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<ul><li>Due to the ongoing festive season, advertisers and brands are going all out to connect with consumers.</li><li>This year, the number of brands approaching influencers is significantly larger than last year, and there is a good mix of startups and well-established companies.</li><li>From fashion to home decor creators, brands have partnered with social media influencers to promote their new festive launch before Diwali.</li><li>So, with Diwali around the corner, we speak to <keyword id="2540701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="influencer-marketing" source="Orion">influencer marketing</keyword> agencies to find out how important is the festive season for creators, what kind of uptick in demand can we expect due to the festive season, response from advertisers so far and trends we can look forward to during Diwali.</li></ul>If you are sprucing up your house on a small budget or planning to buy new accessories or ethnic dresses for India’s biggest festival -- Diwali, are you using a search engine for inspiration or are you following social media’s top influencers for ideas? If you are active on Instagram, then chances are you are also turning to influencers for festive advice. We all have at least a 100 bookmarked posts on Instagram for rangoli ideas, DIY home decor, or ethnic dress inspiration. According to Facebook’s Festive Marketing Guide for 2021, social media has now become a leading channel to drive brand discovery and purchase during the festive season. Facebook’s report further reveals that half the people said that influencers help them discover new products and 45% added that influencers help them make a purchase decision. The year 2020 accelerated influencer marketing’s growth, perhaps by a decade, and revolutionised the Indian marketing ecosystem completely. It is because of the pandemic and the consumer’s heavy reliance on social media platforms that the influencer marketing industry has undergone a severe transformation in a short time, becoming a mainstream marketing vehicle. According to the latest figures in the Global Web Index (GWI), the average Indian spent 2.29 hours per day on social media in 2020 and as always, brands are following consumers where they spend the most time. So, this Diwali, from fashion to home decor creators, brands have partnered with social media influencers to promote their new product launches. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Growth so far and predictions for this festive season" text="Growth so far and predictions for this festive season">Growth so far and predictions for this festive season</cmsannotation> GroupM and INCA’s study revealed that influencer marketing has become a top priority for marketers this year. Every other leader indicated a budget growth of more than 25% in 2021. INCA’s report further said that the Influencer Marketing industry is poised to grow at a CAGR of 25% for the next decade, reaching a size of Rs 2200 crore in 2025. So, with India’s biggest festival around the corner and to leverage the increasing demand, brands have also increased their budget for influencer marketing. “Influencer Marketing is set to be one of the top choices for brands to enhance the brand value this festive season. In fact, brands have culled out almost 30% of the overall budget for influencer marketing. It has been on an all-time high this year. According to an industry report, brands are likely to spend around Rs 600 crore on influencer marketing. Thus, one thing is definite about influencer marketing this festive season: It’s going to take a big leap from 2020. The primary reason for the rise in influencer marketing is the personalization of content along with the disruption in cost and speed. Influencers are real and relatable for consumers and can deliver real value for brands by offering exciting ways of sharing a brand’s message,” said <keyword id="11300089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neel-gogia" source="Orion">Neel Gogia</keyword>, Co-Founder, IPLIX Media. Festive season has given a further push to the industry’s growth. Experts are expecting to see 50% more brands exploring influencer marketing this festive season as marketers look to solidify their social media presence and reach out to the group with highest spending power, GenZ and millennials. "The festive season is already looking very positive for the influencer marketing space. We expect a 50% uptick in brands leveraging influencers to connect with their audiences during this season,” said Sagar Pushp, Co-founder and CEO, ClanConnect. “Since the consumer sentiment had plummeted gravely in 2020, brands are looking forward to explosive growth and pent up demand that will translate to greater sales and revenues this year. Brands are likely to capitalize on this positive sentiment by tapping into the influencer marketing space, which will in turn provide a significant fillip to our industry,” added Pushp. Apaksh Gupta, Founder &amp; Chief Executive Officer of One Impression also said that brands have increased their budget by 50% this year. “Last year, brands had spent very little on their marketing efforts because of the pandemic restrictions and other factors, but the curbs are now eased out and traders are expecting a boost in sales. To put things in perspective, last year we saw brands spending about Rs 20-25 lakh [average] on their influencer campaigns, but this year we expect it to go beyond Rs 50 lakh [on an average] during festive seasons. Additionally, during the pandemic, we also witnessed a boom in the creator economy, and brands have taken note of it. Social media platforms have enabled brands to reach out to a wider audience with the help of influencers who help in putting their messages across, in a more personalized and creative manner, what we nowadays call as snackable content.