KOLKATA: The country’s booming microwave oven market is expected to ring in good times in calendar 2007 as well. Consumer electronic majors like LG, Samsung, Whirpool and Haier, among others are targeting growth in sales numbers of anything between 10-65% over last year.
They are, in fact, looking at this segment, and in particular, the convection microwave oven category, as a major growth-driver this year. According to industry estimates, the projected size of the microwave oven market for 2007 is around 7.8 lakh units, up 25% from 6.25 lakh units in 2006.
In 2008, the market size is expected to go up further to 9.5 lakh units. Speaking to ET, Mr Girish V Rao, V-P, LG Electronics, said: “We are expecting a 30% growth from our microwave business this year, from around 2.25 lakh units last year to 3 lakh units this time around. While the numbers are getting driven by the solo range, the value growth will come in from the convection category.”
“Growing awareness on cooking benefits of microwave ovens rather than the mere reheating function coupled with growing affordability, have contributed to the growth of the convection category, specifically as the baking function is being increasingly used by consumers,” said Ravinder Zutshi, deputy MD, Samsung Electronics.
For Samsung, the contribution of convection microwave ovens to total Samsung sales was 27% last year and is likely to grow to 29% this year. Haier India, on its part, is expecting a 50%-plus growth from the convection category as well.
“We are looking at increasing our sales to 50,000 units in 2007, up from 28,000-30,000 in 2006. With the increasing shift towards the higher-end models, we are looking at a turnover of Rs 35 crore from the microwave category in 2007,” said Haier India COO Pranay Dhabai. Whirlpool of India is a new entrant in this burgeoning market.
“We are a small player now. In the last two years, the segment witnessed a lot of price competition. This year, the market has stabilised and we plan to beef up marketing strategies to make our presence felt. We are aiming at a 10% marketshare,” said Tamal Kanti Saha, V-P, sales, Whirlpool.
http://www1.economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Cons_Products/Microwave_oven_mkt_heating_up/articleshow/2067978.cms
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Microwave oven mkt heating up
KOLKATA: The country’s booming microwave oven market is expected to ring in good times in calendar 2007 as well. Consumer electronic majors like LG, Samsung, Whirpool and Haier, among others are targeting growth in sales numbers of anything between 10-65% over last year.
They are, in fact, looking at this segment, and in particular, the convection microwave oven category, as a major growth-driver this year. According to industry estimates, the projected size of the microwave oven market for 2007 is around 7.8 lakh units, up 25% from 6.25 lakh units in 2006.
In 2008, the market size is expected to go up further to 9.5 lakh units. Speaking to ET, Mr Girish V Rao, V-P, LG Electronics, said: “We are expecting a 30% growth from our microwave business this year, from around 2.25 lakh units last year to 3 lakh units this time around. While the numbers are getting driven by the solo range, the value growth will come in from the convection category.”
“Growing awareness on cooking benefits of microwave ovens rather than the mere reheating function coupled with growing affordability, have contributed to the growth of the convection category, specifically as the baking function is being increasingly used by consumers,” said Ravinder Zutshi, deputy MD, Samsung Electronics.
For Samsung, the contribution of convection microwave ovens to total Samsung sales was 27% last year and is likely to grow to 29% this year. Haier India, on its part, is expecting a 50%-plus growth from the convection category as well.
“We are looking at increasing our sales to 50,000 units in 2007, up from 28,000-30,000 in 2006. With the increasing shift towards the higher-end models, we are looking at a turnover of Rs 35 crore from the microwave category in 2007,” said Haier India COO Pranay Dhabai. Whirlpool of India is a new entrant in this burgeoning market.
“We are a small player now. In the last two years, the segment witnessed a lot of price competition. This year, the market has stabilised and we plan to beef up marketing strategies to make our presence felt. We are aiming at a 10% marketshare,” said Tamal Kanti Saha, V-P, sales, Whirlpool.
http://www1.economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Cons_Products/Microwave_oven_mkt_heating_up/articleshow/2067978.cms
They are, in fact, looking at this segment, and in particular, the convection microwave oven category, as a major growth-driver this year. According to industry estimates, the projected size of the microwave oven market for 2007 is around 7.8 lakh units, up 25% from 6.25 lakh units in 2006.
