Introduction

Organization Profile
Name of Organization Type Industry Founder Headquarters Products Employees Website Future Group Public Conglomerate Kishore Biyani (MD & CEO) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Discount Stores, Super Centers 35,000 futuregroup.in

Future Group, led by its founder and Group CEO, Mr. Kishore Biyani, operates some of Indias most popular retail formats that include Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central, Home

Town, Ezone and Food Bazaar. While retail forms the core business activity of Future Group, the group has developed significant presence in consumer finance, capital, insurance, brand development, retail media and logistics. The groups retail formats bring in around 250 million customer footfalls every year and provide a platform for over 30,000 small, medium and large entrepreneurs in India to sell their products and services to these customers. The group has a retail presence in 85 cities and 65 rural destinations and employs over 35,000 people directly. The groups flagship enterprise, Pantaloon Retail India Limited was founded in 1987 and is listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange since 1991. The company along with its subsidiaries operates around 16,000,000 square feet (1,500,000 m2) of retail space in the country. Other group companies include, Future Capital Holdings, a financial services company, Future Ventures, engaged in operating and investing in allied businesses, Future Supply Chain Limited which operates a nation-wide logistics and warehousing network, Future Brands India Limited, a brand and intellectual property rights development corporation and Future Human Development Limited, an educational and manpower training company with

campuses in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Kolkata that offers degree programs in association with IGNOU. Future Group believes in developing strong insights on Indian consumers and building businesses based on Indian ideas, as espoused in the groups core value of Indianness. The groups corporate credo is, Rewrite rules, Retain values. This fundamental belief created a new kind of marketplace, forever transforming Indian retail. Today their core values continue to guide how they do business and improve the quality of life of the people they serve. Future Group is committed to being a catalyst of positive change in the communities, societies and business sectors in which we operate. They envision Indias transformation into the legendary 'Sone Ki Chidiya' (golden bird), taking wings once again to reach greater heights.

Mission

The vision and belief that their customers and stakeholders shall be served only by creating and executing future scenarios in the consumption space leading to economic development.

To be the trendsetters in evolving delivery formats, creating retail realty, making consumption affordable for all customer segments for classes and for masses.

To infuse Indian brands with confidence and renewed ambition. To be efficient, cost- conscious and committed to quality in whatever we do. To ensure that their positive attitude, sincerity, humility and united determination shall be the driving forces to make them successful.

Strategy
A new normal is being defined in the Indian consumer market every day. With farreaching socio-economic changes that India has undergone in the last decade, the drivers in urban and rural India are maturing fast. With a growth strategy tempered with localization and an inclusive business model, Future Group is the only pure play local retailer poised to lead Indias consumption story with sustainable value creation.

The multi-format retail strategy captures almost the entire consumption basket of Indian customers. As modern retail drives new demand, efficiency and consumption in new categories, Future Groups strategy is based on their deep understanding of Indian consumers. They understand the varied buying behaviour of the Indian consumer across regional ethnicities and is constantly innovating to craft strategies that address the subtle differences. They believe that modern Indian retail rests on the strength of two pillars scale and efficiencies. As front-runners in both areas, they firmly believe that their core responsibility lies in providing protection to customers from the overall rate of inflation. While the scale and size of their operations helps them improve efficiencies, they also ensure they deliver greater value to their customers.

Their retail thrust is focused on four principal verticals of Food, Fashion, General Merchandise and Home. These four categories together account for nearly 65% of the consumption in the country and represent mass consumer aspirations. Acknowledging this, they are creating retail pure play through divestment and demerger of non-retail businesses to concentrate their efforts on these verticals. Indias retail boom is being driven by resurgence in the economy. Modern retail still has around 6% share of the total retail spend in the country, which is estimated at around US $ 400 billion. Thus, the potential for modern retail growth in India is huge. Currently, leading retailers in

mature markets occupy the top three slots by turnover, employment and value creation. As the Indian economy matures, it is upon them to make the same happen in country.

