Itinerant Retailers are retailers who do not have a fixed location for their business. Their business is distinguished by the fact that they frequently relocate their stores, sometimes on a daily basis in search of customers. Even if they do not have a standard place of business, they are retailers because they sell to the final consumers of the goods.
In other words, Itinerants are retailers who have no specific selling point and sell their products by travelling to different locations. They move from one location to another looking for customers. They are also referred to as mobile vendors.
Characteristics of Itinerant Retailers
The following are the characteristics of Retailers:
1. They are small-scale traders with limited resources.
2. They generally deal in everyday consumer goods such as toiletries, fruits and vegetables, and so on.
3. The emphasis of such traders is on providing better customer service by making products available at the customers’ doorstep.
4. These retailers keep limited inventory at home or at some other place, as they do not have a fixed business location to operate.
Types of Itinerant Retailers
1. Peddlers and hawkers: Peddlers and hawkers are probably among the oldest types of retailers in the market, and their utility has not diminished even in modern times. They are small producers or petty traders who travel from place to place selling their products at the customers’ doorsteps on a bicycle, a hand cart, a cycle-rickshaw, or on their heads. They usually deal in non-standardized and low-value items such as toys, vegetables and fruits, fabrics, carpets, snacks and ice creams, and so on. They can also be found on residential streets, at exhibitions, and outside schools during lunch hour.
The main advantage of this type of retailing is that it provides consumers with a convenient service. However, one should be careful when dealing with them because the products they sell are not always reliable in terms of quality and price.
Characteristics of Peddlers and hawkers
- They sell a wide variety of goods, including fabrics, sweets, toys, fruits, and vegetables.
- Their prices vary according to the bargaining power of the customers as they do not have a fixed price policy.
- They sell non-branded and locally produced items.
- They deliver goods straight to the customer’s door.
- They can also be found in buses, trains, and railway stations.
2. Market traders: Market traders are small retailers who open their shops at different places on specific days or dates, such as every Saturday or alternate Saturdays. Weekly markets are held in various parts of major cities. These retailers sell their products on a regular basis, such as weekly, monthly, or annually. These merchants may specialise in one type of product, such as fabrics or ready-made garments, toys, or crockery, or they may be general merchants. They primarily cater to lower-income customers and sell low-cost consumer items of daily use.
Characteristics of Market traders
- They sell low-cost consumer items such as fabrics, vegetables, crockery, toys, and so on.
- They set up shop in a shacks structure.
- They cater to lower-income customers’ needs.
- They sell their goods at special events such as annual fairs and festivals.
- They deal in low-cost, low-quality goods.
3. Pavement vendors or Street vendors: Street traders are small retailers who are commonly found in areas with a large floating population. They are extremely popular and people find it convenient to pick up items on their way home from work. They sell a variety of items such as towels, mirrors, newspapers, handkerchiefs, and so on. They are generally found near railway stations and bus stops and sell common consumer items such as stationery, eatables, ready-made garments, newspapers, and magazines. They do not change their location or place of business frequently like market traders.
Characteristics of Pavement vendors or Street vendors
- They are extremely popular. People find it convenient to pick up items on their way home from work.
- They sell a variety of items such as towels, mirrors, newspapers, handkerchiefs, etc.
- They usually operate near public places such as train stations, movie theatres, temples, and so on.
- They sell low-cost, household objects.
- They differ from market traders in that they do not frequently change their business location.
4. Cheap jacks: Cheap jacks are petty retailers who have temporary independent shops in a business district. They move their operations from one location to another based on the potential of the area. However, unlike hawkers or market traders, they do not frequently change locations. They sell consumer goods as well as services such as the repair of watches, shoes, and buckets. They hire small shops to display goods and sell household items, ready-made garments, and other low-cost items. They move from one town to the next based on business opportunities.
Characteristics of Cheap jacks
- They hire small shops to display their goods for sale.
- They sell household items, ready-made garments, and other low-cost items.
- They relocate from one location to another in search of better business opportunities. They do not change as frequently as hawkers or market traders.