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Tag: Millennials

  • Social media influencers are reshaping India’s wellness culture, Ipsos finds

    Social media influencers are reshaping India’s wellness culture, Ipsos finds

    MUMBAI: Social media influencers are no longer just selling protein shakes and yoga mats. They are increasingly setting the tone for how Indians think about diet, fitness and mental health. A new Ipsos Market Essentials study shows that across generations, people are tuning into influencers for health advice, from smoothie recipes to sleep hacks.

    Millennials top the charts, with 81 per cent saying they pick up health and dietary trends from influencers, closely followed by Gen X (76 per cent) and Gen Z (74 per cent). Even among boomers—traditionally thought sceptical of online chatter—a striking 57 per cent admitted to drawing wellness cues from influencer feeds.
    “Influencers with credible qualifications and relevant expertise have cemented their position as trusted voices in health and wellness,” said  MSU Global Ipsos senior vice president Allyson Leavy.

    Yet the same platforms that dispense health wisdom are also fuelling unease. More than half of Gen Z (54 per cent) confessed to feeling anxious about the negative effects of social media on wellbeing. The worry is less pronounced among millennials (47 per cent), Gen X (37 per cent) and boomers (28 per cent). The tension underlines the double-edged nature of social media: a source of connection and information, but also of misinformation, comparison and stress.

    India paints a paradoxical picture. A robust 71 per cent of Indians say they feel good about themselves mentally and physically—far higher than the global average, where only one in two citizens express such satisfaction. But optimism coexists with strain. Nearly half (47 per cent) of Indians report that stress is embedded in their daily lives, mirroring global patterns where 50 per cent of respondents feel the same.

    Helplessness in the face of global crises is another unifying theme. 61 per cent of Indians, identical to the global average, admitted to anguish over challenges that feel too large to solve—whether climate change, geopolitical turmoil or economic uncertainty.

    Asked about their biggest health concerns, Indians singled out “mental vitality”—a catch-all for sharper focus, resilience and energy. Some 59 per cent cited it as their top priority. The specific complaints: low energy (32 per cent), mental health struggles (29 per cent), fatigue (16 per cent) and insomnia (13 per cent).

    Global citizens echoed these worries, with 57 per cent prioritising mental vitality. But fatigue (26 per cent) and insomnia (29 per cent) registered at higher levels globally than in India, suggesting that Indians, while stressed, may be faring marginally better on rest and recovery.

    “The July edition of our tracker offers a deep dive into health and wellness by age group and consumer cohort—a goldmine for marketers tailoring their communication,” said Ipsos India group service line leader market strategy and understanding Archana Gupta. She added that previous editions explored leisure travel, examining motivations, preferred destinations and the very definition of leisure—whether adventure, luxury or immersive experiences.

    Ipsos conducts the Market Essentials survey across 15 countries including India, the US, the UK, Germany, China, Japan and Brazil. Around 1,000 respondents are sampled in large markets, 500 in smaller ones. In India, the sample skews more urban, affluent and connected than the general population.

    Results are presented as a “global country average” rather than a world total, since large parts of the global population remain outside the survey. Ipsos notes that its online polls carry a credibility interval of +/-3.5 percentage points.

  • ITC Fiama highlights the importance of mental well-being in a fun way

    ITC Fiama highlights the importance of mental well-being in a fun way

    Mumbai: ITC Fiama immerses its communication outreach in pop culture with “#FeelGoodWithFiama,” a unique meme video series to help mitigate the stigma of mental health and therapy. The series was rolled out to mark World Meme Day on 12 November 2022.

    Conceptualised by Brand David, ITC Fiama’s Feel Good with Fiama campaign aims to reach digitally savvy gen-z and millennials through the existing meme culture and motivate them to have constructive conversations about their state of mental well-being.

