New Normal: The ‘five senses’ experience will continue to matter in retail : Varsha Dalal
By Retail4Growth Team | June 05, 2020
It goes without saying Covid -19 has done something which no amount of advertising by brands could do: it has made consumers change their ‘preferences’. This in itself will require retailers to rethink their marketing plans during and post-coronavirus. In an exclusive chat with Retail4Growth, Varsha Dalal, from Embark Perfumes, explains how pandemic has changed customer habits and how brands can serve post-lockdown shopper’s better going ahead.
1. The post lockdown shopper will expect more communication from brands/retailers. Do you agree? A. Yes B. No C. Can’t say
B. No. Don't think the shopper expects more communication post the lockdown as, during the lockdown, the shopper has already been bombarded with a lot of communication from their favorite brands either via social media, email or SMS.
2. On a scale of 1-5, the following will be the order of priorities which will influence shopper purchase decisions: Price- 5, Brand values including a focus on hygiene, health safety and environmental responsibility - 4, Brand visibility in-store and communication- 3, Brand name- 2, Packaging - 1
Price- 5, (#3 Priority)
Brand values including focus on hygiene, health safety and environmental responsibility - 4, (#1 priority)
Brand visibility in store and communication- 3, (#4)
Brand name- 2 (Yes)
Packaging - 1 (#5)
3. Investments in technology solutions by brands and retailers will go up by more than 50% in the near future. A. Yes B. It will be going up, but may not be over 50% C. No, technology will make no difference
A. Yes (for companies that lagged behind in adopting technology. For others, the answer would be B)
4. Across categories brands that have presence online-offline channels will sell more. A. Yes B. No it will depend on other factors (pl mention here) C. Cant say
A. Yes. For more tactile brands/categories, however, B (No) for more established everyday brands
5. The preference for online shopping is just a temporary phase, shoppers will soon come go back to stores for most purchases. A. Yes B. No (give your reasons here) C. Don't know
B. No. People will continue to be vary of contacting the disease for at least another 6-12 months. They will avoid unnecessary browsing in stores/malls and will become more need based shoppers. Online shopping is here to stay and will thrive in this environment.
6. E-commerce will overtake physical retail and brands that don't sell online will lose. A. Yes B. No (give your reasons here) C. Don't know
B. No. E-commerce will not overtake physical retail in the long term. The whole aspect of touching, feeling, smelling, trying will continue to be an important aspect of shopping. Also, in India, people don't just go to the mall or store to only shop, it is also a social outing and they tend to make an evening out of it.
