CHAPTER NO.

1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 What is Retail Brand

The present generation looks for best quality products, variety and insists on time saving Page
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efforts, thus the future for many retailers lies with their brand building efforts. The customers
are now more informed and empowered to access anything from anywhere and with the
increased customer intelligence they look for value for the time and cost they incur. The
digital media not only made the information about the market available to customers, it also
initiated the change in business process. The digital economy is one of the driving forces
behind the transformation in retail by changing traditional geographic boundaries, the very
economics of the distribution chain, and access to customers through the digital media. With a
fast-paced society and faster-paced technological changes, customers want new, different and
customized goods. The manufacturers are also using multi channels for both communication
and distribution of the products and also for retailing. The rapidly growing retail sector in
India with the entry of Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) and national corporate players
presents a highly competitive environment to the retail stores. In this scenario establishing and
communicating a brand may be harder for multi brand retailers than for their single brand
counterparts, but brand building is essential for both. Brand ensures quality, and reduces the
searching time of the customers for the best product in the market place. As the traditional
Indian retailers prepare to meet the competition from the organized retailers and the
multinational retailers, consistency and simplicity are the key drivers in delivering a winning
customer experience.

In most consumer industries, the image and equity of retail brands also depends on the
manufacturer brands they carry and the equity of those brands. Retailers use manufacturer
brands to generate consumer interest, patronage, and loyalty in a store. Manufacturer brands
operate almost as “ingredient brands” that yield significant consumer pull, often more than the
retailer brand does. To the extent “you are what you sell,” manufacturer brands help to create
an image and establish a positioning for the store (Ailawadi & Keller 2004). Three trends of
development have been identified within industry making brand orientation a strategic choice:
decreasing product divergence, increasing media costs and integration of markets. These
trends can be viewed as opportunities for Differentiation, Positioning and Internationalization
(Mats Urd, 1994). The changes in consumer behaviour are the basis for changes in any type of
industry. The recent trends in retail explain that consumers make psychological assessments
of where to spend and where to save their personal currency.
1.2 Meaning and Definition

In the historical past, a way to tell one person’s cattle from another was by means of a hot iron Page
stamp. Accordingly, the practice of producers burning their mark (or brand) onto their |2

products continued giving rise to the use of the word branding. The word “brand” is derived
from the Old Norse brand meaning “to burn”. To have better understanding of the word brand,
we have to consider it along with another related word- trade mark. A brand is a “Name, term,
design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct
from those of other sellers.”

A trademark is typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image, or a combination
of these elements used by an individual, or business organization to identify that the product
or service belongs legally to them. In other words, Trademarks serve to identify a particular
business as the source of goods or services.
1.3 History of Branding

The Italians were among the first to use brands, in the form of watermarks on paper in the Page
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1200s. In the field of mass-marketing, branding originated in the 19th century with the advent
of packaged goods. Factories put their logo or insignia on the packages, extending the
meaning of “brand” to that of trademark. In the field of arts, even the signatures on paintings
of famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci can be viewed as an early branding tool.

Around 1900, James Walter Thompson published a house advertisement that provided
commercial explanation of what we now know as branding. Companies soon adopted slogans,
mascots, and jingles that began to appear on radio and television. By the 1940s, manufacturers
showed interest in knowing the perceptions and attitudes of customers toward brands and this
had advanced the studies on brands and their relationship with customers from social,
psychological and anthropological perspectives.

During 1980s, the modern branding practices appeared and concepts like brand identity, brand
personality, brand value and brand equity, were employed to discuss branding effects. The
idea that consumers buy brands not only for products but also for their own psychological and
social reasons is well promoted. Naomi Klein has described this development as “brand
equity mania”. In 1988, for example, Philip Morris purchased Kraft for six times what the
company was worth on paper; the premium was paid for the brand equity or value.
1.4 Factors Influencing Retail Brand

Researchers have studied a multitude of retailer attributes that influence overall image, e.g., the variety Page
and quality of products, services, and brands sold; the physical store appearance; the appearance, |4

behaviour and service quality of employees; the price levels, depth and frequency of promotions; and
so on. Lindquist (1974) and Mazursky and Jacoby (1986) categorized these attributes into a smaller set
of location, merchandise, service, and store atmosphere related dimensions. A retailer’s brand equity is
exhibited in consumers responding more favourably to its marketing actions than they do to competing
retailers (Keller 2003). The image of the retailer in the minds of consumers is the basis of this brand
equity. Box lists the various factors that have significant influence on branding a retail business.

Factors influencing retail branding

➢ Access

➢ Store atmosphere

➢ Price and promotion

➢ Brand architecture

➢ Experiential marketing

➢ Cross Category assortment

➢ Within-Category Assortment

➢ Brand assortment

➢ Private label strategy

➢ Brand value and positioning

➢ Brand personality

➢ Brand equity

Access
The location of a store and the distance that the consumer must travel to shop there, are basic
criteria in store choice decisions. Today, suburban sprawl, greater driving distances, the
appearance of new warehouse retail formats that are often located in large spaces away from
residential areas, and online retailing have made location somewhat less central as a store Page
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choice criterion. That is not to say, however, that location is unimportant. Consumers’ store
choice may be based on different criteria depending upon the nature of the trip. For instance,
small basket, fill-in trips are very unlikely to be made to distant or inconvenient locations.
And, retailers in some formats, like convenience, drug, or supermarket have less flexibility in
their location decision than mass merchandisers or malls.

Store Atmosphere

Atmosphere elicits from consumers three types of response: pleasantness, arousal, and
dominance. This response, in turn, influences behaviour, with greater likelihood of purchase
in more pleasant settings and in settings of intermediate arousal level. Different physical
features of a retailer’s in-store environment, or atmosphere are: design, lighting, and layout,
ambient features like music and smell, and social features like type of clientele, employee
availability and friendliness. From a branding perspective, an appealing in-store atmosphere
offers much potential in terms of crafting a unique store image and establishing
differentiation. a pleasing in-store atmosphere provides substantial hedonic utility to
consumers and encourages them to visit more often, stay longer, and buy more. Although it
also improves consumers’ perceptions of the quality of merchandise in the store, consumers
tend to associate it with higher prices.

Price and Promotion

Price represents the monetary expenditure that the consumer must incur in order to make a
purchase. Related to price, there are three areas that are of direct relevance to consumers’
image and choice of retailers.

Retailer pricing format

A retailer’s price format, which is on a continuum between EDLP (Every Day Low Price) and
HILO (High Low Promotional Pricing), also influences consumers’ store choice and shopping
behaviour. Average prices are higher in HILO stores and average purchase quantities are
lower.

➢ Large basket shoppers are captive to the pricing across a large set of product categories at
a time and do not have the flexibility to take advantage of occasional price deals on individual
products. They therefore prefer EDLP because it gives them a lower expected price for their
shopping basket.

➢ Small basket shoppers, on the other hand, can take advantage of variations in prices of
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individual products and, by buying on deal, can lower their basket price even if average prices |6
in the store are high.

Store price perceptions

A retailer’s price image is influenced by attributes like average level of prices, how much
variation there is in prices over time, the frequency and depth of promotions, and whether the
retailer positions itself as EDLP or HILO. Products with high unit prices and high purchase
frequency contribute more to overall store price image (OSPI). The belief of price advantage
and the magnitude of price advantage in case of high frequency shopping items influence
consumers’ perceptions of store price level.

Price promotions

Price promotions are associated with store switching but the effect is indirect, altering
consumers’ category purchase decisions while they are in the store rather than altering their
choice of which store to visit. Consumers typically shop in more than one store. They may
purchase a promoted product in the store they happen to be visiting whereas they would
otherwise have purchased it in another store. This also reiterates the important moderating
effect of in-store atmosphere. The impact of promotions will be higher in a pleasant
atmosphere 8because the longer consumers stay in a store, the more likely they are to notice
promotions and buy more than planned during the shopping trip.

Brand Architecture

Brand architecture involves defining both brand boundaries and brand relationships. The role
of brand architecture is two-fold: 1) to clarify all product and service offerings and improve
brand awareness with consumers and 2) to motivate consumer purchase by enhancing the
brand image of products and services.

In general, there are three key brand architecture tasks:

1. Defining brand potential What can the brand stand for? What should the brand promise
be? How should the brand be competitively positioned?

2. Identifying opportunities to achieve brand potential What products or services are

necessary to achieve the brand potential? What markets should be tapped to achieve growth?
3. Organizing brand offerings How should products and services be branded so that they
achieve their maximum sales and equity potential? In a retailing context, brand architecture
issues revolve around how many and what kind of products and services are provided by the
retailer (i.e., cross- and within-category assortment) and how the various products and Page
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services are branded.

Within the store, other brand architecture issues also exist.

1. Should the retailer develop brands for different sections of the store or groups of branded
products or services?

2. How can the retailer add value to already-branded products and services?

3. Does creating sub-brands under the retailer brand name help increase awareness or enhance
the image of the brands that are being sold? Retailers need to carefully design and implement
a brand architecture strategy to maximize retailer brand equity and sales.

Experiential Marketing

An important trend in marketing is experiential marketing – company-sponsored activities and

programs designed to create daily or special brand-related interactions. Schmitt (1999) has
developed the concept of Customer Experience Management (CEM) – which he defines as the
process of strategically managing a customer’s entire experience with a product or company.

Retailers are obviously in an ideal position to create experiences for their customers. These
experiences may involve their own private labels, manufacturer brands, or not be tied to a
specific product but the store as a whole. A related issue is how retailers can engage in
activities, perhaps in collaboration with national manufacturers, to encourage product use and
communicate or demonstrate product information to build brand awareness and enhance
brand image for the individual products or services that are sold. How can in-store
merchandising, signage, displays, and other activities leverage the equity of the brands that
the retailer sells while still building its own equity?

