How are eRetailers gearing up for the 'Very Merry' festive season sale?

It is the time when your email gets bombarded with various flash sales mails, landing page of eCommerce sites flushed with upcoming sales promo etc. Yes, the season of festivals is around the corner and Indian eCommerce industry is all set and geared to take the maximum out of it. Festivals in India have now become a season for shopping and shopping like crazy. The festive season is bliss not just from a retailer’s or consumer’s standpoint, but for various other things. Indian retail and eRetail has contributed huge in terms of employment and these festive seasons are catalyst to the hiring spree.

Unlike last year, this year’s festive season is going to be a mega bonanza and thus many eRetailers have already started hiring more people in order to stand straight on the splurging demand during the tenure. Expecting huge demand in retail, eCommerce and consumer durables companies have started recruiting a large chunk of temporary staffs to fulfil the spike in orders and deliveries. Retail, eCommerce, logistics and FMCG are some segments that will be on toes during the season.

As per the Indian Staffing Federation the festive season will uplift the number of jobs by up to 7-8 per cent. Companies like Flipkart, Snapdeal and other such leading online marketplaces will hire 10,000 temporary staff each expecting a hike in online shopping till Diwali. These staffs will largely be working in SCM and logistics department and some will be hired to aid the seller support system.

As per a leading eCommerce portal the temporarily hired employees will work as interns in various branch offices as a part of support teams. These temporary positions are likely to run from 15 September to 15 November.

Unlike last year these companies do not want to take risk on their logistic and supply chain fronts. During the same festive season last year, many of India’s leading online retailers failed to meet the splurge in demands. While many companies failed to manage the inventories, other struggled on logistics and delivery mechanism.

However, this year seems to be different and better. With a fair amount of rejigs and management level revamps happening in companies like Snapdeal and Flipkart, it is expected that these companies will surely enhance their delivery performances. Both Snapdeal and Flipkart have already strategised their festive season plans. Last week, Snapdeal said it has lined up as much as Rs 1,000 crore through financiers to provide collateral loans to its vendors so that they can stock up goods. Snapdeal has revamped its logo and plans a new campaign to reach out to customers nationally.

Not just on the delivery front, but these online retailers have also put various innovative mechanics in place as they prepare for year’s biggest shopping bonanza. Seattle-based online retail giant Amazon has decided to cut the commission it gets from its sellers by 30-35 per cent and the savings will be passed on to the customers.

With all set and done, this festive season will be a delight not just for retailers and consumers, but also for the employees. So, as these players leap head-first into the festive madness, industry experts are predicting a better festive season compared to last year. With new and business friendly policies in place, business as well as consumer confidence are much high and thus it’s going to be a big Diwali, bigger Christmas and the biggest New Year ever!