In 2008, the market size is expected to go up further to 9.5 lakh units. Speaking to ET, Mr Girish V Rao, V-P, LG Electronics, said: “We are expecting a 30% growth from our microwave business this year, from around 2.25 lakh units last year to 3 lakh units this time around. While the numbers are getting driven by the solo range, the value growth will come in from the convection category.”
“Growing awareness on cooking benefits of microwave ovens rather than the mere reheating function coupled with growing affordability, have contributed to the growth of the convection category, specifically as the baking function is being increasingly used by consumers,” said Ravinder Zutshi, deputy MD, Samsung Electronics.
For Samsung, the contribution of convection microwave ovens to total Samsung sales was 27% last year and is likely to grow to 29% this year. Haier India, on its part, is expecting a 50%-plus growth from the convection category as well.
“We are looking at increasing our sales to 50,000 units in 2007, up from 28,000-30,000 in 2006. With the increasing shift towards the higher-end models, we are looking at a turnover of Rs 35 crore from the microwave category in 2007,” said Haier India COO Pranay Dhabai. Whirlpool of India is a new entrant in this burgeoning market.
“We are a small player now. In the last two years, the segment witnessed a lot of price competition. This year, the market has stabilised and we plan to beef up marketing strategies to make our presence felt. We are aiming at a 10% marketshare,” said Tamal Kanti Saha, V-P, sales, Whirlpool.
http://www1.economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Cons_Products/Microwave_oven_mkt_heating_up/articleshow/2067978.cms
Game Boy Evolution: Rumour Rundown
As you may be aware, a war has begun in our industry. Our friends in the East have decided to take up their system of choice, as our American cousins have chosen their allegiance. With only weeks remaining prior to the launch of both the NintendoDS and Sony PSP in the UK, it’s time to look to the future! “You what?” I hear you cry… but I ask you to send your mind travelling back a year and two days, to January 21st 2004, and that original NintendoDS statement: “The NintendoDS is not the successor to the Game Boy Advance, but an entirely new concept; a third pillar in our strategy”.
NintendoDS(Istelf)45.JPG (11325 bytes) So with all the hype surrounding the NintendoDS, that screen, the launch, it seems that Nintendo have managed to sweep over what was actually the bigger revelation – that the successor to the Game Boy Advance is well into development, and we could be seeing it a lot sooner than expected. Now a lot of you will have read my article: NintendoDS: The Rumours Vs. the Facts and I should warn you; my evidence is even less concrete is this instance and although, for the best part, all the facts and figures pointed me in the correct direction most of the time during that piece, this article is different. This article is about sifting through the rumours to end up with a practical belief of what the successor to the Game Boy Advance SP could be, as opposed to reporting the stated press releases and analysing the contents. But that’s not an excuse. Read on - and find out that I still know what I’m talking about!
Upon deciding to write this article I began searching all my usual information alcoves, and, much to my disgust, could not find any direct news, quotes, press releases or even rumours surrounding the next Game Boy iteration with exception of the above NintendoDS statement. Delving deeper into the information abyss, I found that it was neither the fans concerned with the next console, as they had the NintendoDS and PSP to swoon over, nor the development community as they’re as busy as bees on the two systems also, but it was the outer circle of the industry. It’s the publishers, retailers, journalists and marketers that have been caring for this one, and they’ve already given it a name; Game Boy Evolution.
