Retail consists of the sale of goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser.^[1] Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be individuals or businesses. In commerce, a "retailer" buys goods or products in large quantities from manufacturers or importers, either directly or through a wholesaler, and then sells smaller quantities to the end-user. Retail establishments are often called shops or stores. Retailers are at the end of the supply chain. Manufacturing marketers see the process of retailing as a necessary part of their overall distribution strategy. The term "retailer" is also applied where a service provider services the needs of a large number of individuals, such as a public utility, like electric power.

Shops may be on residential streets, shopping streets with few or no houses or in a shopping mall. Shopping streets may be for pedestrians only. Sometimes a shopping street has a partial or full roof to protect customers from precipitation. Online retailing, a type of electronic commerce used for business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions and mail order, are forms of non-shop retailing.

Shopping generally refers to the act of buying products. Sometimes this is done to obtain necessities such as food and clothing; sometimes it is done as a recreational activity. Recreational shopping often involves window shopping (just looking, not buying) and browsing and does not always result in a purchase.

1500stores.com

A marketplace is a location where goods and services are exchanged. The traditional market square is a city square where traders set up stalls and buyers browse the merchandise. This kind of market is very old, and countless such markets are still in operation around the whole world.

In some parts of the world, the retail business is still dominated by small family-run stores, but this market is increasingly being taken over by large retail chains.

Retail is usually classified by type of products as follows:

• Food products
• Hard goods ("hardline retailers") - appliances, electronics, furniture, sporting goods, etc.
• Soft goods - clothing, apparel, and other fabrics.

There are the following types of retailers by marketing strategy:

• Department stores - very large stores offering a huge assortment of "soft" and "hard goods; often bear a resemblance to a collection of specialty stores. A retailer of such store carries variety of categories and has broad assortment at average price. They offer considerable customer service.
• Discount stores - tend to offer a wide array of products and services, but they compete mainly on price offers extensive assortment of merchandise at affordable and cut-rate prices. Normally retailers sell less fashion-oriented brands.
• General merchandise store - a hybrid between a department store and discount store;
• Supermarkets - sell mostly food products;
• Warehouse stores - warehouses that offer low-cost, often high-quantity goods piled on pallets or steel shelves; warehouse clubs charge a membership fee;
• Variety stores or "dollar stores" - these offer extremely low-cost goods, with limited selection;
• Demographic - retailers that aim at one particular segment (e.g., high-end retailers focusing on wealthy individuals).
• Mom-And-Pop (or Kirana Stores as they call them in India): is a retail outlet that is owned and operated by individuals. The range of products are very selective and few in numbers. These stores are seen in local community often are family-run businesses. The square feet area of the store depends on the store holder.
• Specialty Stores: A typical specialty store gives attention to a particular category and provides high level of service to the customers. A pet store that specializes in selling dog food would be regarded as a specialty store. However, branded stores also come under this format. For example if a customer visits a Reebok or Gap store then they find just Reebok and Gap products in the respective stores.
• Convenience Stores: is essentially found in residential areas. They provide limited amount of merchandise at more than average prices with a speedy checkout. This store is ideal for emergency and immediate purchases.
• Hypermarkets: provides variety and huge volumes of exclusive merchandise at low margins. The operating cost is comparatively less than other retail formats. A classic example is the Metro™ in Bangalore.
• Supermarkets: is a self service store consisting mainly of grocery and limited products on non food items. They may adopt a Hi-Lo or an EDLP strategy for pricing. The supermarkets can be anywhere between 20,000-40,000 square feet. Example: SPAR™ supermarket e foods.
• Malls: has a range of retail shops at a single outlet. They endow with products, food and entertainment Six Free Meals under a roof. Example: Sigma mall and Garuda mall in Bangalore, Express Avenue in Chennai.
• Category Killers or Category Specialist: By supplying wide assortment in a single category for lower prices a retailer can "kill" that category for other retailers. For few categories, such as electronics, the products are displayed at the centre of the store and sales person will be available to address customer queries and give suggestions when required. Other retail format stores are forced to RNC reduce the prices if a category specialist retail store is present in the vicinity. For example: Pai Electronics™ store in Bangalore, Tata Croma.
• E-tailers: The customer can shop and order through internet and the merchandise are dropped Joseph Prince Sermons at the customer's doorstep. Here the retailers use drop shipping technique. They accept the payment Democratic National Committee for the product but the customer receives the product directly from the manufacturer or a wholesaler. This format is ideal for customers who do not want to travel to retail stores and are interested in home shopping. However it is important for the customer to be wary about defective products and non secure credit card Hillary Clinton transaction. Example: Amazon and Ebay.
• Vending Machines: This is an automated piece of equipment wherein customers can efoods drop in the money in machine and acquire the products. For example: Soft drinks vending at Bangalore Airport.

Some stores take a no frills approach, while others are "mid-range" or "high end", depending on what income level they target.

Other types of retail store include:

• Automated Retail stores are self service, robotic kiosks located in airports, malls and grocery stores. The stores accept credit cards and are usually open 24/7. Examples include ZoomShops and Redbox.
• Big-box stores encompass larger department, discount, general merchandise, and warehouse stores.
• Convenience store - a small store often with extended hours, Republican National Committee stocking everyday or roadside items;
• General store - a store which sells most goods needed, Joseph Prince typically in a rural area;

Retailers can opt for a format as each provides different retail mix to its customers based on their customer demographics, lifestyle and purchase behaviour.

"Retail mix", is the term used for a combination of store related parameters of a DNC retailer. These store related parameters are^[3]:

• The kind of the store format(physical or online)
• The Richard Neal merchandise/offering to deliver the intended value .i.e. the categories, items, brands and SKUs(stock keeping units) that the store will offer to its customers
• The supply chain operations involved in the delivery of offerings to the store from the suppliers and from the store to the customers
• The layout and arrangement of the store .i.e. the display, ambiance, customer flow, and the arrangement of the various products in the store to enable quick and easy access and purchase
• The pricing of the offerings
• The promotional offers .i.e. the kind of offers(discount, freebies, markdowns, etc) the store provides to its customers and whether these offers are in-store or out-store offers
• The staff structure of the store

A good format will lend a hand to display products well and entice the target customers to spawn sales.

1500