Cross-Category Assortment

Consumers’ perception of the breadth of different products and services offered by a retailer
under one roof significantly influence store image. Inman, Shankar, and Ferraro (2004) show
that consumers associate different product categories with different retail formats. Bell, Ho,
and Tang (1998) also argue that consumers build both category independent and category-
specific store loyalty.
The benefits of a wide assortment are clear.

➢ First, the greater the breadth of product assortment, the greater the range of different
situations in which the retailer is recalled and considered by the consumer, and therefore the
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stronger its salience. As noted by Keller (2003), salience is the most basic building block for a |8
brand.

➢ Second, the one-stop shopping convenience that a broad product assortment enables is
becoming more important than ever for today’s time-constrained consumer putting pressure
on retailers to broaden their assortment.

➢ Third, consumers regularly shop at more than one store, and, they may purchase a
category in the store that they are visiting based on in-store assortment and marketing mix
activities whereas they would otherwise have purchased it in another store. Together with the
fact that unplanned purchases comprise a significant portion of consumers’ total shopping
basket, this gives an advantage to retailers with broader assortments.

Increasing assortment breadth brings with it significantly higher costs for the retailer. The
logic and sequencing of a retailer’s assortment policy are critical to its ability to successfully
expand its meaning and appeal to consumers over time.

➢ Enhanced broad assortment can create customer value by offering convenience and ease
of shopping. As such, retailers are most likely to be successful if they expand their meaning
and assortment in gradual stages, as for example Amazon, or even Walmart, did.

➢ Certain types of product categories have “signature” associations with specific channels,
e.g., supermarkets with food, drug channel with medications and health products, and mass
merchandisers with household items. Consumers may find it difficult to think of the retailer in
connection with other, very different categories. However, there may be little long-term harm
as long as the new line is not too closely connected to the retailer’s signature categories or its
own brand name.

➢ Of course, the retailer’s image and reputation would be more vulnerable if the expanded
product assortment is a private label branded under the store’s own name.

Within-Category Assortment

Consumers’ perceptions of the depth of a retailer’s assortment within a product category are
an important dimension of store image and a key driver of store choice. As the perceived
assortment of brands, Flavors, and sizes increases, variety seeking consumers will perceive
greater, consumers with uncertain future preferences will believe they have more flexibility in
their choices, it is more likely that consumers will find the item they desire. More offerings in
a category, however, can be costly both for the retailer and the consumer. From the viewpoint
of the retailer, cutting out 20% of the most inefficient items from its assortment can mean Page
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savings of several million dollars per year for a large chain. From the viewpoint of the
consumer, increasing the choice set leads to cognitive overload and uncertainty and can
actually decrease the likelihood of purchase. Research has shown that SKU reduction does not
lower consumers’ perceptions of assortment much unless their favourite item is dropped or the
total amount of space devoted to the category is reduced.

Brand Assortment

Brand assortment, has become particularly important in the last decade as a tool for retailers
to influence their image and develop their own brand name. Manufacturer vs private labels-
Most retailers carry manufacturer brands, but, increasingly, they also offer private label
products. Private label growth could be seen in some ways as a consequence of cleverly
designed branding strategies. The users span a wide array of demographic and psychographic
characteristics, so retailers who use a strong private label strategy are not limiting themselves
to only a narrow section of the market. The negotiating leverage provided by a successful
private label can make it easier for a retailer to strengthen some of the other levers of brand
image, e.g., more attractive prices and promotions for the best national brands. The quality of
manufacturer brands positively influences consumers’ image of the retailer. In turn, strong
retailer image spills over to improve ratings of private label products. There is significant
variation in private label share across categories, and the quality differential with national
brands is a much more important driver of share than the price differential. But it is not clear
whether private labels really improve store loyalty, and though analytical research suggests
that positioning next to the leading brand is a smart strategy for maximizing category profit, it
is not clear whether such positioning is credible in the minds of consumers.

Private Label Strategy

There are at least four tiers of private label products, ranging from low quality, no-name
generics to cheap, medium quality own labels to somewhat less expensive, comparable
quality private labels, to premium quality, high value-added private labels that are not priced
lower than national brands. In Europe, especially in the U.K., one can find many examples of
the last two tiers, most notably Marks and Spencer’s or Tesco’s private labels. In North
America, brands such as GAP, Tiffany, Brooks Brothers, and Talbots have established strong,
premium private labels, but Loblaw’s Presidents Choice may be the only really successful
example of a premium private label in packaged goods. However, more retailers are Page
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attempting to create a line of private labels that spans these tiers. For instance, the
supermarket retailer Kroger offers a line of three private labels – the premium quality “Private
Selection”, the Kroger Brand that is guaranteed to be better than or equal to national brands,
and the most economical FMV brand (For Maximum Value). Consumer perceptions of a
private label product branded under the store name are more likely to colour their impressions
of the store as whole – and vice versa – than if a different name were used to brand the
product. Many retailers give their own name to their private label, whereas others use
different names for their private label products. For instance, CVS puts the “CVS” name on
all its private label products while Kmart does not. Aldi, a German hard discounter who is
becoming a major force in European retailing, also does not put its own name on any of the
products it sells even though only private labels are sold in its stores.

Brand Value and Positioning

The retail brand has to embody and transmit clear values to the customer. (Like ‘value for
money’, ‘Luxury shopping redefined’). Some companies have attempted to define this in their
mission statements but they are often too vague and not actionable. For example, the U.K.
Virgin brand has the value of challenging conventions and the U.S. retailer Nordstrom has a
built a value of customer service. Many Indian product brands have successfully weaved
values around their brands (Hamam on ‘trust’, Godrej on ‘quality’ and TVS on ‘service’).

Retailers have to develop a consistent value across their businesses.

Brand Personality

Much of the theory and practice of branding deals with intangibles – how marketers can
transcend their physical products or service specifications to create more value. One important
brand intangible is brand personality – the human characteristics or traits that can be
attributed to a brand. The applicability of these brand personality dimensions to retail brands
is still in its nascent stage.

Brand Equity

The measurement of brand equity has been one of the most challenging and important issues
for both academics and managers. As if the measurement of brand equity were not hard
enough, the measurement of retail brand equity adds its own unique challenges. Brand equity
is defined as the marketing effects or outcomes that accrue to the product or service with its
brand name as compared to the outcomes if that same product or service did not have the
brand name (Keller 1993). What should be the benchmark for assessing a retailer’s equity and Page
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comparing it with other retailers?

➢ Profit analysis using cross-retailer hedonic regression type of approach. For instance,
one could regress retailer revenue or profit on various physical attributes such as location,
square footage, store timings, product/service assortment, availability of private label, etc. A
retailer’s residual from this regression, i.e., the portion of its revenue or profit that cannot be
explained by physical attributes, can be conceptualized as a measure of its retail brand equity.

➢ Premium analysis- Brand equity is supposed to enable the brand to charge a price
premium. Many researchers view this price premium as a measure of brand equity (Aaker,
1991 and Sethuraman 2000). However, several of the strongest retailers today, e.g. Walmart,
Target, Aldi are built squarely on a low-price positioning. Clearly, the fact that these retailers
charge lower prices than their competitors does not mean they do not have equity

➢ Resource premium analysis- Another way to conceptualize retail brand equity is to

think in terms of the “resources premium” that consumers are willing to expend in order to
shop with the retailer. Resources may reflect financial considerations but also other factors
such as distance travelled, brand or size preferences compromised, or services foregone.

Relationship Management

The quality of management of the customer is becoming an increasingly important source

towards building the retail brand. Retail brands get built by developing personal relationships
with consumers rather than only through product and pricing Retailers need to build data
bases using in-store data collection and launch frequent shopper rewards, carry on an
interactive communication with them, make special offers, drive traffic and add value outside
the in-store relationship. Staff should be trained to recognize their V.I.P customers. ‘Soft’
rewards for V.I.P customers include priority service, free gift wrapping, enhanced guarantees
and sales pre-notifications. ‘Hard’ benefits include privileged rewards and extra value offers
as well as straight discounts. Education and training of staff needs to be done to enhance
customer service. The quality of in-store service is a key factor in differentiating the retailer
and winning a higher share of customer spend. In one survey, shoppers were asked, would
they ask for the same salesperson on their next purchase visit; the ‘yes’ respondents were
found to more likely give the store a 8-10 rating. On the other hand, shoppers unhappy with
the salesperson gave the store a very low performance on overall service and performance.
Staff must be trained and motivated to recognize their best customers and to offer them
superior service. Local store management can be empowered to maximize the value of each
customer visit. Analysis of customer behaviour can guide store merchandising to match the Page
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profile of their customers and even the needs of the shoppers at different times of the day.

Branding Challenges

Some of the challenges that retailers face in India are outlined here.

Petroleum retailing - India’s state-owned petroleum companies are undertaking a massive

image improvement, makeover and differentiator exercise. From signage to logos to canopies,
clean floors, channel music, lighting, convenience stores, uniformed attendants, internet
browsing and promotion schemes, the public sector pumps are working hard at delivering a
new experience to the Indian motoring consumer. All this, of course, is being done as part of a
bigger game plan to cope with the coming private sector competition from Reliance, Essar
and Shell.

The organized coffee retail business is estimated at ` 250crores and is showing a growth rate
of 40%. Apart from the Quickies, Café Coffee Dayan Baristas chains, the Tatas have
Launched their Bean Coffee Junction chain in Chennai.

Gourmet coffee retailing - Coffee World an international gourmet coffee chain is set to
launch its outlet in Bangalore this year. Reliance is offering gourmet coffee at some of its
Reliance Web World outlets under the brand name ‘Java Green’. There are not more than
350outlets in the organised sector today but retail consultancy KSA Technopak opines that
India’s potential for coffee retail outlets could be around two thousand. However, the coffee
retailers are already cloning each other’s strategies - by offering that “total experience” —
right coffee, food and ambience with Wi-fis and jukeboxes — to pull customers, across all
their outlets and consumers are finding it hard to identify themselves with any one outlet.

