Educational Media Reviews Online

Mallamall (meaning “bountiful goods” in Hindi) is an expression used to describe the consumer culture boom in India. The film truly captures the breadth of Indian society, including the poor, the immense middle class, and the opulent. The focus, however, is on the general uptick in consumer expectations. Indian consumers now want more extravagant saris, and higher quality goods in general. This outstanding documentary enters the strategies, decision making, and communication processes of a retail consulting firm, helping Indian businesses capitalize in these markets. Here lies the abundant strength of this film, making it essential viewing for international marketing students. The audience is given unique insights into how the consulting firm understands the issues in Indian retail markets, dissects consumer behavior, and strategizes with Indian retail firms. The firm analyzes matters such as store layouts, product lines, and price scales. The value of these lucid insights cannot be understated, as they not only provide gainful knowledge for conducting business in India, but supply something of a mindset for identifying and addressing market forces in a foreign country. The film gives a nearly day by day account of business meetings, communications with prospective clients and home offices, and aspirations of both the consulting firm and the Indian entrepreneurs.

The film also addresses multinational companies’ attempts in gaining footholds in India. Most conspicuously, Wal-Mart has not been received well in India. Again, the filmmakers return to a cultural analysis, citing Indian consumers’ wide preference for smaller stores and marketplaces. Although mall movement has indeed grown in popularity, some segments of Indian society have resisted this trend, and have led protests to successfully prevent mall development. The film concludes with an interesting assessment of the economic impact of large retailers moving into India.

This is a positively brilliant work. Not only is it a large scale case study of marketing in India, but it gives the viewer a valuable view into corporate culture, decision making, and everyday transactions. This work is informative and engaging throughout, complete with excellent camerawork, editing, and music.