A panel discussion on "Understanding Indian Consumers in the social media era” provided valuable insights on how social media can be used in brand building. It raised important points on how conversations by consumers on social media can be used to offer better product and service to customers.
 
Opening the session, Bharat Bambawale, Founder & Principal, BB&A, said, "Social media adds power to the brand in a time when customer-centricity is vital. Consumer clusters to a contextual, data-led, one-to-one relationship with an individual will be the key.” A retailer should embraced consumers and his passions, and social media is one of the passions of today's customer. So connecting with him there will be an added advantage for your brand.

Vineet Gautam, Country Head, Bestseller India said, "Social media gives the opportunity to have conversations with many consumers at a time. It is a communication platform between you and your customer.”

Vineesh Chadha, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Aumentis Consulting called social media a platform for social validation, where one seeks validation from peers and friends on social media while making a purchase. It plays a very important role in purchase process today. "Unlike US, in India, social media is not used and integrated in brand's personality yet.  Amazon, for example, offers many genuine reviews for each of their products. It allows buyers to make an informed decision and also increases our pleasure of purchase,” added Chadha.

Rajiv Nair, CEO, Celio Future Fashion Ltd observed that lot of things are revealed about customer behaviour and about the brand through social media conversations. He advised, "Listen and respond to these conversations, it will yield fantastic results for your brand.”