Trusted Mark Launch at IRF 2016

‘TRUSTED MARK’ in RETAIL to ensure 360% customer care

 

Indian consumers will soon look for the ‘TRUSTED MARK’ before they shop online or offline.

 

Indian retail industry celebrated the launch of ‘TRUSTED MARK’ at 2016 annual mega congregation of the India Retail Forum. The first of its kind customer centric certification mark in retail will be the seal of excellence in customer service and assurance of retailers adhering to the stringent standards as laid down in the ‘TRUSTED MARK’ Certification Scheme for retailers.

Launching the much-awaited scheme for retailers, TRUSTED Board Chairman Krish Iyer, who heads the Walmart business in India, said that while the government in past few years had been working towards consumer protection law legislating new enactments to meet the needs of the changing times and equip the consumers to protect their rights against unfair trade practices, IRF had been busy in developing a voluntary certification scheme for retailers that will see retailers winning consumer trust not just by adhering to statutory requirements but integrating CUSTOMER FOCUS across their retail operations.

“Today is that big day when we are ready to roll out the scheme after a year long ratification process involving over 100 retailers from India and the world over, leading trade bodies, top corporate counsels, economists, consumer organizations, consulting, research and academia and surely many of you sitting in the audience”, he added.

Top dignitaries in retail with multi stakeholders including Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder, Paytm; Al Rajwani, MD and CEO, P&G India; Govind Shrikhande, CCA & MD, Shoppers Stop; Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD, Future Retail; Vanitha Narayanan, MD, IBM; B S Nagesh, Founder, TRRAIN, Ms. Shashi Rekha, Director, NABCB and R S Roy, Executive Director, Trusted Board unveiled the 10 Trusted Marks that will cover retail businesses spanning across all retail formats & channels including hypermarkets, super markets, department stores, speciality stores, e-retailers & service providers, restaurants, jewellers, pharmacies, salons, spas, wellness centres, FECs and cineplexes.

The ‘TRUSTED MARK’ Scheme is owned by the Trusted Mark LLP, the International Retail Forum setting ‘customer centric’ standards in retail. Trusted Mark LLP is a subsidiary of the Images Group, the premier knowledge, networking and business platform for India’s burgeoning retail, consumer brands and Shopping Centre industries.

Introducing the scheme, R S Roy, Executive Director of the Trusted Board, said that the sole objective of the Images Group was to modernize Indian retail; bring retailers across the country into the fold of structured businesses with modern systems & processes following Govt rules and regulations. The ‘TRUSTED MARK’ Certification scheme is a step forward to encourage retailers to be more customer centric and adhere to the ’Trusted’ standards in all retail operations.

“Retail is all about serving customers. It takes a lot to win customer trust. The technical standards that retailers would have to comply with will surely help in bringing transparency in customer dealing. Consumers would know what to expect from their purchase/ service from the point of browsing and buying to after-sales. This will ensure that the brick and mortar retailers in general and specifically e/m-commerce retailers, as well and omni-channel adhere to mandatory compliance with respect to information, security and integrity in their transactions, as stipulated in the relevant standard of the scheme. The Applicant retailers will require to achieve minimum 70 score out of 100 to get the Certification Mark”, he added.

Amitabh Kant, Former Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and now CEO, Neeti Ayog had said in his message, “The launch of ‘TRUSTED MARK’ is indeed a very exciting news for the Indian consumers and I compliment all stakeholders for developing the certification scheme for retailers operating in India across channels like brick and mortar, ecommerce or omni-channel. I am happy that this India originated scheme has the scope for global acceptance. IRF has built a very strong community of retailers that truly believes in modern systems and processes and I am sure that these retailers once committed to the ‘TRUSTED MARK’ standards will together build a retail environment where consumer are aware, assured and encouraged to shop, eat and enjoy products and services of outlets with ‘Trusted Mark’ in full confidence”.

Krish Iyer gave the biggest push to the scheme by expressing his intent to push 100 of Walmart’s top retailers in India to go for the ‘TRUSTED MARK’. “This will indeed set the ball rolling and will be the 1st milestone in bringing thousands of retailers across India in to the fold of modern retail,” added Kant. I agree with QCI Chairman Mr. Adil Zainulbhai that the scheme needs to encourage SME retailers to go for the ‘TRUSTED MARK’ and I am glad that Chairman Mr. Krish Iyer has agreed to take the lead, he further added.

Committing to the standards, Rakesh Biyani, Joint MD, Future Retail said that the retailers across verticals, formats and channels were already gearing to go for the mark. “We are committed to maintain and improve on the standards and we hope by 2020 at least 7 per cent of modern retail sales would be under the TRUSTED MARK”, he added.

Retailers that adhere to the Scheme requirements obtain the Trusted Mark’. The ‘TRUSTED MARK’ will be allowed to be displayed on their outlet fronts/ e-page and all marketing and communication materials as an outward sign of their commitment to the ‘Trusted Mark’.

The ‘TRUSTED MARK’ Scheme has been formulated in a manner compliant to ISO/IEC: 17065, which has sections namely, technical standards, certification process, requirements for Certification Bodies (CB). CBs in operations for at least 5 years can conduct ‘Trusted Mark’ Certification audit with provisional approval from Trusted Mark Secretariat subject to they getting accredited by National Accreditation Board for Certifying Bodies (member International Accreditation Forum) within 1 year of accreditation launched by the accreditation body.