Challenges Faced By the Shopkeepers due to the upcoming malls : How to face them

“I have a direction,

Yeah, a direction towards the mall”

We have shopkeepers are sitting on tenterhooks watching this trend taking up all our business away from us. But little can we do about this, can’t we? Well, you’ll surely be answered at the end of the article. But have we ever pondered upon the fact that why is this shifting of trend taking place? Why are we made to sit idle when our counterparts in the big lusty malls are garnering all the attention? Well, if you haven’t given these things a thought, then not worry, here I am to discuss some of the reasons which top the list and tell us why we are facing the dull side of the room and how can we lit our rooms too!

  1. PRICE is what you pay, Value is what you get!

Surely one of the reasons why we have a decreasing footfall in our shops is ‘price’. We retailers generally tend to buy stuff from wholesalers or distributors. Buying stuff from them incurs huge costs because it involves transportations, shipping sometimes and also the middlemen who require their share. As a result, we are forced to adhere to our MRPs and offer very few or limited discounts to our customers. While on the flip side of the coin, our counterparts sit in malls offer huge discounts which tend to attract a lot of people and thus the increased footfall.

  1. Because happiness is ‘AIR CONDITIONING’

With the scorching heat blowing a fuse on people, why wouldn’t they prefer some air-conditioned malls? Why would they opt for shops which do not provide relief from the scorching heat? Thus the air-conditioning also attracts them. I know some of you will come and say that you have big air-conditioners in your shop but less footfall. Well, this is for the simple fact that a mall is a storehouse of virtually every kind of product. Be it some electronic products, clothes, kitchenware or probably anything, the mall has different strokes for different folks. People can find everything that they need in a mall. So why would they move to random, selected shops?

  1. VARIETY comes knocking!

In a mall, if one enters a particular shop, one can find a gamut of different products on display. When you are just looking to buy a packet of Maggi and then you suddenly see a toothbrush hanging merrily. And then you see a discount board which says buy toothbrush and toothpaste and save Rs 35/-. Well, that is enough to trigger you. And then, you go on buying stuff, whether you need it or not. If that is not enough to stop you, at the cash counter, you find some chocolates which trigger your appetite after roaming in the shop for an hour and you buy them too! So this is the trick. With so much on display, these malls eventually have a lot of sales, while it is quite an uphill task for a local shopkeeper to put up a gamut of products on display. So these lose here.

  1. Ambiance is exactly what you need!

Well, I know all of you will agree with me on the fact that ambiance is something which is a dire need when we go for shopping. It gives peace to our mind and we are able to focus better on what we should buy and what we shouldn’t. While the shops at a mall give us this undue advantage, the local shopkeepers fail at this. We just simply walk to a local shop and ask for the item we had in our minds. But when we go to a mall and see a gazillion of things with nobody bullying us with any pressure, we can simply take a walk in the entire shop, look up for the best offers in each rack and figure out the most effective deal. And to add an icing on the cake, all this can be done in the leisure of the air conditioners. So this is where the malls again steal the show from the poor shopkeepers.

But dear shopkeepers, you don’t have to feel down in the mouth anymore! Here I am at your service to fully support you in your endeavors. Just follow these simple steps and you will again gain the market attention! So are you ready to challenge those slimy malls?

  1. We all are connected to the INTERNET, Like neurons in our brain.

For sure, the internet is like a communicable disease. But did you know that it can be used by you as well? You must have heard about these online grocery stores which are doing a great deal of business. But did you ever thought that even you can have tie-ups with them? Yes, even you can support them by providing your goods and services to them and in return reap huge benefits. Where do you think these online sites get their products delivered from and that too within a day? It is just because they have ties with local shopkeepers in every city, especially the metro cities. So do try this! And is you are well off enough, you could also start your online delivery apps and see how you can gain an edge. Start with people in your area and tell them about your online booking and delivery. This could surely give a boost to your business!

  1. MARKET your way!

One of the most important ways to tell people that your shops are not dead is through marketing. You can surely get hold of some small pamphlets or maybe a few promotional SMS which can remind people of your presence. You can also give out some discounts on items you have control on like grains, wheat etc. This would help you in slowly targeting people and increasing footfall.

  1. FREE DELIVERY!

Of course, malls happen to be so starry and lusty, but with that lust they also attract the problems of car parking and uneasy feasibility. So you can gain an edge here! Attracting the local people with the idea of free delivery, you can give your business a boost. People love to order things which can come on their own to their house. So rope in customers by offering them free delivery with no minimum order value and make them happy campers! Moreover, as we already know that the online sites do not deliver orders below a minimum value and even if they do, they wouldn’t do it in 10 minutes, you need to order the goods at least a day before. So here’s where the shopkeepers can gain an advantage. Give your customers a great experience by delivering the right quality product within a fraction of minutes!

  1. MAKE IT A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE FOR THEM

An experience is something that your customers will look forever in you. If you speak to them politely, give them a great service, they will be happy to come back to you every time for their needs. Nobody likes rowdy behavior. So treat your customers nicely and hang a bell at the door of your shop, so that every happy customer rings the bell of happiness when he/she leaves. This would even give you immense pleasure and the will to do even better.

So, friends, I hope you would follow these simple steps and bask in the glory of success! Wish you all the luck!

Purvi Bhargava: