The sale is in terms of units. It's not a huge market here. There are hardly five or six shops here. So, we are able to survive. Since the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute is located nearby, a few customers from there come to my shop to buy products. If they want to buy products that I don't have at my shop, I will buy those products for them from outside. I have to do that much to keep the customers happy.
It depends on the customers. It is not possible for me to know what the customers like. A customer can like many things. My job is to satisfy the customer. Now, let’s say that you come to my shop to buy the Lakme foundation, but I don’t have this product at my shop. Instead, I have a similar product called Joy Foundation at my shop. In that case, I have to satisfy you first, and then I can convince you to buy the Joy Foundation.
Now I do get customers who can't afford to buy expensive products from brands like Lakme. If a customer comes to my shop to buy an aloe-vera gel and they have only 150 rupees in their pocket, I can't make them buy the Lakme aloe-vera gel. I can't sell the Lakme aloe-vera gel to them on a credit basis because I don't know when they are going to pay me back. So, instead of the Lakme aloe-vera gel, I can sell the Astaberry aloe-vera gel to the customer as they can afford to buy this product. In this way, I will be able to satisfy the customer and earn income, which is good for my business. So, this is how I run my business. I don't sell products to the customers on a credit basis. If I do that, I know that they will pay for the products after 2-3 months. I can't wait for 2-3 months to get paid. I have to sell the products in stock, get the money, and buy new products. It's not like the customers will buy products from one brand only. They will buy products from other brands as well. So, I have to buy and keep products from various brands at my shop.
Customers often tell me what's wrong with their vehicle before I even ask. I can usually identify the problem after driving the vehicle once, but the customer usually tells me what they think the problem is before I have a chance to say anything. However, the customer doesn't always know what the problem is. In those cases, I have to drive the vehicle, search for the issue, and then explain it to the customer.
I know that readymades are in demand because customers come and ask for them. That is how I know. Readymades are in demand. I also observe other shops and see that readymade shops are doing good business. So, why don't I also start one? We can look at other shops. I wish to do that. Readymades are more in demand in this line now.
I know that because I have been doing business for a long time. I am aware of the latest trends. We have this knowledge automatically. If a saree is trending, I make sure to keep it in stock. We have this awareness. We gather this information by asking our customers. Some customers ask for Jockey while others ask for Ramraj when it comes to underwear and vests. Therefore, we can determine whether Ramraj, Rupa, or Jockey is in higher demand. I stock such items accordingly.
The customers used to ask me whether I have Google Pay or PhonePe. As I did not have it before, they used to go to another shop. Otherwise, they would tell me that they will get money from the ATM. But they never come back. Now that I know, I can check the received payment.
I know about my customers as they come with a list of things. They come with a list, and I show them the corresponding items accordingly. I will provide the materials I have. If I do not have certain materials, I inform them that I cannot provide them. 2 customers, 5 customers, 10-20 customers come to me daily.
I thought that starting a furniture business would be a good idea. It's like using our brain - if our stomach is hurting, we take medicine for stomachache, not for a headache. So, I surveyed the market and realized that there is a demand for furniture because everything else is available except for furniture. That's why I decided to open a furniture store. I also noticed that there are good clothing shops, saree shops, and a few mattress shops, including dealers of Sleepwell mattresses. In the village, when people need furniture, they have to order it from carpenters because there are no ready-made options available. They struggle to find good furniture and end up spending more money. Considering this situation, I believed that a furniture shop would be successful. I opened my showroom on October 31, 2020, and after a month, I started the manufacturing unit, even though I had no prior experience. I knew that I would learn things gradually, and it's better to face losses and run your own business than to learn things while working for someone else. I faced some challenges at the beginning and suffered losses, but I persevered, and with God's grace, everything turned out well.
We have to explain things to the customer and clarify any doubts. In a jewelry shop, a customer purchases jewelry worth 50,000 to 1 lakh, but they may not know about its purity. Therefore, creating trust depends on our behavior. We used to take our customers to the manufacturing unit so that they can see that the right materials are available here. We show them our work, and then they trust that our work is good. We also have ready-made furniture, but if you are building a new house and need furniture, we can provide it to you according to the interior, wardrobe, and kitchen.
