This study explores the Latin American retail landscape to identify key pillars upon which innovative business models rely. In a region where retail innovation has traditionally been targeted at high-income consumers, we find a new breed of retailers that cater to the large mass of emerging consumers. Using qualitative research methods, we delve into the minds of Latin American emerging consumers to uncover their needs and paradigms. We also pinpoint the avenues of innovation retailers have followed to serve this impoverished segment. We find that retailers’ efforts to innovate have resulted in at least three original retail formats: one centered on providing access to durable goods, another centered on offering a wide assortment of goods and a convenient location, and the last one centered on incorporating design and quality. Based on the wheel of retailing theory, we show how these new formats are changing the structure of the retail industry in the region.

En los últimos años, la necesidad de atraer a los consumidores emergentes se ha vuelto el foco primordial para los principales minoristas latinoamericanos. Hasta ahora, atraerlos ha sido difícil debido a la insistencia en adaptar las fórmulas del retail que han funcionado en Europa y EE.UU., pero que tienen poco que ofrecer a consumidores con ingresos más modestos. Sin embargo, una investigación conjunta de The Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council–Latin America y la consultora Booz Allen Hamilton en 2006, –que combinó focus groups en Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia y México con más de 200 entrevistas a consumidores en terreno y con un panel de expertos multidisciplinario– reveló que los grupos minoristas verdaderamente innovadores están logrando satisfacer a los consumidores emergentes de manera sostenida y rentable. Para ello, debieron derrotar cinco paradigmas muy arraigados en las mentes de los consumidores emergentes, que los alejaban de los productos que deseaban (por ser inalcanzables) y de los lugares que los vendían (por sentirlos inaccesibles y a veces hasta hostiles). Los minoristas exitosos latinoamericanos crearon una serie de nuevas posibilidades que pueden agruparse en tres plataformas de innovación dirigidas exclusivamente a satisfacer sus aspiraciones: brindar acceso a la compra de productos o servicios, con fórmulas de crédito más flexibles; ofrecer diseño, calidad y surtido a precios asequibles, rompiendo con el paradigma de que las tiendas bellas y bien decoradas deben ser caras; y proporcionar gran variedad y ubicación conveniente, acercando a estos consumidores los productos que necesitan. Empresas como Casas Bahia, Elektra, Casa&Ideas y Locatel, entre otras, ilustran cómo, con creatividad y flexibilidad, se puede satisfacer a este sector largamente incomprendido por las prácticas tradicionales del retail provenientes de otros entornos. Por lo mismo, lo que han hecho estas empresas merece exportarse a otras latitudes, sostienen los autores.

Only two out of the five levers –prices and assortment-, are consistently and broadly relevant accounting for nearly 75% of the price perception. Consumers’ diversity was apparent and so their attitudes towards promotions. We identified five major segments with different price attitudes and reactions to promotions, that were present in all the five cities covered, though their proportion varied. Consumers considered a limited set of SKU’s to form this price perception, and promotions had a minor role, except for those segments more interested in them. Promotions may cloud price perception accuracy among consumers, and drive the existence of bigger “bargain hunting” segments. Value of paper How OSPI is built is a relevant issue for retailers. Promotions are frequently used to build traffic, but its role in the OSPI is not so clear. They may strengthen the bonds with customers, but may also have a negative impact. Retailers may benefit from these insights when defining their promotional strategies, especially when considering EDLP strategies. As the study is based on five capital cities in Latin America, its results may also be of interest to retailers working in other emerging regions.

Findings Rather than emphasizing their limited income, emerging consumers as a group represent a sizable market for consumer products. But they should not be addressed as a single group: peculiarities among them underline the need for further segmentation, as in higher –income segments. Their needs should be better defined as basic instead of just simple, and they don’t just go for the lowest prices or second brands, as they have marked preferences that characterize them. This also reflects in their shopping habits, which partly explains the resilience of the traditional/small format retailers. Our findings underline these segments relevance for consumer products, their rational behaviour as they try to reconcile their preferences with their economic reality, and how this explains their distinct set of products and format requirements. Practical Implications Marketers and retailers interested in catering to lower-income segments will find clues to understanding the preferences, habits and needs of these segments that represent a significant portion of emerging markets. Originality / Value of the paper Conclusions are presented here in the form of 6 common myths on emerging consumers that are contradicted by our findings. The relevance of this study comes not only from the significant size of this market but also from the possibility of marketers to emphasize the social contribution of business.

Findings In spite of being “poor,” emerging consumers have a substantial purchasing power as a group. They work with a very specific set of products, categories and store format needs that distinguish them from other consumers. These distinct needs imply that it is not “just a matter of money and time” for them to change their purchasing patterns over to the “modern trade”. In fact, the evidence shows that smaller scale retailers fit the needs of emerging consumers quite well. Despite perceptions that the small retail sector draws its resilience from informality, we conclude that that the sector can be surprisingly efficient. Furthermore, they retailers exhibit a sustainable business model. Value of paper Although a wide variety of studies have been developed around small-scale retailers, less effort has been devoted to learn about local storekeepers that are actually conducting successful business, especially in reference to less developed countries.

