Bollywood Calling?
It appears to be so, as Wal-Mart launched a traditional South Asian clothing line across 16 of its Canadian stores on February 27, 2008. This new line is designed by Ranka Enterprises, an existing supplier of Wal-Mart, which is run by Canadians of Indian descent in Markham, Ontario. To celebrate the introduction of the new line, dubbed “Bollywood Signature”, there was a large fashion show held at the Brampton East Wal-Mart location. The new line is comprised of 9 different salwar kameez outfits, traditional apparel of pants, a top and a scarf.
While this is seemingly an excellent idea of ways to appeal to the ethnic backgrounds of customers in specific communities, there seems to be a disconnect between this and the traditional shopping experience of South Asian women. Being of South Asian descent, I can attest to the fact that most women choose to buy outfits like this for special occasions. Price is not as big of a factor as is the uniqueness of the product. However, I can also recognize that many w
omen of South Asian descent also wear this type of apparel on an everyday basis, and in that case, price becomes of far more importance. This segment is not the majority within the target market of South Asian women as a whole, but Wal-Mart will still be dealing with a significant amount of potential customers. Additionally, as the outfits are priced at $79.97, this makes the product even more appealing, as other outfits with a similar amount of handiwork generally command a price upwards of $100.00. On an interesting note, as Wal-Mart is a large employer of immigrant women, the new line was presented to their workers in these specific stores for input, and was subsequently approved. Not only has Wal-Mart presented another way to appeal to customers, but integrated their employees into this decision, something Wal-Mart is not known for.
Wal-Mart has once again stayed true to its RVP of offering a wide selection of products that customers desire at a low price and convenient location. Not only will women be able to shop at Wal-Mart for something that was previously only available in South Asian owned stores, this makes the entire experience much more convenient. As most South Asian stores are all located closely together, it can sometimes be inconvenient for consumers to trek to their specific areas. This move may not attract a significant amount of new customers to the store, but it will likely increase the purchases of existing consumers. While many despise Wal-Mart for their big-box mentality, Wal-Mart can be commended for continually expanding their selection to better serve the customers in the areas in which they operate.
While this is seemingly an excellent idea of ways to appeal to the ethnic backgrounds of customers in specific communities, there seems to be a disconnect between this and the traditional shopping experience of South Asian women. Being of South Asian descent, I can attest to the fact that most women choose to buy outfits like this for special occasions. Price is not as big of a factor as is the uniqueness of the product. However, I can also recognize that many w
omen of South Asian descent also wear this type of apparel on an everyday basis, and in that case, price becomes of far more importance. This segment is not the majority within the target market of South Asian women as a whole, but Wal-Mart will still be dealing with a significant amount of potential customers. Additionally, as the outfits are priced at $79.97, this makes the product even more appealing, as other outfits with a similar amount of handiwork generally command a price upwards of $100.00. On an interesting note, as Wal-Mart is a large employer of immigrant women, the new line was presented to their workers in these specific stores for input, and was subsequently approved. Not only has Wal-Mart presented another way to appeal to customers, but integrated their employees into this decision, something Wal-Mart is not known for.Wal-Mart has once again stayed true to its RVP of offering a wide selection of products that customers desire at a low price and convenient location. Not only will women be able to shop at Wal-Mart for something that was previously only available in South Asian owned stores, this makes the entire experience much more convenient. As most South Asian stores are all located closely together, it can sometimes be inconvenient for consumers to trek to their specific areas. This move may not attract a significant amount of new customers to the store, but it will likely increase the purchases of existing consumers. While many despise Wal-Mart for their big-box mentality, Wal-Mart can be commended for continually expanding their selection to better serve the customers in the areas in which they operate.
Sources:
posted by Aparna Kajenthira at
Sunday, March 16, 2008
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