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="This festive season, a diverse set of brands are upping their spends on influencer marketing" text="This festive season, a diverse set of brands are upping their spends on influencer marketing">This festive season, a diverse set of brands are upping their spends on influencer marketing</cmsannotation> After going through a lull for a year and a half, startups like MamaEarth, Slurrp Farm to established brands and FMCG giants, all key players are leveraging influencer marketing for better visibility and consumer attention. There’s another interesting shift in the industry after the pandemic. Brands are leveraging influencer marketing not just for brand awareness and engagement but also for performance marketing and driving customer acquisition through relevant targeting. Sharing which categories are the biggest spenders this time, <keyword id="7372416" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="viraj-sheth" source="Orion">Viraj Sheth</keyword>, Co- founder and CEO, Monk Entertainment said, “FMCG brands, e-comm players, and FinTech clients I believe will be massive spenders. Brands that are selling products that are best suited for festive gifting will be heavy spends and FinTech clients that help buy digital gold or provide buy now pay later schemes will be in demand as well.” Avantika Mohan, Travel, Lifestyle and Fashion Influencer, represented by WORD Talent, has also seen more lifestyle brands coming her way lately. She said, “I’ve noticed an influx of briefs focusing on fashion (particularly festive wear), online shopping portals and jewelry; brands across these categories along with technology and cosmetics are investing heavily in this festive season, which should go on till the end of the year. Festivals also become an excellent opportunity for brands to offer additional discounts and offers to drive up sales hence brands work with creators to spread the word on the same. It’s an exciting time. Brands are willing to not just work but also allow the creativity of the influencer to drive the content. Brands now understand that the content that creators push can drive real value for them and their products. Our niche allows them to connect with their target audiences directly with content that is fun, relevant and most importantly seasonal. The air is already abuzz with celebration and brands are pushing their seasonal marketing ideas and products that creators are exhilarated to deliver.” Brands with smaller budgets are also partnering with nano-creators. <keyword id="3630874" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dharika-merchant" source="Orion">Dharika Merchant</keyword>, COO, Alchemy Group &amp; WORD said, “Brands are now dedicating special budgets for their influencer marketing campaigns which have resulted in a lot of new brands entering the space. Brands earlier would focus only on large creators but now they’re happy to have smaller spendings but are willing to explore relevant nano or micro influencers for the same. So as we move forward, we are forecasting a more focussed approach towards influencer engagement as compared to before. Brands are now becoming conscious of which creator they want to work with, what kind of content they want to push out and majorly why the creator’s creative process shouldn’t be hampered with. Secondly, we are expecting more brands focussing on micro or nano influencers. These influencers usually cater to a very specific niche and have a higher rate of engagement. As brands start to realise the importance of content over numbers, this is a trend we’re very excited about.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Instagram or home-grown apps, which medium is getting the biggest piece of pie?" text="Instagram or home-grown apps, which medium is getting the biggest piece of pie?">Instagram or home-grown apps, which medium is getting the biggest piece of pie?</cmsannotation> As brands vie for consumer’s attention this Diwali, which is divided into different mediums, where are brands investing the most? “2021 is seeing comparatively more inclination towards influencer marketing strategies. We are seeing a growth upwards of 75% in the influencer marketing industry. Instagram is still the leader when it comes to influencer marketing promotions. YouTube would be the other platform that has gained momentum over time. Even some of the newer short video apps like Josh, Taka Tak and Moj are also being experimented with, by the brands. Increasingly we are also seeing brands leverage content created by creators for performance marketing with Instagram Branded Content Ads and Youtube Creator Promotions for maximum reach and conversion,” Arushi Gupta, Head - Influencer.in told Ad and Media Insider. GenZ and millennials do not consume a lot of television. They either spend their free time scrolling on social media or on an OTT platform. They are looking for authentic content that keeps them engaged, entertained and informed, which happens to be influencer marketing’s core offering. Therefore, influencer marketing is becoming a pivotal marketing tool for brands and its significance is only likely to grow in the future.

