"Seamless omnichannel experiences will be critical for customer engagement in 2022"

The year 2022 is expected to see several new innovations and technological advancements. However, according to Sooraj Balakrishnan, Head of Marketing, Acer India, seamless omnichannel experiences are going to play a critical role in engaging with consumers.

He further says that “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will be a part of our daily lives. AI will be used to predict customer needs and delight customers at scale will stay ahead of the curve.”

Balakrishnan predicts that “We will also see a huge leap towards sustainability from all ends, which will be a key focus for all the companies. We are determined to invest in products and services that reduce our carbon footprint and promote greener earth.”

While noting that the global pandemic has driven digitisation in double the speed, Balakrishnan notes that with the increased need to learn from home, work from home the demand for laptops and peripherals hit a peak. 

There have been increased engagements from the consumers through digital platforms compared to the previous years and this is expected to continue in the coming years.

“Brands have also adapted and provided enhanced virtual consumer experience. We have also seen an increase in eco-friendly consumers. Customers make an effort to understand and adapt to eco-friendly products that are safe and better for our environment,” he adds. 

He further observes that the emphasis is on building resilience. “Resilience is how companies keep their supply chains from breaking and restore them quickly when they had to,” he adds.

Talking about the key challenges faced during the pandemic period, Balakrishnan says that, “The pandemic has been hard on all of us, and it has been a learning experience for all the industries. There has been a major shift in the way consumers buy things. We witnessed customers rely heavily on digital platforms to purchase commodities. We utilised this shift in our favour to curate experiences for our customers both online and offline.”

He points out that organisations that quickly reimagine their omnichannel approach to create a distinctive customer experience recovered faster from the pandemic. “With the advancements in innovation and technology, it is important that we keep up with the requirements and needs of the consumers,” he concludes.