How are Retailers Getting Ready for the Festive Season Ahead

How are Retailers Getting Ready for the Festive Season Ahead
With the festive season around the corner, the retail brands are seeing the enthusiasm among shoppers.

By Vaishnavi gupta , Sr Correspondent

10 Aug 2022 | 11 min read

As the festive season commences, the overall consumer sentiment seems to be upbeat and positive and this is despite the inflation and other macroeconomic headwinds. Over the last two years, consumers have primarily spent a lot of time indoors, shopping online. Now, the retailers foresee shoppers enjoying this holiday season with greater fervor and zeal, both online and in-store. And the period that they do shop in showcases massive growth in the market overall as it is seen as a sort of a release of pent-up demand. Due to various reasons, that includes inflation- the commodity pricing, oil rates, supply chains, etc have been stabilizing. The next quarter looks extremely promising too and this is all given the strong consumer sentiments for the upcoming festive season.

Shopping during the festive season is more like a social event. For any given holiday, most consumers intend to purchase something for celebrations and gifting. With the festive season around the corner, retail brands are seeing enthusiasm among shoppers. These brands expect to observe growth during this festive season. For instance, brands like Blaupunkt are expecting 100 percent growth in this period, while Colorbar is expecting a two-fold growth this festive season compared to last year.

Preparing for Festivities

Brands are continuously elevating the customer experience. Bata is focusing on integrating technology to feature some never-done-before elements at select stores. For instance, its landmark CP Store in Delhi offers the best ambiance and technology with Lift and Learn digital screens and more. This season for customer convenience, Bata introduced another in-store digital channel named ‘Endless Aisle’, where customers can use a QR code to scan products in-store, choose and order their favorite styles, and then have them delivered to their homes. Additionally, the brand introduced the ‘Sneaker Studio’, in order to offer its customers exciting new choices and make their store visits more experiential. It is also actively engaging with its customers through an omnichannel approach, by offering them its products where they are – on social media, online, or during the search. “We start the experience on social media, convince the consumers there and then direct them to the website for sizing, availability, etc,” Anand Narang, Vice President (Marketing & Customer Experience), Bata India said.

Meanwhile, SPPL, an exclusive brand licensee of Blaupunkt TV in India, for its upcoming launches, is giving its customers a 360-degree experience that will not only include sound quality, but new picture enhancement technology to support its vast network of customer service to bring down SLA to 12 hours in Tiers I-II and 24 hours in Tier II-IV with on-time delivery in more than 17500 pin codes. “We have also established 4 new warehouses in the country to cater to the growing demand during this festive season,” Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO at SPPL stated. With Flipkart as its strategic selling partner, Blaupunkt will be enabled by the Alphalite model by Flipkart for better supply chain management.

Similarly, Westside, A Tata Enterprise, will focus on women’s ethnic leading with key casual wear and smart wear western solutions. To keep the engagement high in stores, the brand has a load of in-store experiences planned for Weststyleclub (subscription program). “We started the subscription program two years ago and have used loyalty to drive events and build a community. Our ecosystem of using real people - influencers or celebs like Sameera Reddy, and Shruti Seth. We drive advocacy through people our customers can connect with – this will further be built on. As a brand, we’re not about famous faces who don’t share the same values as our brand – we take our time in finding the right advocates as we prefer quality over quantity,” Umashan Naidoo, Head of Customer & Beauty, Westside asserted.

Colorbar Cosmetics, too, is in the process of launching its new brand philosophy, 'Made for Magic', this festive season. “We are ardent believers that every single person has a hint of magic within them, and we want to help them connect with their inner magic and celebrate who they truly are. Our constant endeavor is to woo our customers with innovation and new products. In line with this vision, various innovative product launches are underway this festive season along with amplifying our digital marketing plans. We intend to leverage the power of influencers for Colorbar's brand campaign and the launch of hero products,” Samir Modi, Founder and Managing Director at Colorbar Cosmetics added.

