Customer service remains the single most important differentiator within the retail market place and always will be. When partnered with the customer shopping experience, both elements combine to offer retailers differential within the modern global retail market place.

There has been a rapid increase in the number of cafes and fine-dine restaurants during the last couple of years. Earlier dining out was an unusual thing but now people prefer to eat out more frequently.

Over the years, I have witnessed disputes and issues between franchisors and franchisees caused due to misunderstanding or failure of support which could have been avoided or lessened with mutual understandings. We tend to think that the most important aspect to protect in franchising is the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) or 'know-how' of the System. It is indeed essential to take advice on how to structure IPR ownership and how best to protect it. But, at the same time protecting the business relationship between franchisee and franchisor is of equal importance.

 Loyalty programs have become the buzzword in the marketing lingo of today. Organisations have been designing loyalty programs (LP) to reward and retain their regular customers. Let us find out what they are and how they work. Almost every brand in the organised retail sector has its own program. So does airlines and banks that offer credit cards. Jet Airways (Jet Privilege card), Kingfisher (King Club program), Shoppers Stop (First Citizen) are some of the examples of such programs in the Indian market. Almost all credit cards offer reward points.

We are witnessing an age when things are moving so fast that it will become very difficult for entrepreneurs to keep pace with the consumer demands.  With changing economic and social conditions, developing countries, particularly India and China have several unique challenges.  Population segments which were unable to afford earlier are now buying stuff which was not available to previous generation.  Examples include the use of mobile phones, fast foods, on-line ordering, call center demands, etc.