Los tradicionales tres estratos socioeconómicos ya no sirven para explicar las decisiones de compra de los consumidores. Los perfiles del comprador latinoamericano son cinco, y derriban varios mitos acerca de cómo construyen su percepción de precios. Las empresas que adapten sus estrategias podrán fortalecer sus propuestas y llegar a esos bolsillos.

La creciente complejidad del comercio minorista hace que gestionarlo efectivamente sea un desafío cada vez más difícil. Este libro busca facilitar la ardua tarea que cada día enfrentan los directivos del retail. A partir de las presiones que soportan los minoristas presenta un esquema de formulación de la estrategia que avanza hasta la efectiva ejecución. Detall es Detalle. Es necesario no quedarse solo en el plano estratégico sino avanzar a la ejecución del día a día, tienda por tienda y producto por producto. Las Ocho Claves del Retail -el Triángulo y el Pentágono-, identifican los aspectos fundamentales de la estrategia minorista. El modelo de Gestión Estratégica de los Recursos Minoristas permite vigilar detalladamente la marcha del negocio para lograr la difícil rentabilidad de este negocio. Todo esto tratado sin perder de vista las características particulares del entorno minorista de los países emergentes. Cómo los pequeños minoristas también crean valor para satisfacer a los consumidores emergentes, y cómo los fabricantes adaptan sus políticas y prácticas para crear valor en el complejo universo minorista. El sector minorista ha evolucionado hasta tener desafíos estratégicos significativos y particulares del sector. Esta complejidad merece un análisis profundo y detallado. Esta obra representa la búsqueda seria y fundamentada sobre el diseño de la estrategia, las herramientas para su implementación efectiva, la medición financiera y de la productividad específicamente en el negocio retail, y el marco de las relaciones con los fabricantes.

Administracion de Servicios es un significativa revisión y reestructuración del muy recocido libro Services Marketing de Christopher Lovelock. Esta obra representa el primer intento serio y fundamentado para crear un libro en español en que se analizan las estrechas interrelaciones que existen entre los procesos de marketing, operaciones, y recursos humanos en las empresas de servicio. El libro contiene herramientas, conceptos, y estrategias que enfatizan el reto de adminstrar negocios de servicio en el ambiente competitivo de hoy. Hay numerosos ejemplos de diferentes empresas de servicio, especialmente de America Latina y España. Contiene también importantos resultultados de investigación, ochos casos de estudio (seís de los cuales son de empresas en paises de hablo español) y ocho lecturas de autores lider en su campo de estudio. Este libro es adecuado para estudiantes de carreras profesionales como para alumnos de posgrado y participantes de programas ejecutivos. Los instructores que lo utilicen puedan hacer uso selectivo de capítulos, lecturas, y casos para impartir cursos de diferente formato y duracion, y sea en Administración de Servicios, Marketing de Servicios, o Operaciones de Servicio.

 This chapter focuses on low-income consumers in Latin America, and on the retailers that serve their needs. We first highlight some macroeconomic data on the region, describe the research method followed, and then cover our major findings about low –income consumers( such as brand preference, frequency of purchase, ticket size, store selection criteria, their buying decision process, and so on). We then look at the retailers that serve these consumers’ needs and try to understand their business model and value proposition. Finally, we analyze both the performance and the fiscal behavior of smaller retailers.

Upon becoming general manager of Artesanías de Colombia (AC), Paola Andrea Muñoz Jurado faced the challenge of redefining the company strategy. AC was a mixed ownership company aimed at fostering, promoting and marketing Colombian handicraft, thus creating attractive job and economic development opportunities for artisans, a low-income sector mostly of indigenous origin. Soon after assuming as general manager, Paola engaged herself in reviewing the company´s previous management in order to plan her next steps. In doing this, it was key to assess the true impact on society of the activities carried out during the previous 16 years under her predecessor, Cecilia Duque’s leadership. The present case allows students to work on a no-for-profit organization strategy, with a strong social orientation, and evaluate value creation within a complex network of relationships with a strong economic, social and cultural impact.

In June 2001, Empresa Editora El Comercio (EEEC) had launched a new popular newspaper, Trome, for low-income families. Although several studies had preceded this launch, sales in following months failed to reach expected levels and actually displayed a decreasing trend. Trome embodied the company’s effort to expand its news coverage to new population segments that were not served by its other newspaper, El Comercio –a traditional daily leading unaided recall and frequent readership rankings among high-income sectors. Six months after Trome’s launch and faced with dropping sales, company managers had met to discuss their options. This case describes management team members’ dilemmas at that meeting: “Should the new paper’s style and contents be changed? Should Trome focus more on sex and violence-related issues, as its competitors did? Would it be convenient to replace the silverware promotion chosen to support launching? Was the conflict with newspaper salesmen’s union adequately managed? Were intended readers’ needs truly and fully understood? Should the company re-launch Trome or would it be wiser to just give up on this project?

