It’s raining discounts at Vivek’s Chennai marking the
beginning of the Festival of Lights, Diwali. Vivek’s brings the gifts galore,
advertising all across the media and calling customers to shop this Diwali season. Vivek’s established the concept of the New
Year’s Big Sale in Chennai more than a score years ago and the NY Sales has now
become a common phenomenon in all the CDIT stores in India. As all of us are
aware in the Southern States of India it’s a custom to invite the newly weds
home for Diwali and shower gifts on them. The girl’s parents especially offer
gifts and new attire to the newly weds and in addition, present adorable gifts
as well. Sales, offers and gifts at retail help customers buy a great deal!
‘Dhanteras’ that falls on the eve of Diwali that ushers in
the first day of the five-day celebrations especially in the Northern parts of
India, is said to be an auspicious occasion to buy gold and customers make a
beeline for gold jewellery and for gold coins. Even banks like ICICI have begun
promoting their gold coins to every customer. So, every jewellery store gets
its massive ‘sale’ look and some large retailers even make special sales areas
to facilitate the process of consumer buying with ease on that day.
The West celebrates ‘Thanksgiving Day’ on 22nd November this year and the whole country goes on a ‘Sale’ spree. Retail
stores are flooded with customers usually during the Thanksgiving Day sale that
is celebrated by every store offering huge discounts. Thanksgiving also ushers
in the festive mood in the United States and Turkey has become a signature dish
to be had on that day at every home. Conceptualized occasions like this work
well to establish a ‘mood’ both for sales and for making customers buy too!
Big Bazaar has set the sales euphoria during National
Festival Holidays in India – The Republic Day and the Independence Day! We in
India have diverse cultures and many festivals! So we have many more
opportunities to create events for helping customers buy more and more often.
Many events have been created purposefully in developed economies by the
conceptualizing of a DAY to remember one or celebrate an event!
Cutting across cultures, we perhaps have to find many more
national level festivals to celebrate through the offering of great sales
uniformly in all the retail stores as it is done on the Thanksgiving Day in USA
just to mark Sales and Turkey more than anything else!
DAYS that mark Sales and Achievements can go a long way to
establish modern retailing successfully in India! While on the matter of
celebration of Days for Sales, I remember another recent significant commemorative
development – The TRRAIN Awards (http://www.trrain.org/supportus/page/id/39). I
do hope we stand together in establishing The RED letter day in India – Retail
Employees Day – to celebrate the efforts put in by our retail sales associates,
when B.S.Nagesh’s TRRAIN awards are given away to the deserving achievers on
12.12.12 in Bangalore. I believe it was a grand maiden event last year in
Mumbai when it was for the first time, the efforts and contributions of the
level of associates were recognized. Way to go!
- Dr. Gibson G. Vedamani
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