question hour. Entry by stages is a good way to go

Entry by stages is a good way to go

I have the franchise for a luxury watch. If I have to prioritise distribution, how must I go about it?

Kanpur

Rohit, prioritisation and entry by stages is a good way to go in India. Right now, in the big eight cities and megapolises. In Tier II and III towns over the next 18-24 months. What is important, however, is to manage the inventory of such stocking carefully. One needs to stock with intelligence. One needs to do a Pareto on each of these towns and understand which top 20 per cent of outlets will contribute the 80 per cent of sale volume and value. One needs to, therefore, indulge in discriminated distribution. This is a science in itself. You have to learn it on the ground level…..or call in the pundits who know this game well.

I am a jute farmer. How do I brand? And must I?

Kochi

Naveen, I believe in the fact that the future is about brands. Invest money ahead of the curve and be adventurous in your branding programme. Only the adventurous will survive in creating brands of their own which will insulate profits of the future.

Those who don’t will either perish on the way, or fall into the hands of the intermediary retailer who will squeeze margins, sooner than later. Therefore, good to brand and own a set of unique propositions which will make your jute produce stand out from the rest. Branding is really standing out from the rest for a start.

Do you feel that India is being westernised by brands at a pace it cannot handle?

Bengaluru

Jaya, no I don’t. I do believe India and Indians can and do know how to handle it all with equanimity.

I do believe Westernisation started with Nehru-ji. He was as Western as they came. But this was a rather private Westernisation, much of which was hidden from the knowledge of real India.

In those days, the dominant medium of dissemination of information was Print. And Print reached the people who were literate. And literacy was low.

Today, the medium of mass dissemination of information is Television. And television is a medium that anyone who cannot read or write can understand. This is what I call “New Literacy” in my book. Anybody with a pair of ears and eyes is literate because he or she can watch television.

Today. westernisation is something that is seen and felt by all. Those who live across the street and are totally Indianised in their mannerisms do find it odd that Westernisation is growing at such a rapid pace. When it impinges on their social, economic, political and, importantly, religious sensitivity, they react.

There are two sides to this issue. One is what the educated, urban-empowered and city-dwellers represent. The other is what the rest of India represents. The tussle starts here. But all of it is manageable, for sure.

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