SPpink(Item).jpg (6422 bytes) It appears that, within these circles, it is the belief that the Game Boy Advance and its shinier brother the Game Boy Advance SP were in fact never supposed to see shop shelves. The rumour states that the Game Boy Advance was developed as a back-up machine, very quickly, as work on the Game Boy Evolution was not progressing quite as desired, and there were suggestions that Sony’s challenger was not too far off. With the PSP being considered a portable PlayStation2, Nintendo must have realised that launching a very similar product in a very similar timeframe (originally believed to be early 2004 in the east, reaching UK shores by Christmas 2004) would be a bad idea, and the Game Boy Advance was kicked out in 2001as a “stop-gap” for consumers, and a way to exploit the dual-console link plans that Nintendo had developed, and thought would be very successful (as we can see the dual-screen idea fused into the NintendoDS today). It is also believed that the design of the Game Boy Advance SP is actually the prototype design for the Game Boy Evolution, and Nintendo used this to house the Game Boy Advance technology soon after the original launch and saw it as a commanding opportunity.
So, on to the actual information about the system. Remember, all that follows is based on rumours, information leaks and a solitary press release; but sometimes, that’s all you’ve got. The processing unit is believed to be rather simple. Not simple as far as the technology it houses, but in the fact that it is simply a miniaturised version of the 485MHz IBM Gekko processor housed within the GameCube. Strangely enough, the Game Boy Advance SP is the correct width to allow a solitary disc to be inserted, should a slot be provided. gamecubedisc.jpg (6522 bytes)By now, you’d have guessed that it appears that Nintendo’s statement committing them to GameCube development long after the launch of the Revolution was no accident, and was again a hint at this technology. It seems more than feasible, as with Sony’s PSP touting the possibility (although we are yet to see it appear in any titles) to play a game on your PlayStation2, then take the save data onto your PSP to continue playing, that the Game Boy Evolution should allow for a similar principle, however with the reliability of Nintendo and Panasonic’s Proprietary 3-inch Optical Disc Technology, the same disc may be used for both systems, without the fear of freezing games or extended loading times etc. while the system is in motion.
The memory cards would obviously be directly compatible, but could also be the reason behind the development of the ill-fated Panasonic SD FLASH Adapter for the GameCube, as the Game Boy Evolution could have been originally intended to use SD FLASH cards. It’s known that Nintendo have been increasing research into control for some time and as leaders of the field it comes as no surprise to learn that Nintendo have been working away on some new analogue features. Rumours suggest “bubble”-esque analogue pads akin to roll-balls for PCs and some strange retro-feeling touch-panel D-Pad effects. We’ve already seen L and R triggers and the NintendoDS’s versions could obviously hold up to the GameCube’s.
With the PSP being a slightly less competent machine than the PlayStation2 in terms of effects (while the polygon count actually appears higher than that most commonly seen on the PlayStation2) it’s more than likely that Nintendo have been able to develop the exact chipset within the GameCube on a much smaller scale, and would be able to bring this to market at a sub-£100 price point already, given the current price of the GameCube and the fact that Nintendo are still making money on each unit sold.
The major problem would be the conflict with the NintendoDS. With such a recent launch the quick up-takers of the new system may already feel that their technology is out of date, no matter how much Nintendo insist they are different “pillars”. More time spent with the system only convinces you that it’s aimed squarely at the hardcore market and makes the recent sales rush even more astonishing. In order to convince the public, the Game Boy Evolution would have to launch with a retail price lower than the NintendoDS.
There is no solid evidence currently of what this system will be, but it is known that development is at the final stages, and has been for some time. With Nintendo still showing no signs of slowing down (contrary to popular belief) their expansion over the last five years has been tremendous and puts little doubt in my mind that they would be able to support three systems in this way, given the extensive back catalogue of GameCube games already available. Only time will tell for the story of Nintendo’s Game Boy franchise, but what rumblings are happening over at Kyoto internally right now is, as ever, anyone’s guess.
http://www.electronictheatre.co.uk/articles/archive/2005/gameboyevolution/
NintendoDS(Istelf)45.JPG (11325 bytes) So with all the hype surrounding the NintendoDS, that screen, the launch, it seems that Nintendo have managed to sweep over what was actually the bigger revelation – that the successor to the Game Boy Advance is well into development, and we could be seeing it a lot sooner than expected. Now a lot of you will have read my article: NintendoDS: The Rumours Vs. the Facts and I should warn you; my evidence is even less concrete is this instance and although, for the best part, all the facts and figures pointed me in the correct direction most of the time during that piece, this article is different. This article is about sifting through the rumours to end up with a practical belief of what the successor to the Game Boy Advance SP could be, as opposed to reporting the stated press releases and analysing the contents. But that’s not an excuse. Read on - and find out that I still know what I’m talking about!
