Retailers are the last link in the chain of distribution. A retailer purchases goods from manufacturers and wholesalers and sells these goods to the consumers in small quantities according to the needs and requirements of these consumers. The retail Trade Organisation has changed very drastically during recent years. Some institutions have disappeared whereas some new institutions have developed. This process of disappearance and development will continue feature also.
The most important change in the form of retail Trade Organisation is the development of large scale retailer organizations like multiple shops and departmental stores etc.
Types of Retailers in Marketing
The major Types of Retailers in Marketing may be explained as under:
1. Street Retailers
These retailers carry on their business in the streets or on Footpath of roads.
These retailers select very busy Streets or Footpath of busy roads of the city for their business.
They generally deal in the goods of daily needs. They handle the goods of lightweight and low price.
Generally, they deal in the goods of one particular product line.
Examples of these retailers may be – vegetable sellers, fruit sellers, readymade garments sellers, etc.
Related: 15 Functions and Services of Retailers with Examples.
2. Hawkers
Sale by hawkers is perhaps the oldest form of retail Trade Organisation.
These retailers keep their goods on their head or in a basket or on cycle for hand cart and carry these goods from place to place and sell them at the doors of consumers.
These retailers do not have any fixed place of business. So they keep on moving from Street to street and market to market and locality to locality. They generally deal in the goods of daily needs.
They generally deal in The goods of lightweight and low unit price, like – Vegetables, fruits, toys, cheap cosmetics, plastic goods of daily use, icecreams, groundnuts, etc.
They do not give any guarantee about the quality of goods. These retailers sell their goods at tempting prices.
3. Traders in Periodical Markets
These retailers carry on their business at different places on fixed known as periodical markets.
These retailers open their shops in fairs and exhibitions also.
These retailers open their shops on important festivals and occasions also.
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4. Moveable Shops
These retailers carry their goods from place to place in a rickshaw or cycle or motor van.
They keep on moving from place to place depending upon the prospects of the business.
They demonstrate their goods and some important places.
Generally, these retailers sell their goods by announcing on loudspeakers, etc.
5. Stall
These retailers carry their business in a stall made of wood or tin. These stalls are opened at the corners of streets, roads, crossing, etc. These retailers deal in the goods at a low price.
These retailers deal in the goods which are required by consumers in their daily life, that also, many times in a day.
These retailers select the location of their stall very carefully because once it is selected, it is more or less permanent.
These retailers purchase their goods from wholesalers as well as from local suppliers. Examples of these retailers may be tea stall, bookstall, etc.
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6. Second-Hand Goods Retailers
As is evident from the heading, these retailers deal in second-hand goods. They open their shops in main markets of the city.
They sell their goods to the consumers who cannot afford the Purchase new goods.
These retailers get their supply generally from the public of auction. These retailers generally, do not give any guarantee of the quality or durability of their goods.
Examples of these retailers Maybe dealers in second-hand clothes, furniture, books, machines, auto vehicles, etc.
7. Specialty Shops
Such retailers deal only in one line of goods. They specialize in their line. They maintain a full variety of their line.
Such retailers get their supplies directly from manufacturers or from authorized distributors.
Examples of specialty shops maybe – shops for books, toys, medicines, wooden furniture, readymade garments, leather goods, etc.
Related: 13 Types of Wholesalers in Marketing (Explained).
8. General Shops
These are opened in a particular locality and deal in all the items of daily use. They Sell almost all the products which are generally used by the consumers living in their locality.
They provide personal services to their consumers and try to provide maximum satisfaction to them.
These retailers generally provide the facility of home delivery.
These retailers generally sell On credit basis for a week or a fortnight or a month.
9. Automatic Vending Machine
Automatic vending machines are a recent development in retail trade.
These machines have assumed importance in recent years, particularly in very big cities. A particular product is stored in a machine.
All the units stored in a machine are of uniform size, form, color, and packing. The consumer comes and puts certain coins in the space provided for this purpose. As soon as the consumer puts the coins, he gets the article.
These machines may sell products without any aid of any sales assistant.
The use and importance of these machines are yet to be developed in many countries.
Related: 31 Factors Affecting the Choice of Distribution Channels (Explained).
10. Discount Houses
This form of retail trade organization has developed after the Second World War.
A discount house is a retail business unit which deals in durable goods of high value, like jewelry, household appliances, and utensils, etc.
Discount houses are generally operated on minimum consumer services.
11. Syndicate Stores
A Syndicate store is a Chain shop or a Mail order house but respectively on a small scale.
Syndicate stores generally deal in a variety of goods sold at the goods sold at Syndicate stores would be their own brand.
These stores purchase and unbranded goods and sell these goods to the consumers under their own brand and trademark.
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12. Fair Price Shops
When the price of a particular product or the prices of some particular products increases unreasonably in the market, the government establishes her own shops to sell these goods to the public at a fair price.
These shops are known as fair price shops. Another object of establishing such shops is to distribute some particular goods in a particular class at cheap rates.
The goods are generally sold at these shops on the basis of ration card. The goods generally dealt in by these shops are – Wheat, sugar, etc.
13. Large Scale Fixed Retailers
It is the time of large scale operations. The tendency of large scale business is becoming more and more popular in the field of production as well as in the field of distribution and marketing, 20th century has been marked with the development of many large scale retail organizations.
Before the 20th century, it was believed that retailing cannot be organized on a large scale but the success of departmental stores, multiples shops, and the Super Bazar, etc. have proved that wrong. In many developed countries, more than 90% of retail business is being carried out by large scale retail business organization.
Large scale retail trading means the form of retail trading in which the retailer purchases goods from different manufacturers and wholesalers in large quantities and sells these goods to the final consumers in small quantities according to their needs and wants.
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Large scale retailers maintain a large variety of goods and deal in almost all the products of daily and regular use of consumers. Consumers can purchase almost all the good of their requirements from a single place.
Large scale retailing requires heavy amount of capital and a big space. The main object of large scale retailing is to earn maximum profit through maximum sales and to make available almost all the goods of regular requirements of consumers at a single place.
Thus, now you know the Main Types of Retailers in Marketing With Examples.
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