Training and Development Retail, Soft Skills and Customer Service

Communication Communication is the act of imparting or exchanging of information, ideas, or feeling. Communication is a two - way activity that takes place between two or more people. Sending, giving or exchanging information and ideas are often expressed verbally and Non-Verbally. It is an important process through which facts, ideas, experiences and feeling are shared and exchanged. Communication is the process of sharing ideas, thought, information, knowledge one to another for understanding one to another. Effective Communication Effective communication occurs only if th receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit. Communicating in an effective manner, irrespective of the mode of communication used is an important and very useful skill.

Buyers Role in Consumer Decision Making 1- Initiator 2- Influencer 3- Decider 4- Buyer 5- User

Buying Behavior The involvement of the consumer in the purchase process varies according to the buying situation. High involvement situation usually involve products that are high priced, have complex features and their purchase is accompanied by high risk. Low involvement situation involve products that are usually low priced and their purchase is accompanied with low risk.  Consumer buying behavior can be classified into three broad categories based on the amount of time and effort consumer are likely to spend on the decision making process: 1- Extensive Problem Solving 2- Limited Problem Solving 3- Routinized Response Behavior

Consumer behavior refers to all the processes related to why, how, when, from whom consumers purchase and pay for a product and how they consume and dispose of it in order to meet their need. Consumer Decision Making Process/ Purchase Decision Making Process 1- Need Recognition 2- Information Search 3- Evaluation of Alternatives 4- Purchase Decision 5- Post Purchase Behavior

Customer Service  Customer service includes all the activities an organization carries out for its customers. Excellent customer service means putting the customer first , it refers to service like assisting the customers, billing, delivery, complaint handling, inventory management and so on. It is usually a sequence of actions required to complete an event. The staff should be friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about products and services.

A) Perishable Products: The food items like fresh meat, seafood, and ripe fruits are called as the perishable products. These are products which spoil or go bad in a short time . B) Non-Perishable Products: The food items like canned goods, sugar, flour, curls (and chips if air sealed), spices, etc., which can be stored for longer time without spoiling are called Durable products.

There are 6 Elements of Retailing. These are: 1. Merchandise (Product) 2. Price  3. Location 4. Communication Mix 5. Store Design and Display 6. Customer Service 1. Merchandise Assortment (Product) What are you selling?: The products are of two types, namely Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Consumer Durables. FMCG can be further divided into Perishable and Non-Perishable products. 2. Price There are several components of the price of a product. *MRP: ( Which is Maximum Retail Price ) printed on the label *Final Price: Many retailers offer the products by giving a discount over the final price. The MRP minus the discount  at which the product is sold, is the final price. *Instalment: It is the option where the final price is divided into Easy Monthly Instalments on which you can buy a product (EMI) 3. Location (Place -where you are selling): A store should be located at a convenient location having enough parking place for the customers.

A prerequisite for effective training to take place is the establishment of a climate that is conductive to training. Training climate includes the tangible and intangible aspects related to the training environment. These comprise of ambience, perceptions for the training programmes, feelings, etc. It refers to workplace characteristics that either inhibit or facilitate the transfer to the job of what has been learned in training. A positive transfer climate is one that provides adequate resources, opportunities for using skills learned in training, and positive reinforcement for using training content. It is particularly important because research indicates that new employees learn about the way training is viewed in the organization early in the socialisation process and continue gathering information with each training course they attend. If there is a good training climate within an organization, staff will understand that their overall needs within the training programme

Types of Product Products can be classified into broad categories. For example, based on who uses them can be classified as consumer products and the industrial products. A) Consumer Products It is the merchandise or other item of common or daily use, bought by individuals or households for private consumption. These goods or products are not meant for resale. These goods can be further classified on the basis of how consumer buy them : Let us now discuss each of them. I ) Convenience Products: Convenience products are products purchased frequently by customers without making any comparison and shopping efforts. These products are basically not costly and widely available. Subdivided into three Categories: * Staples products are purchased regularly. Example are Pulses, Flour, Detergent, Toothpaste etc.   *Impulse products are purchased without any plan are also widely available. Example are Toys, Chocolates. *Emergency products are always purchased when there

Retailing is the process of distribution of goods (Products) for day to day use by the people. The word Retail is derived from the French word 'Retailer' which means to "to cut a piece off" or "to break the bulk". It can also be described as the process of marketing I,e., sale of goods and services to customer to fulfill their needs and wants. Alternatively, you can say that retailing is a process of matching the demand of different kinds of consumers with suppliers from different manufacturers.

Retail is one of the fastest growing industry in country, it changing it's nature from unorganized industry to organized one, offering bright and exciting career opportunities.