     

     

    Memes have continued to be a constant in the fast-paced, dynamic lifestyle of young adults and have often served as a powerful way to cope with stress. The brand has repurposed iconic memes into meme videos showcasing real-life situations, providing a strong message on the importance of opening up and sharing their feelings.

    Fiama takes the first step in making expert therapy and counselling more accessible and affordable through a virtual clinic in partnership with the MINDS Foundation. It encourages individuals to seek help in an intimate virtual space without fear of embarrassment or the prevailing stigma. The MINDS Foundation has specially put together a team of highly qualified therapists for this virtual clinic, thereby offering expert advice, therapy, and counselling at the convenience of one’s own privacy.

     

     

  • IndiaLends targets millennials with new video campaign

    IndiaLends targets millennials with new video campaign

    Mumbai: IndiaLends has launched its video campaign “#TarakkiKiTayari,” which aims to raise awareness among early and new credit customers about the proper use of credit for personal and financial growth.

    The campaign is carried out by creative agencies Adfactors PR and OneImpact. The digital campaign was launched as part of IndiaLends’ communication narrative, focusing on the significance of personal growth for India’s youth. The campaign is amplified across IndiaLends’ social media platforms.

    Through the campaign, IndiaLends aims to catch the pulse of the millennial generation, for whom self-growth has become extremely essential. The “#TarakkiKiTayari” campaign encourages millennials to be aware of the best ways to use credit products in order to contribute to their personal growth and achieve their goals. The campaign showcases how IndiaLends helps in planning expenditure and enables one to fulfil their needs without compromising financial health.

    The company is leveraging the video campaign through influencer marketing with a variety of social media influencers, including lifestyle influencers such as Shivangi, Dushyant, and Aanchal, couple travel influencers Archana & Vidur, and parental influences such as Priyanshi.

    Speaking about the campaign, IndiaLends head of brand and marketing Ankit Khurana said, “The festive season is a special time for individuals and families. The festivities mark the onset of new beginnings. Keeping in mind the symbolism of our country’s festivals, we launched the “#TarakkiKiTayari” campaign to focus on achieving aspirations without jeopardising financial stability. Since ‘personal growth’ is important, we showcased how the goal of personal and financial growth can be met by effectively using credit products.”

  • Guest article: Here’s how to create an impact on your millennial customers

    Guest article: Here’s how to create an impact on your millennial customers

    Mumbai: The first generation to surf the internet was the millennials. Those people, who were born between 1981 and 1996, rely primarily on search engines to find the information they need. In fact, a survey reveals that Google searches are the origin of almost 90 per cent of millennials’ online experiences. Therefore, millennials are a fantastic demographic to target with search engine optimisation (SEO). Millennials should be perceived in the following ways:

        They are keyword-driven, meaning they search for specific, brief terms.
        More inclined to think that a highly ranked website indicates a company’s reliability and dependability.
        Frequently access internet information on mobile devices, such as aesthetically pleasing web designs.
        Use email frequently.
        Utilise social media often.
        Frequently look for video content.

    Though less dependent on technology than Gen Z, this generation nonetheless prioritises technology. Millennials place a great deal of attention on SEO because they frequently use search engine results to locate the information they’re looking for.

    Like prior generations, they also use email and social media sites more frequently. Although not as frequently as Gen Z, millennials were the first generation to utilise mobile phones to access the web and watch videos.

    You need a plan that binds several marketing channels and content types together in order to promote them. Develop your social media presence, publish videos, send marketing emails, and make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

    Why use SEO to reach millennials?

    Following statistics reveal typical millennials traits and consumer behaviour:

        A study showed that more than 90% of internet experiences begin with a Google search.
        More than nine out of ten Millennials (93% of those aged 23 to 38 this year) own a smartphone.