Malls- A mall has a more modern structure and, in most cases, brings multiple brand outlets
under a single roof. The local retailers moving into malls, however, have to face the challenge
of building brand recognition and loyalty right from scratch. Most mall developers have on
offer, the same combination of shopping (International/national brands), Entertainment
(Theatre Multiplex) and food (McDonald’s/Pizza Hut/Café Coffee Day) in their malls. It is
therefore not surprising to note, that many mall visitors come out having no shopping bags,
since they have been enticed to visit only for watching a movie and / or having a burger or a
pizza or even a cup of coffee. Malls are also fast becoming a place that youth can ‘hang out’
but if the crowds do troop in, but the cash registers are not ringing, it can harm the serious
business of retailing and hurt this nascent industry on the growth path. The critical lesson for
mall developers is, to invest some quality effort in understanding the shopping-needs of
customers in their targeted areas, and then build a carefully planned portfolio of retail options Page
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that can meet the needs of these targeted customers. Mall developers also have to create
distinctive (brand) identities for their specific malls.

Lifestyle retailing: Life style retailing is struggling for distinct identity. Take the case of
Chennai lifestyle retailers — Lifestyle, Westside, Shoppers’ Stop, and Globus, who account
for a little over 200,000 square feet of retail space. Add to that the retail space of the
traditional apparel retailers such as Nalli, Kumaran’s, Path’s, R.M.K.V and Chennai Silks.
The reasonable real estate prices, overall lower cost of operations and accessibility to
consumers vis-à-vis other metros, have spurned the growth of organized retail at Chennai.
But, on the brand building front, the story is no different. A retail analyst has already observed
that Chennai’s overdetailed in the lifestyle segment, with little differentiation among the
players.
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1.5 The importance of retail branding

Why bother putting all this effort into creating a unique retail brand? Because retail branding
can help you in more ways than one. Let’s look at a few of these benefits:

Stand apart from the competition

Brand identity is crucial, because that’s what separates you from your competition. In fact,
the stronger your store identity and the more it resonates with your target audience, the more
customers will choose you over competitors.

Think about it: Would a customer choose Brand A with a signature relaxing-to-the-eyes
lavender brand colour, or Brand B, which uses random colours for its product packaging,
store, and website?

Connect with your customers and the community

Strong retail branding can make your store shareable. This, in turn, encourages shoppers to
take pictures of your store and products and talk about their experience online and in person.

This kind of user-generated content (UGC) is guaranteed to drive more awareness for your
store.

It’s even better if you can use available space in your store to build a creator studio, where
creators and influencers can shoot content for their social media. Not only does this help you
tap into creators’ followers, it also gives you top content to share on your own social feeds.

Craft a story

Store branding is incomplete without a story that reveals who you are and the values you
stand for. A brand story that resonates with your customers is memorable, helping you
connect with them.

It’s also what helps earn customer trust and differentiates you from competitors. Ultimately,
all this drives more revenue.
Create an experience

Branding also helps define customers’ experience with you. Essentially, what you stand for
and how your store makes customers feel is the starting point for providing unique
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experiences.
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If you can take this a step further and host in-store events for shoppers, you’ll win not only
their cash but their customer loyalty.

Strengthen your omnichannel presence

Finally, store branding helps blend your online and offline identity, creating a streamlined
omnichannel presence.

Interestingly, 59% of consumers say they’re likely to browse products online but buy them in-
store (technically called webrooming), according to a Forrester Consulting study conducted
on Shopify’s behalf.

The same study also found that 54% are likely going to experience products in-store and buy
them online (a.k.a. showrooming).
This makes it clear: It’s uber important for retail brands to take creating a consistent, branded
omnichannel presence seriously.

1.6 Retail Strategy

What is a retail strategy?

A retail strategy is a statement identifying

(1) the retailer’s target market

(2) the format the retailer plans to use to satisfy the target market’s needs, and

(3) the bases upon which the retailer plans to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

➢ The target market is the market segments(s) toward which the retailer plans to focus its
resources and retail mix.
 ➢ A retail format is the retailer’s type of retail mix (nature of merchandise and services
offered, pricing policy, advertising and promotion programs, approach to store design and
visual merchandising, and typical location and customer services).
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➢ A sustainable competitive advantage is an advantage over competition that is not easily | 16
copied and thus can be maintained over a long time.

PLANNING RETAIL PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY:

A systematic approach to promotional planning is shown in the below figure:

 Determining Promotional Objectives

 Establishing an overall Promotional Budget
 Selecting the Promotional Mix
 Implementing the Promotional Mix
 Reviewing and Revising the Promotional Plan

Understand and adapt to trends

Trends can be influential, especially with younger consumers. Gen Z and Millennials are
regularly swayed by trends in styles, colours, music, etc. So, if you want to grow your retail
business, you must understand and adapt your business to trends.

For example, if you run a coffee shop that caters to a younger demographic, pay attention to
popular music on TikTok and be sure that you play that music in your shop. Doing so will
help your customers feel more welcome and comfortable.

Businesses that ignore trends often get left behind. Big retail names such as Zara and H&M
are continuously threatened by upstart retail brands, like SHEIN, that more accurately
embrace and reflect modern trends.

SHEIN is more significant than many previously popular clothing retail brands, despite not
having physical stores.

But how is SHEIN doing all this? SHEIN leverages social media and influencer marketing to
promote its products. It creates trendy and affordable items and has a nicely branded and
easy-to-use eCommerce website.

So, use trends to your advantage by doing market research and studying your competitors
while asking questions that help you strengthen and evolve your brand identity.
Stay consistent with your branding

Strong branding is vital to retail businesses, primarily if you operate a retail business at
multiple locations.
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For example, Apple stores look the same globally. This makes people feel comfortable that | 17
their experience at any Apple store will be similar. And it helps Apple communicate that
products sold at different stores are of the same quality.

Apple takes consistency further by ensuring that everything from product packaging to
the customer experience is identical worldwide. This applies across its products and services –
for consistent and cohesive brand architecture.

Learn from Apple and ensure that branding at your retail location complements your product
packaging, business website, and social media accounts. That way, people can easily recognize
your business online and offline.

Take advantage of technology

People want an effortless shopping experience. It’s the reason why online shopping has
become popular. So, use technology to create a holistic shopping experience.

Ensure customers can seamlessly transition from one device to another when shopping at your
website. The website design should complement the design of your retail store. It must be
consistent, accessible, and easy to use. Use designs – in your retail locations and online – that
help stimulate the eyes with impressive brand-appropriate visuals.

For example, the Samsung Experience Store allows its customers to test and play with their
products to get a complete feel. Customers can connect their Samsung devices to their large
screen TVs, get consultations, do device repairs, and more in their physical store. The goal is to
make people see what the brand can do to make their lives easier.

Use social proof

Social media easily influence people.

Social media is the “it” place to reach audiences of all kinds. This space allows you to market
cost-effectively, reach your target audience through influencers on YouTube, Instagram,
and TikTok, discover trends, etc. And most importantly, it can help you gain social proof.

Social proof, including positive comments, user-generated content, reviews, and more, helps
you gain the credibility you need. Customers also flock to social media to complain or talk
 about a brand they love. This is the ultimate place to garner social proof to gain trust
effectively and increase sales.

Prioritize a personalized shopping experience

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Competition is fierce in retail. Invest in creating individual experiences to avoid getting left | 18
behind.

Customers expect to be catered to personally from all touchpoints. In real life, a personalized
shopping experience means easy assistance and good product recommendations from store
employees.

But in online shopping, data analytics creates personalized experiences such as

recommendations, discount codes or vouchers, excellent customer service, and more.
Customers browsing your website or app should see content tailored to their interests.

For example, John Lewis takes personalization to another level by offering a free personal
styling service to its virtual and in-store customers. Customers can get the styling tips they
need, and stylists can promote or recommend products from the brand.

Invest in good design

Good design is fundamental to creating solid branding. Impressive visuals will elevate your
brand and help you stand out from the competition.

Don’t just aim to create beautiful designs. Ensure that your designs complement your branding,
from your company logo design to your website design. If you have a physical store, ensure
that it uses space efficiently, has good lighting, and implements a strong interior design that
matches your brand.

When thinking of designing your retail brand, ask yourself:

 Does this design reflect my retail store’s personality?

 Does it use my brand colours?
 How do people feel when they see my brand’s designs?
 Is my logo appropriate for my branding?
 Is my website design easy to use or accessible?
 Is my physical store too crowded in design or too less?

EXAMPLE: Tesla
The brand vision sets in place the navigational direction for the brand.
It plants a flag in the ground as to where the brand wants to go which ultimately influences
decisions and actions to guide the brand to its intended destination.
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Tesla is a brand with a big vision inspired by 2021 person of the year Elon Musk. Tesla had
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become a world-leading brand and the benchmark in the electric car market. But Tesla’s
ambitions go way beyond the automobile industry and into the realm of sustainability.

The revamp of their Tesla’s brand vision statement, which is also used as their mission
statement is: To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Tesla doesn’t use their
vision statement as a “nice to have” or a piece of marketing.

They use it to drive decisions and actions as the brand expands into the solar energy category.
1.7 Future of Branding Page
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The future of branding will be not only bright but also challenging. The following views
explain the future trends in branding.

1. Global Branding

Marketers in India will catch up with the rest of the world, and adopt a global mindset. The
mantra “think global; act local” will be extended to “brand global; market local. They seek to
evolve brands that would have universal trust, appeal and a single-minded vision. Marketing
programs that support the brands will respect local culture and global fashions.

2. Customer Centric

In the emerging marketplace the individual consumer will be in a position of total power. The
new age marketing strategies will strengthen the bond between brands and the people who
buy and use them. Research methods that help reach consumers by identifying what they care
about and why, how they think, shop and behave.

3. Brand Strategy

Becomes Corporate Strategy With the customer so firmly in charge of everything from
communication to transactions, the boardroom will catch up to the idea that every single thing
done or said in a company that markets products is about the brand. Today, brand strategy is
something controlled by and cared about by a marketing department. Tomorrow, brand
strategy will be what the CEO talks about first. Every CEO of every consumer brand
company will respect the emotional and intellectual connection between people and brands.