Upon deciding to write this article I began searching all my usual information alcoves, and, much to my disgust, could not find any direct news, quotes, press releases or even rumours surrounding the next Game Boy iteration with exception of the above NintendoDS statement. Delving deeper into the information abyss, I found that it was neither the fans concerned with the next console, as they had the NintendoDS and PSP to swoon over, nor the development community as they’re as busy as bees on the two systems also, but it was the outer circle of the industry. It’s the publishers, retailers, journalists and marketers that have been caring for this one, and they’ve already given it a name; Game Boy Evolution.
SPpink(Item).jpg (6422 bytes) It appears that, within these circles, it is the belief that the Game Boy Advance and its shinier brother the Game Boy Advance SP were in fact never supposed to see shop shelves. The rumour states that the Game Boy Advance was developed as a back-up machine, very quickly, as work on the Game Boy Evolution was not progressing quite as desired, and there were suggestions that Sony’s challenger was not too far off. With the PSP being considered a portable PlayStation2, Nintendo must have realised that launching a very similar product in a very similar timeframe (originally believed to be early 2004 in the east, reaching UK shores by Christmas 2004) would be a bad idea, and the Game Boy Advance was kicked out in 2001as a “stop-gap” for consumers, and a way to exploit the dual-console link plans that Nintendo had developed, and thought would be very successful (as we can see the dual-screen idea fused into the NintendoDS today). It is also believed that the design of the Game Boy Advance SP is actually the prototype design for the Game Boy Evolution, and Nintendo used this to house the Game Boy Advance technology soon after the original launch and saw it as a commanding opportunity.
So, on to the actual information about the system. Remember, all that follows is based on rumours, information leaks and a solitary press release; but sometimes, that’s all you’ve got. The processing unit is believed to be rather simple. Not simple as far as the technology it houses, but in the fact that it is simply a miniaturised version of the 485MHz IBM Gekko processor housed within the GameCube. Strangely enough, the Game Boy Advance SP is the correct width to allow a solitary disc to be inserted, should a slot be provided. gamecubedisc.jpg (6522 bytes)By now, you’d have guessed that it appears that Nintendo’s statement committing them to GameCube development long after the launch of the Revolution was no accident, and was again a hint at this technology. It seems more than feasible, as with Sony’s PSP touting the possibility (although we are yet to see it appear in any titles) to play a game on your PlayStation2, then take the save data onto your PSP to continue playing, that the Game Boy Evolution should allow for a similar principle, however with the reliability of Nintendo and Panasonic’s Proprietary 3-inch Optical Disc Technology, the same disc may be used for both systems, without the fear of freezing games or extended loading times etc. while the system is in motion.
The memory cards would obviously be directly compatible, but could also be the reason behind the development of the ill-fated Panasonic SD FLASH Adapter for the GameCube, as the Game Boy Evolution could have been originally intended to use SD FLASH cards. It’s known that Nintendo have been increasing research into control for some time and as leaders of the field it comes as no surprise to learn that Nintendo have been working away on some new analogue features. Rumours suggest “bubble”-esque analogue pads akin to roll-balls for PCs and some strange retro-feeling touch-panel D-Pad effects. We’ve already seen L and R triggers and the NintendoDS’s versions could obviously hold up to the GameCube’s.
