AN OVERVIEW OF RETAIL SECTOR

AN OVERVIEW OF RETAIL SECTOR

INTRODUCTION

The word 'Retail' is derived from a French word with the prefix re and the verb tailer meaning "to cut again". Evidently, retail trade is one that cuts off smaller portions from large lumps of goods. It is a process through which goods are transported to final consumers. In other words, retailing consists of the activities involved in selling directly to the ultimate consumer for personal, non-business use. It embraces the direct-to-customer sales activities of the producer, whether through his own stores by house-to-house canvassing or by mail-order business. Manufacturers engage in retailing when they make direct-to-consumer sales of their products through their own stores (as Bata and Corona shoe companies, D.C.M. Stores, Mafatlals and Bombay Dyeing) by door-to-door canvass or mail order or even on telephone. Even a wholesaler engages in retailing when sells directly to an ultimate consumer, although his main business may still be wholesaling. A retailer is a merchant or occasionally an agent or a business enterprise, whose main business is selling directly to ultimate consumers for non-business use. He performs many marketing activities such as buying, selling, grading, risk-trading, and developing information about customer’s wants. A retailer may sell infrequently to industrial users, but these are wholesale transactions, not retail sales. If over one half of the amount of volume of business comes from sales to ultimate consumers, i.e. sales at retail, he is classified as a retailer. Retailing occurs in all marketing channels for consumer products.

IMPORTANCE OF RETAILING

The retailer is an intermediary in the marketing channel because he is both marketer and customer, who sells to the last man to consume. He is a specialist who maintains contact with the consumer and the producer; and is an important connecting link in a complex mechanism of marketing. Though producers may sell directly to consumers, such method of distributing goods to ultimate users is inconvenient, expensive and time consuming as compared to the job performed by a specialist in the line. Therefore, frequently the manufacturers depend on the retailers to sell their products to the ultimate consumers. The retailer, who is able to provide appropriate amenities without an excessive advance in prices of goods is rewarded by larger or more loyal patronage.

ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION FOR RETAILING

All middlemen basically serve as purchasing agents for their customers and as sales specialists for their suppliers. To carry out those roles, retailers perform many activities, including anticipating customer's wants, developing assortments of products, acquiring market information and financing. It is relatively easy to become a retailer. No large investment in production equipment is required, merchandise can often be purchased on credit and store space can be leased with no 'down payment' or a simple website can be set up at relatively little cost. Considering these factors, perhaps it's not surprising that there are just over a 6 million retail outlets operating across the Indian cities from north to south and from east to west. This large number of outlets, many of which are trying to serve and satisfy the same market segments, results in fierce competition and better values for shoppers. To enter retailing is easy; to fail is even easier! To survive in retailing, a firm must do a satisfactory job in its primary role - catering to consumers. Rama Subramaniam the former head - retail segment Sponsors described a successful Retailer as a "merchant who sells goods that won't come back to customers who will". Of  course, a retail firm also must fulfill its other role - serving producers and wholesalers. This dual role is both the justification for retailing and the key to success in retailing.

GENERAL SERVICES

The general services which a retailer provides are:

1. The retailer anticipates the wants of the consumers and then supplies them the right kind of goods at reasonable price. His job is to make the consumers buying as easy and convenient as possible i.e. he acts as a consumers' agent.

2. He performs the service of bulk-breaking i.e. dividing large quantities into small units,  such as individual cans, bottles, boxes, wrappers, packages, appropriate for consumer use.

3. He offers a large assortment of merchandise, of suitable size, color, design, style and seasonal items-ranging from domestic utensils, household requisites to specialty goods.

4. He creates time and place utility by storing the products in off season and by transporting these goods to the places where they can be readily available as and when needed by the consumer.

5. He also assumes risks by guaranteeing the goods he sells to the consumer.

6. He also offers free delivery of goods, credit on open accounts, free alteration, liberal exchange facilities, and instructions in the use of goods, revolving credit plans, and long term installment programmes.

7. He adds to the convenience and ease of consumer purchasing by offering convenient shopping locations, market information’s and other services such as free parking privileges, lessons on product use and a multitude of other facilities may be offered and found sufficiently desired to result in increased patronage.

