E-commerce Marketing

Light Up Your Brand with Festive E-Commerce Breakthroughs

By ARM Administrator
October 24, 2024

In a country as culturally rich as India, festivities are deeply embedded in everyday life, offering immense opportunities for businesses to thrive during these occasions. The festive season sparks a surge in consumer activity, creating the ideal opportunity for brands to connect, engage, and grow, all while tapping into the vibrant spirit and enthusiasm that defines these cultural festivities. Diwali 2024 is poised to be a record-breaking period, with projected sales growth of 20% and a gross merchandise value (GMV) expected to reach up to ₹1 lakh crore. Additionally, growth in online retail is fuelled by a 40% quarter-on-quarter surge in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) segment, driven by rising demand for electronics, fashion, and home decor. Leveraging consumers' enthusiasm, the business world is set to witness a sales boom. Smart marketers with festive marketing strategies can amplify this success rate by effectively using technology, making it essential for them to capture opportunities during the surge.

Why Your Brand Needs the Tech Edge

Brands have adopted technology for years to enhance their strategies and operations; here’s how you can incorporate it too:

Beyond Browsing: The Shift from Passive Scrolling to Engaging Shopping

Shopping online is no longer just about scrolling through static images or reading product descriptions. AR and VR are transforming the shopping experience, making festivals more engaging than ever. Research indicates that 80% of brands utilising Augmented Reality (AR) report that it significantly aids in driving sales, enhancing performance metrics, and attracting new customers. Campaigns like Amazon India’s Festival Store during Diwali provide a curated collection of products and exclusive deals, offering a highly targeted shopping experience. This includes offering virtual showrooms and fitting rooms, allowing customers to engage with products as they would in a physical store. Brands can take this a step further by incorporating AI-driven product recommendations tailored to the specific festival, personalising the experience for each shopper. A perfect example is Nike's Air Max Day campaign, where users virtually try on sneakers and participate in immersive 3D environments. This resulted in a significant increase in consumer interaction and brand affinity. By adopting these technologies, brands enhance consumer interactions and build long-term loyalty through personalised, interactive experiences that recreate the in-store shopping environment.

Bringing Audiences Together with Virtual Magic!

Virtual events have become a go-to festive marketing strategy, giving brands a chance to engage with their audience in real time through various digital platforms. Brands like Sephora and Samsung use live streams to showcase product demonstrations, hold real-time Q&A sessions, and offer exclusive deals to maintain audience engagement. In India, brands like Meesho and Tata CLiQ have also jumped on this trend, especially during high-traffic periods like Diwali, hosting virtual product launches and interactive events that allow consumers to engage directly with the brand while shopping for festival deals. These live streams create a buzz around the brand and drive immediate sales through real-time interaction with potential buyers. By integrating these virtual elements, brands can cultivate stronger connections with their audiences during key shopping seasons. These examples highlight the power of virtual engagement in modern festive marketing, offering consumers both convenience and excitement during the holiday shopping season. Virtual events give e-commerce brands the ability to recreate the in-store experience online, increasing conversions, enhancing customer interaction, and building long-term loyalty.

Real-Time Personalisation for On-Demand Experiences

Whether it's a product suggestion that feels hand-picked or immediate answers to their questions, consumers today demand relevance and speed. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a crucial solution to meet these growing demands, especially considering that 91% of shoppers expect brands to recognise their preferences and provide relevant offers. Leading e-commerce brands like Pepperfry and Myntra have grasped this art of personalisation by actively using AI to deliver custom product recommendations and provide shopping assistance, like for beauty brands, a “Beauty Advisor”. Furthermore, retail platforms like Reliance Digital and Big Basket are also using AI-powered chatbots to offer 24/7 customer support for quick responses during peak times. By employing advanced algorithms, these e-commerce businesses analyse customer behaviour and preferences, ensuring shoppers receive suggestions that align with their tastes. As competition continues to rise year on year, delivering personalised experiences allows businesses to meet customer expectations, driving higher engagement and fostering long-term loyalty. And this personalisation process can be amplified with advanced tech such as AI. This is backed by recent reports which reveal that AI-powered personalisation significantly enhances relevance, with brands experiencing sales growth of up to 40%.

Targeted Approach with Data Analytics

Modern data analytics tools have transformed how businesses understand and engage with consumers by examining their online shopping behaviours, such as product preferences, browsing history, and time spent on various web pages. By utilising methods like predictive analytics, brands can refine their festival marketing campaigns to align with specific shopping patterns, which allows personalisation that resonates. And this personalisation eventually helps drive sales. For example, as summer approaches, if consumers in India frequently search for air conditioners or refrigerators, e-commerce platforms can quickly tap into these patterns of consumer behaviours. Further, other relevant data that reveals a certain momentum or approaching change can help create targeted advertising campaigns and special offers focused on these products. By tailoring ads to meet consumer needs, brands significantly enhance their chances of converting interest into sales. During the festive season, these data-driven strategies become especially crucial, allowing e-commerce brands to distinguish themselves by delivering exactly what customers want.

Talk and Buy!

With the rise of popular virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Microsoft’s Cortana, voice commerce has become a trend. Consumers are experiencing a transformative shift in how they interact with brands and make online purchases. The technology is gaining traction due to its convenience and user-friendly nature. This feature is particularly appealing in situations where manual input may be cumbersome or impractical. Additionally, voice commerce enhances accessibility and inclusivity, making e-commerce more approachable for individuals with disabilities or those who struggle with traditional interfaces. A good example of this trend is Domino’s, which has integrated voice commerce into its ordering system for many years. This started a wave of inspiration, with more and more brands adopting it later. This follow-through and prevalence to date, even during the AI era, showcase the strong potential that voice commerce has in revolutionising customer interactions, which becomes even more crucial during festive sales.

Tech Innovations to Drive Festive Success

Considering so much is changing in modern-day marketing with the advancement of technology, brands should believe in flexibility and adaptability during the festive season to remain relevant and keep pace. E-commerce has become a thriving platform that benefits customers, businesses, and merchants alike. Technology tools have fostered this growth, and what was once met with apprehension has now become a dynamic and accessible space, appealing to a larger audience. Additionally, with the increase in consumer needs and shopping habits, brands have a golden opportunity during festivals to foster meaningful connections while boosting sales.