The Cool 'n' Trendy T-shirts becoming hot in India
T-shirts are most preferred and acceptable in Indian market
In India, earlier, T-shirts were preferred by children and teens only, but now a days people of all age-groups wears T-shirts. Generally old age people prefer mostly collared T-shirts with branded names. Kids buy T-shirts of styles Pokemon and Spiderman and with many cartoon themes.
Recently, T-shirts with plain colors like white, bottle green, emerald green, kelly green, sky blue, navy, orange, royal blue, sunflower, heather, ash, olive, khaki, deep navy, navy, aqua etc are preferred in office or with the corporate logo or slogans. Today, a new corporate trend of dressing observed in India, especially in the information technology industry where you can come with a blazer or sports jacket and attend a meeting wearing T-shirt too.
Ladies are also wearing T-shirts in corporate houses with contrasting bound neck band and cuffs, short sleeve T-shirts. Even many offices are also favoring Western wear including corporate T-shirts. Indian fashion trends are going to West now a days.
Shopping malls have been growing in India like mushrooms and selling branded T-shirts and clothes to youngsters. In India most ladies are wearing T-shirts, Indian women are giving up their traditional wears like saris, salwar kameez and pajamas and replacing these with western wear, like skirts and trousers, jeans wear, short and tight T-shirts etc. Women find Western clothing is like skirts and trousers, jeans wear, short and tight T-shirts etc. Women find Western clothing are more convenient, especially when office hours or while traveling. Along with a short T-shirt women are used to wear low-cut pants/jeans with a tight belt is a hot and new trend in India.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Retail business: T - Shirts Industry - India - I
Retail business: T - Shirts Industry - India - I: "Wearing Tees: It is all about your personality and attitude The Cool 'n' Trendy T-shirts becoming hot in India T-shirts are those simple, ..."
T - Shirts Industry - India - I
Wearing Tees: It is all about your personality and attitude
The Cool 'n' Trendy T-shirts becoming hot in India
T-shirts are those simple, comfy cotton casuals, an influence of the West, which blends easily with Indian style of dressing. T-shirt, if the funny name makes you wonder, here is the history. The name apparently is credited to its simple design. Indian Tennis player Sania Mirza wears T-shirt bearing the words like "Well-behaved women rarely make history", "Attitude Unlimited" and many more. Today she is facing a tough time in answering the questions from the media related to skin tight T-shirt she wears. Indeed a hot issue of cool T-shirt!
Everyone believes that what you dress or wear says a lot about your personality. It displays your character and behavior. Sometimes T-shirts gives a perfect attitude of a person when displaying some slogans or logos and it also displays the community or religion you belong to or association / group associated with it, hence it leads to intelligent conversation or displays what you want to speak about. That means it convey your messages in the form of slogan or logo and ultimately your attitude!
Normally, teens prefer short sleeves T-shirt with attitude slogans. Many young people prefers T-shirts with attitude slogans like "God bless everyone"," Bad attitude", "I am on summer holiday", " Flower Friend", , "I have an attitude!", etc. If you care about the animals show it with "Animal's friend", if you care about environment wear T-shirt with slogans like "Think Green", "Protect Earth from Pollution" and the possibility of playing around with words, designing and wearing it on you is immense. And all it depends on what you want to show and what you are wearing that ultimately describe your attitude.
The Cool 'n' Trendy T-shirts becoming hot in India
T-shirts are those simple, comfy cotton casuals, an influence of the West, which blends easily with Indian style of dressing. T-shirt, if the funny name makes you wonder, here is the history. The name apparently is credited to its simple design. Indian Tennis player Sania Mirza wears T-shirt bearing the words like "Well-behaved women rarely make history", "Attitude Unlimited" and many more. Today she is facing a tough time in answering the questions from the media related to skin tight T-shirt she wears. Indeed a hot issue of cool T-shirt!
Everyone believes that what you dress or wear says a lot about your personality. It displays your character and behavior. Sometimes T-shirts gives a perfect attitude of a person when displaying some slogans or logos and it also displays the community or religion you belong to or association / group associated with it, hence it leads to intelligent conversation or displays what you want to speak about. That means it convey your messages in the form of slogan or logo and ultimately your attitude!
Normally, teens prefer short sleeves T-shirt with attitude slogans. Many young people prefers T-shirts with attitude slogans like "God bless everyone"," Bad attitude", "I am on summer holiday", " Flower Friend", , "I have an attitude!", etc. If you care about the animals show it with "Animal's friend", if you care about environment wear T-shirt with slogans like "Think Green", "Protect Earth from Pollution" and the possibility of playing around with words, designing and wearing it on you is immense. And all it depends on what you want to show and what you are wearing that ultimately describe your attitude.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Planning the retail - The tangibles of touch points
Setting up retail outlets is one form of forward integration that gives a company access to additional customer touch points by way of product sales and after-sales service. Successful retail operations strengthen the company brand and enhance customer loyalty. In the Indian context, there have been several examples of SMEs who sensed a retail opportunity and came up with innovative business models that were eminently successful.
The Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company (ABCTCL) today is more recognised by its chain of branded coffee outlets known as Café Coffee Day. ABCTCL is an integrated coffee company in India with a presence across the entire value chain from plantations to retailing. The company has about 5,000 acres of
plantations spread over Chickmagalur, one of Karnataka’s coffee-growing districts. The company started off as a grower and exporter of coffee beans and later forayed into retail operations. Today the highly popular Café Coffee Day chain has about 552 stores spread across 90 cities, that source coffee from its own plantations and as well as local suppliers.
A lower pricing strategy compared to competitors and the offer of an equivalent quality product combined with excellent service has made it the most successful coffee chain in India. This thriving forward integration
has enabled Café Coffee Day to charge around Rs40 per cup of cappuccino against Rs4 worth of coffee
bean ingredients. Entry into retail has resulted in a faster growth for ABCTCL vis-à-vis CCL Products, an exporter of coffee.
Kitchen appliances maker TTK Prestige operates Smart Kitchen showrooms across India. The company has expanded from 50 outlets in 27 cities in 2004-05 to about 200 outlets in 100 cities in 2006-07. The Smart Kitchen is a one-stop shop that showcases the entire range of Prestige kitchenware. Besides presenting the best and latest products from the Prestige staple to consumers, these showrooms use the ambience of a live kitchen with plush interiors to enhance the brand image. The company uses the retail chain to channelise TTK’s new customer care tools such as Prestige Privilege Club (a loyalty programme) and Prestige Kitchen Care (a service programme).
Namdhari Fresh is a retail venture from the Namdhari Group, the largest Indian manufacturer of hybrid seeds.The unique value proposition of Namdhari Fresh is the supply of quality produce, the majority of which they grow organically. The freshness of the produce is achieved through use of superior cold storage systems
that maintain temperatures of about 10 degrees in the room and the vegetable sales rack. This value
proposition (freshness and superior quality) has helped Namdhari Fresh in commanding a price premium for its fruits and vegetables over regular markets.
Koutons is a leading apparel manufacturing company that has forward integrated into retail under the
Koutons and Charlie Outlaw brands through a network of 1,147 + exclusive brand outlets. The company started as an apparel manufacturing unit in 1993 and started retailing operations only in 2002.
What is unique to Koutons is that, while most Indian apparel manufacturers cum retailers sell through a mix
of exclusive outlets, national chain stores and multi brand outlets, Koutons sells only through its exclusive
outlets. This strategy has enabled them to focus on quality maintenance and customer satisfaction without
any channel conflict. Not surprisingly, Koutons has grown faster than the Zodiac Clothing Company which
retails mainly through multi-branded outlets.
Internationally, one of the best examples of forward integration into retail is the Apple store. Apple has built stores that offer a unique customer experience through innovative use of store design. The layout simulates the usage environment at a customer’s home or office, and has less than 20 products on sale.
Apple has done away with checkout counters and replaced them with wireless credit card readers carried by the salespeople who also handle payments. There is a strong service element within the store as well.
Every store has a Genius Bar, where trained and highly qualified personnel share insights, technical advice and technical support on different products. All these activities have resulted in the Apple stores grossing maximum annual sales per square feet in comparison to other retail stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.
The Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company (ABCTCL) today is more recognised by its chain of branded coffee outlets known as Café Coffee Day. ABCTCL is an integrated coffee company in India with a presence across the entire value chain from plantations to retailing. The company has about 5,000 acres of
plantations spread over Chickmagalur, one of Karnataka’s coffee-growing districts. The company started off as a grower and exporter of coffee beans and later forayed into retail operations. Today the highly popular Café Coffee Day chain has about 552 stores spread across 90 cities, that source coffee from its own plantations and as well as local suppliers.
A lower pricing strategy compared to competitors and the offer of an equivalent quality product combined with excellent service has made it the most successful coffee chain in India. This thriving forward integration
has enabled Café Coffee Day to charge around Rs40 per cup of cappuccino against Rs4 worth of coffee
bean ingredients. Entry into retail has resulted in a faster growth for ABCTCL vis-à-vis CCL Products, an exporter of coffee.
Kitchen appliances maker TTK Prestige operates Smart Kitchen showrooms across India. The company has expanded from 50 outlets in 27 cities in 2004-05 to about 200 outlets in 100 cities in 2006-07. The Smart Kitchen is a one-stop shop that showcases the entire range of Prestige kitchenware. Besides presenting the best and latest products from the Prestige staple to consumers, these showrooms use the ambience of a live kitchen with plush interiors to enhance the brand image. The company uses the retail chain to channelise TTK’s new customer care tools such as Prestige Privilege Club (a loyalty programme) and Prestige Kitchen Care (a service programme).
Namdhari Fresh is a retail venture from the Namdhari Group, the largest Indian manufacturer of hybrid seeds.The unique value proposition of Namdhari Fresh is the supply of quality produce, the majority of which they grow organically. The freshness of the produce is achieved through use of superior cold storage systems
that maintain temperatures of about 10 degrees in the room and the vegetable sales rack. This value
proposition (freshness and superior quality) has helped Namdhari Fresh in commanding a price premium for its fruits and vegetables over regular markets.
