With the festive period nearly here, brands must be eagerly anticipating the upcoming rush. E-Commerce is fundamentally indispensable now, with it being the preferred mode of business for most users. Embracing digital transformation and technology during the Diwali festive season, and making the most of them will be key to drive all business goals and objectives.
Here is all you need to know about the role of e-commerce in the upcoming festive season in India.
E-Commerce & Diwali
This year’s festive season sale is expected to rack up gross sales of $7B, a massive spike of 75% compared to last year. As consumer preferences and habits have transformed in the last 6 months or so due to the pandemic, it is no surprise that e-commerce will continue to be the preferred medium for users keen to splurge this Diwali. This is further highlighted as e-commerce companies are expected to see a 50% jump in gross sales.
These numbers are primarily down to the fact that the number of individuals using e-commerce has increased exponentially in the period offline retail was off the grid. Users who were not too accustomed to e-commerce had to familiarise themselves, and now prefer it for daily use. This year, there has been a rise of 160 million online shoppers, as opposed to 135 million of last year, with more than half of this spike arising from tier-2 cities.
Get Started With Google Shops
Google Shopping allows brands and consumers to interact with each other in a way that adds value to both entities’ experience. It allows consumers to browse, compare, and purchase physical products across different retailers without having to visit each individual brand’s website - saving time and offering a seamless shopping experience. It minimizes the need of third party platforms and since users don’t have to jump from one interface to another, its a much quicker process.
How does Google Shopping work? Whenever you search an item, a ‘shopping’ tab pops up where you can browse across different brands. It integrates various elements such as Shoppable Ads on Google Images, Showcase Shopping Ads, Smart Shopping Campaigns, and Shopping Actions.
Whatsapp Marketing For Business
E-commerce as a concept has evolved on so many different levels and will continue to do so for sure. A digital feature driving e-commerce at the moment is Whatsapp’s business marketing feature. It is estimated that 98% of messages on Whatsapp are open and read, with 80% of them opened within 3 seconds of being sent.
Whatsapp business bots help facilitate quick and easy conversation with customers through an interactive & visual medium (images, videos, and short clips). Presence on Whatsapp adds an element of identity and personalisation above and beyond other social media platforms. Developing a Whatsapp strategy as a part of regular messaging marketing strategies is a great way to start. It helps identify purchase behaviour, buying patterns, and consumer tastes to deliver the ideal products to consumers.
Leverage Facebook & Instagram Shops
Just like Whatsapp, even social media networks - notably Facebook & Instagram - have announced features to facilitate e-commerce on the platform. For example, brands can display a catalogue of products, allowing potential customers to view and then purchase them directly on Facebook or Instagram shop. These platforms also facilitate seamless two-way communication with users through Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram Direct.
Another new feature includes the initiation of a Livestream where a product link can be selected within the live video to display an icon with a link to the product on the screen throughout. Facebook is also experimenting with ways to offer users rewards from brands they follow and interact with, through brand loyalty programmes.
Similarly, Instagram shop allows users to shop from a brand’s Instagram account, or through its feed and stories. They can browse products, explore collections and purchase products - all through an app browser (no third party interference).
E-commerce is evolving way beyond simple websites and applications, and exploring Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp is a sure shot way to make the most of digital platforms to drive online sales.
Dominate E-Commerce With Voice Search
Driven by such innovative technology, the capabilities of voice search personalizes the shopping experience to a whole new level. For example, voice assistants can help suggests products based on the past purchase patterns of the buyer. Similarly with voice assistants, collecting reviews and feedback from buyers is much more efficient. Voice integration facilitates a two-way communication process and encourages constructive feedback.
Voice search is quick and efficient compared to manually browsing through vast catalogues. The average buyer types at the speed of around 30 to 35 words per minute, whereas a voice search processes close to 100 words per minute.
We are all well aware of how e-commerce is propelled by data-driven machine learning & artificial intelligence characteristics, and that holds true in the case of voice search as well. For example, while purchasing groceries, the voice assistant can suggest products that have previously been a part of your cart and are missing in the current list.
Create a High-Converting Landing Page
A landing page is one of the most vital components of any website, in terms of converting page visits - and this holds even more value for e-commerce websites. Landing pages can be optimized and designed in order to cater to the festive mood and add some vibrance to a user’s experience. Users are often overwhelmed with excess overloads of information, which is why it makes sense to create a dedicated banner, crisp content, along with a call-to-action that helps communicate best site-wide offers. This section can even include high-quality images & testimonials to create appealing visuals using directional cues to guide users.
Another essential cog of the success of a landing page is the integration of keywords. Landing pages can shoot up search engine rankings with the help of Google Keyword Planner. Targeted keywords can be used to boost rankings on the landing page highlighting the exclusive deals.
With evolved buyer habits and preferences, e-commerce is here to stay. With the Diwali festive season upcoming, now is the time to explore digital transformation and technology to boost not only sales but brand presence and user engagement as well.
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