Assigning festive design

India is a country of varied religions and traditions. Festivities are symbol of happiness, celebration and growth over here and at the same time it brings in refurbishment at the home front with houses being re-invented and decorated.  Today’s gizmo freak consumers never mind to spruce up their household with the latest gadgets. The CDIT market is too upbeat about this trend, and as a result, this gives brands the opportunity to utilise the mood to their benefits. Hence, brands should equip themselves with an approach that can provide effective impetus during this period. 

The reality

Every year, we see major electronic brands coming in with products and offers as a part of their special festive strategy. Festive period is an integral part of the brand’s strategy, which constitutes anywhere between 30-35% of their annual revenue. As brands chalk out their marketing plot, it is important to understand the need for customising and accessorising their outlets so as to gel-in with the spirits that run high among major parts of the country. Periodically, the season starts-up from Onam in Kerala and stretches up to year-end celebrations, but without a doubt, Diwali is the period where major chunk of business happens. There are different ways in which brands associate themselves when it comes to their decoration of stores. The store set up and design theme, theme communication and product imagery is based on the festivity. “Normally, electronic stores encash on festival season with discounts or bundling of products. So, store being dense on merchandise collection and stocks, usually are displayed with multiple products and attractive windows, entry portals, discounts, free gift, etc. The idea is to make the store look ‘busy’ and ‘attractive’,” says Sanjay Agarwal, Managing Director, Future Research Design Company (FRDC), which handles the likes of Viveks, Onida, Nokia, and Samsung.

The strategies

Merchandising of store is an integral part of the marketing plans during the festive season. Manish Sharma-Director, Sales & Marketing, Panasonic India backs the same belief. “We intend to invest significant amount of our marketing budget on decorating our stores. Panasonic stores are festooned up during the festive season with new POP material, balloons, stylish window branding, festive collaterals, festive theme decoration, welcome gates, lights and LED based standees to highlight the offers.” One needs to be certain of the ways they implement their props, to provide the ambience which hits the right note with the customers. Retailers know that consumers are often attracted with the display and store set up during the festive season. It adds to the festive mood of purchasing. “Location and customer profile in that region is key to understand customer connect. Upmarket locations need sophisticated approach while mass location needs loud themes,” as per Agarwal. For example, ensure the main product is placed at the most viable area in the showroom with eye catching theme decoration. According to an expert, the main strategy should be to have offer danglers placed inside the store. Also, decorating store entrances differently, which brings out the best of the festive spirit. It should be implemented so as to garner positive customer response and engagement.

The execution

So when we have the festivities every year, how exactly can the variation be brought in to their plans? To answer this question one needs to make sure that they undertake consumer insight to seek relevance into their strategy. Providing weight to this theory is Sanjeev Dayal, General Manager - Sales & Marketing, KAFF India Pvt Ltd. “Understanding the psyche of a consumer during this period for our strategy is not a hard task as more or less the theme revolves around bringing in bright shades and also decoration with lights (diyas)”. Brands should take help of researches done earlier and also the past experiences of different holders in the business. They should conduct open ended discussion internally to gather the best ideas and come up with most innovative designs for every festival. “Merchandise varies as per the festive season like Durga Puja in Kolkata; Onam in Kerala, and Diwali in rest of India,” Sharma further adds. Festivals certainly act as a platform for brands to shoot up their sales during this period, yet how exactly you reach out to the consumer base is the vital factor to analyse. India being a vastly-populated market, brands must consider whether their region-specific theme has relevance to that market while charting out their strategy for the period. “It depends upon occasion. For example, Diwali and Akshaya Tithiya is a big electronics and white goods season, with offers like  free coins and free gifts, whereas Ganesha Pooja is big on small items like mobile handset. Themes vary from region to region and basically traditionally led,” Agarwal explains.

The Money fuel

So talking up strategy is one thing, but how exactly do brands go about when it comes to the aspect of investment? “Total budget allocated for each store can be anywhere from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2 crore when it comes to the designing, start up of the store and regular spend on the showroom throughout the year to keep the showroom looking vibrant and attractive,” informs Sharma.

So there you are. You have all the points loud and clear with sanctity from the experts in this business and field. Let the festive celebration kickstart for you.