Retail project5 (Observations at Pantaloons)

Pantaloon Retail Outlet at Milan Mall Santacruz West

Pantaloons :: Santacruz :: Mumbai
Address : Milan Mall, Opp. Gamdevi Mandir, Near S.V. Road Junction Signal, Milan Subway, Santacruz (W), Mumbai Pin code : 400054 State : Maharashtra Phone : 022 - 6714 4350

We visited the retail outlet of pantaloon on 15 August at 7.30 p.m. On that day there was sale going on in Big Bazaar, therefore the pantaloon shop also has many footfalls in the outlet. On normal days the foot falls are in between 400 to 500 approximately and on holidays it increase to 600 to 700. But during the sale in Big Bazaar the footfall of Pantaloon outlet has increased to 800 to 1000 this information was given to us by the sales man at retail outlet.

We also visited Pantaloons Outlets at Borivali West and City Centre at Mumbai Central

These are the findings of our group

Before entrance the instructions were given for the customers with the pictures. The instructions were given like this

· Pet Dogs are not allowed inside the outlet

· Though you will find some things very attractive photographs are not allowed

· Smoking not allowed for keeping the environment clean

· Eatables not allowed

There was also advertisement of UTV business news channel which was displayed before the entrance with the slogan that: MONEY IS NEVER OUT OF FASHION.

Another advertisement of pantaloon was displayed

1*6=7, i.e. purchase any 6 trousers and get one free.

At the entrance the board of pantaloon was there which has green background and white names written in English and Hindi language. Inside the outlet first there was baggage room where you have to keep your luggage or baggage’s because they are not allowed inside if any customer is carrying laptop then the chain of laptop bag is sealed with plastic lock and then he is allowed to take the laptop inside the outlet. Next to the baggage room the information about the merchandise was given in index form so the customer can have a view what kind of merchandise which is available in the outlet. The information regarding the index was given in this way.

· Men’s Occasion wear

· Men’s Ethnic Wear

· Men’s Party Wear

· Men’s Casual Wear

· Men’s Formal Wear

· Men’s Young Fashion

· Men’s Active Wear

· Women’s Occasion Wear

· Women’s Ethnic Wear

· Women’s Casual Wear

· Women’s Young Fashion

· Women’s Party Wear

· Women’s Nightwear and Lingerie

· Kids Wear

· Foot Wear for Men, Women and Kids

· Help desk

· Pay Counter

Then at the entrance and also inside the outlet the boards were suspended which gave the directions regarding each section e.g. left for kids wear, right for men’s wear etc.

The walls of outlet were coloured in white and also the flooring which has granites were white in colour on enquiring to one of the sales man regarding the use of white colour we were told that the white colour gives better visibility to merchandise which are displayed . The outlet was in L shape and approximately 3500 square feet of area.

The outlet was divided in different sections such as men’s wear, women’s wear, kids’ wear, shoes section, jewellery section, perfume section, Sunglasses etc. All the sections were given different names. The sections included in-house as well as other branded merchandise.

In-house brands were as follows

· All

· F. Factor

· Akruti

· Bare Denim/Leisure

· Chalk (Kids Wear)

· JM Sports

· Honey

Other Branded Merchandise were as follows

· John Miller

· Killer

· Lee

· Lee cooper

· Indigo Nation

· Urbana

· Lombard

· Rig

· Provogue

· Puma

· Adidas

· Gini & Jony

· Zapp

· Agile

· Fast Track Sun Glasses

· Calvin Klein

The interiors of the retail outlet

There were three plasma television of LG which were communicating about the merchandise and other goods inside the outlet.

Four Counters for making payment. The payment was accepted in cash, debit cards and credit cards. At the cash counter the cashier were enquiring regarding the green card and parking bills.

Green Cards were given to those customers who have done purchase of Rs.2000 or more and if the purchase is made of Rs.6000 or more than the customers were given discount of 5 %.

Parking Bills were asked because if any customer has paid for parking charges then he/she gets the parking charges deducted from his purchase amount.

They had centralised air conditioning of blue star and it was written on board that “now you know why this is such a cool place”

The outlet was having racks for displaying merchandise which were made of steel and wood of approximately 4 meters height and was divided into two parts

There were hangers on the wall for displaying sample merchandise.

Mercury light was used for focussing on the merchandise for highlighting the merchandise which was important.

The Packed shirts were kept on fibre plate which was fitted on the wall.

The Shoes section had combination of wood, fibre and steel furniture which was fitted on the wall for the displaying of shoes.

