Read Between the Ps

Indian consumers are quickly moving out of the “ neighborhood kirana-stores ” mindset and getting acculturated to organized shopping malls. Be it the product availability, the experience, the ambience or simply, the lure of an air-conditioned hang-out place – consumers no longer want to spend time outside under the sun or shopping in sweaty shops! Talking of shopping malls – malls in India have evolved and are no longer just a shopping destination, but thanks to Martin Lindstrom and his work on Sensory Branding , ambience now plays a critical role in shopping. As a result, shoppers want to spend as much time as they can in the malls – shop, eat, drink, sleep, play around, flirt, and do everything else that is practically possible to do in broad daylight! As these mall-crazy shoppers become parents, they want their kids also to get more used to malls – maybe a bit more than their homes too!! So, what’s new being offered to them? Retailers, in order to tap this opportunity, want the ...

With the changing behavior of the consumers, and newer channels evolving, companies are fighting for consumer mindspace . More than that, and a step before, in fact, is the battle for catching attention and a portion of the eye span of the consumers – of getting attention towards your products, out of the clutter of consumer goods shelved along with you! This is the reason most companies use tactical measures at the final touch point – the retail outlets, to drive sales. They attempt to plant “ traffic stoppers ” in a bid to make the consumers stand up and take notice of their offerings. What would you suggest to introduce such “traffic stoppers” at the POP? Follow the “P”s and you would recommend innovative packaging, advanced product technologies, sales promotions , etc etc. But what if these methods have been tried and tested, and failed , too! What next? A recent research at Mckinsey Quarterly discussed an innovative application of technology in in-store marketing. The article,...