The Hindu Business Line : You are my India!

Retail history: Big Bazaar made Rs 125 crore in total in a three-day sale across its outlets. (Above) A file picture of police trying to control the crowds at a Big Bazaar sale in Hyderabad last year.

In the Sixties, an extremely humorous Tamil film titled Kathalikka Neramillai rocked Madras. The film, made by a famous director with the admirable name of Sridhar, had an interesting dialogue which went something like this: Nagesh in the movie is a guy who is mad about making films. His two sisters come for a break and he asks them what Tamil film they had seen recently. "We don't see Tamil pictures, we see only English pictures," they chorus proudly. To which Nagesh with his usual aplomb says, "Let my picture come, then all Englishmen will say that we don't see English pictures, we see only Tamil pictures." To which his sisters say, "Then we will stop seeing films."

More than the humour in the dialogue or the situation, to me it represents a state of mind that was certainly present then and is perhaps present even today. And that is a preference for things that are not made within the shores of this country - be it the language, the food, the clothes and manner of dressing, the brands and at times the strategy used to sell these brands as well. Then things changed. India opened up its economy to the rest of the world and a host of international brands came into the country.

More bit the dust than hit the rooftops - our obsession with `value for money' and the right price-value equation was the key to success. People wanted brands but would not pay an arm and a leg to buy them. They would wait for the annual sale. Brands like Vivek's made the New Year Sales events customers wait for. Even traditionally dull months like Aadi in Tamil Nadu were turned into opportunities to sell. Of course, countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai had their own version of sales.

Yes, sales are here to stay it seems and brands will continue to milk them even as they try to ensure that there is no dilution in the brand's value. But one brand has taken this entire creation of an annual event and in making a property of it, to the next level. And that is Big Bazaar.

Sabse sasta

Last year, on January 26, I was in Delhi. And as I went for my early morning walk braving the cold, I saw something that one does not see often in a shopping centre. There was a long, winding queue of customers waiting for Big Bazaar to open. It reminded me of Tirumala! The crowds were unprecedented and at times unmanageable. This year Big Bazaar had organised it much better. It had a sale for three days. And created retail history.

Here are a few quick numbers. No less than 60 lakh visitors came to the Big Bazaars across the length and breadth of this country. The turnover? A whopping Rs 125 crore. Over one lakh bedsheets were sold. Not to forget 30,000 mobile phones. What staggering numbers!

And yet, it must also be mentioned that every other retail format - Lifestyle, Globus, Westside - was offering 50 per cent discounts at the same time. It seems to have had a limited impact on Big Bazaar. Yet, I think it is worthwhile to go beyond the numbers and look at something equally more significant.

Just who is your customer?

Kishore Biyani has not been dubbed the Raja of Retail for nothing. He has a strong intuitive streak and a clear understanding of the Indian consumer. He believes that people like you and me may not really be shoppers at Big Bazaar despite the fantastic deals that we may get. But there is another India. C.K. Prahalad called it the pot of gold at the bottom of the pyramid that MNCs were missing out on.

Biyani believes that people like you and me shop every third day. But the India that made a sale of Rs 125 crore in three days happen has different shopping habits. It shops rarely, and in his estimation, once a year. And this ability to understand the fact that this customer is different, has potential and is to be wooed, is what sets him apart. Insights about consumers can be worth their weight in gold. And I think we need to open the shackles of the mind to explore new opportunities and discover new customers.

Look outside your world

Sometimes we are slaves of our environment, upbringing and zones of comfort. We keep discussing the relative merits of golfing holidays in Thailand vs Sri Lanka, the Skoda vs the Corolla and the Honda Civic vs the Toyota Camry. But then the new Indian middle class is not only the software techie. The media attention and hype surrounding this segment should not detract us from the largely untapped potential of the real India.

Sachets exploded the shampoo market; Sonata made a difference to the domestic watch market as it addressed the budget segment whose size is over three crore units. In contrast the luxury watch segment is a mere five lakh units.

This seems to be the next big opportunity for Indian business. Imagine the impact of a Rs 1 lakh Tata car on the Indian middle class and recall the tremendous impression that Nirma made to the Indian detergent market. The size of our market is mouth-watering. But it needs vision, commitment to attack costs ruthlessly and offer a difference to a discerning customer.

Sabse achcha

What does the future hold and what must marketers do? At the risk of repeating myself, I must say that we must move out of our own zones of comfort. We must continually monitor the consumer and not merely believe what we want to believe. The media is at best a poor indicator of the changes that are sweeping the country. We need to get a closer feel for the Indian consumer.

Biyani seems to have a great understanding of this emerging superpower. Take an objective look at costs and ruthlessly shave unwanted cost elements. Air Deccan's free seating ensures a much quicker turnaround of aircraft. See if you can create an event that is easily recognisable as yours. An event that becomes a part of your brand and furthers its success. Yes, India is rising in expectation and affluence. The uncomfortable question is: "Do we know this India?"

(Ramanujam Sridhar is the CEO of Brand-comm)

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