    The “go-to” place for practically everything for millennials is search engines:

        Between 5 and 10 hours of information are read online each week by 23% of millennials.
        When it comes to connecting with millennial consumers, SEO is without a doubt the best option for brands. 65% of smartphone users, regardless of the brand or business that offers them, look for the most pertinent information when conducting Internet searches.
        The most effective way to increase brand awareness for millennials is through SEO.
        A higher search engine ranking increases credibility, trust, and brand recall.
        Users of search engines convert more frequently than users of social media. 61% of local searches result in purchases, and 72% of those who do them go to the local businesses.

    Creating effective SEO strategies for millennials

    Be present in both places at once:

    You must be present everywhere you may be in order to be found and remembered, including both online and offline platforms. Engage millennials by posting SEO-optimised material on well-known channels including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, desktop, emails, blogs, and more. To develop a better content strategy, find out which platform is preferred by each age group.

    For instance, millennials are big on Facebook and Instagram. According to studies, these should be the top two social media sites to employ when marketing to those under 35. Additionally, studies show that LinkedIn might help you reach more male millennials than Twitter because LinkedIn makes creative use of short hashtags and phrases.

    The millennial generation can be attracted to you by achieving top rankings on Google or other search engine pages by default, and constant branding and link development can draw attention to your brand website.

    Focus on high-quality content:

    Visibility is crucial, but so is the quality of the content. Millennials will be interested in rich content that is combined with clever SEO. Since research demonstrates that most purchasing decisions are driven more by an emotional connection than by rationality, it must be both educational and motivating.

    Furthermore, information must not be preachy, protracted, or boring because millennials strongly dislike all of these things. Another strict no-no is traditional hard selling or push marketing. Make sure to produce original content that speaks to their liberal and empathetic viewpoints. Ultimately, you need to provide content that reflects the ideals that your audience can relate to.

    Be mobile-friendly:

    For millennials, smartphones are a way of life. One of the most crucial SEO advices for millennials is to focus on SEO while creating content that is mobile-friendly.

    Focus on voice searches:

    Use voice searches; they are growing significantly thanks to Siri, Cortana, Echo, and Google Home. Instead of the more conventional writing style of typed sentences, voice searches require a more relaxed, conversational approach. Additionally, voice search terms may be longer on average because speaking is simpler than typing, giving you more room for content. Get a plan for voice search going that is based on natural language phrases since it’s an excellent SEO trend for millennials.

    Final Thoughts

    The bottom line is that effective SEO techniques increase brand recognition and sales. It’s critical to understand both what to do and what not to do when creating SEO content for millennials. Avoiding an autocratic style and working to personalise the content as much as you can are the keys to capturing the attention of millennials.

    The author of this article is Auburn Digital Solutions co-founder & managing director Ashish K Tripathi.

  • Vossle witnessed an average spike of 200% in its sign-ups over the last 6 months: cofounder Prafulla Mathur

    Vossle witnessed an average spike of 200% in its sign-ups over the last 6 months: cofounder Prafulla Mathur

    Mumbai: Augmented reality (AR) isn’t just a fancy term anymore. It has, in fact, become a much sought-after means of accomplishing brand goals. The major factors driving the growth of web AR are the booming gaming industry and the rapid penetration of the internet, which are driving brands across the world to adopt web AR to increase their engagement with customers on their websites.

    Here’s where Vossle, a cloud-based, no-code web AR development SaaS platform, comes into the picture.

    Launched in January 2021, Vossle was co-founded by Prafulla Mathur and Pulkit Mathur. According to the duo, with the platform, businesses can create augmented reality in under a minute. It requires no app downloads to experience world targets, image target-based campaigns, games, or face detection-based try-ons using Vossle’s core AR+AI engine. It reaches millions of users instantly with an app-less AR experience that works on every modern smartphone browser the moment you publish it.

    Prafulla Mathur and Pulkit Mathur are serial tech entrepreneurs, and are also the founders of Queppelin, a global metaverse development company.

    Vossle raised funds from Nimbuzz ex-CEO Vikas Saxena. Nimbuzz was acquired by the UK’s New Call Telecom for $250 million. Vossle grew quickly and now operates in Gurugram and New York.