First is customers then vendors then inventory then labors. We will see the need of the customer and according to that we'll search the vendor then I'll keep products in my shop then I'll work myself first and if I need staff then I'll keep staff.
I search for vendors according to customers' needs. If I have opened a utensils shop but the customers demand furniture, there are already 10-15 utensils shops. Every utensils shop is crowded, so I should also open a utensils shop. That will work. If 100 customers are going to 10 shops, then 10 customers are divided into each shop. Utensils shops and clothes shops are there in Fafamao. Clothes shops are for clothes needs, so there is a need for furniture as well. Utensils, vegetables, and general stores are required for food. There are utensils shops, clothes shops, general stores, vegetables shops, and milk shops in this market, but the availability of furniture is zero. So, I thought of opening a furniture shop. First, we will see what the customer needs. There is a furniture shop 5-10kms away, and the customer has to go there. There are carpenters nearby the customer who make furniture on order. I saw that wedding things like sarees are purchased from clothes shops. Furniture is used during weddings. There is Shanti puram colony 2 kms away, and it is a big and nice colony. I have seen outsiders visiting there and building new houses, so they need furniture. How will they go 5kms away to purchase furniture? If you are 1 km away and you do things here, those things will not be done 5 kms away. The service that you give here, 5 kms away will not be able to give that service.
I bought ready-made furniture to launch our store. Yes, just for the opening and to attract a crowd, we did that. If a customer liked the dressing, then I would tell them that it was already sold. We could make a similar one in one week's time. I didn't sell that particular piece to the customer. What would the wholesaler give me and what would I give you? I found local laborers who do such household work and started my manufacturing unit. We started by copying their work and making our own. At first, we didn't have polishing work, so we started with mica work because we couldn't find laborers who knew how to polish. We started using mica, and then the laborers started coming by themselves for work. We didn't give the vendor's products to the customer; we gave them our own products for trust and quality.
When we go to buy clothes, they show us the types of clothes and we pick whatever we like. We choose the types that suit my shop and the type of customers I have. We know what types of customers come to my shop. There are no high-end customers. Normal customers come, so we get normal clothes.
Yes, we prepare Excel sheets month-wise as well. We will also offer discounts to our monthly regular customers, so they feel that we are responsive to their purchases. Currently, we are not tracking monthly data, but we will start doing so. Currently, we only track yearly data. I have created a database for customer needs. For example, if a customer asks for a specific item that we don't have in our shop, I will note down their requirement and their mobile number on a daily basis. After fulfilling their needs, we will contact the customer. (showed the register) Here, I have written down the customer's requirement for a change in the revolving chair base. Initially, we used to sell chairs without the base, but now we have started selling the base as it is a customer need.
You will not get homemade food in a hotel, so their motive online is to provide products to the customers. People will not know about its quality. In my experience, you will not get good furniture online. Customers have claimed this themselves. They have said that if something is 20,000 offline, then the same thing is 19,000 online, but they provide a bad product. They will give 1000 more offline, but at least they will see it and then decide because the material is good. That's why we don't prefer online products. I don't sell furniture online.
Yes, there is a difference between online websites like Amazon and Flipkart and our shop. You will find 90% of these products online, but we sell them too. This product costs 30 rupees per square foot, while this one costs 50 rupees per square foot. The former is made of wood, while the latter is made of bhusa wood. However, the latter may not last long. It is cheaper, but customers are willing to pay 1000 more if they can get a good product from our shop.
The customers tell us about their preferences and demands. For example, if they want a suit, we ask them about the variety of suits they want: a pant kurta set, a palazzo set, or a frock set. We show them options based on their preferences. No, we don't write it down. We are aware of the current trends. When you go to the market, you will also become aware of the trends. When you go to the market, you can inform the sellers about the type of clothes you want. When we visit the wholesalers, they inform us about the latest trends, such as palazzo suits or pant kurta sets. We stay updated on the current trends. Based on that, we stock our shops with goods.
No, we know what type of clothes the customer likes. Some people like fancy, some people don't like fancy stuff. So we keep fancy as well as normal clothes.
