• Digital Marketing
• Public Relations

How Integrated Communication Can Boost E-Commerce Brand Visibility

How Integrated Comms Can Boost E-Commerce Brand Visibility

Over the past few months, online retail has witnessed tremendous growth, thanks to COVID, and the resultant lockdown, which forced people to opt for remote/ virtual shopping and contactless deliveries over crowded traditional retail outlets.

As per an Impact report released by Unicommerce, India’s leading eCommerce-focused SaaS platform, titled ‘E-commerce Trends Report 2020’, e-commerce has witnessed an order-volume growth of 17% as of June 2020, and about 65% growth in single-brand e-commerce platforms. From groceries, fashion, and other essentials to emerging categories like health consultations, booking cleaning, and grooming services FinTech has witnessed massive growth. Now, with the cautious unlocking process, people continue to rely heavily on e-commerce for festive shopping, as the COVID threat looms. In response to this, leading multi-brand e-marketplaces have already launched sale days to boost consumer traffic and encourage the festive rush, well in advance.

While discounts and schemes can help pull loyal consumers, the overall brand marketing strategy for e-commerce platforms has also undergone a massive change. Outdoor and events/ BTL has taken a backseat, thanks to the COVID threat, while engagement on digital platforms has increased. While these are changes that have taken place as responsive trends to the current situation, it is time that brands start investing in long-term and strategic integrated communication campaigns to leverage not just this festive period but also create long-term impact to build strong brand visibility and counter competition. Here are a few aspects that brands need to facilitate to get the best out of the festive rush.

Digital Engagements: 

Even as digital media marketing is taking center stage, thanks to the drop in traditional media outreach, a lot of brands are investing heavily in online advertisements. However, a holistic campaign that can cover social media presence, collaboration with key influencers, and engagement with key stakeholders through relevant brand messaging, are vital to ensure an impactful brand presence. Additionally, brand collaborations that support community/ environment or other philanthropic causes, via digital/social media partnerships, are all the rage right now among millennial and new-age shoppers who seek to buy from brands that follow ethical business practices.

Campaigns for Promoting App Downloads: 

While apps for e-commerce have been around for a while, consumer sentiments have not been very encouraging towards them. Apps help brands offer consumers a secure and dedicated shopping ecosystem that can benefit brands as it cuts out completion while consumers enjoy a comfortable, smooth, and quick shopping experience. Communication campaigns that are focused on a ‘call to action’, followed by a reward in the form of discounts for app downloads, can help get maximum consumers to shop via apps, thereby increasing the number of loyal consumers and cutting out competition.

Educating Consumers: 

While e-commerce has registered tremendous growth, including several first-time shoppers, the complete potential of the offerings may still remain unclear. An integrated brand campaign that can highlight the end-to-end marketplace offerings of brands, using video advertisements on social media, etc., could be vital to encourage first-time shoppers to expand and explore new product categories in a multi-brand marketplace. Apart from brand offerings, fine print details, which often hinder some consumers when shopping online, need to be focused upon. For example, there is a segment of the population who are still skeptical when buying clothes online as they are unsure about the size/ fit, etc., and presume that the return policy would be a hassle. An awareness campaign that focuses on this, could help not only expand consumer traffic to other verticals but also help create a unique brand proposition.

Creating a Responsible Brand Image: 

Over the past months, consumers have become extremely aware of analyzing a brand’s philosophy/ character before making a purchase. The rise of ethical businesses and responsible brands applies to the e-commerce marketplace as well. Creating a responsible brand image, especially during the crisis, is significant for the brands to ease through these unprecedented times. From highlighting a brand’s focus on promoting local artisans and small businesses, ditching plastic packaging, to employing people from differently-abled or needy backgrounds, a brand’s commitment to society needs to be highlighted. PR campaigns and video marketing that can throw light on this, can make a huge difference in brand acceptability and help create a distinct positioning.

Effective Thought Leadership: 

In under such highly competitive scenarios, creating a brand image, a unique positioning and a clear and relevant consumer engagement campaign may help drive sales and build loyalty. But for long-term growth and ensuring a leadership position, effective category-led conversations need to be initiated. From thought speakership opportunities at industry and trade forums to white papers and industry round tables, highlighting the brand spokesperson as an expert, a communication specialist can help drive a thought leadership positioning for brands. These can then be effectively leveraged in the B2B as well as B2C segments, as consumers would be able to relate to the face, the philosophy, and the value that the brand brings to the country. Given the kind of situation, the festive campaigns need to be well-balanced, impactful, and strategic due to the change in consumption patterns. During this time, brands need to be seen as more conscious, value-driven, ethical, and responsible in terms of their communication with customers. And this is something a well-drafted communication campaign can help deliver.

Why Scenic Communication?

We have created a distinctive advantage by giving holistic and Integrated Marketing Communications solutions to our client’s needs. As Scenic Communication is one of the Best PR Agency in Mumbai, India therefore takes pride in not only providing effective public relations solutions to a brand but also with its girth, width, and penetration, providing integrated communications solutions to the brand objectives of a client. With our strategic alignments and specialists on board, we have geared innovation and value creation into all aspects of Brand & Reputation building, Public Relations & Marketing Agency

Having had domain expertise in multi-dimensional categories like – Corporate & Finance, Education, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Automobiles, IT & ITES, Government Development Boards, Tourism & Hospitality, Retail, FMCG, Fashion, and the Entertainment industry; we provide innovative communications programs that focus on tangible business results. Best Public Relations Agency in Mumbai, Top PR Firm in Mumbai. Having had versatile experiences across domains and team experiences that span over three decades in the industry, we understand the Indian consumer psyche. And having worked intrinsically with International giants gives us the expertise to understand the needs of the off-shore markets.

Scenic Communication has been featured in: 

• The Times Of India – https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/why-pr-and-brand-building-needs-to-become-an-integral-part-of-annual-marketing-investments/
• Financial Express – https://www.financialexpress.com/business/brandwagon-decoding-the-earned-versus-paid-media-dilemma-2508791/
• Adgully – https://www.adgully.com/tag/scenic-communication
• Business World – https://businessworld.in/article/scenic-communication-successfully-on-boards-new-clients-despite-market-adversity-335731
• And more

For more information, visit the Scenic Communication website.