Retail Formats or Classification of Retail Firms

Regardless of the particular type of retailer (such as a supermarket or a department store), retailers can be categorized by (a) Ownership, (b) Store strategy mix, and (c) Non store operations.

1. Form of Ownership

A retail business like any other type of business, can be owned by a sole proprietor, partners or a corporation. A majority of retail business in India are sole proprietorships and partnerships.

1. Independent Retailer: Generally operates one outlet and offers personalized service, a convenient location and close customer contact. Roughly 98% of all the retail businesses in India, are managed and run by independents, including barber shops, drycleaners, furniture stores, bookshops, LPG Gas Agencies and neighbourhood stores. This is due to the fact that into retailing is easy and it requires low investment and little technical knowledge. This obviously results in a high degree of competition.. Most independent retailers fail because of the ease of entry, poor management skills and inadequate resources.
2. Retail Chain: It involves common ownership of multiple units. In such units, the purchasing and decision making are centralized. Chains often rely on, specialization, standardization and elaborate control- systems. Consequently chains are able to serve a large dispersed target market and maintain a well known company name. Chain stores have been successful, mainly because they have the opportunity to take advantage of “economies of scale” in buying and selling goods. They can maintain their prices, thus increasing their margins, or they can cut prices and attract greater sales volume. Unlike smaller, independent retailers with lesser financial means, they can also take advantage of such tools as computers and information technology. Examples of retail chains in India are Shoppers stop; West side and IOC, convenience stores at select petrol filling stations.
3. Retail Franchising: Is a contractual arrangement between a “franchiser” (which may be a manufacturer, wholesaler, or a service sponsor) and a “franchisee” or franchisees, which allows the latter to conduct a certain form of business under an established name and according to a specific set of rules. The franchise agreement gives the franchiser much discretion in controlling the operations of small retailers. In exchange for fees, royalties and a share of the profits, the franchiser offers assistance and very often supplies as well. Classic examples of franchising are; McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Nirulas.
4. Cooperatives: A retail cooperative is a group of independent retailers,that have combined their financial resources and their expertise in order to effectively control their wholesaling needs. They share purchases, storage, shopping facilities, advertising planning and other functions. The individual retailers retain their independence, but agree on broad common policies. Amul is a typical example of a cooperative in India.

2. Store Strategy Mix

Retailers can be classified by retail store strategy mix, which is an integrated combination of hours, location, assortment, service, advertising, and prices etc. The various categories are:

1. Convenience Store: Is generally a well situated, food oriented store with long operating house and a limited number of items. Consumers use a convenience store; for fill in items such as bread, milk, eggs, chocolates and candy etc.
2. Super markets: Is a diversified store which sells a broad range of food and non food items. A supermarket typically carries small house hold appliances, some apparel items, bakery, film developing, jams, pickles, books, audio/video CD’s etc.
3. Department Stores: A department store usually sells a general line of apparel for the family, household linens, home furnishings and appliances. Large format apparel department stores include Pantaloon, Ebony and Pyramid. Others in this category are: Shoppers Stop and Westside.
4. Speciality Store: Concentrates on the sale of a single line of products or services, such as Audio equipment, Jewellery, Beauty and Health Care, etc. Consumers are not confronted with racks of unrelated merchandise. Successful speciality stores in India include, Music World for audio needs, Tanishq for jewellery and McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Nirula’s for food services.
5. Hyper Markets: Is a special kind of combination store which integrates an economy super market with a discount department store. A hyper market generally has an ambience which attracts the family as whole. Pantaloon Retail India Ltd. (PRIL) through its hypermarket “Big Bazar”, offers products at prices which are 25% – 30% lower than the market price.

3. Non Store Retailing

In non store retailing, customers do not go to a store to buy. This type of retailing is growing very fast. Among the reasons are; the ability to buy merchandise not available in local stores, the increasing number of women workers, and the presence of unskilled retail sales persons who can not provide information to help shoppers make buying decisions. The major types of non store retailing are:

1. In Home Retailing: Where, a sales transaction takes place in a home setting – including door-door selling. It gives the sales person an opportunity to demonstrate products in a very personal manner. He/She has the prospect’s attention and there are fewer distractions as compared to a store setting. Examples of in home retailing include, Eureka Forbes vaccum cleaners and water filters.
2. Telesales/Telephone Retailing: This involves contact between the prospect and the retailer over the phone, for the purpose of making a sale or purchase. A large number of mobile phone service providers use this method. Other examples are private insurance companies, and credit companies etc.
3. Catalog Retailing: This is a type of non store retailing in which the retailers offers the merchandise in a catalogue, which includes ordering instructions and customer orders by mail. The basic attraction for shoppers is convenience. The advantages to the retailers include lover operating costs, lower rents, smaller sales staff and absence of shop lifting. This trend is catching up fast in India. Burlington’s catalogue shopping was quite popular in recent times. Some multi level marketing companies like Oriflame also resort to catalogue retailing.
4. Direct Response Retailing: Here the marketers advertise these products/ services in magazines, newspapers, radio and/or television offering an address or telephone number so that consumers can write or call to place an order. It is also sometimes referred to as “Direct response advertising.” The availability of credit cards and toll free numbers stimulate direct response by telephone. The goal is to induce the customer to make an immediate and direct response to the advertisement to “order now.” Telebrands is a classic example of direct response retailing. Times shopping India is another example.
5. Automatic Vending: Although in a very nascent stage in India, is the ultimate in non personal, non store retailing. Products are sold directly to customers/buyers from machines. These machines dispense products which enable customers to buy after closing hours. ATM’s dispensing cash at odd hours represent this form of non store retailing.
6. Electronic Retailing/E-Tailing: Is a retail format in which retailers communicate with customers and offer products and services for sale, over the internet. The rapid diffusion of internet access and usage, and the perceived low cost of entry has stimulated the creation of thousands of entrepreneurial electronic retailing ventures during the last 10 years or so. Amazon.com, E-bay .etc, are some of the many e-tailers operating today.