4. Media

will Become Decisive Direct communication will continue to grow in importance, and the
media will join right in. Media will be customized and personalized. The more retailing
becomes on –line, the importance of direct communication increases. As there will be more of
internet usage, people would like to have a look at printed versions too. As such the
communication media will be relying both on traditional and web sources. However, web
sources will gain upper hand in the years to come.

5. Public Relations
Becomes a Total Brand Building Discipline In future, public relations encompass everything
companies do to build relationships with their publics. As companies are known by brands,
the focus will be on developing brand images and equity. Every brand will have its own
position, role, status and image in the society. Page
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1.8 Retail Branding vs Product Branding

Retail branding relates to creating a strong brand identity across your stores, while product
branding shapes brand perception for a particular product.

When it comes to retail branding, the focus is on meeting the needs of your primary target
market. This means that you are serving the general population in brand extension (by
establishing stores across locations). In contrast, product brand development looks at how
your brand serves a subset of the public. For example, if you own a food brand, your target
market could be adults. That same food brand that you have could also create a meal
explicitly targeting children.

Both forms of brand development differ. But it is also essential to know that product branding
is a part of the entire retail branding structure. So, the product targeting the children will
follow the same visual identity as the stores.

The uniformity in the visual identity ensures that both target audiences easily recognize and
connect with your brand.
 1.9 Retail Mix
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1. Price
What is my pricing strategy? What is my markup strategy and how does that affect my overall
retail price? You must make sure you calculate your retail price based on the markup you
receive and not the costs involved. You also want to think about profitability and relate this
back to the goals of your area as well as your organization.
2. Promotion
What promotional tools will you use to influence the consumer’s purchase decision and,
overall, their intention to purchase? This is where you also want to make sure you include
budget that shows where resources are allocated as well as a time table for the promotional
activities
3. Place
What are the hours of operation for your store? How many employees do you need and when do you
need them? This is where you can also include a general description of the responsibilities of each
associate along with some type of detailed info on the organization’s structure. This could also be
dependent upon the area in which you are located as well as the needs of the customer.
4. Product
What type of product do you intend to carry? What is the depth (how much you will carry of an item)
as well as the breadth (number of SKUs) you will carry in your assortment?
5. Presentation
 Will you have a free-standing location? Will you be located in the mall? How is the location
you have chosen a good fit for your target market? It is during this time you will also want to
provide a thorough trade analysis that shows the population in the area and how they are a
good fit for your business. Page
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6. Personnel
How are you selling to your customers? What kind of internal marketing supports your sales
team? What are the graphics that set your store apart? What does the signage look like inside
and outside of your store? These are all key elements you want to consider.
 1.10 Elements of retailer promotional mix

ADVERTISING: Page
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Advertising is paid, not-personal communication through mass media. Retailers other than
national chains and online firms usually have more geographically concentrated target
markets than do manufacturers. This means they can adapt better to local needs, habits and
preferences. The Readers for advertising may use any one or a combination of the following
mediums.

Press Advertisements.

Posters and leaflets, brochures, booklets

Point of purchase displays.

Through mediums like radio, television, outdoor hoardings and the internet.

SALES PROMOTION:

Sales Promotion is a paid non personal form of communication that incentivizes customers to
visit a shore and/or purchase merchandise during a specific period of time. The main priority
of salles promotional strategy should be to maximize profit by selling as many units as
possible at full price within the "prime season", and then to sell the remaining units allowed
price.

PUBLIC RELATION:

Public Relation entails any communicating that fosters a favourable image for the retailer
among its publics. (consumers, investors, government, channel members, employees, and the
general public). It may ne personal or non-personal, paid or nonpaid, and sponsor controlled
or not-controlled. An important component of Public Relation is Publicity. It is any non-
personal form of public relations whereby messages are transmitted through mass media, the
time or space provided by the media is not paid for, and there is no identified commercial
sponsor. Example of event in retail, which may merit publicity are:

 Store openings
 Store Renovations
 Celebrity visits and affiliations
 Designer Associations
 New Product ranges and launches
 Awards received by the Retailer
 Fashion shows and sponsored events
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PERSONAL SELLING: | 25

It involves oral communication with one or more prospective customers for the purpose of
making a sale. Retail salespeople include anyone who interacts face-to-face with the shopper
in a way that encourages that shopper to make a purchase.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

It is an integral part of the communication mix in many industries. Smart use of social
tools like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc empowers retailers to deliver a unique one-on-
one service. Retailers need to take cognizance of this new medium and use social media to
their advantage as a tool for communicating with the consumers.

1.11 RETAIL BRANDING IN INDIA:

The retail industry has brought a vast range of various items of daily needs under one roof.
There are a large number of outlets of several famous national as well as international retail
brands. Day by day, the increasingly organized lifestyle of Indian people is leading to the
Indian retail market is said to be a bit unorganized. In a very short period, the Indian retail
industry has witnessed the establishment of numerous retail outlets. In this present
competitive market, all the retail brands try hard to compete with each other in terms of core
competencies as well as branding strategies. Characterized by consistency, popularity and
value addition, various retail brands available in India aim at establishing a long-lasting
relationship with customers, thus doing one-to-one marketing. India’s retail market size Is
estimated to be worth $822 Billion by 2022.

Future of Retail in India

The pandemic situation has affected Future Retail severely in India. Many notable businesses
are bringing new ways to keep their businesses going. Indian Retail Industry has suffered a
huge loss after Covid-19. Many retail stores are trying contactless ways of selling their
products to the customers.

ECommerce Market Share in India

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A few years back, people used to buy products in local stores and malls. But due to the Covid- | 26
19 situation, people prefer shopping from Online Retail Stores on mobile phones and tablets.
Online shopping apps and platforms are the safest ways to purchase items of daily use. Apart
from that, Kirana Stores in India are also accepting online payment to avoid direct contact.

As per the reports, it is noticed that Ecommerce is bringing profitable results to the Indian
economy. It helps in reducing the prices of the products. It is estimated that Organized Retail
in India will see a boost in the future. As per the experts, organized retail can increase by 18
% or more in the country.
 1.12 Benefits of Retail Branding Page
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1. Stand out from the competition

First and foremost, retail branding helps brands stand out from the competition. It’s quite
simple if you think about it. Imagine two brands that sell the same products to the same target
audience in the same city. The customers only differentiate them based on their branding
initiatives.

The world’s leading brands have leveraged logos, brand colours, names, and customer
experiences to create distinctive identities. From miles away, one can spot McDonald’s big
yellow M. Or easily recognize Starbucks from their cups.

These are all deeply ingrained in the branding strategy that the customer doesn’t have to think
twice about what brand they’re purchasing from. They just know, and they’re willing to pay
for the branded experience even if they have to wait in queue or have to pay extra money.

2. Consistent experience

Recent marketing techniques are all focusing on consistency. Because it is the key to
embedding your brand in the customers’ minds and building trust. As you grow your
presence, retail branding helps you keep your core values intact regardless of your platform.
Even if the customer is shopping online, they will get the same experience regardless.
Retail branding helps you deliver consistent experiences that help customers have a positive
experience with the brand irrespective of their location and buying patterns.

Once you know how you want to sell and what tone, voice, and messaging you want to use,
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you can easily replicate that experience at all your stores and platforms.
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The customer experiences with your products, advertising, at retail stores, and even in the
communication with the salesperson hold the same amount of quality every time.

A great example of this is Apple. All Apple stores look the same globally. They have the same
layout, infrastructure, and colours.

Not just that, but it also ensures consistency in customer service, product quality, and product
packaging that reassures the customers about purchasing from the brand regardless of their
location.

3. Improve visibility

Visibility is a game of seconds. Imagine a prospect walking down the grocery aisle or a retail
store. What is the guarantee that the prospect will only check out your brand and not your
competitors?

It’s not easy, as the number of products in the marketplace is constantly increasing. And
retailers have to strive toward a good shelf space to increase visibility and also use branding
elements to stand out from the competition.

These very same branding efforts establish what the company stands for and what sets them
apart. They educate the customers on how the product is different and why it is right for them.
Top retail branding elements that help you address these challenges are:
Logo

The logo is an integral part of your retail branding identity. Your design that embodies the
brand identity makes a lasting impression on the customer.
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When you strategically add a logo to the buying journey, it eases the customer and helps them | 29
warm up to your brand. It ultimately builds a strong level of trust and loyalty.

Signage

For a physical store or a retail business, signage is the first point of contact. Research suggests
that signage and window display influence purchase decisions.

A lot of successful brands like Walmart have leveraged signage to attract customers and give
them a feeling of entering their world.

Colour

Colours evoke emotions. If we go deep into consumer behaviour, it shows how colours help
consumers remember and memorize the brand. Certain colours resonate better with a certain
section of the audience.

If you’re targeting older people, you go for neutral tones such as gray or yellow to evoke
feelings of calmness and peace, and so on.

Product Packaging and Display

If we’re speaking about improved visibility, we cannot skip visual merchandising. From
lighting to spotlighting bestsellers, to store layout, everything helps your retail brand stand
out.
4. Fostering better customer relationships

Successful retail branding strategies provide a personalized customer experience that fosters
customer engagement. Customers appreciate brands that share similar values and make the
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customer cared for.
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Personalized engagement helps consumers associate your brand with meaningful
communication. A highly engaged customer purchases more from you recommend your brand
to other customers and forms an emotional connection with your brand.

A relatable retail branding strategy will also encourage user-generated content marketing from
customers. It ultimately drives more brand awareness and generates new customers for retail
brands.

An interesting example is that of the fashion retailer, Monsoon. The brand asks shoppers to
share photos of them wearing the product with the hashtag #MyMonsoon

Once the images are uploaded, they’re pulled into on-site galleries, helping consumers to shop
the looks they see. The brand also uses these UGC images in its email campaigns, resulting in
an improvement in both the click-through rate and revenue.

