Retail is detail says trade centre boss

The Bahrain retail market has undergone a sea change in the last few years. Many new malls, supermarkets, shops etc, have opened all with a view to attracting and retaining customers.

Here's what Lebanon Trade Centre manager Ajit B Khadilkar has to say.

When we first went to school, we were taught A for Apple, B for Boy, C for Cat, etc this basic learning became our foundation for the future.

Having worked in Bahrain for four years, I tried to learn once again my A, B, C, but now applying it to the Retail Sector.

For the size of the Bahrain market, only companies able to retain customers for repeated purchases will be winners.

All the others will slowly but surely lose out in this rat race. The size of the cake is the same, but now there are more players who want a larger share.

So what are the A, B and C of retailing?

A: Attitude, Approach and Awareness.

Attitude: Our attitude should be always for the good of our customers and this simple quality will help us overcome all the hurdles in our path. As someone has rightly said 'Our attitude determines our altitude'.

Approach: Our approach at work should be one of co-operation and not of confrontation. Most of us fail in this simple test and lose our customer.

Awareness: In this dynamic world it has become imperative to have awareness at all times, about everthing that affects us. Awareness can be of knowledge, skills, traditions, technology etc. If we are aware we will be a winner in most situations.

B: Bahrain, Buyer and Business

Bahrain: It is very useful to know a lot of Bahrain, the place where we all work. Its people, religion, history, culture, traditions etc will all help us to have a strong and loyal customer data bank.

Buyer: The entire business operation will rest on smart buying. If we are buying smartly, then we can do all the tricks in the trade to have satisfied customers. If the buying function is weak, the entire organisation will be vulnerable to threats.

Business: At all times we must focus on our business. To be in business, it is important to understand our business. This knowledge will help us to face the future, and to protect it.

C: Customer, Cash flow and Co-operation

Customer: To have a satisfied customer base, should be our main focus area.

Efforts should be made from one and all to increase this database.

Cash flow: In the turbulent times that we are in, we have to protect our cash flow at all costs.

Co-operation: Co-operation at all levels in the organisational structure, at all times, will be required to remain competitive and sustainable.

The important issue is to satisfy someone sooner than our competitor. This is how competion works, and why I say Retail is Detail.