Itinerant traders have been an integral part of internal trade in India. Analyse the reasons for
their survival inspite of competition from large scale retailers.
Itinerant retailers are traders who do not have a fixed place of business to operate from.
They keep on moving with their wares from street to street or place to place, in search of customers.
Following are the reasons for their survival inspite of competition from large scale retailers
(i) They are small traders and hence rural customers and consumers from backward areas find themselves more comfortable dealing with them.
(ii) They normally deal in consumer products of daily use such as toiletry products, fruits and vegetables, etc demand for which does not fall much with time.
(iii) The emphasis of such traders is on providing greater customer service by making the products available at the very doorstep of the customers. This makes it convenient for the consumers and helps in the survival of itinerant sellers.
(iv) Their cost of operation is very low as compared to large scale retailers as they do not have to incur expenses of fixed shops and inventory costs. Therefore, they are in a position to offer lower prices to consumers.