5. Improve market strength

Branding drives business growth. Regardless of your business, the level of buyers’
willingness to pay isn’t always influenced by pricing. The strength of your brand directly
affects your market share. How?
Lower price sensitivity

Once you build a brand that enhances customer loyalty, your customers become less price
sensitive and ultimately pay the price because they have a positive emotional connection to
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your brand.
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WORD-OF-MOUTH Advertising

“I recently purchased custom tote bags from this brand. I think the bag is awesome, you
should look for options too!”

What if every customer felt this after buying from you?

Once a customer resonates with your brand, they’re highly likely going to suggest the brand
to their friends and acquaintances. Strong brands with high-quality products back up the
promises the customers claim.

Higher Impact of Advertising

Your retail branding and advertising campaign efforts eventually bring you to a platform
where the customers look forward to what you come up with.

Think about awaiting the latest collection of Gucci or the features on the latest iPhone.
Established retail brands that have reliable products can get a strong ROI on advertisements
and improve their market strength.

6.Build loyalty and trust

Research suggests that 57% of consumers spend more money on brands they feel loyal to.
When you consistently use a sustainable retail branding strategy to create positive experiences
for your customers, loyalty and trust are natural outcomes.

Brand loyalty brings down your customer acquisition costs and boosts your retention efforts.
By using your brand voice combined with storytelling, you can keep your customers engaged
and lay the foundation for long-term loyalty and trust.

For example, Nike attracts new customers and resonates with existing ones with inspirational
and aspirational messaging.

It reaches out even to people that are not into athletics per se. It simply builds customer trust
through an emotional connection.

Wrapping up
 Retail branding helps brands overcome the intensity of competition in retail today. If done
right, it can leave a lasting impact on your audience and you’ll be able to do hard selling in
the long term.
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The next step is to find the right branding agency that fits well on the budget. Here is a guide
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to budgeting for a brand to know more about its other aspects in your business strategy.

1.13 Consumers are buying across different retail channels

The retail industry has come a long way from the mom-and-pop stores around the corner of
the local streets to supermarkets, and now E-commerce that caters to global consumers.
It’s evident now that retailers have to be present online to capture the attention of digital-
native customers.

Take Louis Vuitton, for example.

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A few years ago, it was unimaginable for high-end brands like Louis Vuitton to have an online | 33
presence. Initially, they preferred to maintain their exclusivity and steered away from
following the E-commerce model. However, in 2017, Louis Vuitton ventured into E-
commerce. They launched an E-commerce website called 24 Sevres that sold their products
and curated other brands’ products. Soon, luxury brands like Chanel followed suit and
developed digital initiatives to capture the attention of the young population.

Considering how ultra-luxury brands have started moving online and the grave losses offline
retailers faced during the pandemic due to uptick in online shopping, the spotlight has once
again turned towards online vs. offline retail.

Retailers find themselves asking questions such as – will offline shopping become a thing of
the past? Should they shift to online e-commerce completely or take a multi-channel
approach? After all, e-commerce giants like Amazon are investing in offline retail too.

Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to these questions.

In this blog, we attempt to address this question to make an informed decision about the
strategy to adopt in the future.

Multi-channel vs. Online retail

The convenience offered by online retail is unmatched as compared to offline retail.

Customers can easily search for products, compare the prices on different websites, and
purchase them from the comfort of their homes. They can also order anything, anytime, as the
online stores function 24/7 throughout the year. The convenience and effortless shopping
experience have made online retail popular among customers. Online retail accounts for one-
quarter of the total retail market. Research reveals that e-commerce customers in Europe will
cross 500 million in 2021.

However, the trust factor continues to be a roadblock for online retailers. Customers cannot
touch or feel a product. They still need that sensory experience while shopping. Online retail
also has to still match up to the delivery speed of brick-and-mortar retailers. Security and
privacy concerns and a lack of efficient return policies are other challenges that online
retailers face. Hence, focusing on a single channel is not a long-term, sustainable option for
retailers.

Retailers must realize that customers are channel-agnostic. They could use anywhere up to 12
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channels and devices to shop. Some may prefer to research a product online and buy from a | 34
physical store; others may order online and pick it up from the store. The prudent option for
retailers would be to take a multi-channel approach.

Multi-channel retail allows retailers to sell products on different channels such as physical
stores, social media, web, and mobile apps. The benefit of multi-channel retail is that
consumers have the freedom to shop the way they want. They could start their journey from
your brand’s social media account and complete the purchase at your physical store. Apple,
for example, has a successful multi-channel strategy where Apple products are available on
their websites, third-party marketplaces, retail stores, and other electronics retail shops. Apple
implemented webrooming on their website to help consumers in making an informed
decision. So, consumers can research the products online and purchase them from the physical
store. You would also be able to maximize your sales volume as you would know which
channel works the best for your consumers and focus on strengthening it.

Another factor that works in favour of multi-channel retail is trust. Consumers are aware that
they cannot fully trust online reviews as some of them could be fake or irrelevant. An offline
presence allows consumers to touch and see the product before buying. They can also try out
and experience products physically before making a purchase decision and buying and taking
the product with them immediately without waiting for a long time to get delivery. Multi-
channel retail would also provide you with rich insights into the customer’s buying behaviour,
which you could use to personalize their experience across different channels.

So, use multiple channels to reach where your customers are to deepen your engagement with
them.

State of multi-channel and online retail during the pandemic

The pandemic has changed the consumer’s behaviour. 96% of European consumers have
shifted to E-commerce during the pandemic to prevent leaving their homes and contracting
the infection. 74% of European consumers said they would continue to shop online even
though the brick-and-mortar shops have opened. It’s evident that online retail will continue to
thrive even after the pandemic ends. However, it’s not as easy as it looks. Online retailers are
still dealing with issues such as data privacy and sophisticated ad-blockers that impede their
business.

Also, according to an HBR article, over 25% of consumers in the U.S. had visited Amazon’s
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website at the product discovery stage but eventually brought the product elsewhere.
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Consumers who tried clothing in-store were 7x more likely to buy the product than those
shopping online. Hence, you cannot rely on online retail alone to do business. Multi-channel
retail has become a necessity to grow your business.

However, this was pre-pandemic data. The trends could have changed given the change in
consumer’s behaviour. Hence, we have listed down some changes that have happened during
the pandemic and what multi-channel or online retail strategies could work well for your
brand.

Multi-channel and online retail strategies for changed consumer behaviour

Strengthen your online presence: If you haven’t done it yet, this is the time to pay attention to
your E-commerce channel. Europeans showed a 10% to 25% online growth during the
pandemic. Focus on personalising the customer experience by replicating the in-store
experience online. Louis Vuitton, for example, designed their website with a Parisian theme to
give the same experience to consumers. They also created an interactive, visually rich digital
storefront to replicate the physical store. So, focus on creating a rich connected retail
experience for your consumers online. Personalise the product recommendations based on the
consumer data and send them contextually relevant messages.

Build consumer’s confidence to do in-store shopping: Apart from convenience, another

reason why consumers hesitate to go back to a physical store is the fear of contracting the
infection. So, if you have a physical retail store, you will have to reassure your consumers
about the safety and encourage them to visit your store. You must clearly state the precautions
you are taking to reduce the spread of infection and ensure that they feel secure enough to
visit the store. You could also use methods such as appointment shopping, so they could book
an appointment and visit your store at that time. This will help you to engage with your
consumers better and avoid overcrowding in your store. 82% of shoppers said they would
prefer using self-checkout technologies to avoid crowding at the checkout counter. You could
implement such solutions to save their time and provide more convenience in shopping.
Provide flexibility: European shoppers faced issues with long delivery waiting times and
missed delivery slots. The groceries and restaurants in Europe saw an uptick in curb side
pickup. You can provide options such as curb side pickups or click-and-collect to your
consumers, so they can order the products on the website or app and collect them from the Page
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nearby kiosk or curb. You could also offer consumers contactless payment options, such as e-
wallets and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL).

Use automation: Managing multiple channels and providing the same experience on all
platforms could be pretty challenging. Automation can help to solve that problem. You can
use automation to onboard, engage, and retain your consumers across all the channels and
improve the customer lifecycle (CLTV). It can also help you segment your consumers and
send them personalised offers and messages based on events, time, lifecycle stage, etc.
Automation is beneficial for both multi-channel and online retail. Hence, invest in it to
improve customer engagement.

The pandemic has changed the way consumers shop. So, it’s time to update your strategies
too. Focus on enhancing their shopping experience even after the pandemic ends. Use these
strategies to build a loyal customer base across different touchpoints.
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1.14 Why is Retail Branding Important | 37

Branding is essential in today's retail industry. It plays a significant role in making stores and
products unique. Here's why it matters:

Separation from the Competition

Imagine a shelf full of similar items. Retail branding is like the cool decoration on one of
those items that makes you choose it over the others. It helps a company stand out and be
different from its competitors. For example, when you think of sports shoes, brands like Nike
have strong ones that make them stand out and become your favourite.

Customer Communication

Retail branding allows brands to communicate with customers uniquely by representing

diverse groups of people who share common goals. This makes people trust the store and
want to come back. Brands like Patagonia do this well by showing they care about the
environment, and that's important to many people.

Building Loyalty and Trust

When you have a good experience with a brand, you want to come back, like going to your
favourite restaurant repeatedly. Trust is important in retail, where customers need to know
they're getting high-quality services and products. For instance, Amazon has built trust by
always doing an excellent delivery job for their customers.

Creating a Brand Story

Such type of branding is also about telling a great story. It's like a book or a movie that makes
you like it more.

Starbucks, for example, tells a story about being a cozy and friendly place, and that's why you
want to go there again.

Creating an Experience for Customers

Retail branding isn't just about how things look; it's about how shopping feels. So, retailers
need to ensure that the shopping experience is enjoyable for their customers. Brands like
Apple makes their stores look modern and well-designed, and that's part of the fun.