Colorbar has also hired new beauty advisors to manage the increasing demand. Regardless of the headwinds created by multiple waves of Covid-19, its beauty advisors in Lucknow have grown by 45 percent in the region during the last year. Going forward, the brand has aggressive growth plans to significantly increase its brick-and-mortar retail presence across Lucknow from a current count of 50 counters to 200 counters across channels.

Ramping Up Offerings This Festive Season

Bata has observed that sneakerization and casualization have been dominant trends post the pandemic. Even with offices resuming and schools opening up, the brand continues to witness accelerated demand for its casual and activewear range. In fact, demand for casual footwear and sneakers has increased by over 40 percent in the last two years. “Accordingly, we have strengthened our portfolio of casual wear. Ahead of this festive season, we are expecting strong growth in our sneaker category across the portfolio of our brands that include Power, North Star, Bata Red Label, Bata Comfit, and Hush Puppies,” Narang noted.

Blaupunkt will be launching new models in the premium segment as the market share overall of this segment is growing rapidly. “The customer preference for larger screen size TVs is growing massively, thus we see tremendous opportunity for 43-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch TVs. This festive, for the very first time, will show growth in the ratio of sales for 4K and UHD TV sets too. And this is where our focus will lie too since we see these categories as growth drivers for us. Additionally, HD and FHD models will also drive sales,” Marwah explained.

Westside said that when it comes to the festive season, non-apparel is also key: Beauty - STUDIO WEST has shown growth in the last year for the brand and it has positioned beauty as a gifting solution which includes new fragrance launches and makeup. WESTSIDE HOME is another area of the business that has been stellar for the brand during the Covid period. The range excites customers for its easy-to-do hacks and solutions.

Colorbar believes that cities like Delhi NCR, Punjab, Lucknow, Kanpur, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore would be the growth drivers during the festive season. The brand is extending its product range to personal care by launching Co-Earth, a one-stop shop for all beauty and personal care needs. “Our lip segment is the bestselling category, followed by face and eyes. The average price point for the lip category is Rs 650, the face category retails at Rs 890, while for the eye segment, it is Rs 830,” Modi said.

Neeman’s hopes to create more awareness of sustainability with every campaign while delivering the utmost comfort and functionalities to its customers. The brand plans on introducing new products and further delves into new zones and expanding its catalog. “As sustainability and transparency became the highlight during the pandemic, it pushed us even more in our resolve to create more sustainable solutions. We take pride in creating products that are eco-friendly, and sustainable and are a step toward a cyclical future. We are always committed to exploring new technologies and materials that reduce our carbon footprint in any way,” Taran Chhabra, Co-Founder, and CEO, Neeman’s stated.

“Our bestselling categories are our Relive Knit Sneakers and Eco Flips & Slides. The Relive Knits are made using recycled plastic bottles, and the Eco Flips & Slides use recycled tires that make them stand out in the market. We are also hopeful about launching our first ever flagship store in the future,” he concluded.

As the festive season commences, the overall consumer sentiment seems to be upbeat and positive and this is despite the inflation and other macroeconomic headwinds. Over the last two years, consumers have primarily spent a lot of time indoors, shopping online. Now, the retailers foresee shoppers enjoying this holiday season with greater fervor and zeal, both online and in-store. And the period that they do shop in showcases massive growth in the market overall as it is seen as a sort of a release of pent-up demand. Due to various reasons, that includes inflation- the commodity pricing, oil rates, supply chains, etc have been stabilizing. The next quarter looks extremely promising too and this is all given the strong consumer sentiments for the upcoming festive season.

Shopping during the festive season is more like a social event. For any given holiday, most consumers intend to purchase something for celebrations and gifting. With the festive season around the corner, retail brands are seeing enthusiasm among shoppers. These brands expect to observe growth during this festive season. For instance, brands like Blaupunkt are expecting 100 percent growth in this period, while Colorbar is expecting a two-fold growth this festive season compared to last year.

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