Retailers say 40% sales came from Whatsapp shopping during COVID-19 lockdown

Battling revenue loss due to the pandemic, brands allowed customers to shop via WhatsApp. Brands sent apparel pictures and links to customers to shop from home.

Titan through its brand Tanishq has sold jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh via video. “We demonstrate the product on video. In most cases, customers comes to just make the payment,” CK Venkataraman, MD, Titan Company said, adding that Rs 15,000-20,000 is the average ticket size for jewellery bought online.

Expressing views on the one thing that brought customers back to brands, Sandeep Kataria, CEO, Bata India, said, “The ability to earn customer’s trust has helped brands sustain the present scenario. That’s what brands need to focus on and continue their efforts to enhance that trust.”

Retailers were also of the view that businesses will have to become flexible to innovate and be ready to change the business plans in this uncertain new world.

While discussing businesses embracing digital transformation, Shaleen Verma, Senior Technical Specialist – Business Applications, Microsoft India, said, “The pandemic compelled businesses to hastily go digital. We need to pause and redraft the future strategy for a sustainable digital transformation.”

Brand leaders agreed that technology is central to the revival and growth in the current situation.

Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India (RAI), is of the view that retailers will take turns to turning to technology to save their businesses, plan better, increase productivity and service their customers.