Yes, customers bring designs to my shop. I don't know. They screenshot them and ask me if I have those designs or clothes. I get confused. We try to find the types of clothes that the customers want, but we don't always have the same ones. We try to suggest wearing something else. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they don't.
We show them good varieties and the best clothes in our shop to make them our regular customers. We talk to the customers and ask them what they like. We give them the best clothes in our shop. They come first. They tell us themselves that they want this type of clothing. If they want to see a specific kind of suit, then we show it to them.
Yes, I talked to people and understood what they wanted, but I started with Khandelwaal Maarwadi families because other people didn't know about me. They started coming slowly and kept buying things from me. Now, so many families come and buy clothes from me. Everything happened very slowly.
I know what customers will like that’s why I take Marwari touch instead of Surat work. People don't like a lot of sequins but there is a thin variety of sequins which people like and it is different. You know, when I go to Jaipur, I get the same stuff for Rs. 500 in one shop and the same stuff for Rs. 800 in the second shop and the same for Rs.1500 in the third shop. In the beginning, when I went there, I was very confused. I was getting sequins for Rs. 1500 in one shop and for Rs. 500 in the other. They told me to show it to them. The items were from different shops but all of them were different. You can tell the difference in quality by looking at their different price.
When customer visits us, we do customer behaviour analysis to see what is his requirements. Generally, customer comes with a mind set for any product. For wiring, they have a mindset of Havells wiring brand which is a good brand. So I ask the customer about the reason behind buying this brand. He will then tell me that it is a good brand as they have seen its ads which has deeply embedded in their minds. Then we try to find out from their behaviour what they want. If the customer is rigid then we will give him Havells only. Otherwise, I will show him other brand products and he will buy if he likes them.
Regarding farmers' likes and dislikes, they use whatever they want to use, whether they want to grow vegetables or anything else. See, if they are growing paddy or brinjals or tomatoes, then we know about this stuff, so I just bring it.
No, I don't do anything to write customers' feedback. I remember it. I know which shade is good and which is not, and what customers like. We bring it accordingly.
Yes, WhatsApp is good. No, it is fine. It is better than before. Nowadays, customers just bring us photos and say, "We want this medicine or this vegetable." They directly bring it in WhatsApp. Yes, and they say I want this medicine, they bring a photo of thing.
We don't know what the customer wants. When they come, everything is there. We give them a full display. If they say whatever they want, we give them what we have. Their tastes are so broad. When it comes to fancy items, there are a lot of preferences. We can't satisfy them. Even if we have a lot of items, they will sometimes ask for things that are not available. No matter how much variety you offer them, they will ask if you only have this much. For ladies as well, any item in fancy this is the scenario. We display a few items outside and other items which they ask will be inside. We should keep changing the display every 3 months. When they come and ask about the product, I will take it from inside. They will ask if it is in the same model. After online business entered, satisfying customers has become difficult.
When it comes to fancy items, choices of customers change every year and not just 10 years. If you have the same collection the next day also, they will ask if it is old. We have been purchasing items every 3 months. We also purchase items in limited quantities. I don’t worry about cost as things don't expire. Only Cosmetics only expire. I will take in less quantity. Other items I will take more. Depending on customer preferences, items can sell out slowly or be fast moving. We need to purchase it once every 3 months or else we cannot manage it. We go to Chennai only for Diwali. Other times, we purchase items locally.
On Eid, we have a lot of customers. Many women across India prefer a quick Muslim-style makeup with lots of glitter. That's why they apply a lot of makeup. And that's why anyone who comes to our store ends up buying something. It's never empty. During that time, we have a large crowd, so we need to serve customers quickly.
I didn't look for this Patel perfume. A company asked me to buy it, but I refused to take the risk. I gave them a 15-day deadline. However, I ultimately decided to purchase it. I have been selling it since the first lockdown and I have a large inventory of products. This particular item is the first one I acquired and I have a significant quantity available. I source it from Nagpur. It has a low profit margin, only 25%, whereas most people use the 50% variant available at a park. Other companies also offer it at a 50% margin. Despite the low profit margin, I continue to sell it due to high demand from customers.