With the PSP being a slightly less competent machine than the PlayStation2 in terms of effects (while the polygon count actually appears higher than that most commonly seen on the PlayStation2) it’s more than likely that Nintendo have been able to develop the exact chipset within the GameCube on a much smaller scale, and would be able to bring this to market at a sub-£100 price point already, given the current price of the GameCube and the fact that Nintendo are still making money on each unit sold.
The major problem would be the conflict with the NintendoDS. With such a recent launch the quick up-takers of the new system may already feel that their technology is out of date, no matter how much Nintendo insist they are different “pillars”. More time spent with the system only convinces you that it’s aimed squarely at the hardcore market and makes the recent sales rush even more astonishing. In order to convince the public, the Game Boy Evolution would have to launch with a retail price lower than the NintendoDS.
There is no solid evidence currently of what this system will be, but it is known that development is at the final stages, and has been for some time. With Nintendo still showing no signs of slowing down (contrary to popular belief) their expansion over the last five years has been tremendous and puts little doubt in my mind that they would be able to support three systems in this way, given the extensive back catalogue of GameCube games already available. Only time will tell for the story of Nintendo’s Game Boy franchise, but what rumblings are happening over at Kyoto internally right now is, as ever, anyone’s guess.
http://www.electronictheatre.co.uk/articles/archive/2005/gameboyevolution/
Electronics for you, me and them
It is India's first country-wide chain of consumer electronics and durables. Croma, managed by Tata Group's Infiniti Retail, aims to offer its customers a unique shopping experience
There is a new hue in the Tata spectrum. Croma, India's first national large format retail chain for consumer electronics and durables launched in October 2006, has already begun to carve a place for itself.
Owned and managed by Infiniti Retail, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons, Croma receives technical and strategic sourcing support from Woolworths India, a subsidiary of Woolworths. The latter is an Australian retail giant with over 2,000 stores in 12 different formats in Australia.
The above 20,000 sq feet chain at Juhu in Mumbai retails products in eight categories. These are white goods, home entertainment, small appliances, computers and peripherals, communication, music, imaging and gaming software. In each of these categories, the buyer is spoiled for choice, with nearly 6,000 products and 180 brands to choose from.
Kitchen appliances on display at Croma
Says Ajit Joshi, chief executive officer, Infiniti Retail, "A study by Tata Strategic Management Group conducted two years ago revealed that there is no national player in the electronics and white goods retail business; only small regional players. A deeper study of nearly 22.7 million households showed low penetration of electronic items."
Simultaneously, the realisation that the market was ready for more, indicated good times for the organised retail industry in India. Joshi clarifies, "Currently organised retail is only 3 to 6 per cent whereas the total retail turnover in India was 250 million dollars last year. But organised retail is growing at a speed of 40 per cent. The pie is large enough." These facts were disclosed at an AT Kearney summit held in Mumbai recently.
Clearly the potential is huge. The market demanded a player that would be capable of fulfilling its needs in every region. It was the perfect stage for Croma.
Joshi is confident of his chain's prospects, especially of its ability to leverage the price advantage in Croma's favour. There are other measures that he hopes to use to attract the customer. These include job-related training and motivational programmes to ensure that the sales staff is able to give optimum service to customers, and extended warranties on products from Tata AIG General Insurance.
These measures help give further credence to Croma's claim of "We don't sell, we help you buy." Says Joshi, "We took a very different approach from the market. We want to try and understand customers' needs and then recommend the product that best suits them. A child's requirements from a phone differ from those of an adult. We are not in the business of merely selling brands. This approach has been really appreciated by our customers."
There have been times when Croma salespeople have visited clients' homes to measure the size of their bedrooms and recommend a TV. They have also visited kitchens to measure the space left by the architect for the fridge and recommend one accordingly. Croma also makes recommendations, based on the energy- and water-saving potential of the product. The chain, however, refrains from recommending one brand against another.
Refrigerators on display at croma
At the store, clients are encouraged to get a feel of the product they intend to buy. The mobile phones are
pre-activated and the 45-odd laptops and computers on display are Wi-Fi connected, so clients can browse the net and decide which one to buy.
