With the opening up of the Indian economy in the early 1990s, methodize retail started making inroads into India. The entry of global retail giants like Shoppers Stop and Pantaloons (now owned by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited) in the early 1990s marked the emergence of methodize retail in India. These retailers introduced modern formats of retailing like department stores and hypers which provided customers with large stores housing multiple brands under one roof along with other value-added services.
Growth Of Supers And Hypers
Through the 1990s and 2000s, super and hyper formats started growing rapidly across metropolitan cities in India. Retailers like Reliance Retail, Big Bazaar (owned by Future Retail), SPENCERS, D-Mart pioneered such large format stores selling everything from groceries to apparels and electronics under one roof. The promise of huge stocks of goods, competitive prices and a hassle-free shopping experience drew many urban consumers towards such methodize retail outlets. Gradually retailers started expanding these formats to tier 2 and 3 cities as well.
Rise Of Department Stores And Malls
Along with supers and hypers, department store chains like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Westside also witnessed rapid growth during this period. They provided fashion, cosmetics and other lifestyle products at multiple price points under one roof. Also, shopping malls started emerging in major cities as preferred shopping destinations housing international and domestic retail brands along with entertainment and F&B options. Major retail real estate developers like Phoenix Mills, DLF, Oberoi Realty built large retail mall spaces across cities.
Growth Of E-Commerce
In the last decade, online retail platforms have revolutionized methodize retailing in India. Tech-savvy young Indian consumers have readily embraced e-commerce for its convenience of shopping from anywhere at any time. Pioneering Indian e-tailers like Flipkart and Snapdeal captured this opportunity and grew meteorically. They house thousands of merchants/brands across categories and deliver across 27,000+ pincodes in India. Now global giants Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart have made India one of their top priority s globally. E-grocery is also gaining traction through startups like BigBasket, Grofers, etc.
Expansion Of Categories
Beyond apparel and consumer electronics, methodize retail is now expanding into newer categories in India. Retailers are entering grocery, furniture, home decor, FMCG, digital products segment which was earlier dominated by traditional unorganized trade. Future Group acquired online furniture retailer Urban Ladder in 2019 to push its furniture business. Reliance Retail recently acquired online pharmacy Netmeds, online furniture retailer urban Ladder and fitness equipment startup XYXX to foray into new ventures.
Growth Of Private Labels
As retailers consolidate their supply chain and sourcing capabilities, private labels have gained ground across fashion, home, food & grocery categories. Private labels help retailers increase margins and differentiate themselves. Major super chains have launched an array of private labels across price points. For e.g. Big Bazaar and D-Mart have thousands of SKUs under their private labels today across categories. This has given tough competition to national brands on pricing.
Methodize Retail – Key Trends And Challenges
Omnichannel Retailing
Going forward, seamless integration of online and offline retail channels will be crucial for methodize retailers to serve evolving consumer needs. International retailers like Walmart, IKEA, Best Buy have integrated robust omnichannel strategies. In India as well emerging trends point towards Click & Collect, Buy Online Pick-up in Store (BOPIS) solutions. COVID-19 has further accelerated shift towards such omnichannel retailing across various categories.
Rise Of Quick Commerce
Post-pandemic, consumer demand for instant delivery of groceries, foods and other daily needs has resulted in the rapid growth of quick commerce startups in India. Pioneers like Blinkit (formerly Grofers), Dunzo are fulfilling consumer needs within 10-20 minutes. Grocery, FMCG companies have also introduced 15-30 minute delivery models to capture this hyperlocal segment. Methodize retailers need to build or partner with such rapid delivery platforms to future-proof their businesses and meet evolving customer expectations.
Technology Adoption
Technological capabilities like AI, predictive analytics, IoT, will play a big role in enhancing consumer experience as well as back-end supply chain operations across methodize retail . Major retailers are investing heavily in developing their technology infrastructure around areas of personalization, in-store analytics, inventory management, predictive merchandising etc. This will help them gain competitive advantage and efficiency over the long run.
Challenges Of High Real Estate Costs
Real estate constitutes a major fixed cost component for retailers. India’s irrational real estate prices across cities remain a lingering challenge especially for large format stores. Retailers are utilizing various models like revenue sharing to optimize real estate costs. But stable and -friendly policy framework is needed from the government end to resolve this long-standing issue.
In organized retail in India has come a long way in the last three decades rising rapidly to reach an estimated size of US$ 900 billion with significant headroom to grow further through both online and offline expansion. While evolving consumer demands and international best practices bring several opportunities, persistent issues around real estate and multi-brand regulations warrant pragmatic policy reforms. Overall, consolidation of formats coupled with strategic adoption of technologies will determine the future growth trajectory of modern retail sector in India.
About Author – Alice Mutum
Alice Mutum is a seasoned senior content editor at Coherent Market Insights, leveraging extensive expertise gained from her previous role as a content writer. With seven years in content development, Alice masterfully employs SEO best practices and cutting-edge digital marketing strategies to craft high-ranking, impactful content. As an editor, she meticulously ensures flawless grammar and punctuation, precise data accuracy, and perfect alignment with audience needs in every research report. Alice’s dedication to excellence and her strategic approach to content make her an invaluable asset in the world of market insights. LinkedIn