Improving Brand Visibility

One of the most well-known retail marketing strategies is enhancing brand visibility by using Page
logos, displays, and colours to ensure you can easily recognize the brand. | 38

Think about McDonald's - you can spot those golden arches from miles away, and you know
it's McDonald's.

Enhancing Omni-channel Presence

Retail branding ensures that everything feels the same whether you're in a store or online. It's
like your favourite sweater that's always comfy, whether at home or outside. Zara, for
instance, makes sure their brand feels the same no matter where you shop.

Trend-following

Keeping up with the latest trends is essential, as it helps your brand adjust to the current
market environment to meet the changing customer expectations.

Sephora, for example, always updates the design of their products to match their customers’
preferences.

Retail branding helps stores and products stand out, talk to consumers, make them loyal brand
advocates, and improve their shopping experiences by providing high-quality services
regardless of a store’s location.

How does Retail Branding Differ from Product Branding

While retail branding and product branding are two interconnected aspects of branding within
the retail industry, they are distinct from each other. It focuses primarily on creating and
maintaining a robust brand identity for an entire retail business, whether it operates online,
offline, or both.

This involves crafting a consistent and recognizable image for the retail company as a whole,
aligning the branding strategy with the target audience, ensuring consistency across channels,
leveraging social media to improve the overall brand image, and delivering a seamless and
compelling shopping experience both in-store and online.

On the other hand, product branding is focused on creating and promoting a unique brand
identity for a specific product or line of products within a retail store. Its goal is to
differentiate individual products from competitors, generate consumer interest, and boost
sales for a particular product.

For instance, Walmart's Great Value brand is a classic example of product branding. These
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products are positioned as affordable alternatives to national brands, and the branding
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emphasizes affordability and value.

While retail branding and product branding differ in scope and purpose, they are both integral
to a successful retail strategy. As a foundation that supports various product brands within a
retail store it fosters trust and loyalty among customers. On the other hand, product branding is
focused on generating interest and driving sales for specific products within the store.
1.15 Challenges in Retail Branding Page
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Retail brands often face several challenges when developing their branding strategies. These
challenges include:

Building Trust with Customers Online

Engaging customers online can be tricky, especially with the growing use of digital and
mobile technologies. Establishing trust and meaningful connections through personalized
experiences and effective communication is challenging for retailers.

Improving Digital Engagement Capabilities

Retailers must enhance their digital engagement capabilities to meet evolving customer
expectations. They can leverage communication platform-as-a-service (Caps) solutions to
create and integrate communication channels on websites and apps, ensuring seamless
customer interactions.

Difficulties in Setting Up an Omnichannel Store

Maintaining a consistent brand image and message across multiple platforms, including social
media (like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest), physical stores, and websites, can be
challenging. Achieving a uniform and cohesive look and feel across all these channels is
essential to provide customers with a consistent brand experience.

Measuring Branding Campaign Effectiveness

Determining branding efforts' impact and return on investment (ROI) can be complicated.
Metrics like brand awareness, customer perception, and sales attribution are vital indicators,
but accurately capturing and analysing this data can be challenging, making it harder to assess
the effectiveness of branding initiatives.

Standing Out in a Crowded Market

For a fledgling business, it can take time for stores to grab people's attention. Think of it as
being in a big crowd where everyone tries to be noticed. Retailers must develop unique ways
to show people why they are different and why their store is worth checking out. It's like
having a unique selling point that makes them special, which makes customers remember and
choose them over others.
Overcoming these challenges is essential for retail brands to build strong and effective
branding strategies that will allow them to stand out from their competitors.

1.16 Building Retail Branding

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Establishing a strong brand presence is imperative in the fiercely competitive retail industry. It
involves thoughtful steps that blend online and offline strategies, ensuring trust, loyalty, and
customer satisfaction. Here’s a quick breakdown of critical strategies:

1. Utilize Customer-Centric Channels

To connect with your audience effectively, identify and leverage channels your customers
prefer, such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. To maintain a strong online presence, engage
in consistent content creation on these platforms.

2. Maintain Brand Consistency

Consistency is key. Ensure your logo, colours, and tone of voice remain uniform across
various channels. You reinforce your brand identity by consistently posting on social media,
making it recognizable and trustworthy.

3. Embrace Modern Technology

Modern technology automates processes, widens your reach, and keeps customers informed
about the latest trends. Utilize it to stay updated and maintain direct communication with your
audience.

4. Leverage social media And Video

Harness the power of social media and video content. These platforms provide vast visibility
and engagement opportunities. Utilize Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram Reels to showcase
your brand visually, capturing the attention of potential customers.

5. Adapt to Trends

Recognize current retail trends and integrate them into your strategies. For instance,
incorporate eco-friendly products into your offerings if sustainability is trending. This
adaptability keeps your brand fresh and appealing.

6. Prioritize Customer-Centricity
Make your customers feel unique by personalizing interactions. Respond to queries on social
media promptly and send personalized emails. Building trust and a sense of belonging
enhances customer loyalty.
Page
7. Offer Subscription and Premium Access
| 42
Implement subscription models and premium memberships. Offer perks, like discounted
subscriptions or exclusive access to new products. These initiatives create a loyal customer base
and ensure a steady revenue stream for your business.

8. Adopt Global Thinking

Think globally to expand your market reach. Understand global trends and apply them locally.
Translating your content into different languages can significantly broaden your audience,
making your brand accessible and appealing to diverse cultures.

9. Ensure Quality Visual Design

Invest in high-quality visual design. How your brand looks significantly influences customer
perception. Quality visuals enhance the shopping experience, making your brand memorable
and attractive to consumers.

By integrating these strategies and focusing on your customers' needs and preferences, your
retail brand can establish a strong, lasting online and offline presence. Remember, a happy
customer is not just a sale but a potential advocate for your brand’s success.
 Page
| 43
1.16 Successful Retail Brands

Let's explore examples of successful retail brands and their branding strategies:

1. Amazon

Amazon, a global giant in online retail, excels in cross-channel consistency. Their branding is
associated with convenience and trust.

From their website to the mobile app, the user experience is seamless, ensuring customers
receive the same excellent service online and offline. Amazon's logo and interface are
consistent across various channels, so customers always remember what it looks like.

2. Zara

Zara is one of the most popular fashion retailers in the world that prioritizes customer
experience and fast fashion. Their in-store experience is designed for quick, efficient
shopping, mirroring their online platform.

Zara's social media presence, especially on platforms like Instagram, showcases user-
generated content featuring customers wearing their latest trends. This approach strengthens
their connection with the target audience, making them feel like a part of the brand.
 Page
| 44

3. Ikea

Ikea, known for its affordable and stylish furniture, has mastered creating a unique brand
identity. Their product design, both online and in-store, reflects simplicity and innovation. The
company emphasizes a global mindset, adapting its furniture designs to cater to worldwide
cultures. This approach expands their market reach, making Ikea a strong global retail brand.

These examples highlight the significance of consistent branding across online and offline
channels, customer experience's importance, and user-generated content's power in building trust
and loyalty.

By understanding their target audience and staying true to their brand identity, these retailers
have successfully created strong connections with consumers, making them prominent players
in the modern retail industry.
 Page
| 45

1.17 Limitations or Disadvantages of Branding

1. Limited Flexibility

One of the key disadvantages of branding lies in its inherent inflexibility. Once a brand is
established, altering its image can be a daunting and expensive task.

This lack of flexibility can become a hindrance when companies need to adapt to changing
market trends, consumer preferences, or technological advancements.

Furthermore, rigid branding may lead to consumer alienation if the brand fails to evolve with
the ever-changing landscape of consumer needs and desires.

2. High Costs

Building and maintaining a strong brand presence can be an expensive endeavour.

From market research and logo design to advertising and promotion, the costs associated with
branding can put a significant financial strain on businesses, especially smaller ones with
limited resources.

Moreover, branding efforts may not always yield immediate returns, making it challenging to
measure the true return on investment (ROI) of branding activities.

3. Negative Brand Perception

While branding aims to create a positive image, it is not immune to negative associations.

A brand may suffer from a tarnished reputation due to various reasons, such as product
recalls, scandals involving company executives, or controversial marketing campaigns.

Such negative publicity can have a lasting impact on the brand’s perception, leading to
decreased consumer trust and loyalty.
4. Risk of Overextension

Brand extension is a common strategy where companies leverage their established brand
names to launch new products or enter different markets.
Page
However, this approach carries the risk of overextension, diluting the original brand’s equity | 46
and confusing consumers about the company’s core identity.

If these new ventures fail to meet consumer expectations, it can damage the reputation of the
primary brand as well.

5. Leads to Monopoly

It leads to some kind of monopoly known as brand Monopoly.

It is created by gradually creating brand loyalty and the image of the product and the
manufacturer in the minds of consumers.

6. Competitive Branding Clutter

In a highly competitive market, branding clutter becomes a significant concern.

As companies vie for consumers’ attention, the sheer volume of branded messages
bombarding consumers can lead to brand fatigue and desensitization.

Consumers may start to ignore branding efforts altogether, making it challenging for
companies to differentiate themselves effectively.

7. Branding Stereotyping

Branding often involves creating a specific image to appeal to a target audience.

However, this can lead to stereotyping, where certain consumer segments feel excluded or
misrepresented.

Overly rigid branding strategies may inadvertently alienate potential customers, reducing the
brand’s overall reach and appeal.

8. Cultural Insensitivity

Global companies face the challenge of branding across diverse cultural landscapes.

What might be considered positive or appropriate in one culture could be offensive or

insensitive in another.
Brands that fail to navigate these cultural nuances may face backlash, harming their reputation
and market presence.

9. Opposition of Middleman
Page
The retailers and the wholesalers may not be willing the stock the goods if the brand is not | 47
popular.

On the contrary, in the brand is very popular, they may refuse to stock and sell the goods on
the ground that their margin of profit has been reduced considerably due to an increase in
competition.

They even prepare to sell adulterated and inferior goods at a lower price.

