OPEN AGAIN: INDIAN RETAIL SECTOR ADOPTS CUSTOMER, TECHNOLOGY FOCUSED APPROACH

As the lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner across all the marketplaces in the country, brands are coming out of their funk, focusing on adapting to changing needs amid the ‘new normal’ and working to ‘co-exist’ with the virus…

IMAGES Group Survey: Over 72% Retailers Turn to Technology, E-Commerce to Increase Revenue

IMAGES Group’s survey assesses the change in shopping behaviour of Indian consumers and the conversion rate of shoppers. It also gives a business assessment of the past 4 months (March – June 2020) in terms of sales, revenue, loss and pro t. The survey analyses the different categories of retail that witnessed a surge in demand, while outlining the sectors which have been derailed for a while and which will need to systematically assess their capabilities to succeed in the next normal…

IHGF DELHI FAIR 2020: EXPLORE, FIND, SOURCE; VIRTUALLY!

The real, alive and virtual IHGF Delhi Fair 2020 will be conducted from July 13- 18 with exclusive home, fashion and textiles collections from the leading Indian manufacturer exporters for the comfort of the buyers, for their home and offices…

Degrowth Rates Peak, Lockdown Relaxations Ineffective for Retail: Survey

The relaxations provided by Government in May 2020 were ineffective as retailers across the board continued to lose. Large size retailers (>300cr sales) in the food and grocery segment have witnessed 86 percent degrowth in business, while the non-food and grocery segment has seen a 75 percent degrowth compared to last year…

The New Normal Consumer in Retail: Adaptation to Change

The new normal for the consumer is ‘safety coupled with shopping experience’. While the safety guidelines are mandatory and the shopping malls are adhering to them to build ‘trust’ as an assurance of ‘safety’, they need to create ‘optimism’ as an assurance of a ‘good shopping experience’ within the constraints of safety guidelines…

Layoffs, Furloughs & Unemployment as COVID-19 Hits Retail Jobs

The COVID-19 crisis has led to a spike in the country’s unemployment rate from under 7 percent before the start of the pandemic in mid-March to 27.11 percent. The rate of unemployment has been the highest in urban areas – which constitute the most number of red zones – at 29.22 percent, as against 26.69 percent for the rural areas…

‘SERVE AT HOME' WILL OPEN NEW BUSINESS AVENUES FOR RETAILERS IN THE POST COVID ERA

In a discussion at the first-ever, pan-India humanitarian campaign organised and hosted by IMAGES Group titled Retail Panchayat, it came to light that ‘serve at home’ could change the dimension of the retail industry in the post-COVID era by opening new business avenues for retailers. Retailers who will be most adaptable to change, who are willing to serve the consumer in his comfort zone – i.e. home – will be best positioned to ride out the immediate challenges…

Ushering in a New Technological Era: Retail Industry Goes Contactless in COVID Times

The consumer psyche has undergone a permanent shift in the COVID era, the fear of exposure to the virus so high that all shoppers – the ones who are shopping from home and the ones who are bravely venturing out – are demanding safety and hygiene. Factor in supply chain uncertainty with consumer nerves and brands and retailers themselves are working towards providing technology solutions towards contactless commerce…

UNLOCK 1.0: PHASE-WISE OPENING OF RETAIL COMMENCES IN INDIA

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued guidelines for a phased reopening of the economy from June 1, which will include shopping centres, hotels and restaurants outside containment zones…

The Time Has Come: Global Watch Industry Begins Shifting Online to Stay Connected to Consumers

Many brands are already engaging their audiences and potential customer base on various online and social media platforms, which has, to some extent, been helping them gain lost ground as well as in building a new channel to reach out to the customers in retailing their products…

GLOBAL RETAIL REOPENING, RECOVERING & REALIGNING TO A NEW REALITY

While keeping the seriousness of COVID-19 in mind, many governments are cautiously talking about their plans for ‘re-opening’ their economies. Retailers are looking ahead to the new reality of what life might look like after the initial acute phase of this pandemic passes…

How Retailers Are Planning To Revive Their Businesses

The challenge infront of the retailers would be to ensure that they adhere to the new safety norms because when it comes to consumerism, going ahead, health will be the big motto...

