The document discusses observations and opportunities for improving the customer experience and sales at several retail stores in India. For Archies, an Indian greeting card shop, it notes a cluttered store structure with limited staff support and recommends creating clear store sections and reducing inventory. For L'Occitane, a cosmetics store, it observes a relaxing atmosphere and knowledgeable staff but suggests better product sampling. Finally, for several other stores it identifies issues like confusion, lack of support, and long lines that could be addressed through improved organization, staff training, and additional checkout options to enhance sales.

1. Are you paying
attention?
November 1, 2012
By Abhishek Shirali

2. Archies – An Indian Greeting Card Shop
Observations
Store structure and messaging
▪ Highly cluttered store with no clear messages on
branding
▪ No directional understanding of store structure
Sales support
▪ Limited support from staff to shoppers
▪ No understanding of shopper preferences
Opportunities
Store structure
▪ Create permeable divisions within the store (e.g.
one for cards, one for soft toys) to ensure clear
messaging
▪ Reduce number of goods, increase margins
Sales support
▪ Train salesmen to be helpful and provide inputs
to reduce shopping time

3. L’Occitane – The Fresh Cosmetic Store
Observations
Store structure and messaging
▪ Fresh and rustic vibe with significant percentage
of natural elements (e.g. flowers) used for store
decoration
Sales Support
▪ Knowledgeable sales team with inputs that drive
purchasing behaviour
Opportunities
Store structure and messaging
▪ Advertise combination of International appeal
and Indian ingredients
▪ Increase ability to sample products (e.g. give
take-away samples) to increase customer
stickiness
Sales support
▪ Increase knowledge on purchasing power of
consumers

4. Steve Madden – Internationally yours
Observations
Store structure and messaging
▪ Modern store structure combined with natural
elements (e.g. wood)
▪ Compartmentalization of style types allows easy
purchasing
Sales Support
▪ Personal stylists that provide inputs on styles
you should adopt given your fashion sensibilities
Opportunities
Store structure and messaging
▪ Increase visual appeal of shoes – show models
wearing shoes

5. Forest Essential – Naturally Yours
Observations
Store structure and messaging
▪ Store with natural elements strewn around the
store – relaxes the consumer
▪ Aromas of different products elicit curiosity and
drive purchase decisions
Sales Support
▪ Knowledgeable staff that can answer any
question on products and inherent ingredients
Opportunities
Store structure and messaging
▪ Introduce yoga and meditation that can relax the
customer (which seems like a logical
combination)
Sales support
▪ Train sales staff to be able to combine the above
with knowledge

6. Mango – Clothing You Forever
Observations
Store structure and messaging
▪ Store with multiple clothing types and limited
segregation
▪ High degree of confusion in the store
Sales Support
▪ No support on clothes (e.g. size, style)
Opportunities
Store structure and messaging
▪ Create departments within the store to allow for
segregation of fashion types
Sales support
▪ Increase sales support to reduce time spent on
looking for the right size and style

7. Cinnabon – The Delicious Little Devils
Observations
Store structure and messaging
▪ Open store in the center of the mall allowing a
quick bite for all consumers
Sales Support
▪ Extremely helpful and ensures quick turnaround
Opportunities
Store structure and messaging
▪ Introduce multiple cashiers (there are 2 sides to
the central square) to increase sales