Problems in Future Group before IT implementation

1. Future group relied on an integrated network composed of multiple proprietary solutionsthey had a distributed data center operation that allowed limited scalability and support for Strategic Business Unit. The complex architecture did not allow for virtualization, hence leading to low resource utilization and increased power consumption.
2. Wide geographical and diverse coverage by Future Group has lead to slow reconciliation

and closing process along with no provision for real time information availability lead to delay in strategic decision making.
3. Lack of connectivity among stores in different part of country. Due to large range of

product and customer base it becomes difficult to supply products as and when required which lead to large loss. Lack of proper maintenance and storing capacity could lead to very heavy losses as it becomes difficult to manage wide variety of goods at a time without organized system.
4. Customer Retention and Customer acquisition has been the main aim of any retail

organization as it is heavily dependent on loyal customers. Without a proper channel in place it is not possible to provide all the benefits to customer and provide full satisfaction. Future Group was able to cover a large customer base it was difficult to retain the customer as well as increase the base.
5. High Promotion cost that is only targeting a limited customer base is impeding Future Group from providing product at cheaper rates. 6. Retail Stores allows Future Group to target only limited customer base in the surrounding region. But once these consumers are covered there is no other scope of development in retail sector. Expansion of business is a major issue for Future Group. 7. Lack of Common Platform for information sharing among employees. Feedback channel is a missing link in the complete business strategy.

Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet).

Infrastructure as a Service (SONA)

With aggressive growth projections for the next 3 5 years the IT team had to adopt a strategy that would allow them to rapidly scale the network from 100 outlets to 3000 outlets. Reliability, security and availability were very important considerations as the business would rely heavily on its IT infrastructure. Future group relied on an integrated network composed of multiple proprietary solutions- they had a distributed data center operation that allowed limited scalability and support for Strategic Business Unit. The complex architecture did not allow for virtualization, hence leading to low resource utilization and increased power consumption. In addition, performance and SLA management was a challenge. The lack of an efficient and

effective integrated retail management solution resulted in an overly complex technical environment that impeded employee productivity. Future group faced the problem of reducing cost of promotions and yet no compromise with objectives of increasing customer base.

Service Oriented Network Architecture

The Service Oriented Network Architecture (SONA) is Ciscos architectural approach to designing advanced network capabilities into the infrastructure. The importance of having good network architecture helps ensure that business strategy and IT investments are aligned. As the backbone for IT communications, the network element of enterprise architecture is increasingly critical. SONA provided Future Group with guidance, best practices, and blueprints for connecting their network services and applications to enable business solutions. The foundation of SONA is built on two core layers First is the Network Systems layer which consists of foundational network designs and related essential services that create basic building blocks for the network infrastructure. In essence, this layer provides a sound technical blueprint for designing network modules or building blocks that can deliver flexibility, security, resilience, scalability, and performance. Second is the Integrated Network Services layer, which is the most

important layer build in the framework. This layer establishes guidelines to enable, accelerate, and optimize applications deployment. Integrated Network Services can also be categorized into two general service types transparent services and exposed services. Transparent services can be used to accelerate or optimize the manner in which applications run across the network, and are characteristic of transport type services. Transparent services operate in a manner that is transparent to application-level functions and systems. Some examples of transparent services include: Dynamic Routing Switching and VLANs Server Load Balancing MPLS and MPLS VPNs Firewalls Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) such as Payload Compression

Analysis
Because SONA is an open framework for network-based services, it allowed Future Group to achieve the following business results A Service Oriented Data Center Consolidation, virtualization and business continuity Optimal performance and low power consumption Ability to turn on services instantly, and operate those services at line rate without compromising network performance or availability (service on demand) Scale to include all SBUs and meet future growth projections Scale to manage hyper growth Was able to roll out a highly efficient and effective service delivery Enable mobility and uniformity of experience Security and Compliance Be more responsiveness, flexibility and resilience Better Time-to-Service And contribute to their green initiative

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software as a service (SaaS, typically pronounced [ss]), sometimes referred to as "on-demand software," is a software delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally (typically in the (Internet) cloud) and are typically accessed by users using a thin client, normally using a web browser over the Internet.

