Supermarketwala: Secrets to Winning Consumer India

by Damodar Mall

Supermarketwala, Damodar Mall's intriguing and revelatory debut book, answers these questions and much more. Damodar, in Supermarketwala, provides the very basics for the growth of modern retail and consumerism in India, through interesting and carefully studied consumer behaviour, an art that few in his domain possess. Supermarketwala, is intended to be the go-to book for all consumer business enthusiasts and readers alike, who wish to understand how and why we as consumers behave in a certain manner at different places. These insights, which are the analyses of the sector so far, could become the pillars for shaping successful consumer products and retail businesses in the huge consumer economy that India will soon be.

Rita, the young bahu, avoids buying personal products from the family grocer.
Sonu's breakfast table on a Sunday represents global cuisines. Do you know how it is possible?
Where do big corporates and MNC retailers fumble, and what helps simple DMart get its model right?
What is Ching's Sercret that is not Knorr's, Maggi's, or Yippie's?

Genres: India, Business

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2014

Reviews

[Ankit Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful consumer insights. Thoroughly enjoyed it as a Marketing Student. Loved the part where the writer says how women in shopping mall use other women's fashion sense as a yardstick to understand what's trending.

Finished it rather quickly which is a testament to the author's free flowing writing style. And yes, the odd joke here and there helped a lot.
Recommended !

[Sourabh Rohilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a powerful idea in consumer retail. If you have grown up in India, you are used to the neighbourhood shop and shopkeeper. You know the drill. You go to the store with shopping list, the owner takes your order and asks their staff to fetch all the items in your list. You catch up with the shopkeeper, or just wait till all the items are on the front, where items are billed, bagged and handed over to you.
Then, there are the new self-service supermarkets. You enter with a trolley, go crazy all over the place (there are so many discounts! so many things to check out!), buy things you need (and you don't need), pay on a checkout counter and head home. Neat.

This book bridges these two worlds and explains why self-service retail is more economical, consumer-friendly and the way forward. It then goes on to systematically explain how to start a self-service store or convert an existing kirana-store into one. It's like a short MBA program/handbook/how-to guide written with aim to communicate the concepts in a clear and relatable manner.

For example, in our good-old friendly neighbourhood dukaan, only 25% of the area in the front is used for customer service, while 75% of the shop is essentially storage space inaccessible to customers. If you convert your shop to self-service store, you increase space utilisation as you give freedom to customer to engage with the products and enhance their shopping experiences.
The book talks about the whole cycle of starting and running a supermarket in Indian context. It walks you through purchasing cycle, day to day operations, hiring staff, marketing and security aspects. The concepts and knowledge is immensely approachable and actionable.

It is written by Damodar Mall who has spent a lot of time being a retailer in India, and is CEO, Grocery Retail, Reliance Retail right now.
Makes it all the more exciting to pick up another book called SuperMarketwala by same author.

[Piyush Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two words to describe the book: Immensely Insightful.

While these insights seem apparent in hindsight, it needed pointing out. The arguments used in the book are strong and logical. They have completely changed my perception of self service stores.

The book is Desi. It literally reveals secrets to win consumers in India. An aptly named book!

Basically, marry modern retail with a tinge of Indian-ness, and you have a winning formula right there.

While the book was written in 2014, and I'm reading it in 2021, I've seen a lot of themes around this book played out in the Indian retail scene. Talk about relevance!

I also kind of liked that this was an easy read. Short chapters, to the point, no BS and a lot of meaningful content.

Would recommend this to anyone who is interested in understanding Indian consumers whether for starting a retail outlet in India or for educational purposes into the Indian retail scene.

[Yashodhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way the book was written. It consists of many chapters, each highlighting a different behavioural insight that the author obtained over his course of work in the Indian retail industry. Each of the insight highlights how different the Indian shopper is from her western counterpart and how unique her requirements are. Quite a good read for all those interested in the consumer behaviour subject.
I gave three stars because I had to drag myself through a few chapters. But overall I liked the book and would definitely recommend it.

[Ankit Oberoi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful.

Giving it 3/5 because it could've been written in a more condensed fashion (half the length) or rather a series of blogs.

[Vibhor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to know about this book through one of the interviews of Damodar Mall, the author of this book that I was watching on YouTube. That interview itself was super insightful and I thought I will definitely want to know more about Mr Mall’s insights on the Indian consumer industry especially from the modern retail lens.

The book is full of a lot of those nuggets of wisdom that will make you go aha! His experience of working with Dmart, Future group and now Reliance Retail has equipped him with loads of them. If you are part of the consumer industry or are interested in it, this is a great read. The book was published in 2014, and I wish I had read it much earlier.

[Sourabh Rohilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tracks the consumer perspectives as modern retail evolved in India. Take the ringside seat and learn about how consumption changed in urban India in last 2 decades. The author of the book, Damodar Mall, takes the reader through aisles and check-out counters, streets and localities, into the lives of customers, vendors and store associates. The book contains scores of intuitive insights which are not apparent if you are not a keen observer of why, when and where people buy stuff in India. The narrative encompasses multiple product categories like groceries and apparel. It also tracks changes in retail habits as customer shifts from neighbourhood retailers to supermarkets and self-service stores. But the author is not restricted to consumption story. The book is part consumer insights and part celebration of modern retail. Through anecdotal stories, the author explains how modern retail can democratise access to products and service, as well as, better the lives of store associates by skilling them. Towards the end, the book contains a couple of case studies about brands that built their businesses keeping the customers and Indian sensibilities in mind and how that differentiated these businesses from their competitors and enabled them to create higher value.

