Micro-retail

Multinational brands that are used to shipping their goods in bulk to established and often big-box retailers are in for a shock. Formal retail is on the increase across emerging economies, as seen in the rise of Mall Culture, for instance. But to reach out to the hundreds of millions of New Emerging Affluents (NEAs) who live beyond the reach of traditional retail infrastructure, and to sell in volume, smart retailers will also increasingly engage in informal, flexible micro-retail.

By Thomas Rees and James Wallman