Supermarket concept vis-a-vis the soaring sales of consumer products.

• Author: Ahmed, Khalil

Byline: Khalil Ahmed

There is no denying the fact that Pakistan has been swamped with the concept of supermarket and one could see a deluge of local as well as global chains of supermarkets in almost every nook and corner of the country. The emergence of supermarkets across the country lends credence to the fact that in the wake of technology there are changing consumer needs and market trends. Though the major chunk of population uses cell phones and internet services, yet traditional way of shopping by visiting shops holds sway even today. It might take a decade or so from now to witness the use of technology in shopping as it is happening in tech-savvy countries across the world. The rise of e-commerce has engulfed a certain stratum of the society which could still be called a drop in the ocean.

Being a developing country in Asia with a population of over 208 million, Pakistan presents splendid business opportunities to the world retail community to invest in Pakistan's retail market. Retail business has been booming in Pakistan over the decades, indeed. Supermarkets sector is gathering momentum, however, it is still a long way to go. The retail sector of Pakistan does offer business prospects owing to the altering consumption patterns and lifestyles both in rural and urban areas of Pakistan.

The global brands seem to be gearing up to make their way to the prospective market of Pakistan. Carrefour, erstwhile Hyperstar, has been quite agile in terms of offering a wide array of products while keeping the local needs to the fore. This seems to have won the attention of the populace of the mega cities in particular. The acquisition of Daraz by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd speaks volumes of the potential of the booming Pakistani retail sector. Even prior to becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba, Daraz with the existence of less than a decade had operations in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Nepal besides Pakistan. Daraz with strong clientele of over five million customers offers business prospects by virtue of growing middle class and young tech-savvy population. At this juncture, Pakistan has become a place where small and medium-sized companies are competing against the multinational conglomerates.

There is burgeoning demand for the consumer products including the products which are for oral health, skin health, nutrition, wellness etc. The consumer healthcare products are more in demand today relative to a decade ago due to the...