The Global Economy And COVID-19: The Great Lockdown

US will face the most severe recession since the Great Depression and India’s real GDP to grow by just 2.0% in 2020, says a report from Euromonitor International…

Jewellery Brands to Reopen Stores in Orange and Green Zones in a Phased Manner

Brands like Senco Gold, Kalyan Jewellers and Tanishq have rolled out safety e-books, with commitment to the security and wellbeing of both staff and customers in store…

Impact of the Pandemic on East India Retail

The East India retail industry, which has a strong presence of local and small retailers, is facing an acute cash crunch due to a sharp fall in business and operational challenges with low or zero manpower..

E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS CONTINUE TO BE INDIA'S LIFELINE IN LOCKDOWN 3.0

Despite the Government’s decision to open standalone retail stores, e-commerce platforms continue to be the first place where Indians are going to buy basics and essentials…

Retail Operations: Safety and Hygiene Measures Post Lockdown

The myriad of changes in consumer behavior post the pandemic will change the ways brands and retailers do business forever to come. Hygiene and safety will be on the top of the list post the crisis and only organisations that are prepared for the new reality with complete SOPs will be able reap the benefit…

Surviving COVID-19: Now, Transform Kirana Stores into Supermarkets in Just 24 Hours

In a webinar organised by ETRetail, Arvind Mediratta – MD and CEO, METRO Cash and Carry India, talks about the current mPOS adoption in the Indian retail industry, the pace of adoption, the investment it requires, staff training and the return on investments for the retailers…

Hyperlocal & Social Commerce: New buzzwords in Apparel Sector Post COVID-19

The big learning which is coming from the Covid-19 pandemic is that social selling is picking up pace. Also, Instagram shopping is leading the way. Going ahead, digital commerce is going to become big...

COVID-19 TO REDUCE GLOBAL RETAIL SPENDING BY OVER $500 BILLION IN 2020

Retail sales will lose 260 billion euros across EU-5 (the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy) in 2020, a decline of 10.4 percent from 2019. While offline non-grocery retail will contract by 20 percent, e-commerce sales will remain flat in 2020…

Building Brands for Tomorrow: Retailers Reimagine Concepts, Strategies

COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the retail industry worldwide. Such has been the economic toll of the pandemic that many brands witnessed zero revenue for a brief period as consumer focus shifted to buying essential goods. To mitigate the disruption caused by this crisis, Indian retailers will need to devise strategies for the ‘now, next and beyond’…

Coronavirus Impact On Global Supply Chains

Production disruptions would largely affect household goods, hi-tech goods and textile industries where China plays a core role in the global supply chain, says a report from Euromonitor International…

COVID-19: Retail Sales Recovery Period For India Might Kick-Start From May

Until March 16, the consumer retail sales and walk-ins did not see much dip compared to last year and this could be due to festive shopping

Amid Lockdown, E-Commerce Becomes India's Shopping Lifeline

In pandemic times, shopping habits of consumers are changing – from bulk-buying to online shopping, people are changing what they’re buying, when they’re buying it and where they are buying it. With the entire brick-and-mortar retail community taking a hit, e-commerce / online shopping have become lifelines for the people of India.

E-COMMERCE, SPECIAL INITIATIVES KEEP GLOBAL RETAIL TICKING AMID COVID19 CRISIS

Global retail reports factory closure and job losses as retailers, manufacturers and warehouses in European and American market continue to suffer from the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic…

COVID and Beyond: Evaluating Digital Engagement Options for Frontline Employees

Post Covid, with a more discerning customer and tightened purse strings, only trained personnel who can engage meaningfully will make the customer part with their money. The rest will be just pure wasted opportunity...

Impact of COVID19 on Indian Retail

A survey conducted by Retailers Association of India highlights how retail industry is coping up with COVID 19 crisis…

Decoding Suraksha Stores: The Government's Retail Initiative to Fight Coronavirus

The government will rope in private firms to implement this plan, which seeks to ensure that proper protocol is followed in the entire supply chain, right from manufacturing units to retail outlets, to combat COVID-19…

Countering the Pandemic Effect: Best Laid Plans by Retail Giants

While the retail sector worldwide has been hit hard, large industry players are stepping up to the challenge, coming forward and helping the retail community, setting examples for smaller business to follow…

Contactless Delivery: The New Normal for Restaurants & Food Tech Cos

Popular food aggregator apps such as Zomato and Swiggy are promising ‘contactless delivery’ to their customers and big fast food brands such as Dominos India and McDonald’s are revamping their processes to focus on hygiene.