Medicines or More??

After getting some marketing fundas from our professor, Mr. Tapan Panda, here at Great Lakes Institute of Management, I was keen to explore the marketing strategies that chemists employ to attract customers to buy hell lot of stuff when they actually go to buy just medicines. Yesterday, I went to Mamallapuram, a small township some 6-7 kms away from the college. I surveyed the township and found that there were some 5 chemist shops in the area, all fairly close to each other and in the main market. But surprisingly, one among them thronged maximum customers. The shop's name is Arafat medicos. I went inside and noted few of the most notable features that would certainly explain such large gathering of crowd.

Firstly, it was the only Air Conditioned Chemist shop in the whole market. The owner enjoyed the monopoly of attracting customers by providing them with a pleasant environment inside the shop.

Secondly, walking the length of the shop I noted that the shop was organized in such a manner that the counter where medicines were kept came at the very end of the shop. The customer will have to cross through all the counters of perfumes, deo-sprays, hair gels, hair creams etc before reaching the counter of medicine. Clearly, while walking the length the customer will be tempted to buy some or the other cosmetic item, thereby increasing the sale of the shop.

Moreover, the counter for medicines of infants had diapers and tins of cerelac kept alongside. This clearly shows that parents who come to buy medicines for their babies would certainly end up buying diapers and cerelac too. 

Thirdly, the shop had items specific to men such as Fair and Lovely for Men, Garnier Clear Men Whitening face wash, Olay for men etc. The males wanting to look handsome are easily tempted into buying these products. 

And lastly, since the people of south India do prefer to oil their hair with coconut oil, there was a separate rack for oils. The rack had oils from Parachute, Hair n Care, Dabur and etc.

Clearly, the shop is designed in a very market oriented manner to make customers buy as much products as they can. Due to heavy rush in the shop I dint get the chance to interact with the shop owner. Next time I will go and talk to shop owner and discuss his various strategies and his total revenues and profits.

- Gaurav Sareen

- FT13425