Neighbourhood stores next war zone for retail analytics

Sector majors redo consumer profiling strategy to maximise hyper-local presence

As data becomes increasingly important for enterprises to personalise their products and services for end-consumers, retailers have woken to the immense potential of engaging with kirana (neighbourhood) stores.

Data analytics is moving out of marketing profiles into senior management discussion. Big retailers are openly talking of plans to harness the power of big data, even reporting those in annual reports as part of a long-term strategy. 

Earlier this week, consumer goods giant Hindustan Unilever (HUL) announced a plan to reach 600,000 villages through 10 million stores, ambitiously titled Project Maxima.

Each stores will target up to a 100-metre radius with