Fewer clients, more care

The Indian retail industry has been ranked as the most attractive investment destination among emerging markets ahead of China and will soon be a $550-billion behemoth by 2013. Global IT majors are making a beeline to capture a slice of the pie.  Within the retail sector, IT can assist retail growth in almost every area, from inventory to cash control. 

Solutions: UST Global works with each client to develop the solutions they require. The company’s goal is to be consultative and provide point solutions tailored to specific client needs.  For the small retailer however, the company doesn’t have specific products to sell. “The solutions we provide are client-specific, and to try and compare a solution we developed for one retail client to another would be virtually impossible,” says the bespectacled Marsha Blakeslee, the General Manager of UST Global’s Industry Practices.

Demand from India: While speaking about the demand of UST’s solutions in India, Ms Blakeslee says that “when it comes to the retail market, one size does not fit all.  Each client with whom we work has different needs, whether its inventory control or invoice processing.”  The company has a practice of getting to know their client through extensive knowledge transfer and client interaction. “Since, our business model is based upon the premise of “Fewer Clients, More Attention,” we always face the demands on both these fronts, adds Ms Blakeslee.

Implementation in India: So is the Indian market responsive in regard to IT solution implementation? Says Ms Blakeslee, “The Indian market, from a retail perspective, has always been open to new technological advancements that will assist in decreasing costs and increasing ROI. Our growth has been exceptional in the Indian market, and mirrors our corporate growth from 14 to over 6,000 employees in less than 10 years.” 

Challenges: With dozens of IT biggies operating in India, what kind of challenges is the company facing? “The challenges we face are primarily client-specific. From a UST standpoint, we face the never-ending challenge of finding good people to service our accounts, adds Ms Blakeslee. However, the company is fortunate that it has the lowest employee attrition rate in the industry.