All our non-apparel areas are showing great basket penetration: Umashan Naidoo

After a muted festive season last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this year saw a higher willingness to spend amongst the consumers. As per a ZestMoney Survey, 72% of Indians plan to splurge on electronics & gadgets, while 59% prefer BNPL to fund festive purchases. 62% of the respondents revealed that festive budgets have gone up compared to last year. A recent market research by YouGov gives a big boost to the Diwali Expense Index, which is generally indicative of Q3 sales growth in India.

The Indian festive season is a crucial time as consumer demand is at its peak with many planning several small and big-ticket purchases. With increased vaccination and the general opening of the economy, the survey has witnessed a positive sentiment around budgets and shopping at physical stores, even as online shopping continues to be popular among people.

As part of Adgully’s Festive Mood series, we have been covering the market, brand and consumer sentiments during the festive season this year. In conversation with Adgully, Umashan Naidoo - Head of Customer & Beauty, Westside, speaks about the company’s plans to capitalise on the festive fervour, the key trends seen this year and more.

What kind of trends have you seen in consumer spends, ad spends by brands and sales during this festive season?

We are seeing fabulous participation in Home and Decor, StudioWest Beauty, Wunderlove and accessories. All our non-apparel areas are showing great basket penetration. We are also seeing some very positive shots to women’s western wear. Glamour was launched earlier this season. Our focus during this festive season is not just ethnic wear, but we have a sprinkle of winter warmth, new colour stories in all non-ethnic areas and as I mentioned Glamour, we continue with our festive conversation into Christmas and New Year with a focus on stylish winter wear.

What kind of online/ offline split have you seen in brands’ marketing strategies?

The festive season, from Pujo to New Year, plays a huge role in our yearly strategy. Our offers have always been simple and focused. We design and deliver fashion brands with perfect style, great quality, and the right price. The collections are a delight and value a surprise for our customers. Our price parity online and offline is the same. We launched Westside.com in December 2020, and have witnessed that Metro cities are performing better online. We have also launched new stores in cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, Kochi and Pune. We are optimistic that consumers’ confidence will peak once they discover the new style.

What is your overall festive season spend for this year? What kind of campaigns and marketing strategies have you drawn up to engage with your consumers this year?

We have been a player of ethnic wear since inception and it is the heartland of our collections. Our festive campaign, ‘Light Up’, is a celebration of women and our narrative examines her Light Up moments. During this festive period, our 360-degree festive fashion offers her the choice of finding her style at Westside. As a brand, our priority is to make sure that what she sees on Instagram leads her to curated pages on the site. We concentrated our efforts on a campaign that gives her a glimpse of what her festive style, home decor, beauty, accessories, and footwear could be like. We have the confidence to promote our campaign because of the organic interaction we have received as a result of amazing content.