    In an exclusive confab with Indiantelevision.com, Vossle co-founder Prafulla Mathur discusses the application of Web AR by various brands and across categories, how it is being used in the advertising and marketing space, and so much more.

    For starters, the global augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market size was valued at Rs 1,222.7 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach Rs 37,073.65 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 40.7 per cent.

    Discussing the expansion plans of Vossle over the next two years, Mathur reveals, “We are expanding Vossle technology teams as we are releasing new product features. Our current teams are in India and New York (USA), and we will add further teams at these offices. We are also adding more customer support teams (both through email, phone, and the Vossle tech forum) to help our customers.

    “Elaborating on Vossle being a no-code platform, Mathur reveals that it democratises AR for everyone by removing the dependence on development/coding teams. “You can think of Vossle as Shopify for web AR. With Shopify, businesses can create websites without writing any code and do not have to bother with hosting them. Similarly, with Vossle, businesses can create various types of AR without any coding knowledge and use them out-of-the-box as the created AR experiences are also automatically hosted on Vossle,” he explains.

    About the subscription model: Apart from a free trial, Vossle offers two subscription plans, namely, commercial and enterprise plans. In the free trial, users can create unlimited AR experiences with 100 free views. The commercial plans are for $99 per month, wherein users can create various types of AR experiences like in-line AR, face filters, try-ons, games, world tracking experiences, image tracking experiences, green screen chroma key videos, and so on. Users can create unlimited experiences and are offered 10,000 views + $0.01 per extra view. In the enterprise plans, along with all the commercial plan benefits, users can avail themselves of the option for white labelling and custom branding.

    Use cases of Vossle’s technology

    One of the most eminent use cases of Vossle’s technology is that of in-line AR being used for improving website search engine optimization (SEO). Any effective SEO strategy aims to keep visitors on the website for longer session durations. Vossle’s inline AR Feature makes it possible by embedding AR experiences inside a website, which has a 90-times higher engagement rate from website visitors.

    Mathur emphasises that AR is also utilised for product packaging. Brands which integrate AR into their packages are able to capture the audience way more than their competitors. This also gives analytics and insights on customer profiles, store level sales, and customer engagement analytics and makes brands better prepared to update inventory at the highest engagement stores.

    Advertising and marketing also constantly utilise AR. “Traditional marketing strategies are no longer sufficient to stay up with the times. The key to creating a digitally transformed company is to build upon new strategies such as integrating AR into business models,” points out Mathur. For instance, Tanishq, a product of the Tata Company, is one such example of excellent AR marketing. The company used Vossle’s virtual try-on feature to make a gorgeous 3D reproduction of their newest jewellery and made it possible for users to virtually put it on.

    Gaming is another instance wherein AR is used extensively. Nothing compares to AR for attracting audiences, engaging their attention for longer sessions, and boosting click-through rates. Web AR games amplify this even further. For example, Pond’s, a major skincare brand from Hindustan Unilever (HUL), needed a smart, potent, and engaging marketing strategy to connect and influence the younger audience and expand their loyal customer base. Thus, the brand created a unique web AR game on Vossle—users have to pop the bubbles with their facial movements. With each bubble they pop, their skin becomes more radiant and glowing. The game also has an end-to-end ecommerce flow with integrated discount coupons.

    Another example is that of a web AR experience of a 3D basketball game that can be played by scanning the code. The player has to shoot baskets through the hoop with their finger. This is just one of the many examples of how any idea can be turned into a web AR game with Vossle.

    AR being heavily applied in e-commerce. Online retail has already started adopting 3D AR product visualisations. Amazon is already offering 3D product visualisations, Lenskart (a prominent eyewear e-commerce player in India) offers eyewear try-ons, and Tanishq has offered Vossle jewellery try-ons. Mathur says, “This not only improves the shopping experience by allowing customers to visualise and virtually try-on a product before buying, it also reduces returns as the customers are making an informed decision.”