[Vignesh Damodharan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book clearly tells the reasons why the supermarkets captured the market and how the whole western idea of supermarket was taken and tailored to fit Indian customers.

Though it’s now an e commerce era in the last couple of years in the metropolitan cities, it is still relevant transition that happens in tier two and tier three cities.

The book also sheds light on few things that is missed in discussions like being non judgemental about consumer, his/her inhibitions, etc.

[Sababa Islam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful, insightful, restful read for a South Asian marketer.

Damodar Mall's writing is for the South Asian marketer. His prose, like his selling principles, is designed for easy, restful consumption. A delightful and USEFUL read.

[Shrikant Patil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though alternate channel is a growing phenomenon in India and contributes close to 20% Indian grocery business. There are very few books on this, this was the only one I could find in recent times with a structured approach on Indian modern retail journey.
Mr. Mall comes with solid credentials and is a perfect man to write a book.
The book in current avatar talks about key triggers for adoption of modern retail in India and is going behind psyche of consumers shopping in store.
Little more details on store economics, partnership with larger brands would have made this book more robust and comprehensive.

[Shakti Biswal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read, was expecting more depth on retail space in India. As the book was written back in 2014, it seems like a different era when there was no concept of quick commerce & online dark stores were non-existent. In fact the writer talks about a business opportunity in online delivery from the local kirana shop to a consumer who doesn’t want to travel 5 kms to a retail mart!

One constant theme I came across is the male-dominated retail industry. While a young female consumer would prefer the anonymity of a retail mart over the local kirana shop manner by a uncle, she would easily be convinced by a male salesperson’s suggestion selling her a saree.

[Aishwarya T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my mentors recommended this book to understand the Indian consumer psyche, as I was applying for marketing roles. I read "Supermarketwala" last week, and while it seems slightly outdated with its examples, the predictions about the future of retail and the trends that are here to stay still hold relevant and true. The way the author connects the dots to help advertisers understand why specific modern retailers succeed is insightful. After every chapter, there are nuggets to enhance your thinking and predict the implications of the trends in the retail business. Overall, I found it really knowledgeable and insightful.

[Priyanka Dere · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is an easy guide for a mom&pop store to scale up and enter the world of modern retail.

The book is a must read if you own a general trade and want to turn your shop into modern retail- complete self service store.
Mr. Mall has kept the psyche of the retailer in mind and put in basics of the trade in the storyline. It's a step-by-step guide to modern trade, wherein he has poured his experience out in the open for the trade guys to learn.

[Varun Raghunathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books gives an insight into the minds of Indian customers. It talks about malls and the impact it has had on Indian retail as a whole. The author constantly makes the point that the average indian consumer is very different from their western counterpart and a business cannot blindly replicate what was done in the west. Businesses that truly understand the Indian consumer will be rewarded. The last section made an accurate prediction of the internet wave in India.

[Shrikant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rough review:

Any brand or company that clearly understands what the Indian consumer wants will win big and mind you Indian consumer is very picky, eccentric and completely different to a western one.

Lots of examples of Indian brands and modern retail companies throughout the book.

So many good insights to learn from and follow-up on.

One question: What would you consider a pan Indian cuisine?
.
.
.
Answer: Indian Chinese

[Anupriya Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supermarketwala is precisely the kind of non-fiction you want to read about retail - or for that matter any kind of business activity that requires a deep understanding of the consumers' psyche. Crammed end to end with practical insights, it is a series of experience-based stories told in a delightfully engaging way. Must-read for marketing novices and old hands alike!

[Aman Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good read for someone who wants to setup his/her own outlet. The book does cover all the aspects of the same but falls short of depth. It barely touches all the points but doesn’t go into detail of any.

[Shubham Kothari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author with small stories from his life experience has explained the consumer behaviour in today's marketplace and how supermarkets are growing fast and accepted well by the customers and how they can play a game changing role in FMCG market!!!

[Siddharth Khemka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book which just reminded me of how different India is to other countries and their cultures.

Best fact pointed out is that there will always be opportunities for building rich or luxury brands but real innovation is creating something for the middle class.

[Joy Dutta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful book, that gives step by step process to convert an existing kirana store to an open aisle supermarket. It covers all important aspects. Highly recommended if you want to learn the operations involved in running a kirana store or want to start one.

[Subash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent one time read of the quirks of Indian consumer behavior and how retailer needs to change to cater to their needs.

[Vignesh Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Offers best advice

Offers good advice for freshers in this business. Must read for those who are new to the industry and want to grow.

[Priya sankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of insights on the Indian consumer.

[Divya Gonnabathula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice insights into Modern Retail In India. I loved the chapter where he delves into the contents of most Indian Refrigerators, and their implications for Marketeers!

[Geeta Garg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone in retail or trade business. Peculiar and practical take on the emerging trends of retail in India.

[Sajjad Hossen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enthralled by the insights on Indian consumer given in this book. It should be read to know more about consumers and their behavior.

[Harshita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and interesting read

[vikas iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights. Simple lucid writing with observations drawn from consumer personas in every chapter.

[Nikhil · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great book to know about Retail in India. Damodar has shared a lot of great insights about Retail.

[Haritha Menon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insights on the Indian consumer

Interesting how a lot of these insights are still relevant, years later. A delight for anyone who loves understanding business