In order to offer services of this nature, Croma needs to be assured of trained salespersons, who know the products thoroughly. "Finding the right people," says Joshi, "was not difficult. We support a lot of charities and NGOs. Our approach was also to recruit people from them. We also recruited from the ITIs (Industrial Training Institute). We believe that when an electrician sells you a TV, he is going to put his heart and soul into it, because he understands it. We are creating empowerment with this. We also go to BSc, BCom colleges to recruit Maths and Science students. We are also trying to work on a retailing course."
To prepare its people, Croma, with the help of Woolworths, devised a month-long training programme that addressed their needs. This was necessary, given that the electronics industry sees newer models being introduced and older ones being phased out, on a regular basis.
Washing machines on display at Croma
Besides equipping them for the exigencies of their job, the programme also offered help on yoga and breathing exercises to beat stress, tips on improving speech and diction, and the basics of the English language. The language lessons were significant as some of the salespersons came from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Joshi says, "As far as training and overall experience of the customer are concerned, we would like to copy our big brothers, Titan, Taj, etc. Whether you walk into a Taj hotel in Kolkata or Chennai, the experience of the rooms is the same. We too would like to deliver the same experience at all our stores."
Croma's willingness to sharpen its tools is justified by customers' appreciation of sales staff's methods and by the increasing number of footfalls in the store. Encouraged by the response, Joshi is making vigorous plans for rolling out 30 stores over the next 18 months. Upcoming stores will be located in Ahmedabad and Pune. Growth in the number of stores, however, is not the only thing to look forward to.
Croma is preparing to give after sales support on brands and products across categories. Joshi says, "No matter which product or brand you buy, you should call only one place for the after sales service and that is Croma. We are also talking to Tata Motors Finance for financing options for our customers." In serving as a one-stop shop, the chain will not only service products bought from the store, but also those bought from the competitors.
The store is also gearing up to solve the complaints of its customers. It has put in place a mechanism for gaining customer feedback and ploughing it back into sales. With so many plans and programmes in the offing, there is no doubt that Croma will succeed in painting the nation in its own special hue.
CROMA's offerings
Home entertainment: CTVs, music systems, VCD, DVD players, etc
Small appliances:Kitchen and domestic apliances
White goods: ACs, refrigerators, microwaves, washing machines, dishwashers, etc
Computers and peripherals: Desktops, laptops, blank media, cables, accesories, software, etc
Communication: Mobile phones and accesories, telephones, SIM cards, recharge cards, etc
Music: CDs, VCDs and DVDs
Imaging: Handycams, digital cameras, etc
Gaming software
http://www.tata.com/infiniti_retail/articles/20070305_croma_electronics.htm
There is a new hue in the Tata spectrum. Croma, India's first national large format retail chain for consumer electronics and durables launched in October 2006, has already begun to carve a place for itself.
Owned and managed by Infiniti Retail, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons, Croma receives technical and strategic sourcing support from Woolworths India, a subsidiary of Woolworths. The latter is an Australian retail giant with over 2,000 stores in 12 different formats in Australia.
The above 20,000 sq feet chain at Juhu in Mumbai retails products in eight categories. These are white goods, home entertainment, small appliances, computers and peripherals, communication, music, imaging and gaming software. In each of these categories, the buyer is spoiled for choice, with nearly 6,000 products and 180 brands to choose from.
Kitchen appliances on display at Croma
Says Ajit Joshi, chief executive officer, Infiniti Retail, "A study by Tata Strategic Management Group conducted two years ago revealed that there is no national player in the electronics and white goods retail business; only small regional players. A deeper study of nearly 22.7 million households showed low penetration of electronic items."
Simultaneously, the realisation that the market was ready for more, indicated good times for the organised retail industry in India. Joshi clarifies, "Currently organised retail is only 3 to 6 per cent whereas the total retail turnover in India was 250 million dollars last year. But organised retail is growing at a speed of 40 per cent. The pie is large enough." These facts were disclosed at an AT Kearney summit held in Mumbai recently.
