‘Brands must lead the change to stand out in a cluttered digital space’

The e4m TechManch 2024 conference featured a session titled "Winning in Digital Commerce," where industry leaders explored the essential pillars of success in today's online marketplace. Panellists Avinava Banerjee, Global Digital Commerce Head at PepsiCo; Yatnesh Pandey, VP-Marketing at Greenply; Mahip Dwivedi, VP & Head of Marketing at Pepperfry; and Preetika Mehta, Head of Digital & Ecommerce Marketing at Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd, shared strategies for delivering seamless customer experiences, harnessing data-driven insights, and leveraging emerging technologies.

Moderated by Ruhail Amin, Senior Editor at Exchange4media Group, the e4m TechManch discussion also covered brand-building in the digital realm, the importance of personalization, and the creation of compelling content to drive conversions.

Banerjee started the session by sharing how quick commerce in India has been a boon for PepsiCo. "We are in the impulse space. Typically, research shows that if an impulse is not fulfilled within 17 minutes, it goes away. Quick commerce helps us tap into that window.”

“Secondly, if you look at quick commerce, people usually have decided what they want to buy so they are not looking for discovery, unlike platforms where discovery is key. They have decided on the brand, they just want it fulfilled and they want it fast. So, for large brands like us, it’s important because we are the first ones in mind. We just want to make sure we are the first to find it on the app. Quick commerce has been great for us in that regard, and we are constantly thinking about where the shopper is going tomorrow," he added.

Talking about the impact of customer experience online on the overall business of a company, Mehta discussed how 60 to 65 percent of consumers start their purchase journey online, using Google, Amazon, or Flipkart to figure out what they want to buy. However, e-retail is just 7 to 8% of the retail business in India. This means purchase decisions happen online, but the actual purchase may occur offline.

She said, “The customer experience online impacts the overall business. If we don't get a response to an online query within ten minutes, we feel the brand doesn't care about us. 72% of consumers expect brands to understand their needs and serve them accordingly. As a brand, we should focus on three things: seeing the consumer in a single view, ensuring consistent messaging, and providing the exact experience they're looking for."

Pandey continued the session by distinguishing his category from others, emphasising that customers in his market often prefer a more tangible purchase experience. He shared the different communication strategies for his category.

"In the digital era, consumers are exploring and evaluating simultaneously. Brands earn and lose trust daily, so vigilance is crucial. In our category, we strive to use technology and develop communication responsibly. The communication we share must be informative and transparent to build trust, as consumers come to validate information, not just complete transactions,” he highlighted. “We respect privacy. With many retargeting tools available, we focus on context and native communication to avoid intruding on privacy and breaking trust. Lastly, we handle the information consumers share, like mobile numbers, email addresses, and home addresses, responsibly and securely to maintain their trust."

Agreeing with Pandey, Dwivedi opined, "The category I am in is not particularly exciting. It doesn't excite kids like Pepsi might, but when you buy furniture, it's often a once-in-a-lifetime event or you're replacing something that has been in your house for years. Digital plays a crucial role through touchpoints. In an omni-channel business, it's important for people to be able to touch and feel products, whether they buy online or offline. If you are not digital, it's difficult to survive because every touchpoint matters. In India, 85% of people have mobile phones, though 30% of households still lack internet.”

“Having a digital presence with a website or app is essential. About 30% of sessions happen online on desktops, with people selecting and browsing products. It's 2.3 times more on mobile phones, and the same customer often visits the store. Depending on the offer, they may decide to buy online or in-store. Everything today is digital, and if you're not digital, it's very difficult to make your brand stand out, especially in our unbranded category."

Amin moved the session forward by asking the panellists what strategies they use to stand out in an increasingly cluttered digital environment.

Banerjee answered that PepsiCo follows a three-prong strategy. "First, we make sure our products are winning on search. Secondly, as you go further, you need to find the right brand that makes sense to you. We constantly look for the right brands, portfolio, benefits, and claims that match those searches. Thirdly, we focus on bringing the brand alive on the digital shelf. You can't touch and feel online, so the onus is on us to use high-res images, descriptions, and product detail pages to represent PepsiCo. Building brands online means going across the entire shopper journey, starting with search and going right through to checkout, delivery, and the overall experience."

Dwivedi shared Banerjee’s opinions and added that it's crucial to consider whether people still remember your brand after several years. “Do they know your current offerings? Especially if your offerings change over time, it's important to communicate with them. In marketing, it's essential to ensure your existing base knows what the brand is doing. Whether they come to buy or not, word of mouth spreads within the community. For us, offline is a huge community. We have 200+ stores in India and host events on Wednesdays and Thursdays, like painting and other activities. Making your brand stand out involves ensuring people know what your brand is doing. For us, the vicinity is important. We want people to talk about Pepperfry and the events we host, fostering a sense of community and engagement."

Answering Amin’s question about how reviews and feedback are dealt with from a brand point of view, Mehta shared, "What we have started doing, and this is a recent initiative, is monitoring reviews and ratings on a fortnightly basis. While we used to track what consumers said about our brand or products, we now release an internal dashboard across categories in Crompton. It's the most genuine form of consumer feedback, addressing issues like packaging, missing parts, and after-sales service, which includes installation and warranty.”

“We monitor these aspects and streamline the feedback with our supply chain, manufacturing, and after-sales service teams. This helps us put the pieces together and improve the overall consumer experience.”

Pandey brought attention to the sustainability aspect of e-commerce. There's a staggering 8 million metric tons of plastic that end up in the ocean every year—equivalent to a 16-ton truck of plastic entering the ocean every minute.

"With e-commerce, layered packaging is required. Materials like bubble wrap and tough cartons are difficult to destroy and recycle. With the rise of quick commerce and impulsive behaviour, there's a tendency to use more single-use plastics for packaging. Currently, only about 14% of plastics used are recyclable, and even within that, less than 50% is actually recycled. For the sake of convenience in commerce, we should not harm the environment. The responsibility lies with both the seller and the buyer to ensure we address this issue effectively," he discussed.