8. He helps the producers in distributing their products by using advertisement display and

FACILITATING SERVICES:

In order to carry out functions involving transfer of ownership and physical supply effectively retailers perform a number of facilitating functions i.e. functions relating to standardizations and grading, financing, risk-taking and market information. A retailer of fresh fruits and vegetables has to standardize and grade these to make these acceptable to customers. They establish standards, inspect goods they receive, and sort them in various classifications. Quite often they purchase in large quantities and then divide them and repack them before selling. When the retailer sells goods on credit he performs finance function. From the moment he sells and collects the last rupee from the customer, when goods are sold on credit, he is said to be performing a financing function.

Another function performed by retailers is that of risk-taking. During the entire time a retailer holds title to particular goods, he must inevitably bear a wide variety of risks. Not only the goods may be destroyed through fire or flood, but also, there is often the danger of theft, deterioration or spoilage. Furthermore, such merchants are also faced with the threat that consumers will not accept their product or will purchase them only at unprofitable prices. He also undertakes risk in handling of fashion goods and other items for which consumer demand varies greatly from time to time. Since the retailer knows about the wishes of his customers the price, quality and the kind of merchandise available in the market as well as the existing and anticipated style trends, he keeps in stock the goods usually required by customers.

OVERVIEW OF RETAIL SECTOR

All over the world, retailing is undergoing a process of evolution and is poised to undergo dramatic transformation. With special reference to India, the retail sector employs over 10 percent of the national work force but is characterized by a high degree of fragmentation with over 5 million outlets, 96 percent of whom are very small with an area of less than 50 m2. The retail universe doubled between 1986 and 2006 and the number of outlets per 1000 people at an All India Level increased from 4.9 in 1988 to 14.8 in 2006. Because of their small size, the Indian Retailers have very little bargaining power with manufacturers and perform only a few of the flows in marketing channels unlike in the case of retailers in developed countries. The corner grocer or the 'Kirana' Store is a key element in the retail in India due to the housewife’s unwillingness to go long distances for purchasing daily needs. Although convenience and merchandise were the two most important reasons for choosing a store, the choice interia varied across product categories. Convenience was indicated by consumers as the most important reason in the choice of groceries and fruit outlets, chemists and life style items while merchandise was indicated as the most important in durables, books and apparel. In recent years, there has been a slow spread of retail chains in some formats like super markets, department stores, malls and discount stores. Factors facilitating the spread of chains are the availability of quality products at lower prices, improved shopping standards, convenient shopping and display and blending of shopping with entertainment and the entry to industrial houses like Goenkas and Tatas into retailing. Thailand is one of the countries whose economy has developed rapidly in recent years. There has been a tradition of independently owned outlets called shop houses. These outlets are run by families, with the shop located on the ground floor and the family's living quarters on upper floors. Thailand's first departmental store opened in 1956 and the first shopping centre in (1967). Discounts and super stores were introduced in 1989. However, the presence of super market format has been low due to ingrained habit of buying fresh produce. Specialty stores were just emerging in Thailand in mid 1990s. Another country where the development of the retail sector has also followed an interesting path is Brazil. The concept of self service in shopping was introduced to Brazil in 1953 but until 1972, there was no foreign influence in the Brazilian retail sector. Food retailing especially, contained to be Brazilian owned and managed although international innovations were adopted. The number of intermediaries in marketing channels is decreasing as the operation of wholesalers is under threat from the direct contact between retailers and suppliers, although few specialized distributors have emerged who provide value added services such as distribution of frozen and chilled food.

CONCLUSION

           Retailing is the sale of goods and services to ultimate consumers for personal, non-business use. Any institution may engage in retailing, but a firm engage primarily in retailing is called a retailer. Retailers serve as purchasing agents for consumer and as sales specialists for producers and wholesaling middleman. They perform many specific activities such as anticipating consumers' wants, developing product assortments and financing.

 R.Yuvarani

M.Phil Schloar, Department of Commerce,
Peiyar University, Salem-11