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Unit 1: Introduction: An Overview of Retail Operations

items. Shoppers’ Stop targets the elite urban class, while Pantaloons is targeted at the middle Notes
class.

Breaking Bulk

Breaking bulk is another function performed by retailing. The word retailing is derived from
the French word retailer, meaning ‘to cut a piece off’. To reduce transportation costs, manufacturers
and wholesalers typically ship large cartons of the product, which are then tailored by the
retailers into smaller quantities to meet individual consumption needs.

Holding Stock

Retailers also offer the service of holding stock for the manufacturers. Retailers maintain an
inventory that allows for instant availability of the product to the consumers. It helps to keep
prices stable and enables the manufacturer to regulate production. Consumers can keep a small
stock of products at home as they know that this can be replenished by the retailer and can save
on inventory carrying costs.

Channel of Communication

Retailers also act as the channel of communication and information between the wholesalers or
suppliers and the consumers. From advertisements, salespeople and display, shoppers learn
about the characteristics and features of a product or services offered. Manufacturers, in their
turn, learn of sales forecasts, delivery delays, and customer complaints. The manufacturer can
then modify defective or unsatisfactory merchandise and services.

Transport and Advertising Functions

Small manufacturers can use retailers to provide assistance with transport, storage, advertising
and pre-payment of merchandise. This also works the other way round in case the number of
retailers is small. The number of functions performed by a particular retailer has a direct relation
to the percentage and volume of sales needed to cover both their costs and profits.

Additional Services

Retailers ease the change in ownership of merchandise by providing services that make it
convenient to buy and use products. Providing product guarantees, after-sales service and dealing
with consumer complaints are some of the services that add value to the actual product at the
retailers’ end. Retailers also offer credit and hire-purchase facilities to the customers to enable
them to buy a product now and pay for it later. Retailers fill orders, promptly process, deliver
and install products. Salespeople are also employed by retailers to answer queries and provide
additional information about the displayed products. The display itself allows the consumer to
see and test products before actual purchase. Retail essentially completes transactions with
customers.

1.1.2 Services of a Retailer

A retailer provides a number of services to the customer and to the wholesaler which are
discussed below:
1. He provides ready stock of goods and as such he sells and quantity of goods desired by the
customers.

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