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Apparel and consumer durable retailers are offering Wi-Fi facility in store to get to know their customers better and send out promotional mails and tailor-made discounts when they are in the shop.

Store owners are hoping internet surfing by customers will enable them to discern the buyer’s clothing preferences and spending patterns. This could even help profile the large segment of their customers who pay cash.

The rewards are many, says Suhail Sattar, Co-Founder and Director, Hasbro Clothing Pvt Ltd. “Sometimes, promotional mails reach customers when they are riding a bike, talking to their families, or just busy at work. With this arrangement, we approach them when they are in the mood to shop.” Sattar, along with sibling Hanif, runs Basics Life, a nationwide chain of over 100 modern-apparel retail stores. The Sattars are trying out this strategy at some of their outlets located in the malls. Here is how it works: A Customer Resource Management software dredges up loyalty details and indicative spending range based on past purchases by customers the moment they begin to use the free Wi-Fi. Even before their first purchase, they get a message on discounts or loyalty limits.

A good Wi-Fi connection for a retail store would cost around ₹5,000 a month. The technology costs will in no way weigh on our balance sheet, says Sattar.

Close to 75 per cent of his customers are regulars, making a strong case for adopting data analytics to glean purchase patterns.

For shoe-maker Woodland, which had recently launched a range of outdoor gear, technology is a bankable option for promoting its products. At its outlet in Connaught Place, New Delhi, a large digital screen advertises backpacks, tents and running shoes that are not prominently in display at the store. “Since we have a wide range of products, we put up interactive digital screens to promote new designs,” says Harkirat Singh, Managing Director, Woodland.

With the youth as its target group, Woodland talks about its wares on social media and online consumer forums. Getting the Wi-Fi, an “expensive thing” according to Singh, is also on the cards. With over 500 company-run outlets, Woodland will set up the Internet facility in its outlets in the metros first as an experimental initiative.

Though it is just the beginning, the attempt shows online and bricks-and-mortar set-ups can co-exist, says Pragya Singh, Vice-President-Retail, Technopak Advisors, a management consultancy. The $490-billion Indian retail industry is largely unorganised, and cash is still the prevalent mode of transacting. “A lot of people in our country do not use plastic money, which makes it difficult for data analysers to get an idea of their spending. By providing Wi-Fi, retailers can get them on their radars.”

There is always the odd customer who steps out after viewing cheaper offers by a competitor. Price-conscious customers are bound to find out the best price for a product on their own internet connections, too, says Singh.

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