The Indian retail sector is going through a paradigm shift with the entry of big players like Wal-Mart and Reliance. If we look at the statistics, as per the last report on Indian retail by Ernst & Young, currently the industry is pegged at $230 billion in India, and only three percent of the sector is organized. That’s all poised to change as organized retail is supposed to grow four-fold from $7 to $30 billion by 2010. All of which will need gobs of technology coupled with savvy marketing and branding in malls.

With changing shopping dynamics, consumers are becoming more powerful as a consequence of the options that they have on hand. It is commonplace amongst retailers to lure hordes of customers by offering goods at the cheapest rates in sales. By keeping the profit margins low, retailers are ensured brisk sales. Future Bazaar, a Future Group division, comes out with discount offers a couple of times a year, particularly around August 15 and January 26. The organization had, in fact, faced some bitter experiences in 2006, when during a sale, a riot-like situation had occurred in the vicinity of the Big Bazaar and Pantaloon outlets in Phoenix Mills, Mumbai.

retail chain cannot do much about customer turnout, which is a result of focused pre-event marketing. When thousands of people land up, it leads to unimaginable chaos and life is hell for store managers. Problems emerge when shoppers have to stand in queues just to enter a store. The line never stops—to buy a product, pay the bill, and get out of the store—there is a queue everywhere. These queues deter many customers who return without making a purchase.