10. Strain on Authenticity

Authenticity is crucial for building a strong brand identity.

However, in their pursuit of mass appeal, some brands may resort to exaggerated claims or
create artificial narratives, leading to a perception of inauthenticity.

Once consumers sense a lack of genuineness, their trust in the brand can erode, resulting in
diminished loyalty.

11. Rigidity in Innovation

Well-established brands may find it challenging to innovate and introduce disruptive products
or services.

This is because consumers have specific expectations associated with a brand, and radical
changes might not align with these expectations.

As a result, brands may struggle to break away from the status quo and adapt to
changing market demands.

12. Brand Dependency and Risk

Companies heavily reliant on their brand equity may become vulnerable to unforeseen market
changes.

Economic downturns, shifts in consumer preferences, or technological disruptions can

impact brand loyalty and consumer spending patterns, leaving businesses highly exposed to
risk.

14. Discourages from Trying other Products

Brand loyalty discourages the consumer from trying out other new brands which possibly be
more satisfying.

15. Create Confusion

Page
Consumers are often confused about product selection on account of the methods of plethora | 48
offered in the market.

The situation becomes all the more difficult when all the brands carry an Assurance of similar
quality and value satisfaction.

16. Imposes Responsibility

Brand imposes responsibility for maintaining consistent quality and delivering proclaimed
value satisfaction.

If it fails to do so, the customer will easily identify the brand owner and file the complaint
under the relevant law, such as the Consumer Protection Act.

17. Switch to Another Product

If the quality deteriorates or the supply of adulterated goods is increased due to brand
popularity, the customer may switch over to other similar products.

18. Increase Cost

Branding needs heavy and widespread Advertising, attractive packaging and effective sales
and widespread Advertising, attractive packaging, and effective sales promotion.

This raises the retail prices of branded goods given by 22 to 30%. It affects the cost adversely.
 CHAPTER NO. 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Page
| 49
2.1 Objectives of study:

1. To present contemporary view of the role of Brand Management.

2. To explore various issue related to Brand Management.
3. To develop a critical understanding of the process involved in Brand Management in retailing.
4. To study the present retail branding strategies adopted by Indian Retailers.
5. To explore the scope of Retail Promotion.
6. To study the effectiveness of various intermediaries involved in retail sector.

2.2 Scope of study:

The scope of promoting a retailer's brand encompasses a comprehensive examination of

strategies, including but not limited to marketing, customer engagement, online presence, in-
store experience, co-branding partnerships, employee advocacy, community engagement, and
personalized approaches, to assess their impact on brand promotion and consumer perception.

This study will explore the multifaceted scope of promoting a retailer's brand, delving into the
effectiveness of diverse strategies such as social media campaigns, in-store enhancements, co-
branding partnerships, employee advocacy, community engagement, and personalized
marketing, aiming to provide a nuanced understanding of how these elements collectively
contribute to brand promotion and consumer loyalty in the retail sector.

2.3 Statement of problem:

The statement of problem under study is to prepare a “study on strategies for promoting
retailers’ brand.”

2.4 Hypotheses of the study:

The hypothesis of the study can be described here in as under:

H0 - There is no significant impact of implemented strategies on the promotion of a retailer's

brand.
Page
H1 - Implementing targeted social media campaigns significantly enhances brand awareness | 50
and customer engagement, thereby promoting the retailer's brand.

2.5 Nature of study/type of research:

This is a descriptive and diagnostic type of research where survey method is adopted to
collect primary information study on strategies for promoting retailers’ brand using different
scales as required and the required secondary information for the analysis.

2.6 Sample of study:

While developing the sampling design for the study, following points will be considered:

1.Sampling unit:

For the required study sampling unit was based on the city base level as far as geographical
aspect was concerned. Customers will be the population under study.

2.Size of sample:

This refers to the number of items to be selected from the universe to constitute a sample. The
population being large the survey was been carried among 110 respondents (approximate).
They will be considered adequate to represent the characteristics of the entire population. It
will fulfil the requirements of efficiency, representativeness, reliability and flexibility.

3.Sampling procedure:

The sampling procedure to be followed in the study was non probability snowball sampling.
Simple random procedures were used to select the respondents from the available data base.
The research work was carried on the basis of structured questionnaire. The study was
restricted to Indian citizens and residents of Mumbai city.
2.7 Time dimension:
Page
The research was a cross-sectional base due to time limitations which allowed take a snapshot | 51
of aspects at a single point of time. The whole research was completed in a month’s time.

2.8 Data collection method:

Primary Data:

For the present study, both the Primary data collection method was applied through the
questionnaire method. A questionnaire schedule was prepared and mailed/handed out to the
selected respondents (customers) through Google Forms. The respondents were requested to
answer the questions and return the questionnaire. Thus, the primary data was collected
through a survey method.

Secondary Data:

Secondary data was collected through various websites and articles on internet.

2.9 Techniques used for data presentation:

Quantitative method is used to explain, predict phenomenon with measurable variables.

The analysis of data collected is completed and presented systematically with the use of
Microsoft Excel and MS- Word.

The various tools used for presentation of data are:

1. Bar graphs

2.Pie charts

3.Column graphs

2.10 Limitations:
 There were certain limitations of this study that are enlisted below:
 Resources of the researcher were limited whereby the customers spread all over the country
Page
could not be studied. | 52
 Geographical expansion of target population, as we know that the retailers are located
throughout the country.
 Time of submission, due to academic schedule the researcher had the limited time frame of a
week to complete this research.
 The findings of the current study were applicable only to the retailers and super markets in
Mumbai
 The study was restricted to 110 respondents which was a very small number to generalise the
findings for the whole population.
 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW

Jacoby and Kyner (1973) have found that loyalty and repeat purchase behavior of customers Page
influenced by store attributes and customer emotions. | 53

Walters, D., Knee, D(1989) have said that the retail companies are focusing on non-price
attributes to distinguish themselves it means adapting certain store attributes more closely to
the specific needs of certain groups of customers. Companies such as Aldi, Lidl, and Wal-
Mart have also implemented such strategies.

Lal, R., Matutes, C (1994) have studied the pricing and advertising strategies of retailers.
Authors concluded that when uninformed rational consumers decide where to buy each
product, firms advertise prices below marginal cost to attract consumers into the store and to
profit from other goods that consumers plan to buy at the store.

Buchanan, Simmons and Barbara(1999) have highlighted that consistency among the
various elements of a marketing program essential in building and maintaining brand image
and equity. The author suggests that this occurs because consumers have expectations about
retail displays and the relationship among displayed brands.

Dick and Divert (2003) pointed out that the increase in consumer loyalty is considered as one
among the essential strategies of marketing which is been identified by the researchers. It is
therefore important to ensure that there is understanding of all the facets of consumer interests
in order to understand brand loyalty and brand preferences. The consumer preferences
towards one particular brand or retailer maybe associated with determination of specific
factors with regards to consumer attitude and behavior.

Gonzalez-Benito et al., (2005) have stated that the competition in retail changed over the
past years. Nowadays, different competing categories of store types provide specific benefits
to match the needs of different customer types and shopping situations.

Barry Burman and Joel Evans (2006) have offered a different kind of approach to the
present system of retailing. The authors have noticed that the non-traditional retailing
especially Web Stores, or Electronic Retail Channels are becoming more profitable and
popular because of changing tastes and styles of buyers. This has changed the competitive
strategies, distribution systems and promotional strategies that are adopted by the retailers.
Bowd et al. (2006) has examined a stakeholder and management perspectives of CSR in
retail. They found that the symmetry between management and stakeholders‟ views of CSR
(the core importance of obeying the laws and regulations of government, ethical conduct,
community involvement, philanthropy, human rights, health & safety), limited awareness of Page
| 54
CSR activities by stakeholders, and assessment of the benefits resulting from CSR
communication (e.g. corporate reputation).

Rajan, Irudaya (2006) have explained that the changes in the attitude of the shoppers has
resulted in firms insisting to focus on maintaining balance between the rate and quality in
addition to price competitiveness.

Morschett et al. (2006) have tried to identify types of competitive advantage within the retail
industry which based on (1) quality of performance, store atmosphere, service (2)
convenience (3) price. However, they concluded that price and quality are independent factors
that can be mutually achieved without any trade off between them.

Thompson (2007) has researched the environmental friendliness of the retail space itself.
Every retailer emphasized its green identification. Big retailers are trying to make their
operations carbon neutral using a number of different strategies like applying green energy
sources for lightning, cooling/heating, and operational purposes.

Ramanathan and Hari (2008) have stated that in future the number of large-sized
international chain shops will be high. Indian market has various types of retailers at present
among them small-sized retailers are high in number. Mass media and word of mouth
advertising are found to be the information sources of middle class families in India. Merely
with lot of commercial advertisements, they will not be able to sustain their market. Once
their products become familiar in the market, the companies could increase the number of
customers in a slow and steady way.

Parrish(2010) has investigated how fashion retailers use private labeling to differentiate their
products and to gain competitive advantage. This type of competitive strategy results in
increased profits and market share.
 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND
INTERPRETATION

Page
| 55
Q1) What is your age?

Analysis:

Response N0 of Respondents Percentage

15-20 57 51.8%
21-30 46 41.8%
31-40 7 6.4%
41-50 0 0%
51 & above 0 0%

Presentation:

Interpretation:
 The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 51.8% of the respondents belong to
the age group of 15 to 20 years old. Following is 41.8% belonging to the age group of 21 to
30 years old. Then 6.4% of respondents from the age group of 31 to 40 years old. Finally, 0%
of respondent from the age group of 41 & above Years Page
| 56

Q.2) What is your gender?

Analysis:
Response No of Respondents Percentage
Male 35 31.8%
Female 74 67.3%
Prefer not to say 1 1%

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 67.3% of the respondents are female,
31.8% are male and 01% are other genders.
 Page
| 57

Q.3) What is your Occupation?

