Traditional brands bank on e-commerce platforms to reach customers

These firms are discovering new frontiers and consumers with the help of Flipkart, Amazon

With coronavirus restrictions playing a spoilsport for physical retail, an increasing number of regional brands are banking on e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon to reach customers on a massive scale during the festive season.

Walmart-owned Flipkart is hosting its biggest six-day flagship festive sale ‘Big Billion Days’ (BBD) and its rival Amazon is conducting a month-long ‘Great Indian Festival’ (GIF).

These brands are selling products ranging from traditional silk saris, footwear to work-from-home furniture. The pandemic has accelerated the shift to online retail. The huge growth of e-commerce is driven by consumers in tier-2 and tier 3 towns. These brands are also discovering new frontiers and consumers by creating special product lines catering to the pan-Indian market.

“Enabling brands to break geographical barriers and venture into the hinterland is an important focus this year,” says Nandita Sinha, vice-president, events, engagement and merchandising at Flipkart.

“This year, some traditional brands are exploring wider market access with us. We are enabling them to expand their reach and acquire more customers.”

For instance, sari buying has traditionally been an in-store experience. But the pandemic is leading The Chennai Silks to reach out to customers in innovative ways. 

“At a time when people could not directly walk into our stores, our collaboration with Flipkart has enabled us to maintain business continuity and reach out to a wider set of consumers across the country,” says P.A. Ravindhiran, general manager at The Chennai Silks.

As a heritage brand operating in the country for over five decades, The Chennai Silks is one of the largest regionally-renowned brands operating in South India. The partnership with Flipkart has provided the business an opportunity to build a relationship with over 250 million customers online.

Flipkart has also provided The Chennai Silks with a deep understanding of what consumers are seeking. 

This helped it customise offerings. For the first time, The Chennai Silks has co-created a range of affordable silk sarees that consumers can purchase conveniently.

Leveraging its presence of over 700 stores, Kolkata-based footwear retail player Khadim’s is closely working with e-commerce partners to service online orders from its stores. 

This is ensuring faster delivery and improving the customer experience. Khadim’s has been operating in the country for over 35 years.