CONCEPT OF RETAILING

CONCEPT OF RETAILING
Introduction
The word 'Retail' is derived from a French word with the prefix re and the verb tailer meaning "to cut again". Evidently, retail trade is one that cuts off smaller portions from large lumps of goods. It is a process through which goods are transported to final consumers. In other words, retailing consists of the activities involved in selling directly to the ultimate consumer for personal, non-business use. It embraces the direct-to-customer sales activities of the producer, whether through his own stores by house-to-house canvassing or by mail-order business.
Manufacturers engage in retailing when they make direct-to-consumer sales of their products through their own stores (as Bata and Carona shoe companies, D.C.M. Stores, Mafatlals and Bombay Dyeing) by door-to-door canvass, or mail order or even on telephone. Even a wholesaler engages in retailing when sells directly to an ultimate consumer, although his main business may still be wholesaling.
A retailer is a merchant or occasionally an agent or a business enterprise, whose main business is selling directly to ultimate consumers for non-business use. He performs many marketing activities such as buying, selling, grading, risk-trading, and developing information about cusotmer's wants. Aretailer may sell infrequently to industrial users, but these are wholesale transactions, not retail sales. If over one half of the amount of volume of business comes from sales to ultimate consumers, i.e. sales at retail, he is classified as a retailer. Retailing occurs in all marketing channels for consumer products.
Importance of Retailing
The retailer is an intermediary in the marketing channel because he is both marketer and customer, who sells to the last man to consume. He is a specialist who maintains contact with the consumer and the producer; and is an important connecting link in a complex mechanism of marketing. Though producers may sell directly to consumers, such method of distributing goods to ultimate users is inconvenient, expensive and time consuming as compared to the job performed by a specialist in the line. Therefore, frequently the manufacturers depend on the retailers to sell their products to the ultimate consumers. The retailer, who is able to provide appropriate amenities without an excessive advance in prices of goods is rewarded by larger or more loyal patronage.
Economic Justification for retailing
All middlemen basically serve as purchasing agents for their customers and as sales specialists for their suppliers. To carry out those roles, retailers perform many activities, including anticipating customer's wants, developing assortments of products, acquiring market information and financing.
It is relatively easy to become a retailer. No large investment in production equipment is required, merchandise can often be purchased on credit and store space can be leased with no 'down payment' or a simple website can be set up at relatively little cost. Considering these factors, perhaps it's not surprising that there are just over a 6 million retail outlets operating across the Indian cities from north to south and from east to west. This large number of outlets, many of which are trying to serve and satisfy the same market segments, results in fierce competition and better values for shoppers.
To enter retailing is easy; to fail is even easier! To survive in retailing, a firm must do a satisfactory job in its primary role - catering to consumers. Rama Subramaniam the former head - retail segment Spensors described a successful retailer as a "merchant who sells goods that won't come back to customers who will". Of course, a retail firm also must fulfill its other role - serving producers and wholesalers. This dual role is both the justification for retailing and the key to success in retailing.

GENERAL SERVICES
The general services which a retailer provides are:

1. The retailer anticipates the wants of the consumers and then supplies them the right kind of goods at reasonable price. His job is to make the consumers buying as easy and convenient as possible i.e. he acts as a consumers' agent.
2. He performs the service of bulk-breaking i.e. dividing large quantities into small units, such as individual cans, bottles, boxes, wrappers, packages, appropriate for consumer use.
3. He offers a large assortment of merchandise, of suitable size, colour, design, style and seasonal items-ranging from domestic utensils, household requisites to speciality goods.
4. He creates time and place utility by storing the products in off season and by transporting these goods to the places where they can be readily available as and when needed by the consumer.
5. He also assumes risks by guaranteeing the goods he sells to the consumer.
6. He also offers free delivery of goods, credit on open accounts, free alteration, liberal exchange facilities, instructions in the use of goods, revolving credit plans, and long term instalment programmes.
7. He adds to the convenience and ease of consumer purchasing by offering convenient shopping locations, market informations and other services such as free parking privileges, lessons on product use and a multitude of other facilities may be offered and found sufficiently desired to result in increased patronage.
8. He helps the producers in distributing their products by using advertisement display and personal selling.
9. The level of retail sales is one of the most useful barometers of the nations economic health. For example when sales of cycles pick-up, sales of steel and components also increase, as does employment and thus increasing purchasing power. But when sales go down, manufacturers cut back production, unemployment increases and retail sales also goes down.
   Facilitating Services:
   In order to carry out functions involving transfer of ownership and physical supply effectively retailers perform a number of facilitating functions i.e. functions relating to standardisation and grading, financing, risk-taking and market information.
   A retailer of fresh fruits and vegetables has to standardise and grade these to make these acceptable to customers. They establish standards, inspect goods they receive, and sort them in various classifications.
   Retailing is the sale of goods and services to ultimate consumers for personal, non-business use. Any institution may engage in retailing, but a firm engage primarily in retailing is called a retailer. Retailers serve as purchasing agents for consumer and as sales specialists for producers and wholesaling middleman. They perform many specific activities such as anticipating consumers' wants, developing product assortments and financing.