The jewellery section was made of glass and fibre for displaying jewellery

The Perfume section was also made of glass which was fitted on the wall for displaying perfume bottles

There were inbuilt speakers on ceiling.

Fibres Board were suspended on the ceiling for information and direction

Sunglasses were displayed on fibre and glass furniture

Posters of some brands were stuck on the walls for advertising e.g. Bare Denim (Keeping it real)

Sections of Outlet

· Bare Denim : - Jeans, Turtle Neck T-shirts for Men

· Bare Leisure : - 2 Ply Plaid Full Sleeve Shirt (18 Options Available Rs.649/-)

§ 2 Ply Plaid Shirt (9 Options Available Rs.599/-)

§ : - Full Sleeves Twill Shirt (Available in 12 Colours Rs.649/-)

§ : - Half Sleeves Twill Shirt (Available in 12 Colours Rs.599/-)

· John Miller : - FIL-A-FIL (12 Classic Shades Rs.649/-)

§ : - Full Sleeves Easy Care Shirt (Available in 10 Colours Rs.499/-)

§ : - 2 Double Matt Trouser (Available in 5 Colours Rs.699/-)

· JM Sports : - JM Sport Striper Tees (Available in 20 options in various designs

and colours Rs.399/-)

· ALL : - Fashion apparels for plus size people

· F. Factor : - Party Wear Shirts

· Akruti : - Traditional Wears e.g. Sherwani, Shirts, T-Shirts etc

· Chalk : - Kids Wear (Clothes for Age group 2-14 years)

· Bare 7214 : - Kids Wear (Age group 2-14 years)

· John Miller : - Formal Shirts, Trousers and Ties’

· Killer : - Jeans and Jackets

· Lee : - Jeans and T-Shirts

· Lee cooper : - Shoes, Jeans and T-Shirts

· Indigo Nation : - Formal Shirts and Trousers

· Urbana : - Formal Shirts and Trousers

· Lombard : - Shirts, Trouser, Ties and Handkerchief

· Rig : - Casual Shirts and T-Shirts

· Provogue : - Formal Shirts & Trousers, T-Shirts, Jeans and Shoes

· Puma : - Shoes

· Adidas : - Shoes

· Calvin Klein : - Perfumes

· Sun Glasses : - Fast Track

· Gini & Jony : - Kids Wear (Age group 2-5 years)

· Zapp : - Kids Wear (Age group 3-14 years)

Ladies Section: -

· Umm : - Ladies Jeans and Tops

· Biba : - Punjabi Suits and Kurtas

· Lee Cooper : - Ladies Jeans and Tops

· Honey : - Short Shirt and T-Shirts

· Dare Denim : - Jeans

· Agile : - Shorts and Tops

· Remanika : - Suits

There was also section where the designer clothes of Bachana Ye Haseeno were displayed at premium rates.

Quotes was written on the Ladies Section that “my cloth should be like diya not doona”

- Calvin or Georgio

Offers

Discount was given of 20% to 50% on most of the merchandise e.g. Gini & Jony 40 % Off

Lee Cooper Ladies Jeans 30 % off & New Arrivals 10 % off)

Buy two T-shirts and get one free (Price Rs.499/-)

Announcement & Music

Remix Music is played of Hindi & English Songs.

Their is announcement made in between the music for offers and discounts for particular section of merchandise i.e. clothes or jewellery items.

Trial Rooms

There were separate trial rooms for gents and female for trying apparels.

The trial room for men was made of tent which was not having any door and there was security guard outside the trial room.

Trial room for women was made of plywood and female security guard was waiting out of the trial room.

On the doors of trial room was written that not more than three apparels allowed inside

Human Resource

Total Employees : 103

Dress Code : Purple T-Shirt for Ladies and Black Trouser

Green Shirt and Black Trouser

ID : All employees were wearing Identity Card with their Name and Designation

Behaviour : Friendly and Helpful

Toilet

There was toilet inside the outlet which was only for ladies .

Pantaloon at Santacruz

Pantaloon at Borivili

Only security guard is standing outside trial room . There were a particular sequence followed in outlet regarding the section. At entry there was perfume & deodorant section then women’s apparel section later on kids section then men’s apparel section and Jewellery section for women.

There are three floor for display They have display in house brand as well as many outhouse well-known apparel brands are there. In third floor Lee has given a separate corner for display. Lee is also giving the discount as well gift coupon on then purchase of above Rs3400. In a separate corner they display the combination of different brand like Nike ,Adidas ,Puma etc.ar In Pantaloon it is written that ‘this place is cool by Blue star AC. But the fact is that AC was not working even escalator is also not working. A small board of HDFC bank was at sealing. Here changing room has permanent lock system so no need for security guard as per security concern. Outside trail room it was written that you are allowed to carry only three cloths inside the trial room.

