How e-commerce strategy is boosting brands’ festive season prospects

That the pandemic has affected consumer behaviour in all industries is a well-known fact by now. There is a clearly visible change in buyer preferences. According to Unicommerce’s impact report, ‘E-commerce Trends Report 2020’, the consumer buying patterns and preferences have changed significantly with categories like health & pharmacy, FMCG and Agriculture seeing a surge and exponential growth, and with a significant rise in the number of first-time online Shoppers.

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The biggest concern today is that buyers are still reluctant to visit physical stores due to the risk of infection.

Explaining about the precautions Kiehl’s is taking as it transitions to the e-commerce platform, Shikhee Agrawal, AVP, Kiehl’s India, said, “Kiehls.in ensures that all safety guidelines are met as the brand is launched to refill one’s skincare digitally through its newly launched E-Boutique. The fact that we are able to cater to our consumers even during these trying times is what makes us happy and feels that we have done justice to the Kiehl’s India family of consumer’s loyalty towards the brand.”

There are a number of occasions and festivals lined up in the next two months, from Durga Puja in the East, to Navratri in the West, to Diwali and Bhai Dooj, which will be celebrated across the country. People may avoid large congregations this year owing to the pandemic; but they would certainly want to dress up for the occasion while being within the safety of their homes.

Speaking about marketing strategy for the festive season, a spokesperson from Myntra said, “In order to address the eclectic needs of our consumers, we are working on ramping up our Regional Festive selection in a big way. We are going to add new lines of ethnic wear collection, which would be region specific so that we can cater to the varied needs of people across the country. Apart from driving the ethnic festive collections across regions strongly, we will also focus on the Kids category. We are slated to launch a number of new brands in this segment, including toys, which will make us a strong destination for kids during the festive season. Gifting will be another big segment that will be in focus during the festive season. We have revamped the entire selection on Gifting.”

There has been a big shift in consumer spending from offline to online as a result of COVID-19, which has led to brands firming up their marketing strategies.

A spokesperson from Snapdeal said, “We will offer good quality merchandise for the value-conscious Indian consumers, along the lines of what one would get in the offline bazaars in India. Our festive season sales are very focused on making the spends more efficient for our users. It will be built around offering great value on products, which are traditionally a part of annual festive shopping by families across the country.”

Not only Tier 1 markets, but T 3 and Tier 4 markets have also seen a predominant shift to the e-commerce websites.

Sharat Krishnan, Head of Marketing, Melorra, remarked, “Even before the pandemic broke out, we had registered a 400% growth in the last fiscal. The company has its footprint in more than 1,700 cities and towns across India and we deliver to more almost every pin code in India. The highly affordable and customer-centric nature of our products has met great customer response, and in the wake of the pandemic the consumers are switching faster to the online jewellery platforms due to factors such as safety, affordability and a much wider range of products to choose from.”

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