I want it that way

It was a concept that was earlier thought to be only the privilege of the rich.

It was a concept that was earlier thought to be only the privilege of the rich. Right from having luggage designed to suit individual tastes to styling clothes as per latest trends,the elite enjoyed the luxury of customisation. But changing times brought in the new middle class that wasnt hesitant about loosening its purse strings. And this new section is today defining market trends. So,right from demanding tailor-made crockery to menu cards,customization has almost become their right.

The trend is being reflected in the way people perceive their shopping experience. Malls today are catering to every customers demand,be it the music,the ambience or even the changing rooms. Shares Reena Singhal,who is currently pursuing her MBA in Pune,At Shoppers Stop,for instance,I can see how my outfit will look at a party. The changing rooms have convertible lights that show how the outfit will look when worn at a night-out. Its perfect as it helps me decide better! Clearly,anyone with a buying ability is the king. Pooja Shrivastav,behavioral psychologist,opines,This trend has more to do with the increased choices that one has. The kind of exposure that markets are giving has completely altered the way one looks at spending. Plus,the interactions between the buyer and seller have also changed,with the seller now identifying more with customer satisfaction and brand recognition.

Interestingly,the sectors that have woken up to this are varied. Customising jerseys and stationeries,for example,has been popular for a while now. Rajveer Singh of Sports Station,says,Customisation has become a popular trend amongst youngsters in the recent past. More often than not,we get requests from them to customize football and basketball jerseys with their own name and a number of their choice printed on them. For them,it is a way of wearing their support on their sleeves. And then there is the cool quotient that gets upped by this trend. Lubaina Maimoon,an avid football supporter,sports a yellow jersey with her name and the number 10 signifying her favourite player Kaka!

Food too is one area that has jumped on to the personalising bandwagon. Whether it is the pani-puri vendor down the street who offers variants for different taste buds to sophisticated eating joints,all keep customer demands in mind. Says Imrun Sethi of Terttulia at Koregaon Park,Having dishes customised for our guests is important now-a-days as people are more aware about what they want when they come in to dine. If we were to offer a dish that was the chef’s special for the day,diners would demand to know the types of meats or veggies used,or the spices added. And if they want a change in it,we prepare it to suit their tastes. Foreigners,for instance,prefer a less spicy variant of a dish as compared to Indians. Even the way in which a dish is presented can be customized as per the guests wish. No wonder then that we have more than 15 varieties of salads or pav bhajis on menus these days!

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
Shopper's Stop

Loading Taboola...