What led you to start BUYSTORIES - some key Observations/findings that you can share?

Recently in my career I had taken on a challenge of proving KPI movement from a Customer Experience program. It was a success. The reviewer however spoke about the feedback he had from other stakeholders of the activity. It made me realize how the carefully set performance parameter had lost ground in front of feedback whose source of origin was believable to the reviewer.
It was the turning point of the conversation on the table. If we as business drivers are skeptical about evidence and are unaffected by argument, why do we think the customer is any different. It was the most obvious display of the power of stories. We all buy stories that come from a source of origin that we personally trust. It is how we consume information.
We are looking at convincing businesses about the power of stories.

How exactly do stories lead to conversions? What makes it a more accountable form of communication? Could you elaborate with some numbers and case studies?

The only way to get to a customer is through emotion and stories have the power of evoking emotion. Luxury brands have been using their heritage and craftsmanship stories to sell for a long time. The heritage story evokes the emotion of pride. And pride inspires people to buy.
Stories are nothing more than instances worth talking about. If you tell a story to someone and it resonates, it will spread. It's how humans make sense of their experiences. When we listen to a story we are trying to relate it to one of our own experiences.

Ford is a great example of yielding the power of storytelling. It has created a platform for customer to share their stories. ford.social.com
Who is your clientele and what exactly is your offering to them?

We have been fortunate enough to get to do varied kinds of work across categories within the first few months of setting shop. From attempting a strategy to get a customer involved in car tyre purchase, to a complete relook at store segmentation of the laptop category. It's a combination of Customer Experience and Retail Design. We have carried out a Customer Research Path to Business project with Reliance Brands for their men's formal wear brands.

We are also working very closely with our partners to strengthen their proposition e.g. Scanupi launch shopper marketing. Besides these - social story management for the brand Super Readers Club is our new exciting endeavor.

How do measurement and impact figure in the whole context of story telling?

Businesses can give to the customer, a good story to tell, a bad story to tell, or no story to tell.

• Identifying and addressing damaging stories is always step 1. The recent backlash on the Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries could have potentially been avoided had they addressed the stories about the controversial statement made back in 2006.
• Coke gave us all a good story to tell recently - The Coke Happiness machine was a seed. North of India experienced it, Social media shared it, Marketers and Brand custodians discussed it, Media highlighted it. They also have a continuing story with the positioning'where will happiness strike next' e.g. like bringing the Filipino workers back home for the festive season.
• And if the customer has no story to tell it is a dangerous place to be for a marketer.

What percentage of your potential clients do you expect to adopt your model? Do you see this becoming a big part of the whole brand communication portfolio especially given the rising power social media?
We are looking at convincing businesses about the power of stories, identifying whether the brand holds a place in the customer's life and addressing questions such as: Is there a positive experience they would like to share and would they recommend the brand?

BUYSTORIES talks about a powerful approach to the customer experience and shopper marketing activities i.e. the art of influencing what is said at these two touch points. In a discipline that faces the challenge of measurement, NPS and other such models will strengthen our proposition. With regards to social media, it will be one of our biggest tools. It is the place where customers are voicing their experiences/stories. Social media will also play a vital role in sharing and spreading stories. The'before/after' stories of a brand will be the proof of the pudding.

Could you explain the various partnerships that BUY Stories has? How does each effectively contribute to the package you offer to your clients?

• We have an excellent retail design partner in the Valley Group. A UK based retail Design Company. Its quality of production and project management is unmatched as per Indian standards.
• At the in store environment level we have a strong relationship with PlayNetwork UK who we have worked with for luxury and lifestyle brands with respect to music and video experiences. 
• ShopSense is a group of 3 IIT young guns that have displayed tremendous potential in shopper engagement ideas and bug free technology. 
• Scent engagement had been a challenge for years till we worked last with AromaCent good product, great quality of service, flexibility and based in India which takes away the trauma of importing fragrance.
• SCANUPI is a startup with a fantastic tested backend platform that gives an opportunity to small to large merchants to indulge in a loyalty program without the investment of one. It is a platform created by NupinionLabs who are also working on the potential of smartphone usage in retail.
• Bangalore based BuynBill is the social story measurement partner. We will use various technologies like Radian6 and the Bains NPS system too.
• Creative talent runs across these partners. Specific communication briefs can be shared with relevant industry freelancers or agencies.

What research methodologies do you employ to offer a consolidated insight offering?

Liquid. Conversational. Journalistic.
Research does mean setting objectives but I have grown to believe that we seldom come back with more that ratification of our hypothesis. On the other hand what has worked for us at Reliance Brands Limited is meeting clusters of people - over coffee, dinner, parties, at their offices and airports and find out what they are all about. The questions get answered and the objectives are met. Because for those who want to listen, the customer is shouting out loud. Later we move on to say now let's meet a tailor, the store manager of a competitive brand, cross category buyers as well as business owners, editors of magazines.

Keeping things liquid helps you flow in the direction of a strong insight. It is not a conventional method and there will be no quantifiable outcome. But that is the premise of BUYSTORIES. The power lies in the stories that exist in the community about your brand