How electronics retail sells in India
The negotiation continues on WhatsApp after the customer leaves
An Indian appliance purchase is rarely one visit. A family comes in, compares models, asks for the best price, takes a photograph of the tag and leaves to discuss it at home. The next hour of that sale happens on WhatsApp, usually with a salesman on his personal number, and often against two other shops running the same conversation.
The shop that follows up with a specific price on the specific model, plus a clear answer on delivery and installation, usually wins. The shop that waits for the customer to come back usually does not. Nothing about that is a software problem until you realise the shop has no idea how many enquiries it received last week.
Exchange and EMI are part of the price, not an afterthought
A large share of Indian consumer durable sales hinge on two things the price tag does not show: what the old unit is worth on exchange, and what the monthly instalment works out to. Both take a day or two to resolve, and both are natural points for a sale to stall. A record that holds the exchange item awaiting valuation and the finance status the customer reported is what stops those enquiries becoming silence.
The season is real and the list is already yours
Festival demand concentrates the year into a few weeks, and the best list any shop has is its own purchase history. Customers who bought a television four years ago, an air conditioner before last summer, or a washing machine when they moved house are the most reachable audience available, and most shops message them only if somebody remembers to.