This is the current state of affairs as brands in Thailand seek to gain market share in retail stores.

With most brands enlisting similar strategies to deliver touch-point messages to people wandering through stores, what else can brand and category managers do today to make a difference?  What can they do to gain a sustainable edge in retail markets that last beyond the boundaries of the new marketing campaign?

The answer is to go back to what store owners and their suppliers have always done:  Find a common ground and work together for the common good.  Store owners in Thailand — whether hyper markets, private chains or mom and pop shops — all have different needs and priorities.  There was a time when the shared objective of a retail business would have seen store owners, suppliers and employees all working together for the common good of the store.  Only a few leading companies are now doing this.

Even in the age of high technology and electronic communication, human trust and mutual understanding continue to underpin a good long-term relationship that supports all sides to achieve greater success.

So, how do you develop a fair relationship with store owners?

It starts with a deep understanding of the stores objectives, strategies and challenges. It is built over time, with all parties proving their commitment to work toward shared benefits. It is reinforced by regular measurements and metrics used as common criteria for success. A retail store supplier can expect to see increased sales and a fresh approach to building shopper satisfaction.  Store employees can expect to advance further within the business and earn more during their career.

Once trust is established, it is important to be pro-active and become a true strategic resource for retail store owners.  What types of product assortments work best for stores?  What are the ideal price points for stores?  What type of promotion works best for them? Who are their core shoppers?  How else can suppliers support store owners needs and vice versa?  What motivates and challenges them?

When it comes to retail business, it all starts and ends in the store. That means leg work, face-to-face meetings and store visits.  All this takes time, but can also be done through a profession service.  After all, it pays to have allies.  Working alone, we can do so little.  But working as a team — retail stores and their suppliers — we can achieve so much more. It all comes down to mind-set.  Rather than asking how a brand can succeed in a store, let’s ask ourselves how a brand can help a store succeed.

About the authors:

Frédéric Etienbled founded Hypertrade Consulting in 2005 in response to an execution and energy gap that he saw between brands and retailers in the world of sales.  Frederic is a former senior executive with Carrefour in France, Korea, Japan and Thailand.

Kittiphan Khumsap is general manager for Hypertrade’s Store Insights and a former Unilever manager.

About Hypertrade

Hypertrade is a niche in-store research firm that specialises in the Asian retail industry. Hypertrade turns store insights into a retail-selling proposition and provides access, diagnostics and measurements in traditional trade and retail stores to help customers drive in-store brand performance and increase sales efficiency.

Hypertrade was created as a bridge between brands and retailers and to help brands and retailers find common ground and learn from each other in order to grow their businesses.  Hypertrade operates in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Cambodia and the Middle-East.

For more information, please visit www.Hyper-trade.com