Marketers upbeat about Onam this year, will usher in a bumper festive season

The fear of a COVID-19 third wave notwithstanding, marketers are upbeat about a bumper festive season this year. While the festive season in 2020 was muted compared to the previous years, it cannot be called a complete washout – largely due to India unlocking in phases from August-September onwards and the delayed holding of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 between September 19 and November 10, 2020.

After a devastating second wave of COVID-19 infections across India in the first half of 2021, the country is on the path to recovery. The vaccination drive has increased consumer sentiments and the reopening of markets and malls are seeing people returning in droves. The partial and phased opening of the markets and a drop in new COVID-19 cases have driven positive sales in July, especially in the FMCG, consumer durables and auto sectors. According to industry reports, the passenger vehicle segment is back to pre-COVID-19 period. Demand remains strong despite price hikes in most products across FMCG, appliances, smartphones and automobiles, which passed on higher commodity costs to the consumers.

The festive season will soon begin in the country, starting with Raksha Bandhan, Ganesha Mahotsav and Onam. The biggest festival of Kerala, Onam is being keenly observed by brands and marketers as it is seen as setting the precedent for the major festive season ahead.

In 2020, Kerala’s formidable media group Mathrubhumi delivered exceptional performance during Onam, roping in more than 1,000 advertisers on board out of which 200 plus were local traders of Kerala who exclusively advertised in Mathrubhumi. The weekend lockdowns that were imposed in Kerala last month on account of rising COVID-19 cases have been lifted now. Marketers and consumers are upbeat about Onam sentiments this year.

Sudeep Kumar, Cluster Head, Mathrubhumi Group (Print), remarked, “After the second wave, now business, especially retail, have started to open and brands are investing in advertising again. There was no drop in our circulation figures during the lockdown and in fact, time spent on reading newspapers increased as a credible medium to know about COVID-19, this will give us an added advantage to maintain our ad volumes and rates. We are expecting a good growth in volumes and revenues during FY22. Majority of the retail spends during the Onam season this year is expected to happen in print, because of the excellent reach print offers in Kerala, and the convenience that print offers to execute campaigns in a very short notice. This year, Onam is a little early and hence, effective days for sales will be less.”

According to Anil Rai Gupta, Chairman, Havells, consumer durable brands from Havells has increased its sales steadily every week this year after the COVID-19 wave as compared to last year and on an average the picture looks far better and more hopeful. “These are broad indicators that are showing that this year the festival of Onam will be celebrated better than the last year and brands will also leverage the occasion to promote their products,” he added.

Festivity and celebrations go hand in hand as they bring together family, food, and fashion. Umashan Naidoo, Head of Customer, Westside - A Tata Enterprise, noted, “The festival of Eid was an amazing teaser to the undying spirit and sentiment of the people, as Westside witnessed a lift in sales across Men’s, Women’s, Kid’s Wear, and Home. If this is the taste of what the festive season does to fashion, we are excited about the upcoming months and festivities. Keeping up with the festive season, the ethnic wear collections at Westside have been revitalised. Vark, Westside’s stylishly elegant ethnic collection, has been a favourite of the audience. Even during the pandemic, it has shown impressive growth. We feel the style, fashion, availability, and zero compromises on aesthetic and authenticity make a customer fall in love with the collection.”

He further said, “We are aware that to encourage walk-in and stimulate sales, every other retailer will be giving discounts and promoting various deals. However, we have decided to get the collection right by understanding the psyche of women during festive buying and then offer them irresistible value.”

“Mia loves Onam!,” exclaimed Shyamala Ramanan, Business Head, Mia, while also stating that in keeping with times, the buzz may be toned down a bit. “But, we believe that any festival is a wonderful opportunity to spread cheer and optimism and of course, gifting! This year, we are especially excited because we have a superb collection that is just perfect for the occasion. Mia recently launched an exciting collection, inspired by flowers in diamonds and precious colour stones. We are confident that women will find a piece of jewellery that is an extension of their personality from this collection. The pieces are so versatile that they compliment the gorgeous Kasavu and can effortlessly be teamed up with western wear as well.”

“Onam is one of the key festivals for Sonata in the southern market, and every year we witness a spike in sales during this period,” said Subish Sudhakaran, Marketing Head, Sonata, adding that even though consumer movement was limited during the last year due to the safety measures in place, the brand continued to see a surge in demand. “The shopping behaviour for gifting continues to be strong even in an environment of scaled down festive and wedding celebrations, and Sonata has a range of watches suitable for different kinds of occasions. As Kerala continues the fight against COVID-19, we believe consumers will celebrate the festival in a safe and responsible manner. In order to cater to their gifting needs, we are launching new collections such as Cassata and Gold Edit, which are stylish and compellingly priced, making it the ideal choice for festive gifting. For in-store purchases, we have implemented various safety protocols and guidelines to ensure that our customers can enjoy safe and uninterrupted shopping session,” he further said.

Sounding equally upbeat is Rasika Prashant, CMO, Tata Consumer Soulfull, who pointed out that there have been rise in mobility indicators and attendance at workplaces, power consumption, digital transactions in the month of June, all of which it considered forerunners to a revival in business and consumer confidence. “With the advent of the festive season, there should be a rise in small social gathering and increase in online transactions in grocery, personal care and consumer durables as a support to festive hosting and gifting,” she added.

Prashant also saw an increase in footfall in offline stores. However, the exposure of children will be curtailed, given that vaccination drive for children below 18 years is yet to commence. She affirmed, “The overall sentiment will be more positive than last year. Consumer comfort to travel will propel the overall economy boost as compared to the last quarter. The rise in vaccination awareness should also be an overall confidence booster. Brands will largely focus on positive attributes and happy moments, which are around small family moments.”

Raghuvar Seth, Marketing Head, Taneira, noted that new ways of celebrating Onam are being witnessed by modern Indian women, who are embracing sarees with different weaves into Onam celebrations with style. “Our EOSS sale is going to be live from August 12, 2021 onwards in Taneira stores pan India and through our website www.taneira.com, in time for Onam celebrations. While we don’t offer traditional Kerala sarees in our product portfolio, customers can celebrate the festival while practicing COVID-19 safety within the comfort of their homes through our ‘shop at the comfort of your home’ service, with which customers can shop, get stylist consultations on video calls without stepping out of their homes,” he added.

(Edited and additional inputs by Shanta Saikia.)