The Power of Retail

No matter where we have lived and will live in the future, we get a lot of guests coming to stay with us and will always have more visitors. For a lot of people it is just more work that needs to be done, but if taken in the right spirit, it can be a lot of fun and very enjoyable too. We recently had an old friend stay with us for a few days and it was wonderful to be able to catch up like this. I myself had just got back into town, but since the house is pretty well set up to receive guests, with lots of extra bedding sets and so on, one doesn’t have to worry about all the little details at all. It is for the company they are coming after all, not to judge you on your housekeeping abilities, but it’s hard to keep that in mind with all the home decor shows and magazines one keeps reading. Everyone wants to be perfect. Well, I’m quite happy to be normal, just as I am, but keep my peace of mind and enjoy myself. Here’s to having more guests over in the future!

As I have started taking more photographs lately, I have begun to notice things and really “see” them, things that one sees in one’s daily life, but doesn’t really notice them or give them a second glance. I spent a morning at the park where I have been lots of times before, but this time I really saw things in a different light, so to speak. I saw things that I would have ignored earlier on, I saw things that would not make me look again, and I saw things that I would not notice earlier as I was not as curious.

Enjoy!

My neighbor and me have been discussing the pros and cons of setting up a home gym here in the apartment complex with all the basic machines and some weight benches etc, so all of us residents can use them at our own convenience and comfort. One wants to use the machines and not have to worry about rushing back home and getting stuck in traffic etc, so this is really the best solution. With all the stress and hassles of our daily lives, being fit and exercising regularly is essential and is the only way one can deal with the hectic pace of life. It’s a bit of a vicious circle, with one needing energy to exercise and needing needing to exercise to get some energy to do the work one has to do.

As a marketer it is no longer enough to ensure sales take place of a product or service, it is essential to get into the minds of consumers and view it from their angle and then ensure that the product or service can become a part and parcel of their lives, that too without it seeming too much of a push or sales pitch. Advertisements are becoming very subtle these days and consumers are enjoying the way current ads don’t necessarily push a certain product but rather a lifestyle or a way of living.

The styles of advertisements have shifted as well, there are more comedic advertisements on air than ever before it seems and advertisers are becoming very resourceful in creating new niches and angles to approach the same products as before. The recent Virgin Mobile advertisements running on Indian television are a perfect example of how the marketers and advertisers have understood the mindset of their target consumer, as in young adults, teenagers and college students, to the T. Bravo!

I must be one of the few people in the world without an ipod I think. I am way behind on buying one and it’s about time that I get myself one. With the number of moves we keep making, having an ipod would be a great and much easier way to keep our music collection intact. The last time we moved, I had to send most of my audio CDs to storage and if I had an ipod, I could have just uploaded them onto it and saved myself so much heartache and money, from having to buy some CDs all over again. So, that’s really the agenda…I have to buy an ipod now. It’s about time and there’s no dilly-dallying over it anymore.

A photograph that I took last month and I really like. The blue sky and the angle of the pine tree came out really nice I thought, and the frame at the top of the roof also added a lovely touch to it. Kasauli has been a regular haunt for me for ages, since I was a child actually, and I have grown to love it more with each trip. I do despair at the dirt one now sees in the khud sides and the way people drive without regard to their own and others safety, but as long as you have a few minutes alone in the pines, everything goes back to being perfect again.

One of the best marketing products are those to do with skin care and especially to do with fairness and acne treatment. Usually the best acne treatment is one that works for you and not necessarily the one that works for your best friend, so it becomes essential to test and try out these products before one is sure of its success. Marketers are great with these products, since they are targeted towards a younger audience and of more impressionable minds. Sales of all varieties to these products have always shown a steady increase and will continue to do so in the future as well, since you are not just selling a acne or fairness cream, but a concept of being a new person once you start using these products.

The world of retail is changing everywhere and it seems that retailers are going all out to connect with consumers in all ways possible. It is no longer acceptable to only target consumers in the usual format of media ads, but it has become essential to involve them in all ways possible from straightforward advertisements to subliminal branding and product placement in movies, books and other spaces. To stand apart in consumers minds, retailers and advertisers need to do something radically different than just the usual stuff and that is what the game is all about now. Definitely more than just selling things!

As retail trends go, the current one for maternity clothes and baby items does not seem to be letting up one bit. This has been quite a long running for all things to do with babies, and if anything the trend is only growing stronger and is branching off to include other items such as furniture and accessories as well. There are a variety of baby boutiques that have been inundated with consumers wanting their children to wear products like the celebrities are selecting for their children and retailers are making the most of this resurgence in interest in all things related to babies.

A photograph that I took last month while I was in Chandigarh. This photo is special because I remember playing in this park when I was a child, at this monument especially. The day I took this photo, the weather was spectacular, with a cool breeze but warm sunshine…perfect for exploring the park, finding a nice bench and sitting to introspect, think of new pictures to take, new angles to try out and so on. I’m so glad that we went to the park that day, since I now have these wonderful memories in addition to my earlier ones.