Reframing India's retail

The Indian retail industry is at a critical crossroads.

- M MUNEER

Proliferation of e-commerce, accelerating digitization, a consumer base that is increasingly getting younger, and the shriller cries for diversity and personalization necessitate a reframing of the sector for growth, and even survival. Conventional marketing appears to be failing, going by the struggles of the sector.

If the experience in developed economies is anything to go by, the answers might seem embedded in the local context. Inspiration can also come from unexpected places. Take the case of the recent reinvention of JCPenney, the US department store chain that once represented a bygone era of suburban shopping. It was long dismissed as stale and out of touch. Its new strategic repositioning can offer relevant lessons for Indian retailers seeking to redefine themselves for the next generation of shoppers.

At the heart of JCPenney's bold move was a campaign that challenged consumer assumptions head-on. Surprisingly unbranded ads that featured polished, fashion-forward visuals of model shots, lifestyle images, clean aesthetics. Each ad included a QR code, which, when scanned, revealed that the products came from none other than JCPenney. The idea was simple and sharp: break the bias before the brand is revealed. By stripping away the traditional branding, the campaign forced consumers to judge the clothing on its own merit: Contemporary, stylish, relevant. The surprise of discovery flipped expectations and created an emotional payoff.