RECOMMENDATION

¡ Trial rooms were made of tent for gents so we recommend that they should have better trial rooms made of wooden furniture and good lock system

¡ At Milan Mall Pantaloon Outlet there were only three counters for collection of payment because of which people were standing in long queue so there should be more counters for making payment

¡ At Milan Mall Pantaloon Outlet there was only ladies washroom no washroom for men. So we recommend that they should also have one for men

¡ At some places lighting was not effective because of which the merchandise was not highlighted properly.

Retail project3 (Observations at Lifestyle mall)

LOCATION

The decision of store location plays a vital role in the success of a retail store. There are many factors that should be kept in mind before taking decision about the location.

The factors that should be considered are:-

ACCESSIBILITY: - Phoenix mill in lower Parel is well connected with roadways and railways, so it is very much convenient for customer to reach the store. After the launch of lifestyle store at Phoenix Mr. V. Muralidharan, Vice President- Operations, Lifestyle International India said:- “We are happy to now being able to reach out to our customers in the heart of Mumbai with the launch of our store at Phoenix mills.

ATTRACTIVENESS: - Phoenix mill is attractive place in lower Parel. In phoenix mill there are several restaurants and many specialty store, providing great ambience to pass their time

PARKING SPACE: - Before setting up a retail store one should also consider whether there is adequate space available for parking or not. In the case of Lifestyle, there are enough parking space.

CATCHMENT AREA: - Lower Parel is much in the center of town and near to the central and western suburbs. So it would be convenient for the people from both the side could visit the place. It can cover until south Mumbai and the central part of Mumbai.

NEAR TARGET MARKET: - Target market is a mix of people from all areas and language. In lower Parel and it surrounding a large part of population belong to it.

TRAFFIC: - Phoenix mill located in Lower Parel where traffic is high. Many people are visiting this place every day.

COMPETITION: - when Lifestyle was being planned to set up it store at phoenix mill the competition was very much nil.

EXTERIOR DESIGN

Exterior design play very important role in attracting the customer. Lifestyle at lower Parel is double stored building. The location of building is very prominent. The building has a modern look. There are many sign boards are displaying on the front wall of different brands; that we can see in the upper photograph also.

At night the building is well lighted. It focuses well on the name board at the top of the building. There is adequate light at the exterior side so as to show the people what they have in the store.

There are two doors. One from the front side and second in back. The customers can go into and come out from the store from any of the doors. There are securities to collects customer’s belongings. They also greet the customer warmly. They have latest technology so they don’t use the metal detector.

INTERIOR DESIGN

Lifestyle considers a good store is like a good store book. Every store has a beginning, middle and end, usually in the order. The entrances get up the story .It creates expectations that contain promises. Keeping this in mind Lifestyle at Phoenix mill layout was prepared. While the design of store compliments the customers need it also portrays Lifestyle image. It influences the customers buying decision Lifestyle has concentrated a lot on the store layout and space planning issues.

The lifestyle has a good planning to keep the things in particular manner. They are providing 10 feet length, 10Feet breadth and 8 feet height for each men and women garments brand. The garments are being kept in racks.

Merchandise type and density: - Lifestyle focuses on latest fashion apparels. It sees to it that no rack is left empty as they feel that empty rack create a wrong impression in the mind of the customers .If it merchandise is good it is put up or else the merchandise is put up in such a way that the rack seems to be filled up.

Fixture type and density: - Lifestyle see’s to it that none fixtures have sharp edges. This is for the safety of the customers. A fixtures used for display is flexible. It is fully detachable and can be put up wherever desired. It also sees to it that the fixtures match the merchandise.

Employee type and density: - Lifestyle staff is well versed with the local language as well as in English. The staff is regularly updated with information of the products.

Sign board: - The sign is a hanging from the top wall and it’s eye catching sign board. In that section where different brands are there a name board for that brands and its price is put up in.

Sound type and density:- Familiar light instrument are continuously played at Lifestyle and western music is plying on.

Lighting: - Lifestyle uses good lighting in the store involves more than illuminating space. Lighting is used to highlight merchandise, sculpt space and capture a mood / feeling that enhance the store image

TIMING OF THE STORE: - Lifestyle has kept it shore timing from

11A.M to 9:30 P.M.

PERSONAL SELLING

Lifestyle mainly relies on counter sale and they have personnel for customer assistance. But in some area like jewelry, optical, cosmetic personal selling is used.

In house training for staff is organized at regular interval to enhance the knowledge about the product.