SaaS has become a common delivery model for most business applications, including accounting, collaboration, customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), invoicing, human resource management (HRM), and knowledge management (KM).

Analysis
Cloud Computing helped Future Group in reducing their cost on purchasing hardware for their stores. They can now run their stores by purchasing system with least possible hardware configuration. It helped in developing a well integrated common architecture where in they can run all their systems under a common frame work. It also reduced their investment on purchase of software as it has to only invest in particular software that the Future Group needs rather than purchasing the whole package.

Along with all this advantages there are few disadvantages also since Cloud computing is open source architecture. Data in such system are vulnerable since they are stored on third party space. There are issues like privacy also where in data may be shared without knowing whether it is to be shared or not. This might be one of the concerns which Future Group might have over looked.

Virtualization (VMware vSphere and VMware ESXi)

Virtualization, in computing, is the creation of a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, such as a hardware platform, operating system, a storage device or network resources. Future Group had problem with the Data Server Sprawl which was increasing very rapidly so it took help of Virtualization to get rid of this problem. It used Storage Virtualization so as to separate logical and physical storage and this helped in reducing the increasing number of Data Server. The problem started to in 2008 when the total number of Data Server reached 100. Future Group took this as a serious issue and started working on the matter. In February 2010, Future Group deployed a virtualized infrastructure incorporating VMware vSphere and VMware ESXi running on Sun server hardware. This infrastructure helped them in delivering point of sale, customer loyalty program, gift voucher, floor planning and human resources systems. It also helped them in coming up with a better working system where they can facilitate more guest virtual machine. The guest virtual machines are now running on 10 Sun Fire X4450 servers, leaving plenty of capacity within the Future Group datacenter to sustain future growth. Future Group has reduced its power consumption by up to 25kVA and cut the number of racks required to house its datacenter hardware by three. It has also improved average server CPU utilization from 10 percent to 40 percent.

Evaluation:

Future Group undertook a proof-of-concept of VMware server virtualization. The organization tested VMware vSphere on two physical servers by provisioning multiple virtual machines running the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and CentOS operating systems.

The test focused on how the virtual infrastructure performed in delivering business critical point-of-sale and customer loyalty program applications. Future Group reviewed the VMware vMotion features ability to migrate live virtual machines from one physical server to another with no downtime. It also analyzed the ease of manageability of the virtualized infrastructure and its reporting tools.

Analysis
Virtualization not only helped Future Group in improving its data storing capacity but it also helped them in improving the processing ability of the servers. Thus Data was now better and quickly processed then it used to be before. It also helped in reducing the power consumption. Thus Future Groups investment in IT are in-line with its business strategy and that it has helped Future Group in scaling up the data centers and helped reducing the power consumption and thus overall helped in gaining cost benefits.

Enterprise Resource Planning (SAP General Ledger)

Due to the companys geographical spread and the nature of their business, the key to the success of their IT strategy lay in the ability to network all nation-wide company locations in a secure and organised manner.

Problems Faced: With more than 2,000 sites across India, the company had difficulty tracking the financial information of each location. Enhance decision making by providing real-time information. Expedite the reconciliation and closing processes.

Initially Pantaloons implanted SAPs ERP Financial solution which had general ledger solutions. But as the companys operations grew, it decided to migrate to the SAP General Ledger application. It integrated the General Ledger application simultaneously across all its 12 different group companies.

Earlier version of SAP had separate Ledgers to cover different requirements thus it was very difficult for Future Group to reconcile data at the end of the year. With the introduction of General Ledger the number of individual ledgers was reduced, which also alleviated the problem of reconciling different sets of figures. This section deals with defining, assigning, and posting to the leading ledger and the non-leading ledgers. Using several ledgers allows you to apply different accounting standards. Using non-leading ledgers also allows you to use different fiscal year variants within the same company code.

With the General Ledger application it wanted to take advantage of document splitting features & the real-time integration between financial accounting and controlling.

