Social and Economic Significance of Retailing
The retailer acts as a link between the customer and the marketer, who is responsible for selling the ultimate products and services to the customers. In the entire complicated process of marketing, retailer acts an intermediary in the complex marketing & distribution channel. Though manufacturers can directly sell their products and services to the end […]
How the Promised Utopia of Technology is Turning into a Perilous Dystopian Nightmare
What it was like during the Early Days of the Internet Boom when Utopia seemed Possible There is a general consensus among economists and management experts that technology leads to increased productivity, elimination of redundant barriers between the parties in a commercial exchange, enhances innovation and invention, and above all, contributes to the betterment of […]
Pension Funds and Fiduciary Duty
Whenever investors pool their resources together in order to create a fund that then invests in other assets, the concept of fiduciary duty comes into play. The average investor considers fiduciary duty to be a complex legal subject and hence tries to avoid delving into the details. However, the subject is not very complex. Also, […]
Falling Gender Ratio and Ways to Prevent the Decline in Numbers of Women
While the gender ratio was hovering around 930-950 throughout the earlier decades when there were fewer women than men as a statistical fact, this has become more alarming in recent years because the number is falling rapidly. When taken together with the overall increase in population of India that has a large percentage of young […]
What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ?
Gross domestic product (GDP), this is a term which is familiar to pretty much anybody who has ever read any newspaper. This number is considered by many to be the most important indicator of the state of the economy. However, how little clarity we have on the subject is remarkable. The average public is not […]
Retailing is defined as the process of selling merchandise to the consumers for their end use in small quantities. The retailer sells products to the end-users either in single units or in small quantities as per their need and capability.
| Retailer | .................................. | Consumer (End - User) |
| Retailing |
Let us now understand the various ways a consumer can purchase goods from the retailer.
As the name suggests, counter service refers to the process of procuring the merchandise from the counter. The buyer does not have an easy access to the merchandise of the store and he can’t pick up things on his own. In such a mechanism the buyer has to walk up to the counter and ask for his requirements.
Example
Jewellery Store
Can you go to a jewellery store and pick up things on your own ? No
You need to ask the sales person to show you the sample designs for you to finalize something as per your taste and pocket.
Chemist Shop
Chemist shop does not allow the buyers to simply walk into the store and pick up medicines. One needs to walk up to the counter, show his prescription from the doctor to get the medicines from the retailer.
The mechanism of shipping goods to the customer’s doorsteps is called as delivery service. The end-user does not have to walk up to the store to procure his merchandise; instead the goods are directly delivered to his house through various means of transportation. Delivery service is a boon for the individuals who have an extremely busy life style and do not have enough time to walk up to the store.
Online Shopping
Internet has helped end-users to shop from their homes only. Online shopping sites like Amazon, eBay etc provide a wide range of options to the consumers who can order the desired merchandise through internet. Once the payment is done through debit or credit cards, the goods are delivered at the address the customer requests for. The transportation charges however are borne by the consumer himself.
Order through telephone
Now a days several restaurants and eating joints provide an option of ordering food while sitting at home. The food outlets upload their complete menu in the website providing a wide range of options to the end-users. One can easily place his order over the phone and the food is delivered at his doorstep within no time.
Pizza Hut, Dominos (Promise to deliver hot and crisp pizza within 30 minutes of placing the order)
Examples
Eureka Forbes operates on this mechanism where experienced sales professional visits the doorsteps of the potential customers, gives them presentations and influences them to purchase the product.
Telephone companies also sometimes rely on this mechanism to sell their connections.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
