Turning Consumer Footfalls into Retail Gains The Loyalty Track at the Retail Leadership Summit 2013 in Mumbai is co-sponsored by LoyaltyOne. Featured sessions include: - Chris Goodale (VP, Sobey's) keynote address: An Insider's View on Global Retail Markets - Panel Discussion: Leveraging the Customer Asset for Increased Profitability, featuring Chris Goodale and senior leaders from Lifestyle, Trent and Shoppers Stop, hosted by Caroline Papadatos - Workshop: Converting Customer Footfalls into Financial Gains, hosted by Caroline Papadatos Register at the official site of Retail Association of India. (http://www.rls.net.in)

1. Forthcoming Events
Retail Leadership Summit 2013
India is a nation of shopkeepers with innovative competencies to delight customers. The
evolutionary process has been quite exciting for modern retailers, who have had to re-
examine the traditional methods of retailing, constantly upgrade processes and practices and
develop them in order to increase their market share. Modern retail in India witnesses high
property costs and operational costs while the sales transaction sizes are not very large. In
response to this combination of inherent consumption demand and a tight cost structure;
retailers in India need to develop indigenous models of innovation in five key aspects of the
value chain namely – Space, Merchandise, Price, People and Processes.
A lso with Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in retail
getting a nod, retail
landscape will change further. As
retail organisations respond to such
tion capability is a big opportunity for
retail. However there are also cost
challenges. This propels Indian
Retailers to innovate in various
aspects of retail including space,
that retailers have to get a larger
share of time and wallet of consum-
ers. Innovation and local adaptation
of international retail strategies are
essential elements to thrive in this
experiences, they also cull out and people, products, pricing, processes, market. Retail Leadership Summit
share best practices that are worth finance etc. and that is what the aims at creating a platform for various
replicating. Committed to the growth summit aims to do – to create people to connect, converse,
of organised retail in India, Retailers thought leadership. collaborate, celebrate with others in
Association of India (RAI) has always the industry and create new strategic
taken various initiatives to boost the Citing the theme of the Summit, focus for businesses.”
industry through its various work- Kumar Rajagopalan, chief executive
shops and annual events. The most officer, RAI shares “Retailers in India The Summit shall also see LoyaltyOne
important being its flagship event - can see high opportunity to sell to as its co-presenter and they shall be
The Retail Leadership Summit (RLS). customers. However customers too talking about the company's most
Taking the tradition forward, are getting accustomed to competi- important asset – its customers!
February 07 - 08, 2013 shall see the tive retail offerings and channel
options and they know that it is time The traditional business model as it is
5th edition of RLS taking place in generally understood holds that a
Mumbai at Grand Hyatt, Santacruz to demand for items where they want
, when they want and at prices they company must focus on manufactur-
East, Mumbai. ing a gamut of products and services.
want. Media explosion, internet,
The central theme of the Summit for smart phones, social media and travel Owing to the high competition in
RLS 2013 is “An invitation to options are creating various demands most markets, it is forced to produce
Innovation”. India's huge consump- for time of consumers. This means mass quantities of the same product
108 | January - February 2013 |

2. Forthcoming Events
for a lower price. Consequently, change their focus of business Where senior representatives from
marketing has to focus on gaining planning from one of a cost cutting Indian retailers come together to
market share and marketers have to prescription for corporate prosperity discuss and share innovations they
plumb markets to find as many and an internal focus that underval- h ave m a d e i n c raf t i n g t h e i r
customers as possible who want that ued the real needs and values of customer's retail experiences,
'lowest common denominator' customers…to a truly centered identifying opportunities to be more
product. business planning approach. Come relevant and hence create that much
join us for an interactive session on needed differentiation as retail
The 1960s propagated the 4 Ps the Loyalty track led by LoyaltyOne competition heats up in India.
(Product, Place, Price, Promotion) of that entails:
marketing and a generation of The Power lunch presented by
product managers followed this An insider view on mature retail Caroline Papadatos
philosophy, leaving little room for markets from leading global experts Where Caroline will take us through
individual customers' needs. And how retailers there derive those an interesting session on how
critical customer insights and execute “Customer footfalls can be translated
From then, the world has changed a
retail strategies to give them the into financial gains”. This talk will
lot. It's now not a product-driven but
competitive edge. This session will be revolve around the importance of
a customer-driven business format
co-hosted by Caroline Papadatos, customer data, its collection and
which often marks out the more
Senior Vice President, International management and most importantly
successful companies.
at LoyaltyOne and Chris Goodale, its application.
Extending the same logic to retail, the Vice President, Loyalty and Customer
Insight at Sobeys. They will with the More information on the summit can
innovation here was in the merchan-
help of live examples demonstrate be sourced from - www.rls.net.in
dising, product management and
store operations. But not anymore. If how innovative customer strategies, RAI cordially welcomes industry
new store concepts are designed for co-creation and social media can all players to Retail Leadership Summit
new-age customers and innovative be part of a bigger customer (RLS 2013): An invitation to
products are for early adopters, then management blue print that comes innovation!! on 7th and 8th Feb 2013
the business of retail innovation to life in the retail environment. at Grand Hyatt, Santacruz East,
starts with knowing your customers. Mumbai.
A panel discussion on leveraging the
The result of this approach will entail customer asset for improved
the rapid need for companies to profitability
Attendees at RLS 2012
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