the general ethos of key senior management / business owner.

the challenge of directly linking retail customer service to the bottom line was for
many an on-going one, with few believing they could now provide that direct link.
However, there was a common belief that customer service would remain a key
battle ground for many retailers going forward and benchmarking customer service
would become a more common process when developing a retail service model.

customer service training is encouraged by many retailers with the larger operating
more formal training programmes that were supported by strong shopfloor
observation and feedback. A significant number of retailers also operate some form
of reward and recognition scheme based around the retail customer service
experience. customer service measurement was often gathered through conducting
mystery shopping but many retailers were now looking to supplement this with
more direct voice of the customer input. high levels of employee engagement will
facilitate the delivery of improved levels of customer service
Retail Customer Service Model

Through a combination of desk research and Customer Champions industry

experience a retail specific customer service model has been developed. This was
then widely tested with retailers, who agreed it provided a very strong framework
from which to deliver an excellent customer service experience.

In outline, the model, focused on traditional bricks & mortar retailing, breaks down
into three key layers:

Leadership

Many organisations reflect the drive of an individual and their personal focus on the
importance of customer service. If this individual is senior within the retail business,
it will greatly impact the culture and the emphasis placed on the customer
experience. In small companies this will tend to be driven by the owner.

Enablers

The way that the retailers customer service vision is translated through policies and
processes onto the shopfloor.

Customer Journey

The customer journey is described through a variety of touch-points which will vary
from business to business. Starting with background research through to complaints
handling, it provides a comprehensive checklist for any retailer to use and
benchmark its customer service performance.

Recognising the increasing trend for customers to have relationships with retailers
through multiple channels, the Customer Journey part of the model was enhanced
by the development of a supplementary online version.

Future

This report draws on the experiences and opinions of 27 retailers, both large and
small and the report features several customer service case studies of retailers both
large and small. The findings have been combined with a review of the current
thinking in customer service literature and other original research sources.

Some retailers question whether the term customer service is in fact too narrow. It
does not start and end with in-store experience it has to be owned by all
employees.A frequent challenge was that retailers were struggling to provide
consistent levels of retail customer service across all of their traditional outlets, and
also the growing number of multiple channels, e.g. in store / online / mobile.The
importance of linking the customer service approach, and the actual retail customer
experience to the organisations brand values.Particularly during tough trading
conditions the need to provide a strong link between a customer service focus and
bottom line delivery was vital.Some of the retailers interviewed have proven, and
prize-winning, customer service processes. The most common recommendations
were:

customer service is a key competitive differentiator and should be seen as a long-

term commitment and will not succeed if it is viewed only as a short-term
tacticownership of the customer service offer and the need for continuous
improvement has to be driven from the top of the organisation whether the owner-
manager or the board measure from a customers perspective to get a true
understanding of the retail customer experience customer knowledge has to be
updated constantly as their views and behaviours change, and that knowledge
should be used to drive retail customer service levels forward communicate
effectively to all colleagues what they individually need to do and what the benefits
will be to all. In the past, it seemed retailers had to make a trade-off between
models of high-service or low-cost; convenience or high assortment/ranges (Oxford
Institute of Retail Management, 2010, Productivity and skills in Retailing
commissioned by Skillsmart Retail). In the new retail marketplace, it seems they will
have to forge more integrated solutions by developing a retail service model. So,
their future offer might well have to be both high-service and value driven.