How corporate social responsibility (CSR) and bottom of the pyramid (BOP) strategies could interact in a synergistic way? Based on two different sets of assumptions on the nature and goals of the firm, this paper develops two paradigms under which that synergy could be created. The first paradigm, which we call instrumental, assumes that the social responsibility of the firm is embedded in its goal of profit maximization. Given this goal and the fact that it is logically impossible to maximize in more than one dimension at the same time, BOP strategies are a means to achieve the profit maximization goal. Therefore, the synergistic connection between BOP and CSR is done using an instrumental or means-end logic: the social responsibility of the firm is the maximization of profits and BOP strategies are alternative means to achieve that goal. The second paradigm, which we call intrinsic, assumes that the social responsibility of the firm is intrinsically embedded in its goals of creating and distributing value. In this view, BOP strategies, when adopted by a particular firm, are necessary parts of the value creation and distribution system. Therefore, the synergistic connection between BOP and CSR is done using a practical or part-whole logic: BOP strategies have not only an instrumental but also an intrinsic dimension that makes those strategies as necessary parts of the value-creation and distribution goals of the firm. In this paper, we argue that this latter paradigm is a better lens to understand the connection between CSR and BOP strategies, because it acknowledges both the instrumental and intrinsic dimensions of these phenomena. However, it stresses that focusing only on the instrumental dimension of CSR and BOP strategies will damage the value creating and distribution goals of the firm in the long run. At the same time, we argue that the intrinsic paradigm provides the criteria for a genuine approach to CSR and BOP, because, going beyond the instrumentality of these phenomena, derives their meaning from a broader view of the nature of the firm and its role in society. As from the development and comparison of both paradigms and based on a series of case studies, this paper concludes with a set of criteria for discriminating between firms more inclined towards an instrumental paradigm and firms more oriented towards an intrinsic paradigm. These criteria contribute not only to managerial self-evaluation but also to future research on the implications of CSR and BOP strategies based on two different set of assumptions about the nature and goals of the firm.

Serving the consumer products needs of Latin America’s sizeable lower income, or “emerging” consumer base may at first glance seem like a tempting opportunity – or perhaps even a necessity—for supermarket retailers in search of new customers. Yet smaller scale retailers already supply a significant portion of fast-moving consumer goods to these segments. Is this the natural order for supermarket retailing in Latin America? Is, as some would claim, the continued success of small-scale retail in Latin America attributable to market inefficiencies? Can large chain retailers create value for emerging consumers and win them as customers? New research across six Latin American countries examines the mindset of emerging consumers and lessons learned from the small-scale retail trade. Our research found that many elements of the conventional wisdom about lower income consumers are unfounded. In spite of being “poor,” emerging consumers have substantial purchasing power as a group—and they exercise their buying power in some quite surprising, yet rational ways. For one thing, it is not a given that these consumers are attracted to low prices or whatever is “low cost.” And they exhibit a very specific set of product, category, and store format needs that distinguish them as consumers from the middle and higher income segments that were typically the focus for many of the large supermarket retailers. These distinct needs imply that it is not “just a matter of money and time” for emerging consumers to change their purchasing patterns. Readers should be careful about falling into the “informality trap” and losing sight of these consumers’ needs, and how small retailers have effectively addressed them. In fact, the evidence shows that smaller scale retailers fit the needs of emerging consumers quite well. Furthermore, small retailers manage to offset scale disadvantages (in areas such as purchasing) and have a sustainable business model—even before the effects of any informality in taxes and labor contributions. Despite perceptions that the small retail sector draws its resilience from informality, we conclude that there is much more to small-scale retailers’ value proposition and business model—and that the sector can be surprisingly efficient.

Organized modern retail formats have based much of its successful expansion in its attraction to the mass consumer, replacing the traditional small formats. Yet in emerging markets, where most of the mass market is placed around or below the line of poverty, small retailers keep attracting customers in spite of the expansion of modern formats. Focusing our research in Latin America, with its typical emerging markets, our main question was why is it that traditional small formats endure in spite of the increasing modernization of retail that took place in the 1990’s?

Understanding consumer behavior seems necessary to help marketers effectively address the needs of the lower-income segments that represent a significant portion of emerging markets. However, the literature indicates that most studies of lower-income consumers have focused on the developed countries. Little attention has been paid to developing regions. Our research objective was to understand what is retail value for emerging consumers?

Entre los consumidores y los productos que adquieren, y sus proveedores se establecen relaciones de valor basadas en los beneficios percibidos al utilizar los productos, menos los costos asociados con el hecho de seleccionarlos, adquirirlos y utilizarlos. La experiencia creciente del consumidor y otros factores que influyen en la evolución de los hábitos de compra provocan que el concepto de valor evolucione, con implicancias para el desarrollo de nuevos productos, su distribución y servicios asociados, y las estrategias comerciales en general. Esta nota intentará facilitar la comprensión del concepto "valor para el consumidor", explicando los elementos que lo componen.