Customer is King but retailer is god. Customer is king but retailer is god, this is true for most brands in trade circle.

The most common adage is customer is king across countries. Every brand whether its on online or offline business uses this statement, does it really believe so or are these words just to satisfy the ego of customer.

Customer is King a Loyal customer sees retailer as god , brand sees him more as a demanding customer.

Loyal customer, the brand sees him more as a demanding customer rather then a loyal customer. The transactional value of the customer is more than the profits earned . So, does he qualify for being considered a King?  No will be answer.

ROLE OF TRADE

Many organisations are sales driven rather then brand equity driven. In these organisations the trade channel plays a key role in either converting a prospect or shifting the customer to other brands. The retailer play a pivotal role in acquisition of customer. Many retailers in a particular area are so dominant that their voice is considered as gospel.

BRAND AWARENESS

Rural and semi-rural areas where the brand awareness is much low, retailers are make or break guys. His words and recommendations are acted upon by the consumers. In rural areas visit to these retailers basis word of mouth and reference. The trust on these retailers is beyond doubt, they are their trouble shooters for a fault with the product. The consumers sees the retailer as subject matter expert, and act on his advice.

KEY FACTORS

These factors attribute a retailer a cult status, seen as GOD. Retailer is considered as a pseudo god. Its their power and influence that they wield significantly adds to their influence, in the journey of a product from warehouse to customers residence.

RETAILER IS GOD

Its right to call the Retailers as God. Most companies try to ignore this, they are aware of the perks of having a retailer who favours them. Consumer is a King as he uses the product and his feedback matters in improving the product. Neverthless, retailer is a God as he controls a major part of customer journey including sales and after -sales.

Connect with me on linkedin #Shyamalsiddhanta