All goods go through a distribution channel to make the journey from the manufacturer to the final consumer. One important cog in this machinery is the retail trade, the final step of the distribution channel. Let us see the role retailers and retail trade play in our economy.
Retail Trade
Retail trade is the business activity associated with the sale of goods to the final consumer, the ultimate customer. It is the link between wholesalers or manufacturers and the customers of the product. Typically retailers sell goods in small quantities to consumers for personal use, not for resale or business use.
Retail is the final step of the distribution channel. the retailer will buy the goods from the wholesaler, or sometimes directly from the producer, in bulk (large quantities) at a discounted price. And then it sells the goods to the final consumers of the goods, in small units or quantities, at retail price enjoying the benefits in the process.
Retail trade can take a lot of forms. It is not necessary that the goods are sold from a store, retail trade can even happen over the phone, via post or mail service, door to door selling etc. So the place of sale can also differ greatly, for example, a store, a supermarket, the customer’s house itself or even a vending machine. But one thing which remains common in all of the above cases is that the buyer of the goods is its final consumer. As far as this is true, it will be a retail trade.