Consumers are now smart shoppers

People love sale but they are not willing to pick up things just because it has a discount tag on it, rather they prefer making smart investments, says Niyati Shekhar, Assistant Manager Retail Merchandising & Business Development, Holii, in an exclusive conversation with Retailer Media.

End of Season Sale (EOSS) has been a hit sales strategy among retailers. How do you analyse the evolution of in terms of consumer purchase trend?

During EOSS, all a customer wants is a great deal on their purchase. The End of Season Sale at Holii creates a lot of excitement among our customers as they get to enjoy a little more of the brand and that too, with great offers.

Nowadays, the trend is that, people love sale but they are not willing to pick up things just because it has a discount tag on it. They prefer making smart investments. This is why we now have lucrative offers on our new arrivals as well to suit the needs of our fashion conscious customers. We hope our customers enjoy our special double offers too.

On sale this season, we have a whole range of day bags, work bags, crossbodies, wallets and clutches that make a great deal and are suitable for everyday use. The best products are picked up within the first two weekends of the sale. One has to be fast to get the best Holii deals!

Online retailers offer whopping discounts with sales going on throughout the year. How different is the EOSS sale at a physical retail store as compared to the online EOSS?

Holii has created an irreplaceable position for itself amongst leather bag brands because of its distinct look with international shapes and competitive pricing. We always offer something which is special and exclusive which a discount cannot replace. As far as offline and online are concerned, products purchased online have fewer after-sale services on offers, starting from the warranty and exchange of the product, repairs of any kind; these services are available only to customers who purchase from our stores. When purchased from a store, one gets a customised experience in terms of the look and feel of the product as compared to when purchased online.

 However, one benefit of having a strong presence online is that we get to reach to a wider range of customers, especially to places where we do not even have our presence.

How are the promotional initiatives planned for this EOSS?

Every EOSS, Holii releases a new collection, which is on offer along with the regular products on discount. This gives the customer a much wider range of products to choose from.

How have you promoted your EOSS through social media? What strategies have you used for the same?

Currently, we use Facebook to promote the brand because Indian customers are much more familiar with the platform. We are also building our Twitter and Instagram pages to reach to a larger audience.

Through all these platforms, we regularly update our fans about our latest collections, store launches, promotions and all other brand related news. The purpose is to build more excitement among our customers. We at Holii, constantly push our creative boundaries to look out for innovative and lucrative ways to convey our messages. Our day-to-day interaction has also helped us get feedback from our customers and our quick response to their questions has made Holii a brand that is here to stay, listen and deliver.

What has been your discounting strategy for this EOSS?

Our major strategy this season is to give exclusive offers to every channel.  Also, the selection of products is different for every channel so that we can complement each other rather than competing with one another.

For your brand, how this season of EOSS has fared till now?

EOSS has consistently been a hit with our customers. The new collection fared especially well, as compared to regular products on discount. EOSS always excites the customer and does exceptionally well.

 What new strategy have you adopted this season which was not present last season? What benefits did you receive out of it?

Every EOSS has an offer exclusive to that season and it may vary from channel to channel. This season, for example, our selection of products is different for every channel so that they can complement each other rather than competing with one another. This fared good for us.

What's the future of such sales strategy? 

Nowadays, with increase in competition, every brand retailer is offering 2 EOSS’ in a year. This has created such a huge impact on the customers that most of the people are relying on discounts only. Hence, we have no choice but to do what people demand so that the old stock also gets liquidated by giving them much needed profit margins. By offering exclusive promotional deals, we build more excitement among our customers about the brand.