Analysis:
Response No of Respondents Percentage
Student 70 63.6%
Employee 29 26.4%
Unemployed 4 3.6%
Self employed 5 4.5%
Household 2 1.8%

Presentation:
 Interpretation: Page
| 58
The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 63.6% of the respondents belong to
the category of students. Following is 26.4% belonging to the category of Employee. The
3.6% belongs to the category of unemployed. The 4.5% belongs to the category of self-
employed. Finally, the 1.8% belongs to the category of household.

Q.4) How frequently do you shop for retail products in a month.

Analysis:

Response No of Respondents Percent

Less than once in a 36 32.7%
month
month1-3 times a month 52 47.3%
4-6 times a month 10 9.1%
More Than 6 times a 12 10.9%
month

Presentation:
 Page
| 59

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 32.7% of the respondents belong to
the category of shopping less than once a month. The following 47.3% belong to the monthly
category, shopping only 1-3 times a month. Then 9.1% respondents shop 4-6 times a month.
Finally, 10.9% falls into the category of more than 6 times a month.

Q.5) How did you first become aware of these retailers.

Analysis:

Response No of Respondents Percentage

TV advertisements 44 40%
Social media 24 21.8%
Word of mouth 29 26.4%
Other 13 11.8%
 Presentation:

Page
| 60

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 40% of the respondents belong to the
category of TV advertisements. Following is 21.8% belonging to the category of social media.
Then 26.4% of respondents from the Word of mouth. Finally, the 11.8% belongs to the
category of other.

Q.6) What aspects of the in-store experience matter most to you when considering a
retailer's brand.

Analysis:
Response No of Respondents Percentage
Store layout 51 46.4%
Staff interaction 31 28.2%
Cleanliness 20 18.2%
Ambiance 8 7.3%
 Page
| 61

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 46.4% of the respondents belong to
the category of TV advertisements. Following is 28.2% belonging to the category of staff
interaction. Then 18.2% of respondents from the Cleanliness. Finally, the 7.3% belongs to the
category of ambiance.
 Q.7) Which promotional Strategies do you find most effective in attracting your attention
to a retailer’s brand.

Analysis:
Page
Response No of Respondents Percentage | 62

Discount 55 50%
Loyalty program 35 31.8%
Special event 18 16.4%
Other 2 1.8%

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 50 % of the respondents belong to the
category of discount. Following is 31.8% belonging to the category of loyalty programs. Then
16.4% of respondents from the special event. Finally, the 1.8% belongs to the category of
others.

Q.8) How likely are you to recommend a retailer’s brand to friends or family.
 Analysis:

Response No of Respondents Percentage

Very likely 35 31.8%
Page
likely 29 26.4%
| 63
neutral 38 34.5%
Very unlikely 5 4.5%
unlikely 3 2.7%

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 31.8 % of the respondents belong to
the category of very likely. Following is 26.4 % belonging to the category of likely. Then
34.5% of respondents from the neutral. Finally, the 4.5% and 2.7% belongs to the category of
unlikely or very unlikely.

Q.9) What factors contribute most to your loyalty toward a specific retailer.
Analysis:
Response No of Respondents Percentage
Quality 66 60%
Customer service 25 22.7% Page
Prices 14 12.7% | 64

Brand reputation 5 4.5%

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 60% of the respondents belong to the
category of quality. Following is 22.7% belonging to the category of customer service. Then
12.7% of respondents from the prices. Finally, the 4.5% belongs to the category of brand
reputation.

Q.10) What criteria do you use to determine if a retailer’s brand should be added to your
blacklist.

Analysis:
 Response No of Percentage
Respondents
Poor customer service 36 32.7%
Product quality issue 28 25.5% Page
| 65
Ethical concern 10 9.1%
Pricing issue 14 12.7%
other 22 20%

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 32.7% of the respondents belong to
the category of poor customer services. Following is 25.5% belonging to the category of
product quality issue. Then 9.1% of respondents from the ethical concern. The 12.7% belongs
to the category of pricing issue. Finally, the 20% belongs to the category of others.

Q.11) How important is the quality of product or service when evaluating a retailer’s brand.

Analysis:
 Response No of Respondents Percentage
Very important 57 51.8%
Important 32 29.1%
Neutral 18 16.4% Page
Not important 3 2.7% | 66

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 51.8% of the respondents belong to
the category of Very important. Following is 29.1% belonging to the category of important.
Then 16.4% of respondents from the Neutral. Finally, the 2.7% belongs to the category of Not
important

Q.12) How often do you visit a retailer’s website or online platform.

Analysis:
 Response No of Respondents Percentage
Daily 40 36.4%
Weekly 28 25.5%
Monthly 25 22.7% Page
| 67
Rarely 17 15.5%

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 36.4% of the respondents belong to
the category of daily. Following is 25.5% belonging to the category of weekly. Then 22.7% of
respondents from the monthly. Finally, the 15.5% belongs to the category of rarely.

Q.13) Has an advertisement ever influenced you a explore or make a purchase from a
specific retailer.

Analysis:

Response No of Respondents Percentage

 Yes 86 78.2%
No 24 21.8%
Page
| 68

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 78.2% of the respondents belong to
the category of yes and remaining 21.8% of respondents no.

Q.14) Have you ever participated in any promotional event organized by retailers.

Analysis:
 Response No of Respondents Percentage
Yes 56 50.9
No 54 49.1
Page
| 69

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 50.9% of the respondents belong to
the category of yes and remaining 49.1% of respondents no.

Q.14) Have you ever switched retailers due to dissatisfaction with product quality or
customer service.
Analysis:

Response No of Respondents Percentage

Yes 94 85.5%
Page
No 16 14.5%
| 70

Presentation:

Interpretation:

The evidence from the above table and chart shows that 85.5% of the respondents belong to
the category of yes and remaining 14.5% of respondents no.

CHAPTER NO. 5: CONCLUSION & SUGGESTIONS

CONCLUSION:
A comprehensive study on strategies for promoting a retailer's brand underscores the
significance of a multifaceted approach. The integration of digital marketing, community
engagement, and customer-centric initiatives emerges as key drivers for success. Continuous
adaptation to market dynamics, fostering innovation, and maintaining a strong online presence Page
| 71
are imperative for sustained brand growth and recognition. The study emphasizes the need for
strategic alliances, employee training, and a commitment to sustainability to create a well-
rounded promotion strategy. As the retail landscape evolves, a dynamic and regularly updated
approach is essential to ensure the brand remains relevant and competitive.

SUGGESTIONS:

A comprehensive study on strategies for promoting a retailer's brand underscores the

significance of adopting a multifaceted approach. Collaborating with influencers aligning with
the brand's values is identified as a powerful tool to enhance visibility and credibility.
Implementing and promoting customer loyalty programs proves crucial in incentivizing repeat
business and strengthening relationships with existing customers. In-store experiences are
optimized through strategic visual merchandising, contributing to an improved overall
customer experience. Active community participation, through local events and sponsorships,
helps build a positive brand image and connects with the local audience. Targeted email
campaigns become instrumental in directly communicating promotions and exclusive offers
to the customer base. Leveraging data analytics offers insights into consumer behavior and
market trends, facilitating more informed decision-making. Additionally, incorporating
sustainability initiatives in both operations and marketing endeavors resonates with
environmentally conscious consumers, contributing to a positive brand image. Collectively,
these insights provide a comprehensive and effective strategy for promoting a retailer's brand
in today's competitive marketplace.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ANNEXURE:

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
 Reference Websites:

http://www.business.mapsofindia.com/top-brands-india/retail.html

http://www.designerpeople.com/blog/retail-branding/ Page
| 72
http://www.pectopeermarketing.co.retail-marketing/

Reference Book:

Pradhan, Swapna. Retailing Magazine fifth edition, Chemmani 600116, Tamil Nadu, India:
McGraw Hill

Education Private Limited, 3017 2) Basu, Berman, Barry. Retail Management: A strategic
Approach 1 Edition, Pranonfidocarien, Inc. 201

ANNEXURE:

Q.1) Age

a) 15 -20
b) 21-30
c) 31-40
d) 41-50
e) 51 and above

Q.2) Gender

a) Male
b) Female
c) Prefer not say

Q.3) Occupation

a) Student
b) Employee
c) Unemployed
d) Self employed
e) Household
Page
| 73
Q.4) How frequently do you shop for retail products in a month?

a) Less than once in a month

b) 1-3 times a month
c) 4-6 times a month
d) More Than 6 times a month

Q.5) How did you first become aware of these retailers?

a) TV advertisements
b) Social media
c) Word of mouth
d) Other

Q.6) What aspects of the in-store experience matter most to you when considering a retailer's
brand?

a) Store layout
b) Staff interaction
c) Cleanliness
d) Ambiance

Q.7) Which promotional Strategies do you find most effective in attracting your attention to a
retailer’s brand?

a) Discount
b) Loyalty programs
c) Special event
d) Other

Q.8) How likely are you to recommend a retailer’s brand to friends or family?
a) Very likely
b) Likely
c) Neutral
d) Very unlikely Page
| 74
e) Unlikely

Q.9) What factors contribute most to your loyalty toward a specific retailer?

a) Quality
b) Customer service
c) Prices
d) Brand reputation

Q.10) What criteria do you use to determine if a retailer’s brand should be added to your
blacklist?

a) Poor customer service

b) Product quality issue
c) Ethical concern
d) Pricing issue
e) Other

Q.11) How important is the quality of product or service when evaluating a retailer’s brand?

a) Very important
b) important
c) Neutral
d) Not important

Q.13) How often do you visit a retailer’s website or online platform?

a) Daily
b) Weekly
c) Monthly
d) Rarely

Q.12) Has an advertisement ever influenced you a explore or make a purchase from a specific Page
retailer? | 75

a) Yes
b) No

Q.13) Have you ever participated in any promotional event organized by retailers?

a) Yes
b) No

Q.14) Have you ever switched retailers due to dissatisfaction with product quality or customer
service?

a) Yes
b) No