    Education is also an additional use case of AR. Players in the education space are now integrating Vossle into their online courses to explain concepts in a unique way by providing a real-life context to the students through AR. This interactive way of learning results in faster understanding and higher knowledge retention.

    Web AR – led promotions and the effect of web AR on sales

    Mathur brings out, “We witnessed an average of a 200 per cent jump in our monthly Vossle sign-ups over the last six months. Many of these signups are from brand marketers or their agencies. Additionally, some of the largest marketing, advertising, and creative agencies have become Vossle’s service partners, clearly indicating the huge investments that the brands are making towards creating web AR campaigns.

    “Talking about the effect of web AR on sales, Mathur elucidates that as the users’ gaze times are very high when viewing AR, they stay for longer durations on brand websites when AR is embedded on the page. This improves the websites’ SEO rank and hence drives traffic, resulting in higher sales.

    Brands selling their products online also give ads on Google, which is called search engine marketing (SEM). Inline AR on its landing page increases the quality score of such ads, reducing the ad rates for the brand and resulting in more targeted users being able to see it within the same budget.

    Additionally, brands that integrate AR into their packages are able to capture the audience way more than their competitors. “One of the recent campaigns we did for an FMCG company received 500K views in a month on their web AR experience through their packaging. This resulted in higher sales for the brand,” says Mathur.

    Brands and categories utilising Vossle’s web AR technology

    Along with many others, some of the few brands that Vossle is already working in tandem with are Pond’s, Tanishq, and Emirates NBD, which is a banking behemoth in the Middle East and uses Vossle web AR to wish their users on every festival like Mother’s Day or Chinese New Year.

    Speaking about the categories implementing AR, Mathur states that it is used for inline AR—website owners from across education, retail, furniture, jewellery, and consumer goods like beauty products, etc. are taking a lead in using inline web AR.

    It is also employed for packaging-based AR implementations. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) are leading the way in offering web AR experiences to engage customers. They have millions of packages on superstore shelves and in consumers’ homes, which is a huge marketing opportunity they can leverage.

    Reach, target group and brand experiences for consumers

    While deliberating over the kind of reach that web AR has, Mathur says that it works in browsers (Chrome, Safari, etc.) on devices like smartphones (Android, iOS) and laptops/desktops. All combined, a total of 5-8 billion devices across the globe are compatible with web AR.

    What is kept in mind while creating web AR brand experiences for consumers? “No-code platforms for web AR like Vossle have eliminated the need to write code, which used to be a big task earlier. Additionally, Vossle offers a fully hosted web AR creation experience. Hence, website owners and brands who want to create a web AR experience only have to focus on creating interesting content. Vossle helps with that too, with its integrated content library and empanelled service partner to create custom content for Vossle users,” deciphers Mathur.

    Needless to say, web AR as technological advancement is more attractive to the youth. Do brands usually use such experiences to target Gen Y, Gen Z and millenials only? Or if such web AR experiences are also created for the higher age groups, how does Vossle bring in traction from such age groups? Mathur concludes, “Every medium such as movies, television, videos or stories has different user groups and demographics preferring different types of content regardless of the medium. Same is with web AR which can create different content types for different interest groups like fun and educational for kids, exciting stuff like face filters and games for 16-30 year olds, and product visualizations and try-ons for 30-60 year olds.”

  • GUEST ARTICLE: How D2C brands are using metaverse and how it will transform virtual commerce

    GUEST ARTICLE: How D2C brands are using metaverse and how it will transform virtual commerce

    Mumbai: India’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands have grown tremendously during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic era, with a large cohort of consumers moving to digital in search of innovative products and more engaging and immersive experiences. The pandemic caused D2C brands to become super popular, which in turn forced large and established companies to jump on the D2C bandwagon. According to KPMG, there are over 800 D2C brands in India today, and the D2C sector, currently worth $44.6 billion, is expected to touch $302 billion by FY 2030.

