Track2Realty: There are still significant investment opportunities left in India’s real estate market. For investors looking at cost-effective projects to park their funds, this might be a right time as weak market sentiments are likely to lead to weak valuations, providing windows for investing in quality projects.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Once a promise has been defined, all the customer touch points need to be mapped. Everything from the website to marketing collateral to what the CEO says about the company to how the telephone is answered at corporate headquarters should reflect the promise of the corporate brand.
Track2Realty: Emerging markets are offering interesting investment opportunities in terms of shopping center development, according to the latest Asia Pacific Retail Trends and Retail Hotspots reports released by CBRE. The Asia Pacific market in particular continued to see a steady flow of new retailer openings in 2013, amid steady economic growth and generally positive consumer sentiment.
Track2Realty Exclusive: A property analyst new in the Gujarat market wondered, “If Ahmedabad is not about satellite living, how come Bopal is a property hotspot?” Well, the curiosity is not without valid reason. Bopal is a classic case of a satellite town in which defies the conventional concept of satellite townships. Bopal has been witness to a massive growth in infrastructure the last 5 to 7 years, and that makes it look like the extension of another property hotspot in Ahmedabad itself.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Brand managers of the companies who have been into strategising at the bottom of the pyramid wish it is high time credible bodies initiate measures on this front in the public domain. On the other hand, private equity funds in their due diligence reports (privately) do accord importance to this aspect.
Track2Realty: The economic downturn has subdued office and retail markets, resulting in a sales slowdown as well as pressurized capital values across leading cities—according to CBRE Research’s year-to-date coverage of trends in India’s real estate sector.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Gujarat real estate has seen phenomenal growth in the last over a decade and property markets of Ahmedabad and Vadodara are among the most sought after hot spots. The growth story, however, would be incomplete without understanding the stress level of the sector which weathers multiple challenges to perform, with approvals being the biggest challenge.
Track2Realty Exclusive: So if there is a real estate brand in India that wants to fully realize the benefits of branding to drive its business forward, what is the way forward?
Track2Realty Exclusive: Urbanisation is inevitable but when the very same model of development is rolled out haphazardly it also brings its side effects. Many urban cities across the country are witness to the fact with the loss of its traditional old world charm and eventually the city losing its very identity.
Track2Realty Exclusive: We are the first to accept the influence of branding in our lives. Look at the watches we wear, the T shirts we adorn, and of course the cars we buy. Are our decisions not highly influenced by the ‘ brand name ‘? Indeed, it is. Marketing has begun to play an important role in the decision making process of consumers, especially in urban metropolis areas. Moreover this phenomenon is spreading rapidly to the tier II and tier III cities of India as well.