Yes, I have online customers. There are many peculiar customers. One customer has ordered a product that I cannot reveal to you. It does not sound good. He ordered a crystal condom. I don't know whether he received it or not, but he came to me and said, "I want this condom, please order it for me." Initially, I told the customer, "No, you yourself search for it, you will find it somewhere." I was not feeling comfortable ordering that product.
I mean, you also gain knowledge from it, as you are actively doing something and engaging in marketing. By selling a product, we can learn about the preferences of our ladies, including their expenses and interests. For example, there are women who are unable to visit a mall due to their household responsibilities. So, we can provide them with the products they desire at a minimum price. In some cases, an item that costs 200 rupees in this shop may cost 450 or 500 rupees in a mall. Therefore, by offering them products at affordable prices, we can fulfill their needs. If we provide them with an item that usually costs 400 rupees for only 200 rupees, they will certainly appreciate it.
When choosing new stocks, I keep in mind factors such as advertisements, emerging patterns, and customer demand. I provide stocks to customers based on these considerations.
I understand my customers' preferences when I show them my products. Sometimes they don't like what I show them initially and ask for something else. If they want it, I can bring it for them. However, I need to know when they want it and if they are willing to wait. Some people are patient and wait, while others prefer to go to another shop. We cannot force the customer to buy from us. They should not feel pressured into making a purchase.
Yes. That's the same for the household goods. The goods which I have kept. That's the same concept. The customer came and asked me where he can get this and all. I used to get more customers from Cyber. That's like form fill up and then Xerox, print, and then lamination also. That's like when they used to come and ask for this, then I used to send them to the Durgapur Bazar or Shampur More. Then I thought if I keep the goods there, the customer would not go there and come here for sure. That's why I have started this.
I keep Milton products because there is no other shop here that sells Milton. There is one shop at the crossing, but they don't offer much of a discount. Many customers come here for Milton, as they have gone there and seen the prices. I went directly to the wholesaler of Milton in Asansol. I spoke to him and he said he would give me a good discount, which I can pass on to my customers. Now many people know that I have Milton goods, so they don't go there and come to me instead. They get a bigger discount here. I keep the profit margin low and offer more discounts. My goal is to attract more customers and have more foot traffic. It's not about having 2 customers and earning more. I want 200 customers instead of 2. I may have less profit, but if 200 customers come and they tell others that they can get good products at discounted prices here, I will attract more customers. That's my strategy.
That bangles, creams, and other cosmetic products have grown slowly. At first, I didn't have much of these. I used to keep what I thought customers would need. Then, when customers came and asked for more, I started keeping one pack of each. I found that they were sold so fast, so I started getting 10 packs of each. That's how I maintained the stock and had an idea of what I would need. The Kajal would always be needed, so I made sure to have it in stock. I also kept various varieties.
If I see customers asking for a product or if they are interested in a product they saw on TV, it's because people are watching YouTube and TV advertisements, which prompt them to come and inquire about our products.
I check if customers want that product and if there are advertisements on TV, as well as if people are demanding that product. People asking or searching for products will give me a hint, and then I stock that.
Whatever the customer demand is, I have to procure it. And for that, we have to see from whom we can get it. So, we have to go to distributors.
This is a neighborhood shop. I mainly cater to people who are looking to buy saris below 1k. They would prefer to go to a larger shop for more expensive items. They specifically look for items priced below 1k. Otherwise, they would go to another place. I also stock innerwear and hosiery items. I began by keeping only saris. I had kept around 8-10 saris. Then I saw that they weren't selling. Then I realized that one has to keep everything in the neighborhood shop. I slowly started keeping all the things the ladies around the colony asked me to keep. Someone might ask for a bedsheet while shopping for a sari. So, I began keeping those as well. That is how I went about it. If someone asked me for a vest, I went ahead and got one for them. That is how I have ended up keeping so much already. You would get an idea of what people in the neighborhood want. You would find everything.
