Apparel Online India Magazine March 1st Issue 2019 | Page 51

INDIA’S PREMIER SOURCING SHOW
R E TA I L E R S B R I D G I N G T H E O N L I N E A N D
OFFLINE GAPS
requires retailers to also compete on customer services offered
by them, which is no more restricted to on-time delivery.
Convenience, has become one very important factor in today’s
world that also leads to change in the shopping behaviour of
the customers. The brand has to stay relevant in this highly
competitive market and focus on exploiting all the technological
innovations available to them. The preferences of the consumers
are changing with each passing day, as a result of which retailers
are not just a product delivery system, they also help make
customers aware about the products and also help them in
making a better choice. As consumers today are exposed to so
many products offering almost similar features, it tends to raise
the expectations’ of the consumers. All the consumers are driven
by experience today, and they no longer differentiate between
online and offline medium. All they are looking for is a smooth
experience and the retailers need to build one in order to retain
their customers. Integrating online search with offline services
will help the brand in long run. This also means that each and
every customer has to be treated in a different way. Brands have
to adopt the omni-channel process as products are no longer the
differentiating factor.
Sharad Venkta
MD & CEO, Toonz Retail
O
ver the last two decades, retail market in India has
seen drastic transformation. The retail industry is now
fragmented in various segments. A number of factors are
responsible for this like rising disposable income, change in the
behaviour of the consumer and urbanization, amongst others. It
also includes the way products are sold to the customers. Today,
the consumers have “n” number of brands to choose from. This
has also changed drastically. Brands are no more selling just the
products to the consumers, instead they are focusing on selling
solutions to the customers. A very good example of the same is
brands selling style and not just apparels. Connecting directly
to the customers has become a core ingredient for all the brands
today and in order to make that happen, brands are looking for
innovative ways to reach out to their customers. The industry
has gone from being product-centric to consumer-centric, and
retailers are reaching all the customers through advancements in
technology.
Similarly, retail is also one of the most common industries that
have been affected by the digital transformation. Retailers
are exploring new ways that is helping them in bridging the
gap between the digital and physical world, and are trying
out different ways to handle the process in a much better way.
Retailers are not competing with another retailer now, instead
they are competing with the technology altogether. As the
competition is increasing, the focus of all the retailers has moved
towards innovation, to fulfil the needs and demands of today’s
consumer. Customer expectations are ever-changing and this
www.apparelresources.com | MARCH 1-15, 2019 | Apparel Online India
51