Backing Indian Insights

October 2011Mumbai

Indianness…the new confident customer

And she can kill….

Serve, don’t teach me, please…

Emerging, but Asserting Markets

At the turn of the 20th century, U.S. was the largest emerging market. Europe was the ‘developed market’.

Consumer tastes is emerging markets, with the rise in income levels, follow the patterns of the developed markets, right?

Emerging, but Asserting Markets

At the turn of the 20th century, U.S. was the largest emerging market. Europe was the ‘developed market’.

Consumer tastes is emerging markets, with the rise in income levels, follow the patterns of the developed markets, right?

Wrong. If so, the U.S. Should be eating muffins, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, rotting cheese…

Food, HPC, appliances, entertainment, large emerging markets may NOT follow developed market tastes.

Asserting Markets

Large markets: Reward offerings that cater to local nuances and

make them global scale.

Asserting Markets

Large markets: Reward offerings that cater to local nuances and

make them global scale.

Deep markets: Customer gets validation of her behaviour from family, community, culture.

Room of influence available to marketers is partial.

Local nuances are large markets & shall be served

Backing Insights : The mindset..

• She is right and confident. She listens to her mom and neighbor a lot.

• They are in large numbers; it pays to tune with them

• Therefore, ours is to serve them and not “improve” or “globalize” them…

Who shops at BIG BAZAAR?

Point Of View: Indian CustomerEarly steps of aspiring, upgrading

• No nuclear families• No cosmopolitan cities; only multi ethnic• Hunting in packs• Unique collective instincts• Small joys of small savings • The elbow push factor

No nuclear families

Big Bazaar point of view• Nuclear living in reality • Extended family living in the mind; mohalla

mindset• ‘Personal privacy’?!

No nuclear families

Big Bazaar point of view• Nuclear living in reality • Extended family living in the mind; mohalla

mindset• ‘Personal privacy’?! Therefore, Big Bazaar design elements• 3 generations together• Ma in law & daughter in law together• You can always think of someone to gift to,

someone to share with: combo packs• Festivals matter

• Happiness in 3 generations together.

• Prominent on every BIG BAZAAR’s facade

• Modern day public places, Temples of democracy

Every locality is different

Big Bazaar point of view• Ethnic clusters everywhere• Not just ethnic : White collared v/s Gold collared

Every locality is different

Big Bazaar point of view• Ethnic clusters everywhere• Not just ethnic : White collared v/s Gold collaredTherefore, Big Bazaar design elements• Visuals are shot afresh for every new city• Store heads as ‘karta’• Even pricing and promotions are at store level• Control, uniformity v/s empowerment

• Ethnic signatures vital for connect

Hunting in packs

Big Bazaar point of view• Shopping is family outing• Shared decision making• Double the number of senses; double the

capacity to absorb stimuli

Hunting in packs

Big Bazaar point of view• Shopping is family outing• Shared decision making• Double the number of senses; double the

capacity to absorb stimuliTherefore, Big Bazaar design elements• Layout• Communication

• Shared, excited decision making for smallest of things

• Typical supermarket aisles; orderly and efficient

• Typical BIG BAZAAR layout: C’s & L’s• No straight aisles

• The child determines if it’s a ‘family outing’• A family unit shops more then individual unit

Unique Collective instincts

Big Bazaar point of view• Such a nice place! Must be expensive• Thanda matlab, baasi! (only leftovers are

‘frozen’)

Unique Collective instincts

Big Bazaar point of view• Such a nice place! Must be expensive• Thanda matlab, baasi! (only leftovers are

‘frozen’)

Therefore, Big Bazaar design elements• Impact on store choice; store design• Impact on food merchandising; supply chain

• Kota stone, white lights, no false ceiling• Simple and imperfect… like everything else in my life…

• It costs Big Bazaar more to sell groceries loose than packed• But it’s a vital customer connect everyone has copied

Elbow Push Factor

• What’s ‘butt brush’ factor?• Elbow Push Factor : In a queue in India, any

space of more than a forearm long, makes everyone uncomfortable and will always get intruded.

Elbow Push Factor

• What’s ‘butt brush’ factor?• Elbow Push Factor : In a queue in India, any

space of more than a forearm long, makes everyone uncomfortable and will always get intruded.

Therefore, Big Bazaar design elements• Inter shopper competition: ‘copy shopping’• Selling in the queues. Last chance to grab

• Aspiration is everyone’s birthright and they shall have it

The Market: Competing Mental models

• West: Gallery of dead objects, focus on individual product, separate spaces for things and people

• India: Living system, exchange of energy, focus on abundance, the buyer as hunter

Big Bazaar: Design Principles

• Shop as a living thing• Mall as accessible celebration• Deliberate disorder• An antidote to impersonal shopping• The universal legitimacy of a good deal

The Consumer Experience

• Making everyone feel rich; the ability to splurge without thinking twice

• Creating aspiration one can feel comfortable aspiring to: my kind of aspiration

• Keeping the buyer in a hunting-foraging mode, not making her a passive spectator

• Culturally accessible interiors, comfortable service, lack of any sense of being evaluated

Damodar Mall blog: shoptalk.in twitter: @SupermarketWala