The Indian retail landscape has changed over the last twenty years with the advent of modern trade. Damodar Mall has worked in D Mart, Big bazaar and now is the CEO of Reliance Retail. This is an insightful book about the changes that he has seen.

1. Super marketwala
Damodar Mall

2. Growing consumer income,
aspiration and explosion of choice
in the market has given rise to
continuously changing purchase
behavior. From food to furniture ,
we are using very different things
from a decade ago.

3. There is a new game in town – the
game of freedom of ‘
shoptainment’ of open brand
flirting and of savings as a
participative sport.

4. Men and women shop differently.
For example if a man takes a shirt
to the trial room, there is a 66 %
chance he will buy some shirt at
the store. With a woman it is less
than 25 % chance that she will
buy.

5. The conversion is highest when
two women shop together,
followed by a woman alone and
then a man and woman together.
A man alone is the worst.

6. A man alone is best in an
electronics store.

7. People like to be respected for
who they are and not what they
should be. The democratic ethos
of modern trade ensures that.

8. A grocer is a ‘shopkeeper in law’
to the family. Young people and
young daughter in laws don’t like
this. They don’t like the loss of
freedom.

9. Waste and modernity are
synonymous. Modernity is
accompanied by convenience,
which is almost always derived
from habits that are wasteful.

10. In India there is a elbow push
factor, every queue has room for a
maximum distance from your
elbow to the tips of your finger.

11. Before self service stores,
consumers relied on an expert to
help them take decisions, get the
best deals and follow the latest
fashion trends.

12. Modern retail provides an
environment and opportunity for
getting close and personal with
the consumer.

13. The biggest change in a
refrigerator is the fact that it now
contains polybags of milk, bought
at one go at the local super
market.

14. In India Foods and Festivals are
inseparable.

15. Urban kitchens are changing, with
women seeking convenience and
tastes that are most suited to
modern lifestyles and palates.

16. There are thirty varieties of
dhoklas in Indian stores today and
the fancy new variants are priced
30 % above the normal.

17. Despite the advent of western
food, the traditional Indian food
as basic and with twists is still the
favorite.

18. Indians love two things – their
festivals and their growing
economic status.

19. With rising incomes, Indians are
also becoming assertive
consumers.

20. While incomes have grown, the
wardrobe size has remained the
same. Only 10-15 % of consumers
have bought new houses and
redesigned their home with a larger
wardrobe. So apparel brands have to
sell higher value products if they want
a place in the wardrobe now.

21. Social media is influencing fashion
choices. Real time posting of
pictures, comparisons and
commenting is driving this.

22. Clothes can give an indication of a
man’s profession. The American
TV show SUITS , as the title
indicates all about lawyers.

23. Professionals in India, especially
Multinational executives dress to
show that they belong to a club. A
manager is one who while leading
also wants to show he conforms.

24. The Indian entrepreneur needs his
own statement of power. This he
derives from his clothes, his
accessories, phones, cars, pens
and so on – he uses these to signal
his distinctive taste, influence and
power. ( early brands were Double
bull and Charagh Din)

25. The modern departmental store
hasn’t understood this difference
between professional and self
employed.

26. Most small and medium
businesses in India are official
capital starved.

27. Global brands like Pizza Hut and
Mc Donald's have made their
menu available from rs 50 to Rs
500. This has allowed the Indian
food like the humble idli, paratha
etc. to be priced up and hence we
see a lot of innovation to go up in
Indian food.

28. Indians need computers to
organize themselves but they also
want the reassurance of a human
interface to guide us through
every transaction.

29. DIY or do it yourself is a western
concept, Indians are more DIFM –
Do It For Me.

30. If you need to show real Indian
imagery and stories, you need to
stay sensitive to cultural
boundaries of behavior.

31. The Indian consumer is intuitively
frugal and traditionally
underserved.

32. When it comes to gyms, it is
curious that das do not bring their
kids to a gym, moms do in India.

33. Modern retail delivers a
significantly more involved
consumer to the brands, in a
positive environment of abundant
choice.