    D2C brands target young consumers, millennials and Gen Z, delivering personalisation at scale and increasing innovation in the virtual world and tap into the growing global virtual-commerce market, estimated to be worth $190 billion by CB Insights.

    With technology becoming more affordable and sophisticated, D2C brands are at an advantage. In a controlled, immersive virtual environment, brands can offer customers the complete – albeit virtual – brand experience and deliver a lasting impact. For example, a virtual store in the metaverse is a brand experience in itself, with the brand mnemonics, signature sounds, layout, and colours. Consumers also get the option to interact directly with brand representatives. This enhanced brand experience goes a long way in building brand trust.

    The metaverse is also good at customising experiences. Great customer service builds brand loyalty and customer retention. By analysing vast amounts of data on a customer’s interactions in the metaverse, brands can predict which products, solutions, and experiences individual customers would prefer and like. D2C brands are in a better position to serve better without being intrusive, thereby building and elevating the overall brand experience.

    Popular homegrown D2C brands like Super Smelly, Argatin Keratin, Ochre Athletica, Indus People, and Zorin Furniture are looking to disrupt the market with their product positioning and personalised consumer experiences.

    They have also taken bold steps to connect with their consumers in the metaverse and are working on innovative ways to enhance the virtual brand experience. They are already offering products and experiences and enabling commerce in the virtual world.

    The metaverse is growing at a fast pace. In the first six months of 2022 alone, globally, over $120 billion has been invested in building metaverse infrastructure and technology. Moreover, the metaverse is steadily becoming an important component in the omnichannel sales strategy of companies.

    Marquee brands such as Gucci have debuted in the virtual world with the metaverse. Gucci created Gucci Garden, a digital replica of the real-world installation (called Gucci Garden Archetypes) in Florence, Italy. Similarly, Sotheby’s, the world’s largest broker of art and luxury goods, created a metaverse gallery showcasing curated virtual art houses.

    According to McKinsey, 79 per cent of consumers active in the metaverse have purchased products in the recent past.

    These numbers show the power of the metaverse as a selling platform. It’s important for D2C brands to identify the right platform to reach out to their target audience and have an interactive content strategy to engage them.

    Importantly, the privacy and safety of consumers have to be at the centre of every consumer-facing engagement that brands plan for consumers in the metaverse.

    The author of this article is VOSMOS co-founder & Kestone president Piyush Gupta.

  • Honasa Consumer launches Ayurveda-based skincare brand Ayuga

    Honasa Consumer launches Ayurveda-based skincare brand Ayuga

    Mumbai: Honasa Consumer, the parent company of Mamaearth and The Derma Co has launched an Ayurvedic skincare brand – Ayuga. The brand has collaborated with yoga and wellness ambassador Shilpa Shetty Kundra to craft the brand ideology.

    “Millennials lately have been experiencing a hectic imbalanced lifestyle that eventually takes a toll on their physical and mental health. Ayuga was founded to restore balance in the lives of millennials through recipes and rituals,” said the company in a statement on Thursday. 

    The brand has launched its first skincare range with Kumkumadi.

    “For the last two years, we have been trying to understand the mystery of why Ayurveda has not been able to capture the fancy of millennials the way Yoga has. That’s when we envisioned Ayuga which will bring the best of both worlds,” commented co-founder and CEO Varun Alagh. “Crafted on the philosophy of restoring balance to life, we have collaborated with Shilpa Shetty Kundra as she redefined yoga and wellness in India, and inspired millions of people to make yoga a way of their life.”

    “We are an organisation built on strong consumer centricity and direct-to-consumer format. Hence, we constantly research millennials’ concerns to create brands and products that serve them,” stated Honasa Consumer co-founder and chief innovation officer Ghazal Alagh. “Ayuga stands for the marriage of rituals of yoga and recipes of Ayurveda to deliver true secrets of skin, hair, and health to the world. Partnering with Shilpa Shetty Kundra for Ayuga extended the brand’s thought of restoring balance in life. We are confident that the partnership with Shilpa will help propagate our brand proposition across millennials.”

