Mumbai being a cosmopolitan city in the perfect sense, is famously known to be the city that never sleeps. Recently, I read an article in the newspapers. The government may permit shops in Mumbai to stay open for 24 hours. The headline ‘You may get to shop 24/7 in Mumbai’ though eye-catching, doesn’t come as a novelty to people from Mumbai who will not attribute very high importance to the subject. Mumbaikars have always known eating joints and hangout places that cater to the requirement way past midnight. The urgency or need to procure utilities at odd hours is not so common.
How does the event affect us then? Or is it just strategy to stay ahead of the digitized businesses by the sheer promise of being available at the buyer’s whim. It is all an experience, the comfort of online shopping and the joy of grabbing a bite at late in the night. Each experience has its own sense of leisure. As a buyer, a traveler, a foodie I welcome this new aspect of freedom attached to the city. As a marketer I wonder how does it benefit the commercial world?
Evaluating the benefits and efforts on a balancing scale, the profit margin over and above the regular hours of business is debatable and the discomfort attached to the smooth functioning seems to have more weightage. This fact is true for both local shops and those situated in malls. If we keep a tab on the amount spend on the basics to keep the show running for just a few more hours, would it balance the profit made?
We have had the option to shop at just about any hour of our liking, if not in-store, online. Though I welcome the announcement, I wonder how does it change my life?
Not on every single day. Not if I am proficient at planning and keep my household stores in tact but it would make a difference to me had I been a college student. It would have made a difference to me if I were a small-size business owner, a business that depends on the availability of another vendor. The move may not have a major impact on the everyday life of people in general but it will definitely make an impact on the city’s trade and commercial acumen. I look forward to this new episode in the city.
Another very famous epithet-whoever comes to Mumbai, falls in love with it and can never truly leave it. The city stays in the heart forever.