Analysis
Financial & Strategic Greater business insights through more accurate and timely financial information Lower costs via convergence of financial accounting and controlling Enhanced data quality Easier compliance with regulatory requirements via the SAP parallel accounting feature

Operational Greater visibility of AR and AP throughout profit centers Increased business transparency via drilldown reporting capabilities Easier to make unified reports for ensuring compliance with a variety of regulatory requirements. Real-time, continuous reconciliation of cost elements and expense accounts, freeing up personnel for more value-added activities Ability to close books 15% to 20% faster, due to tight integration between financials and controlling components and real-time reconciliation capabilities. 5% to 10% reduction in them in accounts receivables Reduced infrastructure & processing costs

Reduced database growth by around 500 GB per year via documentation summarization at profit centre level & with data stored only once, data redundancy is no longer an issue

SAP Retail Solution Benefits Product Development Sourcing & Procurement Managing the supply chain Selling goods across a variety of channels to customers

We noticed that due to long queues, customers leave trolleys full of goods and walk out, which is a business loss. We have provided some staff at a few Big Bazaar outlets with handheld scanners. Thus, while customers are still in the queue, their goods are scanned, so by the time they reach the cash counter they just have to pay and move on. We expect several business benefits to accrue from the enhanced network. As there will be a free flow of information between the HO and other outlets, it will be easier to create sales and analysis reports. It will also enable us to store customer profiles; by using the BI tool, we can predict customer behaviour and create targeted ad campaigns. For instance, if a particular shirt is in demand at a particular store, we can make a requisition from a central location to ensure that the particular item is available at that store. Features such as these count since they trim cost and provide transparency in the supply chain.

Supply Chain Management

WMS (Warehouse Management System)

A warehouse management system, or WMS, is a key part of the supply chain and primarily aims to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and process the associated transactions, including shipping, receiving, put away and picking. Warehouse management systems often utilize Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) technology, such as barcode scanners, mobile computers, wireless LANs and potentially Radio-frequency identification (RFID) to efficiently monitor the flow of products. Once data has been collected, there is either batch synchronization with, or a real-time wireless transmission to a central database. The database can then provide useful reports about the status of goods in the warehouse.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) At the backend of Future Retail's extensive operations in India, almost three million pieces are scanned six times everyday. That makes it 18 million scans per day only to keep stock of inventory. Considering the growth in volumes of their retail business, they believe that by the year 2010-11, they will need to scan close to 30 million pieces per day. That is humanly impossible and RFID became the essential ingredient. RFID increases efficiency levels as it offers complete visibility in the supply chain and will be very effective in decision making or dealing with goods that age or perish. The technology provides an accurate knowledge of the current inventory. In an academic study performed at Wal-Mart, RFID reduced Out-of-Stocks by 30 percent for products selling between 0.1 and 15 units a day. Other benefits of using RFID include the reduction of labor costs, the simplification of business processes, and the reduction of inventory inaccuracies. Attribute Line of Site Read Range RFID Not required (in most cases) Passive UHF RFID: - Up to 40 feet (fixed readers) - Up to 20 feet (handheld readers) Barcode Required Several inches up to several feet

Active RFID: - Up to 100's of feet or more Read Rate 10's, 100's or 1000's simultaneously Identification Can uniquely identify each item/asset tagged. Most barcodes only identify the type of item (UPC Code) but not uniquely. Read/Write Technology Many RFID tags are Read/Write RF (Radio Frequency) Read only Optical (Laser) Only one at a time

Like the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), some Interference RFID frequencies don't like Metal and Liquids. They can interfere with some RF Frequencies. Most "fixed" readers don't Automation require human involement to collect data (automated) Most barcode scanners require a human to operate (labor intensive) Obstructed barcodes cannot be read (dirt covering barcode, torn barcode, etc.)

Cross Docking Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or railroad car and loading these materials directly into outbound trucks, trailers, or rail cars, with little or no storage in between. This may be done to change type of conveyance, to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins into transport vehicles (or containers) with the same, or similar destination.

Advantages of Retail Cross-Docking

Streamlines the supply chain from point of origin to point of sale Reduces handling costs, operating costs, and the storage of inventory Products get to the distributor and consequently to the customer faster Reduces, or eliminates warehousing costs May increase available retail sales space.