    “When I heard about Ayuga and the ideology behind the brand, it immediately resonated with me,” said Shilpa Shetty Kundra. “The thought of using traditional Ayurveda recipes and creating modern formats of skincare like serums and gels, without compromising on the authenticity of the ingredients is unique. I am sure the consumers would love the brand and its products; hence I urge them to restore balance in their lives through Ayuga recipes and rituals.”

  • Ananya Panday seeks to ‘Redefine Time’ in Esprit’s new ad

    Ananya Panday seeks to ‘Redefine Time’ in Esprit’s new ad

    Mumbai: American watches brand Esprit has launched a new campaign called ‘Redefine Time’ with Bollywood actor Ananya Panday. The brand campaign will be promoted through all desired media avenues. 

    With this latest campaign, the brand aims to establish its connect with millennials and Gen Z. The brand film featuring the millennial actor aims to give a message to ‘Redefine Time’ by flipping worldly rules and forgetting outdated norms.

    “I always want to be associated with brands that can resonate well with my personality. The brand campaign ‘Redefine Time’ is so powerful and every woman can relate to it,” said Ananya Panday. “The entire campaign shoot was planned in the most non-stereotype manner, matching the non-stereotyped outlook of the brand completely. The designs, the innovation, the bling, and the costing will surely drive a lot of attention of the GenZ and I am looking forward to adding a lot of value to the brand during our association.”

    “Esprit is a brand that creates a positive change. It adds a spark in everyday life through radical positivity: Life is more complicated and hectic than ever before,” commented AP Group COO Adi Shroff. “Through this campaign idea our customer will be able to relate herself and also the brand will get the right amount of push and edge to attract the retail partners to the new beginning of Esprit Watches in India.”

  • Majority of millennials, Gen Zs prefer buying products directly from brands: Report

    Majority of millennials, Gen Zs prefer buying products directly from brands: Report

    Mumbai: More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of Gen Zs and over half (58 per cent) of millennials have ordered products directly from brands in the past six months, compared to 41 per cent on average across all age groups. The findings were published by Capgemini Research Institute in its latest report.

    The report titled ‘What Matters to Today’s Consumer’ explores the impact that the pandemic has had on consumer behaviour and buying trends. According to it, consumers have reported a better buying experience, and access to brand loyalty programmes, as a major factor compelling them to bypass traditional retail channels.

    Interestingly, the report also found that almost half (45 per cent) of all shoppers they interviewed said they are willing to share data on how they consume or use products and more than a third (39 per cent) say they are willing to share personal data such as demographic information or product preferences. However, 54 per cent of all shoppers say that offers, deals, and/or discounts would make it more likely for them to share their data directly with brands.

    “Younger consumers’ willingness to go straight to brands when purchasing goods presents a real opportunity for consumer product companies. This enables them to collect consumer data and helps create a more mature direct-to-consumer channel,” said Capgemini head of consumer goods and retail Tim Bridges. “Being data-powered enables the consumer product and retail organisations to translate supply and demand trends into intelligent decisions on where best to stock their products, customise products and services, and enhance customer experience.”

    Online not likely to replace in-store shopping entirely

    Contrary to popular notions, the report also found that the majority of consumers (72 per cent) expect to have significant interactions with physical stores after the pandemic subsides. In fact it indicates that the surge in e-commerce over the last two years due to safety concerns and the desire to avoid physical stores has now plateaued, and more consumers anticipate a return to in-store shopping experiences.

    At least 72 per cent of all shoppers expect to have significant interactions with physical stores once the pandemic subsides – up from 60 per cent pre-Covid levels. Globally, all age groups expect their level of in-store interactions post-pandemic to be higher than their online interactions.

