Retailers think out of the box to lure consumers

AHMEDABAD: Discount formats, value retailing, bumper sale and marketing blitz, organised retailers are changing strategies.

The exercise is not to beat recession, which is yet to set in, but to challenge the prevailing sentiment of postponing purchases, especially of non-essentials. Retailers are thus, inventing new formats and marketing plans that would deter consumers from putting off their buying plans by six-eight months.

Thus, explains the discount or an offer on that flat screen TV, washing machine, or the new curtains. Though they have suffered temporary fall in volumes in a few categories, retailers present in the discount formats and value retailing (for example hypermarts) like Future Group, Reliance and Vishal are confident of getting the shoppers back to the isles.

���You will find that most of the retailers in these categories like Big Bazaar, Reliance, Vishal etc are all pitching at the moment for discount to capture the lower sentiments due to inflation. Actually there is not much additional discounting, just the advertising pitch is new,��� says Purendu Kumar, associate V-P, Technopak.