3. Centers Covered
Digital Store: Reliance Digital
Lifestyle Store: Life Style
NGO: Bhagavatula Charitable Trust (BCT)
Grocery Store: More
Clothing and Accessories: CMR
Indian Ethnic: FabIndia
4. Key Observations: CMR
Attractive mannequins, sheer glass entrance
draws me in
The door‟s open and I‟m greeted by a floral
fragrance
Everything is off white: the flooring, the wall color.
Makes the huge store look spacious.
The first thing I see is cosmetics, and I‟m drawn.
Yes, this is a woman-only store.
Men and women look at the different sections.
And they are ready to help me wherever I go.
They are well informed.
They are locals, they know the language and the
products well.
5. CMR Store: Glass doors, attractive mannequins
and small sized signage in noticeable Green and
white
6. Key Observations: BCT
The path and gate are always open.
Verdant greenery and sparse buildings welcome
me in.
The floor is cemented, true to its rural values.
Red oxide flooring is attractive and rural.
Thatched roofing and traditional construction is
followed
Looks like a place that respects values and
traditions.
People are from the villages, well versed with
what they do.
The ambience is calm and peaceful
7. A presentation in BCT’s open auditorium. Note
the red oxide floor, lemon yellow walls and the
thatched roof!
8. Key Observation: More
The grocery store is relatively empty on a Sunday
evening, a time when such stores are usually full.
People come in ones and two‟s, usually not browsing,
but here to buy something.
Discounted products are centrally located.
Interiors are white and gray. The place looks dull.
The lighting shows up the flaws of the store and gives
it that boring look. Its easier to shop though.
Both men and women store employees present. They
are helpful, though not all of them are well informed
about products.
No music, no mood lighting, the place looks fuddy-
duddy
11. Key Observation: Reliance
Digital
A large board offering discount, large glass walls
giving a peek of the inside draws me in.
Discounted items are displayed at the counter near
the entrance.
Many men are shopping in the afternoon for laptops
and other electronic items.
Electrical items like grinders, clothes iron, vaccum
cleaner stand on the other side, while refrigerators etc
stand at the extreme end.
The lighting is practical tube lights, making the place
look technology-oriented.
You can touch and feel the products. Store employees
are young girls and boys at the 24 to 35 age group.
They are definitely not users of the expensive
products displayed here.
13. Male Shoppers Dominate in the
Reliance Digital Store.
Note the practical white lighting
and the smart shelves.
14. Key Observation: Life Style
Large off-white vitrified tiles and ivory wall paint
A storey high ceiling, mood lights, fancy lamps in
white
Sofas are the first thing my „tired-legs‟ see, but
I‟m not supposed to sit in them.
Salespeople are in the 23 to35 age group, both
men and women and definitely not users of this
expensive brand.
I can browse, but not touch and see everything.
Shoppers come in two‟s or three‟s and usually for
the furnishings.
16. Key Observations: Fab India
Part of a chain of stores that sells Indian traditional
garments
Has an earthy feel with browns, yellows and mood
lighting.
Has made windows its display and showcases its
curtains range there.
Does not encourage you to touch, but you can
request the staff to help you
The staff, both men and women do not connect to me.
They seem to not care whether I shop there or not.
They just let me be.
Has a nice aroma of lavender wafting through and
impulse buys of ear rings, bangles and little bags are
19. #1 Retail Outlets Use Lustrous off-
white Vitrified Tiles
Off-white lustrous Vitrified tiles are strong, durable
and make rooms look brighter and bigger.
They are also extremely slippery and other than
me, I could see other customers slipping as well
20. #2 All Retail Stores have Glass
Doors
Commonly used to make the store appear large
and let outsiders have a sneak peek into the
products. Looks really classy.
Closed doors can be dangerous, as people tend
to walk right into them. Has been a cause of
concern and hence security is posted at the door.
However, they are not vigilant all the time
21. #3 The Large Shops Have High
Ceilings
It makes the place look huge and is airy and more
comfortable.
However, it surely must be using up more air
conditioning to cool the place down
22. #4 Arrangements Everywhere are
By Function
Products/ Services are all organized by function
making it easier to shop. It makes it easier for me
to shop in the category I‟m seeking.
However they are not always intelligently placed.
Curtains next to sofa sets would have made more
relative sense, perhaps?
23. #5 The customers come in
groups
Single shoppers were rare and everyone was in
groups. The only exception was the grocery
stores where those on a mission to buy
something were alone.
Clothing stores had families come in while digital
stores predominantly had male shoppers.
Amazingly at 3pm the digital area had many male
shoppers. Was that not office time?
24. #6 Lighting, Scent and Music:
Ambience sets the Mood
The lighting in all places is just right. Practical tube
lights bring the digital area to life. Mood lights and
fancy lamps are in the lifestyle store and clothes
stores.
Music is prominent by its absence. I would love to
spend more time in a store where music plays.
Except CMR, no other store is into „scent marketing‟.
At CMR thought I get a mild whiff of Jasmine as soon
as I walk in.
Ambience plays a role in the lifestyle and women‟s
store. However it is downplayed at the digital and
totally missing at the grocery store. The NGO has a
natural ambience, smells of fresh grass and has
practical lighting.
26. No Place to Sit
My legs ache and after a while I look for a place
to sit, but there‟s nothing.
Stores in India do not encourage sitting as they
would prefer customers to be on the move…ah
painful! That!
27. Too slippery a floor
The slippery floor could really be dangerous, I
could barely walk without slipping and the
uncomfortable balance in turn caused my legs to
pain.
28. We lack individual identity
Keeping with the international trend, floors and
walls are off-white, lights are white and people
are in uniform. Even the uniform is of trousers
and shirt. Are we trying to go global and be local
at the same time?
We seem to follow a „me-too‟ trend without
stopping to think what individualistic changes
each store could do.
29. So What Did I learn New?
I‟ve made thousands of trips to these stores, but
never observed
That all had off-white vitrified floors and glass
doors, a common trend, a common reason.
That they all want to look large and
impressive, even if it means that they look like the
others.
That they welcome me to their store to
browse, touch everything, ask questions and buy.
That they do not care enough to give me a chair
or keep their tiles anti-slip.
31. 'The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those
who cannot read and write, but those who cannot
learn, unlearn and relearn- Alvin Toffler
Thanks!