TMS (Transportation Management System) or Vehicle Visibility System A vehicle tracking system combines the installation of an electronic device in a vehicle, or fleet of vehicles, with purpose-designed computer software at least at one operational base to enable

the owner or a third party to track the vehicle's location, collecting data in the process from the field and deliver it to the base of operation. Modern vehicle tracking systems commonly use GPS technology for locating the vehicle. Vehicle information can be viewed on electronic maps via the Internet or specialized software. Active" devices also collect the same information but usually transmit the data in real-time via cellular or satellite networks to a computer or data centre for evaluation. Many modern vehicle tracking devices combine both active and passive tracking abilities: when a cellular network is available and a tracking device is connected it transmits data to a server; when a network is not available the device stores data in internal memory and will transmit stored data to the server later when the network becomes available again.

Put to Light System Put to Light is often referred to as Pick to Light in reverse. In a Pick to Light system, lights guide operators to SKU locations where they select or 'pick' items from. A Put system uses light modules direct operators to the correct location to sort or 'put' items into. One of the most popular applications for Put systems is sort batch picked products into individual orders. Batch picking is when multiple orders are picked during each pass through the warehouse, optimizing fulfillment operations where there are a high number of SKUs and long pick paths. This works best in environments where products and orders are smaller, enabling pickers to carry several boxes on a cart at the same time. Downstream these products must be sorted into the appropriate orders. Traditionally carts travel to pack stations where items are manually sorted by reading pick tickets, shipping or other paper lists. This approach is slow and prone to mistakes. If your products feature bar code labels, then a Put to Light system is a faster and more accurate way to execute this sorting. With Put to Light, the operator simply grabs an item and scans the label with an RF unit. Lights illuminate at locations requiring that item, and the quantities needed to fill the order. The process is repeated until the orders are completed. The Put to Light approach is extremely fast and accurate. The RF scan and lights increase sort rates and reduce reading errors.

Faster sorting rates, on average 40% superior to paper-based or RF-only based methods. Cost effective for operations with a large number of SKUs, as Put does not require a light module at every product location like a Pick to Light system does. Space efficient, often allowing operations with limited facility space to still gain added capacity Viable technology choice to optimize a wide variety of sorting applications.

Suggestions Free Shipping with Site to Store

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To take advantage of free shipping with Site to Store, follow these steps: 1. Look for the Site to Store logo on the product details page. 2. During checkout, select Site to Store as the delivery option. 3. Select the Walmart store where you would like to pick up your order. (You can also place orders for family and friends and have them shipped to their local stores.) 4. We'll send you an email when your order is ready for pickup.

SYNCHRONIZED PLANNING ACROSS THE SUPPLY-CHAIN

Synchronized planning, in the form of collaborative forecasting and replenishment, coordinated production, inventory and capacity plans, information integration, and direct linkages of ERP systems, is one of the most exciting developments in supply chain management in many industries (Synchronous). Synchronized Planning involves key steps.

Information integration Planning synchronization Workflow coordination New business models

First, information integration requires information sharing and transparency. It is the sharing of information among the members of the supply chain. Information exchanged may include inventory levels, production schedules, and shipment schedules. The benefits include better job scheduling and a reduction of the bullwhip effect. The effect indicates a lack of synchronization among supply chain members. Even a slight change in consumer sales ripples backward in the form of magnified oscillations upstream, resembling the result of a flick of a bullwhip handle. Planning synchronization defines what is to be done with the information that is shared. This can include collaborative planning and joint design. The benefits are lower cost and improved service. If planning synchronization is the what is to be done with shared information, workflow coordination is the how it is done. Operations that can be coordinated include procurement, engineering and design changes, and production planning. Benefits include early time to market, improved service, and gains in efficiency. Synchronized planning can lead to new business models. Not only can these new business models redefine workflow, they can lead to changes in responsibility for different parts of the supply-chain. A redefined supply-chain can jointly create new products and lead to expansion into new markets. Synchronized planning, however, cannot be accomplished without a tight linkage of all companies in the supply chain. Channels of communication must be well defined and the performance of each member in the chain must be monitored. The integrated supply-chain must

hold members responsible for their part in the process. As product life cycles grow shorter and shorter, efficient synchronization of the supply-chain grows in importance. To ensure that the supply-chain is driven by consumer demand, and to decrease the bullwhip effect, synchronized planning is critical.