Koutons is a leading apparel manufacturing company that has forward integrated into retail under the
Koutons and Charlie Outlaw brands through a network of 1,147 + exclusive brand outlets. The company started as an apparel manufacturing unit in 1993 and started retailing operations only in 2002.
What is unique to Koutons is that, while most Indian apparel manufacturers cum retailers sell through a mix
of exclusive outlets, national chain stores and multi brand outlets, Koutons sells only through its exclusive
outlets. This strategy has enabled them to focus on quality maintenance and customer satisfaction without
any channel conflict. Not surprisingly, Koutons has grown faster than the Zodiac Clothing Company which
retails mainly through multi-branded outlets.
Internationally, one of the best examples of forward integration into retail is the Apple store. Apple has built stores that offer a unique customer experience through innovative use of store design. The layout simulates the usage environment at a customer’s home or office, and has less than 20 products on sale.
Apple has done away with checkout counters and replaced them with wireless credit card readers carried by the salespeople who also handle payments. There is a strong service element within the store as well.
Every store has a Genius Bar, where trained and highly qualified personnel share insights, technical advice and technical support on different products. All these activities have resulted in the Apple stores grossing maximum annual sales per square feet in comparison to other retail stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Innovations in online retail models - II
Expedia is the leading online travel agent in the US having an approximate 5 per cent share of the overall $247 bn US travel market in 2007. Expedia has developed a niche for itself in the leisure segment of the market by offering customised vacations to price sensitive customers at cheaper rates than traditional travel agents. This has been done by strategic tie-ups with suppliers and leveraging economies of scale.
Little or no ownership of inventory (thanks to the reliance on strategic alliances / networks) and minimal physical presence have resulted in the achievement of EBIDTA margins of about 25 per cent which are way above the industry average of 10 –15 per cent.
Online models have also been successful in categories such as jewellery, that require high customer involvement and where a physical store model would have earlier seemed indispensable.
Blue Nile (revenue of $319mn in 2007) is a leading online seller of jewellery in the US. The company has adopted a virtual model in which it does not put any of its capital at risk and carries little inventory. It provides a shop window for suppliers and simply takes a cut when a transaction occurs. This model enables it to sell at 30-40 per cent below the price of a traditional jewellery store and 50 per cent below the high-end shops.
The key feature of Blue Nile is its focus on on-site consumer education via online tools like guides to diamond grading. Most of the diamonds sold on the site come with Gemological Institute of America or the American Gem Society Laboratories certifications and a 30-day return policy. This innovative business model has enabled Blue Nile to become one of the top ten specialty jewellery retailers in the US, confounding predictions that luxury and e-commerce would never mix.Technology can be a key driver in online retailing. For example, Amazon, a leading online retailer of books, has launched a new service that allows customers to buy products and compare prices through their mobile phones, in addition to the internet.
Little or no ownership of inventory (thanks to the reliance on strategic alliances / networks) and minimal physical presence have resulted in the achievement of EBIDTA margins of about 25 per cent which are way above the industry average of 10 –15 per cent.
Online models have also been successful in categories such as jewellery, that require high customer involvement and where a physical store model would have earlier seemed indispensable.
Blue Nile (revenue of $319mn in 2007) is a leading online seller of jewellery in the US. The company has adopted a virtual model in which it does not put any of its capital at risk and carries little inventory. It provides a shop window for suppliers and simply takes a cut when a transaction occurs. This model enables it to sell at 30-40 per cent below the price of a traditional jewellery store and 50 per cent below the high-end shops.
The key feature of Blue Nile is its focus on on-site consumer education via online tools like guides to diamond grading. Most of the diamonds sold on the site come with Gemological Institute of America or the American Gem Society Laboratories certifications and a 30-day return policy. This innovative business model has enabled Blue Nile to become one of the top ten specialty jewellery retailers in the US, confounding predictions that luxury and e-commerce would never mix.Technology can be a key driver in online retailing. For example, Amazon, a leading online retailer of books, has launched a new service that allows customers to buy products and compare prices through their mobile phones, in addition to the internet.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Retail business :- Innovations in online retail models
Online retailing has been adopted by an entire spectrum of categories ranging from low to medium customer involvement — such as, travel, books, event tickets — to the high involvement categories of jewellery and accessories.
Through this format, companies can lower costs on real estate rentals, inventory and overheads to offer a price-sensitive value proposition to customers seeking alternate points of purchases.
Achieving this requires a thorough understanding of customer needs, their relative importance and an in-depth knowledge of the value chain to bring in supply chain efficiencies. This format also brings in the added advantage of convenience at points of purchase and delivery.
Through this format, companies can lower costs on real estate rentals, inventory and overheads to offer a price-sensitive value proposition to customers seeking alternate points of purchases.
Achieving this requires a thorough understanding of customer needs, their relative importance and an in-depth knowledge of the value chain to bring in supply chain efficiencies. This format also brings in the added advantage of convenience at points of purchase and delivery.
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