By Radhika Sachdev Tuesday March 10 2009 Guess what is clearing off faster on eBay India than the proverbial fresh baked cakes? Jewellery, pen drives, flash memory cards, hard discs and anti-virus software. Had Sigmund Freud been alive and kicking today, the father of psychology would have read "recession anxiety" in this trend. For despite the low internet penetration in the country (4.9%, according to the Manufacturer's Association for Information Technology) certain commodities are flying off faster on the net than offline. Statistics gathered from eBay India (formally Baazee.com) reveal that one of the top-sellling category is jewellery and watches…
New York Times reports that Cablevision will provide targeted ads to selected homes based on a variety of criteria. (Cable Companies Target Commercials to Audience). Department store pioneer John Wanamaker is reported to have said that half his advertising was wasted, but complained that he didn't know which half it was. With such targeted advertising on cable, he would have not only been able to tell which half was being wasted, but would have also been able to reschedule it to reach the right audience and avoid the waste. Cable companies with a good consumer database and analytics should be able…
By Raghavendra Kamath BUSINESS STANDARD Mumbai March 2, 2009 Raheja-owned department store chain Shoppers Stop Limited (SSL) is pulling out of unviable new ventures and shutting loss-making stores to conserve cash for the company in the ongoing economic downturn. The retail firm had announced on Friday that it has closed three of its book stores ‘Crossword’ – one at Mumbai Airport, and two others in Chennai and New Delhi. The company also closed its airport retail store ‘Stop & Go’ at Mumbai Airport. “They were not profitable. We open new stores without much information but, when we close them, we…
There's some speculation that salespeople in luxury stores are being asked to become more friendly, so as not to turn away and turn off potential customers. But I think it isn't just them. I think as the economy slows, possibly everyone might become less abrasive and nicer to each other - less business around so you don't want to turn off the spenders no matter how they're dressed - "a king dressed as a beggar" is a good simile. Actually that reminds me of a story someone told about 20 years ago about an Indian farmer walking into a car…
Delhaize and Unilever may not yet have felt the need to visit a relationship counseler, and of course, the jury's still out on who (if anyone) will actually win in their battle. For now, Unilever has lost shelf-space for around 300 of its brands at Delhaize stores. Delhaize may potentially lose some of the sales that those brands got for it, in case consumers want a specific brand rather than a private label or a substitute brand. The consumers lose not just in terms of their choice being reduced, but perhaps also in becoming confused about the specific value /…
Geopolitical friction has again sparked renewed concerns over inflation and rising input costs for FMCG companies as @itmeansjustice @whysnavi write. @devangshu commented.