Customer Relationship Management (Customer Loyalty Program)

Why CRM?

Want to focus both on acquisition & Retention To convert daily footfalls into loyal customers Extraordinary service and customer satisfaction Increase customer share

Customer Loyalty Program Customer Relationship Management is used by Future Group for its flagship store i.e. Pantaloons. Customer Loyalty Program is used for this purpose which is executed using a Green Card program. Under this customer information is collected by filling up a form which consists of following data mainly. Name Address Contact Number Birth Date Like/Dislikes And customer Experience details

This data is stored into database using common software named Customer Loyalty Program. A card is issued to customer which can be used to avail discounts during future purchase. Different discounts are provided according to time duration for which customer is a Green Card holder. This has helped Pantaloons in retaining its customer as well increasing the customer share. Customer registered under Green Card program are informed about latest happening at its nearest store. Special discounts are offered on birthdays and other special occasion in the life of customer.

The following pictures will give brief idea about the Customer Loyalty Program.

Analysis
Customer Loyalty Program has helped Pantaloons in retaining its existing customer and also helped increasing customer share. It provided a feedback channel for customer where they can easily give reviews about their experience at store. Though CRM provided many advantages to Pantaloons but there is a very large scope of improvement in this system. The data that is available with Pantaloons is somehow vulnerable and that why it is available to telemarketers. This loophole might stop Pantaloons from becoming a invincible leader of market as customer might stop using this facility provided by Pantaloons.

Social Media (FACEBOOK)

Future group is in organized retail sector. Organized retail sector is characterized by low profit margins, high competition and profits are dependent on loyal customer base. As a firm which is operating in highly competitive market pressures to reduce prices is always there. Future group is known for its low priced retail chain. The only way left in such a situation is to reduce cost by attaining high degree of efficiency; so that price pressure is met and yet profits do not erode. The major chunk of cost is attributed to promotional efforts such as advertisements, print media, etc. Customer retention and building loyalty with help of these are highly expensive. Future group faced the problem of reducing cost of promotions and yet no compromise with objectives of increasing customer base. Social media is embedded in our daily lives. It is no longer the trend, it is the web and continues to weave and wrap itself into every corner and crevice of the internet as we know it. The addiction, like crack cocaine has spread and 650 million people on Facebook, 225 million on Twitter and 100 million on LinkedIn are evidence of this compelling attraction.

Social media used by Future Group Facebook and Twitter are two social networking sites widely used by Future group. Future group is much more active on Facebook in comparison to twitter, reason being facebook is more interactive and more popular than twitter. They have more than 15 interactive pages on facebook which are updated daily. Below is analysis of one of the most active page on facebook which is Big Bazaar on Facebook.

Official Page of Big Bazaar on Facebook

On wall of this page user can write about their experiences, their suggestions and their grievances. This page acts as a source of information for user, grievances redressal, and store locator. This page is also used for advertising about new offers at Big Bazaar. Wednesday used to be the least sales day for big bazaar. In order to overcome this they launched Wednesday Bazaar-sabse sasta din concept. Wednesday bazaar is promoted on the web page with least cost. This page is made more interactive by various contests such as Mahabachat Contest. Users participate in these competitions which ensure that user traffic is maintained on page and they do get information.

Analysis:
1. It spreads: Social medias viral capacity lies in its one to many and then the many to many amplification of ideas and content on a worldwide scale. The low friction of sharing (how easy is it to hit a like button or a retweet icon) with social media provides the power to make ideas spread. Any new scheme is made popular with the help of social media. New schemes, offers are spread effectively, with minimum efforts. 2. It helps FG to connect: Ranking on the first page of a search engine is the Holy Grail for businesses (it is where 90% of all clicks to websites occur). FG connects with ease to its most loyal customers and attracts new one with social media. Future-Bazaar.com also provides feature to make a purchase online while surfing from one page of Facebook to another. 3. Low cost and high effectiveness: One of the main advantages of effective utilization of social media is the low cost. The number of customer connected and interacted with help of social media is higher. At a relatively cheap cost FG is able to effectively interact with consumers and built brand loyalty.

E-commerce and E-business (Future Bazaar)

Expansion of business without opening new stores was a major challenge for Future Group as retail industry becomes stagnant after it has covered majority of cities. Future Group came up with a creative solution to this problem in collaboration with IT. FutureBazaar.com is the e-commerce arm of the Future Group. FutureBazaar provides an integrated shopping site where consumers are able to buy products from our flagship stores including eZone, Pantaloons and Big Bazaar online and get home delivery of products. FutureBazaar.com is owned and operated by Future Bazaar India Ltd. (FBIL). FBIL is a part of the Future Group, Indias largest retail conglomerate. FBIL is the e-commerce arm of the Future Group. The company was incorporated in 2006 and began business in 2007. In 2007, Wipro infotech provided an end-to-end turnkey solution that includes design, implementation, integration and substance of the system. The solution also uses Sun Java Caps as the integration middleware to GurureBazaar's SAP backbone. Future Group also selected ATG Commerce suite from Bostan-based ATG, the world's leading e-commerce solution provider as the platform of choice. The ATG Commerce suite would allow FutureBazaar to offer a more flexible, intuitive shopping experience to its customers with a host of new value-added features such as affinity-based recommendations, gift registers and personalised store-fronts. FUTURE BAZAARS KEY DIFFERENTIATION 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Brick and Mortar Strategy as against Marketplace Model. Unconditional Return within 15 days. Multi- logistic mode. Good discount and free delivery. Delivery across more than 1500 cities and towns in India covering around 16,000 pin codes Fast deliveries tie ups with world leaders in logistics & transportation services A dedicated Customer Care helpline for any queries. Always offering Manufacturers guarantee as opposed to Sellers guarantee, which most of the other online shopping sites offer. Aggressive Prices FutureBazaar.com has the benefit of leveraging the sourcing network of the Future Groups retail chains. This sourcing network straddles a wide

range of product requirements, thus being able to offer them economies of scale thereby - unbelievable prices to its customers 10. Unmatched Selection of Products and Brands they have more than 20,000 products which create the flexibility to offer a large range of choices to customers. They also have partnerships with most of the brands available in the country, which allows them to get the latest in the range to their customers. They have been able to create some major popularity ripples with their corporate clients with products like mobiles, electronics, laptops, MP3 players, T-shirts, Gift Vouchers and so on. 11. Seamless end-to-end Logistics Solution They pride themselves in having built an end-to-end logistics solution; right from stocking, dispatching, and delivery confirmation up to post-sales support. Their back-end infrastructure enables them to service around 15000 pin codes across India. 12. Dedicated Customer Care for online customers as well as corporate clients - They have a dedicated team straddling client servicing, sourcing, logistics and customer service for all their customers. 13. "Brand Association" - Most importantly out parentage & association with humungous retail brands like Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Central and many more, lends tremendous amount of trust & credibility to the end consumers.

Analysis

Recommendation for future investment

Knowledge Management Retailers in the developed world are incorporating knowledge management into their processes to gain advantage over their competitors, enabling executives and lower level managers to quickly run reports on sales and other performance measures, to handle inventory better and to gain a clearer understanding of their products. Objective: 1. Developing a feedback channel and common platform for information sharing. 2. Improved financial competitiveness. 3. Efficiency of operation. 4. Gain competitive advantage over others. Future Groups knowledge-based system utilizes interactive capabilities and attempts to standardize valuable knowledge in a properly stored format in order to make available to those employees that would benefit the most. Among other benefits of its knowledge-management system, data mining and support for the front-end personnel could be especially enumerated. It is recommended that the company should pay closer attention to the scalability of the system and the technologies involved, since it would be the key of successful future development. The primary feature is that the posted content is essentially owned and managed by the particular business area and reviewed on a periodic basis; thus the shared information through the various departments and knowledge shared is not permanent.