Apparel July 2019 Apparel July 2019 issue | Page 82

MARKET WATCH
Omnichannel retail
driving up customers
satisfaction for brands/
retailers
Many brands are opting for omnichannel
strategies. Leading from the front are two start-
ups, Wagonfly and Perpule, who promise
to offer a personalised shopping experience to
their customers.
Both Perpule and Wagonfly have designed self-
checkout systems that enable their customers
to discover new products, access offers by the
companies, and get the product information on
an application. The system designed by Perpule
also allows customers to scan the barcode
and pay for their items through this application.
It reduces the customers’ shopping time by
eliminating their waiting time at the billing counter.
The system designed by Wagonfly, on the other
hand, includes a kiosk that enables customers to
place a shopping bag on the screen. A display
on the screen then populates all the items in the
bag after which customers can proceed to pay
their bill and leave. Both Perpule and Wagonfly
also offer real-time data and analysis on customer
behaviour, which retailers can use to personalise
offers and experiences to improve their
loyalty programmes.
As per Wagonfly and Perpule, such
technologies will need some time before they gain
popularity as they represent a new segment in
omnichannel business. Though initially including
the integration of a brand’s online presence with
its offline stores, omnichannel now also includes
an enhanced shopping experience at the brand’s
bricks-and-mortar stores.
Many online players are enhancing their
platforms through various advanced technologies.
Myntra, for example, has introduced augmented
reality on its platform. This platform enables
customers to digitally try on clothes, makeup,
and accessories.
70
I APPAREL I
July 2019
There was a time when jogger pants, hoodies,
sneakers, yoga pants, or gym stingers were
essentially considered as gym-wear. But today,
the athleisure trend has become a part of people’s
daily wear. One of the most versatile trends,
athleisure is not just comfortable but also very
stylish. It can be worn while travelling, hanging out
with friends or even for an evening out. The trend,
seen at the Oscars’ red carpet, can be mixed and
matched. Its versatility enables it to be worn by a
13-year-old as well as a 60-year-old.
Celebrities donning gym-wear at public places
and social events have also added to its popularity
as today, we see more people preferring high-
performance clothing, which enhances
their movement.
On an average, the athleisure category has been
growing at 4.1 percent from 2008 to 2015 on. It
has been growing at a rate faster than any other
category. No longer just a trend, athleisure has now
become a part of the modern lifestyle, and a smart
investment opportunity.
@Shutterstock.com
More than modern
lifestyle, athleisure
offers sound investment
opportunity
V-Mart clocks five per cent SSSG
V-Mart Retail has recorded same-store sales growth (SSSG) of five
per cent.
The brand plans to register at least seven per cent same-store
sales growth in this year. The private label contribution is around 52
per cent. V-Mart targets something around Rs 120 per square feet
from front-end operations.
V-Mart Retail has 227 stores in 178 cities across 17 states. It has
43 stores in Bihar and 10 in Madhya Pradesh. The brand is trying to
work on products, which have higher margins, like fashion. It is now
trying to increase more sales per square feet, to drive more margins
from the products it sells, keeping the cost almost constant or lower
in terms of percentage of sales. In Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand,
and Jharkhand, V-Mart is a leader in the value segments. The group
plans to have the biggest market share in the total organised retail of
these areas.