    Delivery and fulfillment services gain importance in certain segments

    With convenience remaining a key priority for consumers, delivery and fulfillment are increasingly being transformed from a cost center to a growth driver for many organisations. In the health and beauty and grocery segments, shoppers place greater importance on delivery and fulfillment than in-store experiences. This is especially true for groceries shoppers across all age groups, where 42 per cent of shoppers say that delivery and fulfilment are the most important service attributes.

    To add to it, convenience of delivery is a major factor that can push shoppers to try new and emerging models of shopping. Slightly less than half of consumers (47 per cent) who have purchased products via subscription services do so for the convenience of home delivery.  However, shoppers are less willing to pay a premium for fast delivery. Across all shoppers, 3.3 per cent of the total cost is the average they would be willing to pay for two-hour delivery, down from 4.6 per cent in 2019. While younger shoppers with children remain the most willing to pay a premium, consumers increasingly expect fast delivery as a standard part of the customer experience.

    Health and sustainability are top of mind for consumers

    Health and sustainability look set to continue influencing consumer decisions going forward, and organizations should consider investment in empowering customers to make informed choices around these, cites the report. At least, 44 per cent of consumers are willing to pay a premium for grocery products that have sustainable packaging. This is more pronounced amongst Gen Z (64 per cent) and Millennials (54 per cent) than older generations like Boomers (30 per cent).

    As many as 10,000 consumers over the age of 18 years were surveyed by  Capgemini Research Institute in 10 countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Consumers were qualified as “shoppers,” meaning they must have made a purchase of groceries, household and toiletries products, and/or health and beauty products at least once in the past six months.

  • Snapdeal opens 130 new distribution hubs across India

    Snapdeal opens 130 new distribution hubs across India

    Mumbai: E-commerce marketplace Snapdeal announced that it has opened 130 new distribution hubs across all of India since January, covering 26 states and two union territories. The expanded network is designed to cater to the surge in demand ahead of the festive season starting in India from early October. 

    The e-tailer further shared that the maximum number of these hubs are located in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. In addition, Snapdeal has augmented its logistics network in Jammu & Kashmir and in the North-East. 

    The network expansion serves the growing demand for online shopping from smaller cities, said the e-tailer, such as Baramulla (J&K), Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Khammam (Telangana), Alwar (Rajasthan), Sambalpur (Odisha), Tumkur (Karnataka), Latur (Maharashtra), Dimapur (Nagaland) and is designed to speed up deliveries for customers in these cities and in surrounding areas.

    “The new hubs are located in areas where there is either growing buyer demand or higher seller concentration. The new facilities are designed towards rapid pick-ups from sellers and faster deliveries to buyers”, a Snapdeal spokesperson said. “The network expansion will also reduce the distance that some of our shipments travel by helping fulfill some of the demand from within the region,” the spokesperson added. 

    With the addition of these new hubs, Snapdeal now serves over 26,000 pin codes, reaching over 90 per cent of Indians across India, including metros, tier 1 & 2 cities, and most of tier 3 and 4 towns of India, stated the e-tailer.

    The growing importance of online consumers from India’s smaller cities in driving India’s e-commerce growth was highlighted in a recent report by global consulting firm Kearney. The report shared that aspiring & mass households earning less than Rs 10 lakh per annum account for nearly 70 per cent of India’s non-food, value-driven retail demand. However, this segment today accounts for only 16 per cent of value e-commerce demand. This is expected to grow to 38 percent by 2026 and to nearly 50 per cent of value e-commerce demand by 2030. 

    Growing internet adoption and whittling away of resistance towards online shopping during the pandemic is driving online adoption in this segment. The Gen-Z users in India’s smaller cities are digitally savvy and they are joining the millennials as independent shoppers, which is expected to accelerate the growth of value e-commerce in India. 

    The rise of value-conscious shoppers, especially beyond the bigger cities in India is expected to be one of the key drivers of value e-commerce growth in India, the Kearney report added.