Clearly the potential is huge. The market demanded a player that would be capable of fulfilling its needs in every region. It was the perfect stage for Croma.
Joshi is confident of his chain's prospects, especially of its ability to leverage the price advantage in Croma's favour. There are other measures that he hopes to use to attract the customer. These include job-related training and motivational programmes to ensure that the sales staff is able to give optimum service to customers, and extended warranties on products from Tata AIG General Insurance.
These measures help give further credence to Croma's claim of "We don't sell, we help you buy." Says Joshi, "We took a very different approach from the market. We want to try and understand customers' needs and then recommend the product that best suits them. A child's requirements from a phone differ from those of an adult. We are not in the business of merely selling brands. This approach has been really appreciated by our customers."
There have been times when Croma salespeople have visited clients' homes to measure the size of their bedrooms and recommend a TV. They have also visited kitchens to measure the space left by the architect for the fridge and recommend one accordingly. Croma also makes recommendations, based on the energy- and water-saving potential of the product. The chain, however, refrains from recommending one brand against another.
Refrigerators on display at croma
At the store, clients are encouraged to get a feel of the product they intend to buy. The mobile phones are
pre-activated and the 45-odd laptops and computers on display are Wi-Fi connected, so clients can browse the net and decide which one to buy.
In order to offer services of this nature, Croma needs to be assured of trained salespersons, who know the products thoroughly. "Finding the right people," says Joshi, "was not difficult. We support a lot of charities and NGOs. Our approach was also to recruit people from them. We also recruited from the ITIs (Industrial Training Institute). We believe that when an electrician sells you a TV, he is going to put his heart and soul into it, because he understands it. We are creating empowerment with this. We also go to BSc, BCom colleges to recruit Maths and Science students. We are also trying to work on a retailing course."
To prepare its people, Croma, with the help of Woolworths, devised a month-long training programme that addressed their needs. This was necessary, given that the electronics industry sees newer models being introduced and older ones being phased out, on a regular basis.
Washing machines on display at Croma
Besides equipping them for the exigencies of their job, the programme also offered help on yoga and breathing exercises to beat stress, tips on improving speech and diction, and the basics of the English language. The language lessons were significant as some of the salespersons came from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Joshi says, "As far as training and overall experience of the customer are concerned, we would like to copy our big brothers, Titan, Taj, etc. Whether you walk into a Taj hotel in Kolkata or Chennai, the experience of the rooms is the same. We too would like to deliver the same experience at all our stores."
Croma's willingness to sharpen its tools is justified by customers' appreciation of sales staff's methods and by the increasing number of footfalls in the store. Encouraged by the response, Joshi is making vigorous plans for rolling out 30 stores over the next 18 months. Upcoming stores will be located in Ahmedabad and Pune. Growth in the number of stores, however, is not the only thing to look forward to.
Croma is preparing to give after sales support on brands and products across categories. Joshi says, "No matter which product or brand you buy, you should call only one place for the after sales service and that is Croma. We are also talking to Tata Motors Finance for financing options for our customers." In serving as a one-stop shop, the chain will not only service products bought from the store, but also those bought from the competitors.
The store is also gearing up to solve the complaints of its customers. It has put in place a mechanism for gaining customer feedback and ploughing it back into sales. With so many plans and programmes in the offing, there is no doubt that Croma will succeed in painting the nation in its own special hue.
CROMA's offerings
Home entertainment: CTVs, music systems, VCD, DVD players, etc
Small appliances:Kitchen and domestic apliances
White goods: ACs, refrigerators, microwaves, washing machines, dishwashers, etc
Computers and peripherals: Desktops, laptops, blank media, cables, accesories, software, etc
Communication: Mobile phones and accesories, telephones, SIM cards, recharge cards, etc
Music: CDs, VCDs and DVDs
Imaging: Handycams, digital cameras, etc
Gaming software
http://www.tata.com/infiniti_retail/articles/20070305_croma_electronics.htm
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