They trains its sales employees to understand customers need quickly, such that he notices a customers need even before he verbalizes it and short out it.

Their sells people always maintain a positive attitude and are enthusiastic. Their staffs always maintain good eye contact, even when under fire. Their sale person believes in listen closely to an objection. First they acknowledge the objection and then give their point of view.

SERVICES

A customer service desk is placed near entrance gate which provide all type of information to the customer. This is more help to the new customer who are coming for the first time and also help the customer to sort out their problems.

Staff is courteous and well informed about the product; they have the knowledge of the product. They are not enforcing the customer to buy anything but help them in purchasing.

A customer service cell is available at each store immediately to attend to customer quarries

A continuous training program is organized for the staff, so .that they are up to date with the products knowledge.

Lifestyle has also provision for those who are physically challenged and cannot climb stairs. They can use wheel chair and left is also there. Sufficient bags are available for the customers to take their goods to the payment counter.

PAY AND EXIT

Any shopping done by the customer is put in a plastic bag. They don’t close the bags because they use RFID. So there is no need to check the bags at the exit.

MERCHANDISING

Merchandising i.e. identifying customer’s needs, sourcing products to cater to the customers needs and displaying the products on the shelf space in such a way that it becomes easy for the customers to locate these products.

All the planning and strategies undergo the ultimate test when the merchandise actually reaches the shop floor. In terms of on-shelf strategies Lifestyle has a clear policy for each merchandise. The company gets weekly reports. The data is analysed to see the movement of various types of Goods.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Visual merchandising is a place to emphasis on your unique identity, advertise merchandise and catch the attention of the shoppers. The main function of the visual merchandising is to promote the store’s image and maximize the sales of its merchandise. In apparel section they displayed they product in this way which attract the customer. There are eye catching boards in every section to inform the product. These visual merchandising influences the customer for impulse purchase.

ADVERTISING

Lifestyle is spending huge amount of money in advertising. It is using print media for their corporate branding. They give advertisement in news paper like DNA & TOI.

They are also using hoarding poster in different parts of the city. Lifestyle advertisements are coming in Broadcast media also.

SALES PROMOTION

Lifestyle generally gives discount offer after summer during the month of August and September. This year discount offer period was 9^th Aug to 2^nd September.

While when the store opened in 2003 they organized cultural program for entertainment of the customer.

They also come up with different type lucky draw and giving gifts on a certain amount purchase. They also offer membership cards. They give point on purchased amount. These point converts into cash or gift. They collect a good data base by this way. They send greeting on festive as well as birthday card; they give a special discount on birthday (they used to write how much discount they are going to you on your birthday).

PRICES

Price is an integral part of the retail marketing mix. It is the factor which is the source of revenue for the retailer. The price of the merchandise also communicates the image of the retail store to the consumer. Various factors like the target market, store policies, competition and the economic conditions need to be taken into consideration while arriving at the price of a product.

Lifestyle keeps only branded products. Some in house brands are also available. Their target customer is middle class, higher middle class and upper class also. Generally, they sell these products on MRP. They follow the fix price strategy. The price of a product be same in every store of Lifestyle.

AMENITIES

Washrooms: - Washroom is present on second floor. There are separate washroom are available for male & female.

Changing rooms: - There changing room is a very important part of a store dealing in apparels. It plays a very crucial part as it is one of the influences of a customer’s decision making. Lifestyle has change room for each section like boys, girls, men and women. Changing room is well furnished and spacious.

Store keeping unit: - Lifestyle store keeping unit is very well efficient & maintain the store in a proper way.

OBSERVATIONS

• Exterior design of Lifestyle at Lower Parel is very attractive. At front part of building they have given more emphasis on visual merchandising.
• Sign board is very attractive it gives good impact to the customer’s mind about the store.
• Visual merchandising is fantastic. Or you can say up to the mark.
• The floor of Lifestyle is excellent. They have used marble so it looks neat and clean.
• Paints of wall are well maintained.
• In the store its sign boards look very attractive.
• Washroom is well furnished.
• Changing rooms were good but less in number so the customers have to wait for trial.
• There is a notice outside the trial room which says that Dear customers Kindly don’t take more than three garments for trial.
• Most of the times customers are stand for long time in que for paying the payment. So they should increase the cash counter.
• They have good collection in formal shoes, casual wear and in everything.
• Lighting is very good.
• The look of ceiling on second floor was not good so they should cover the ceiling to make a better look.
• Currently there is discount in lifestyle upto 50% off
• Salesperson wear a Red colour T-SHIRT and a black colour pant.
• RITU KUMAR has its own boutique at this store.