CUSTOMER MOTIVATION AND PERCEPTION IN

RETAIL INDUSTRY
1. Introduction The organized retail industry in India had not evolved till the
early 1990s. Until then, the industry was dominated by the un-organized
sector. It was a sellers market, with a limited number of brands, and little
choice available to customers. Lack of trained manpower, tax laws and
government regulations all discouraged the growth of organized retailing in
India during that period. Lack of consumer awareness and restrictions over
entry of foreign players into the sector also contributed to the delay in the
growth of organized retailing. A number of factors are driving India's retail
market. These include: increase in the young working population, hefty pay-
packets, nuclear families in urban areas, increasing working women
population, increase in disposable income and customer aspiration, increase
in expenditure for luxury items, and low share of organized retailing. India's
retail boom is manifested in sprawling shopping centers, multiplex- malls and
huge complexes that offer shopping, entertainment and food all under one
roof. But there is a flip side to the boom in the retail sector. It is feared that
the entry of global business giants into organized retail would make
redundant the neighborhood Kirana stores resulting in dislocation in
traditional economic structure. Also, the growth path for organized retail in
India is not hurdle free. The taxation system still favors small retail business.
With the intrinsic complexities of retailing such as rapid price changes,
constant threat of product obsolescence and low margins there is always a
threat that the venture may turn out to be a loss making one. A perfect
business model for retail is still in evolutionary stage. Procurement is very
vital cog in the retail wheel. The retailer has to fight issues like fragmented
sourcing, unpredictable availability, unsorted food provisions and daily
fluctuating prices as against consumer expectations of roundthe-year steady
prices, sorted and cleaned food and fresh stock at all times. Trained human
resource for retail is another big challenge. The talent base is limited and with
the entry of big giants there is a cat fight among them to retain this talent.
This has resulted in big salary hikes at the level of upper and middle
management and thereby eroding the profit margin of the business. All the
companies have laid out ambitious expansion plans for themselves and they
may be hampered due lack of requisite skilled manpower. But retail offers
tremendous for the growth of Indian economy. If all the above challenges are
tackled prudently there is a great potential that retail may offer employment
opportunities to millions living in small town and cities and in the process
distributing the benefits of economic boom and resulting in equitable growth
 Conceptual framework Consumer Behaviour : The Generic decision making model
is a well known model in consumer behavior . After that they seek information for
alternatives to fullfill this need.These alternatives are evaluated and a choice is
made. This choices result in behaviour.Human behaviour can be regarded as the
product of both internal need states and external stimuli apperceived by the
individuals. 4. Changing Consumer Profile and Demographics In the past few years
the whole concept of shopping has been altered in terms of format and consumer
buying behavior. In the last few years, Indians have gone through a dramatic
transformation in lifestyle by moving from traditional spending on food, groceries
arid clothing to lifestyle categories that deliver better quality and taste. Also against
the backdrop of an ageing world, India possesses the advantage of having a largely
young population. 35 percent of India's population is under 14 years of age and
more than 60 per cent of the population is estimated to constitute the working age
group (15-60) till 2050. Two-thirds of Indian population is under 35, with the median
age of 23 years, as opposed to the world median age of 33. The large proportion of
the working-age population translates to a lucrative consumer base vis--vis other
economies of the world, placing India on the radar as one of the most promising
retail destinations of the world. Also there has been an increasing number of nuclear
families, increase in working women population and emerging opportunities in the
service sector during the past few years which has been the key growth driver of
the organized retail sector in India. The emergence of a larger middle and upper
middle classes and the substantial increase in their disposable income has changed
the nature of shopping in India from need based to lifestyle dictated. Indians have
grown richer and thus spending more on vehicles, phones and eating out in
restaurants. With the country's income pyramid changing dramatically, there has
been a definite shift from the saving tendency to the spending attitude.
LEADING CASE STUDIES
Vishal Mega Mart
The glory of Vishal Groups success is the ascent it has come to accomplish
in the field of manufacturing and retailing of readymade garments. The credit
for this radiance goes to its dynamic of directors Mr. Ram Chandra Agarwal &
Mrs. Uma Agarwal who have transformed their foresightedness into an
unending saga of growth. Identifying the immense market in fashion garment
for the masses the Group has actually established benchmarks that many
others are inspired to follow. Not resting on its laurels, the Group is busy
identifying new avenues of growth and its companies are busy implementing
the expansion plans to cash in on emerging potentials in the changing
business environment of modern Indias enterprise. The jewel in Vishal
Groups crown is its flagship company Vishal Retail Ltd. a company engaged
in Hyper market stores with an average area of 25,000 to 30,000 sq. ft.
through an impressive chain of 172 fully integrated stores in spread over the
area of more than 24,00,000 sq. ft. in around 110 cities across India in 24
states. The turnover of the company for 09-10 was 1105 Crore. Maintaining
the highest standards in quality and design, these stores have come to offer
the finest fashion garments at down-to-earth price structure. A fact that is
better visible in the constant flow of shoppers all through the year. Under the
title of Vishal Mega Mart these stores have emerged as the regular haunts for
the bargain-hunters and fashion enthusiasts alike. The saga of Vishal Group
dates back to 2001 when its directors foresaw the emerging potentials in the
retail industry which is indeed the largest sector in the global economy.
Imbibing its innovative concepts and techniques the Group identified the
vast scope of growth in retailing for the common man. Its stores have gained
an enviable prominence as being the ideal store for the common man where
an extensive variety and quality is offered at a very, very reasonable price
structure. The Groups expertise in the field of retail marketing over the
years and its focus on regions, cities and exact customer preferences have
earned the Group an undisputed leadership status to Vishal Group.
Bharti Retail
Bharti Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises. The Company
operates easy day neighborhood stores and compact hypermarket stores
called easy day Market. Bharti Retail provides consumers a wide range of
good quality products at affordable prices. Easy day stores are one stop
shops that cater to every family's day-to-day needs. Merchandise at easy
day Market stores include apparels, home furnishings, appliances, mobile
phones, meat shop, general merchandise, fruits and vegetables among
others. Created on the neighborhood shop format, the much-awaited retail
operations EasyDay was introduced by Bharti Retail Limited at Dehradun in
Uttrakhnad. Bharti Retail Limited happens to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Bharti Enterprises and its Easy Day retail operations will act as a one-stop
shop catering to a familys day-to-day needs. As such, the Easy Day Stores
will provide Indian consumers a wide range of products of excellent quality
apart from proffering a nice ambience and service. Among the range of items
you can look forward to buying from the Easy Day stores include personal
care products, stationery, household articles, hosiery items, daily-need
groceries like staples, processed foods, bakery and dairy products, meat and
poultry and fresh produce. It was announced by the company that Easy Day
will gives jobs to the locals in the Ludhiana area where it has been set up.
Further on those who will be selected for the job will be trained by Bharti
Academy of Retail, which has been established by Bharti Retail Limited. This
academy has already trained about 1,800 local people from different
sections of the society.