I have items in my shop based on what you want, such as a sari or a handkerchief. You can also find vests, innerwear, and underwear for both men and women. I have it all. I also have bedsheets. I have items for small children and people aged around 40-45 years or so. I also have lungis and dhotis for the elderly. The customer doesn't have to leave disappointed. Usually, you don't find everything in one place. A shop selling saris would only sell saris. If it sells dhotis, then it would only sell dhotis. What I have done is sell everything. If they want a dhoti, pant, or anything else for that matter, they can find it all here, in one shop. I have done this based on the customers' requirements. I listened to them and stocked up accordingly because I am their neighborhood shopkeeper. They would rather come and pick something up at my shop than spend money on traveling to another place. They say it's better to get it from me.
If we forget customers' preferences, we are at a loss. Later, we might recall them again. With so many products in the shop, how can we quickly remember the price of each of these products? It happens. We have a list from the company... there is a price list, and we refer to that.
I learned about UPI a year ago, but there were many negative things being said about it, such as money getting deducted and so on. People thought that money would be taken out of their accounts easily, but later I realized that there are many advantages. Most customers don't carry cash anymore. They come and ask if we accept PhonePe and Google Pay. They might not have made the purchases if I didn't accept it.
We often use Google. If we want to find out something that we don't know, we search for it on Google. For instance, if a customer mentions some names that we are not familiar with, we search and check if there are any alternative numbers for those names. The same thing may be referred to by different names in different places. In that case, we search for that thing and find out more information. Maybe I am working with something and I wanted to know about certain things, then I search about that subject in Google to get information.
We sell those god's pictures. People put them at home. Customers ask for them. So we thought of keeping them. Each product depends on customer demand. 4-5 customers came and they asked for the same product. So we are keeping these. If ten customers come asking for the same product, that means there is demand for that product. And if one or two customers come for some product, that means there is not much demand for that product. Keeping that in mind, we keep products. We also consider whether a product is included in hardware or not. We need to know that as well.
Customers only tell us what products they like. Customers' choice is our choice. Today, one customer comes for one product, and tomorrow another customer will come for the same product. Observing this, we select the products to keep in the shop.
Masons buy those brooms. Whoever does masonry work, they need this. Masons only ask for this. They need this. Everything is kept based on customer demand. We ask and get to know the requirements of ten masons. Out of ten people, whichever item all ten of them are asking for, we keep that. When they come to buy something, we ask them at that time. After they make their purchase, they stand here for two minutes. And at that time, we have some conversations. We ask them what else they need. And we also ask which company's product is better. And we only keep those materials. For example, ten painters came and we asked all ten of them which company is better, like Asian Paints, Berger, Nerolac? All of them mentioned Asian Paints. So, we started to carry Asian Paints. Overall, we carry whichever products have more demand. We take reviews from customers, painters... Then we keep our stock.
If a new customer comes, we try to make them our regular customers based on what we say and the rates. We have to show them the quality of the products at our store and convince them. That's all. So, they will visit other shops and come here. There are a couple of huge wholesale stores nearby, and they will see the rates there and come. Some people may not like the quality, and some people just ask for the rates. For example, if they want around 2 times, they will inquire about the rates of at least 50 items. Sometimes they may want a particular item that is not available, so we will buy and keep it specifically for them. If we give them what they ask for, they will definitely come again next time. We should be friendly and talk to them. We must not be harsh towards them. Sometimes they may ask if we have a family, so we have to answer them as well. They will call and ask us for the items. There are 4-5 customers who call and place orders. They may visit once every 4 months, but the bill will come every month. So, we will deliver the order, collect the cash, and come back.
In order to decide what to keep in the shop, I consider different factors. Firstly, I keep a maximum quantity of items that are in the medium price range, as these are popular among customers. Additionally, some people specifically ask for higher priced items, as they believe that lower priced items may have lower quality. To cater to these customers, I set aside 5-6 items that fall into this category. Ultimately, I base my inventory decisions on the specific demands of the customers.
The experience of running a fancy store over there is very different from this one. In the fancy store, you have to display all the items and let customers select what they want, then give it to them. But here, you have to give customers whatever they ask for. So, if I had any doubts, I would ask people around. In this area, there are a couple of grocery shops, so I can find out if any new items have arrived in the market and what the prices are. In the fancy store, customers have to search through the whole collection of fancy items just to buy one thing, but here we need to give customers whatever they ask for.
