If you talk to any vendor or national distributor currently, the one thing they mention emphatically is now they want to expand their reach in the country, especially in the C and D-class cities. Vendors are looking at their distributors to help them get established in these cities, while distributors are trying their best to identify partners who they can work with in the smaller towns.

This is not surprising at all. These cities currently contribute close to 40 percent to the overall business generated for most mainstream brands. Add to that, the quantum of business generated in these cities has been growing at around 70 percent annually over the past few years.

Therefore, the intention to tap these markets is very good and an apt one in current times, when business from metro cities seems has started stagnating. The execution of this game plan too is underway well with most distis organizing roadshows and localized marketing campaigns targeted at the regional partners. In what has almost become a mandate in most national distribution companies, the senior people are often seen traveling to the moffusil areas to drum up support for their principal brands and foster better customer relationships.

But there is one thing that most vendors either miss out or ignore when they are reaching out to these markets. This is of offering exemplary and quick post-sales service, which can make or break a brand in a small market.

In the smaller cities, end customers purchase products either on the recommendations of their families, peers or their local dealers. In turn, when they need support they are not comfortable getting it from a faceless entity over the phone or e-mail or online chat. They prefer trooping to the dealer they had purchased products from and getting it repaired or replaced immediately.

The dealers in turn want to offer quick support because the look at these customers as long terms buyers and also because most business is done on a relationship basis. So imagine if they are unable to provide prompt service because the vendor's support policies are long winding and ask for documentation like proof of purchase or videos and photos of damage to the product.

Such policies only alienate the customer and create friction between the end customer and his dealer, and further escalate from the dealer to the regional distributor. Most national distys have realized how critical an issue this has become and have therefore started focusing on offering better support to their partners by either keeping buffer stock or trying to resolve issues faster, on a case to case basis.

But the onus is now on the vendors to emulate this as well. They need to wake up to the need to have a more robust post-sales support infrastructure in place. As customers in smaller cities look at the Internet to get better knowledge before they buy a product, they have also started gathering information about the support offered by certain brands before they decide to opt for it. So it is in the interest of all that vendors take up the gauntlet of offering the best in class support to their channel as well as end customers, if they want to offset the stagnating growth in metros with better performance in the smaller cities.

Vinita Bhatia
vinitavs@cybermedia.co.in

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