I can't do anything if customers aren't satisfied. Every customer will be different. There are customers who will buy some items, and for a while, they will buy from us. But after some time, they will stop coming completely and start buying from another store. However, if they are not happy with that store, they will come back here. If there is a rush, they may want to get the items quickly, but it will take time as there is a line. They might go away and get it from another store. Even there, there might be a rush, so they may come back to us. They have done this during festival time as well. However, I haven't encountered any rude customers, and we haven't been rude to anyone either. They will generally call or come back after an hour to collect the items. Sometimes, they will want us to deliver the items to their house, so we will deliver and then receive the payment. Some people will send the bill and go to work; they will instruct us to send the items to their house, where someone else will receive the delivery. Alternatively, some people will give us the bill and keep it ready in the evening, so that they can come back from work to collect it. we need to maintain accordingly, as the customer demands will be different on different days. Like today, we have a bill. He has told us to pack the items and deliver them by 8:30 at night because they will be home only by then. They gave us the bill in the morning itself.
If there’s a new brand, customers ask when they see the Ads, they ask for that product itself.
With suppliers, I will only buy it if there is a customer inquiry, so even if two customers are asking, I will buy and keep the item. Maybe 3-4 pieces of that product/brand.
We always buy the items requested by the customer. Specifically in this area, whatever they are asking for, we will purchase and keep in stock. If they come asking for a specific brand, and if we suggest something new, they will definitely not buy it. That's how the people here are. Mostly, I have seen it like that.
Quality of the item. These are the items we use at home as well, right? So it's the same. When we see the product, we get to know the quality. So, whatever the customer asks for, we will get it for them. Even if we say that the quality won't be that good, they won't listen; they will still buy it according to their choice, as they must like it.
So, most of the time, the types of items we keep are liked by everyone. For example, Beedi items are popular among Bengalis, as they bought 10 packets yesterday. There will be different items that they will like, so I will buy all of those and keep them. They also bought 10L of oil yesterday for their festival in Bengal. They bought all of that and went home.
Customers of all types visit the shop. You can only understand the diversity of our customers when you step into the shop. In this area, we get inquiries for a variety of smartphones. Some people look for second-hand smartphones in the 7,000-8,000 price range. Others seek new smartphones priced around 10,000. Additionally, about 30% of our customers are willing to spend between 10,000 and 15,000. A significant portion of our customers includes construction workers, music enthusiasts, and gamers. They often inquire about smartphones in the 50% range.
Customers desire a good product at a reasonable price. This is their primary requirement. However, they frequently base their decisions on budget constraints. In that sense, for this budget, there isn't a mobile that won't have some limitations. Mobiles with higher RAM tend to perform better, but completely eliminating the issue of hanging is challenging. You're inquiring about fulfilling their needs, and the answer is somewhat elusive. They can't be entirely satisfied. So, they should adapt and change.They might go through a lot of trouble in their quest to save a mere 2000rs on a mobile, believing that spending more won't resolve the hanging issue. When a considerable number of people go through this cycle, they start to understand the importance of investing in quality products.
When customers ask for items that we don't have, we write them down and keep them. So, when they go to the market, they buy those items. We would tell the customers to come back in the evening and check with us. They come and buy those items in the evening.
We buy new packs of the stock only when the old packs are sold out. We generally buy only 5 packs. They are usually sold out within a week. Then we restock them again the following week. If they ask for a new product and that product is not there, we ask them to come next day or in the evening. By that time, we buy that item and store it in our shop.
Customers come after they decide what to buy online. They ask for a specific item, and we provide it to them. However, they often show us what is available online. When we inform them that we don't have the exact same pattern or design, they simply leave, wasting our time. This leads to a lot of disappointment. Even if we show them a product that matches their expectations, they may ask for a different model. Customers often come with photos, but they don't show the photo right away. Instead, they first ask us to show them the latest model, which we do by displaying everything we have. Then, they specifically show us the photo and request a particular design or model. At this point, we immediately understand that they have not come to make a purchase. When we inform them that we don't have that specific model, they leave and it negatively impacts our business. Additionally, if I am selling a product for 320 rupees, the same item is sold online for 240 rupees. Therefore, customers prefer to buy online. More than the price, design is the issue.