As brands turn to influencer marketing for the festive season, experts are optimistic about seeing about a 40-50% growth in ad spends

<ul><li>The sluggish two quarters of this fiscal and dull results of auto, FMCG, real estate, apparel, telecom indicate that the upcoming <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword> will not bring profitability. </li><li>However, the first half of the year was unusual, unprecedented that the ad industry took a nosedive to as low as -60%. </li><li>Experts are hopeful that the festive season will bring in cheer and serve as a respite from the pandemic-associated slumber. </li></ul>This year, Diwali or Ganapati won’t be about bursting crackers on the street and meeting family to exchange sweets. It will be all virtual, about being there for each other in tough times and celebrating small victories. This festive season, like this year, is unusual, which has made many marketers rethink their strategies and understand consumer behaviour closely to come up with out-of-box solutions. The progress of advertising industry has always been in tandem to consumer sentiment and about 40-45% of the annual ad spends in India happen between Raksha Bandhan and New Year. This year, when ad revenue had reached as low as -60% in April, a lot of hopes are banking on the festive season for industry’s overall revival. In many ways, advertising is a lag and lead indicator for our country -- if the country's GDP is growing at 8%, advertising grows at 12%. If GDP falls, ad revenue falls even lower. With a steady monsoon and plump harvest so far, experts are hopeful that the festive season will bring cheer for the industry. It will help the ad world bounce back to normalcy. <keyword id="248051" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Bhasin">Ashish Bhasin</keyword>, CEO - APAC and Chairman India, Dentsu Aegis Network Asia said, “In the month of April, we were -60%. I think we will end this calendar year at probably around -15 to -20% decline in the advertising market, which means the second half will have to do better than the first half. It may not be as good as last year, which in itself wasn’t a great period, however it will start improving and coming closer. Monsoon season is looking good, so our rural economy should do well. For many categories now there is saturation in terms of penetration at least in metros, so a lot of growth will come from Tier II, III and rural areas. So if the rains continue and we have a good harvest, there will be more money in the pockets of the rural consumers and that will help the demand. With the advent of the festive season, hopefully, COVID cycle goes down by that time, coupled with a good harvest, demand going up and sentiment improving, I think by around Diwali we will see some signs of normality returning.” Priti Murthy, CEO, OMD India said, “The festive season will bring in cheer and serve as a respite from the pandemic-associated slumber. Our recently conducted survey states how the general news consumption has significantly increased during the lockdown period. With an increase in music streaming, online games, and cooking shows, and re-runs of popular shows from the 80’s &amp; 90’s making a comeback, the ad revenue cycle is all geared up during the festive season.” This Indian festive season is coupled with IPL, which is a gigantic festival in itself that drives advertising industry’s revenue and holds the power to alter market sentiment. While sans-Vivo, OOH and no activitations, Navin Khemka, CEO, MediaCom South Asia still believes IPL will help put ad industry back to 2019’s growth trajectory. “Given that IPL is confirmed, we can expect this year's festival season to be equal to 2019. Last year, the last quarter was approx. Rs 24,000 crore and this year we expect the number to remain constant,” said he. Digital taking the bigger chunk of the pie With the lockdown in Mumbai, which is the creative hub and houses many Indian agencies, Sandeep Sreekumar, Managing Director, Media Moments is looking forward to seeing some creative storytelling made from the inside of four walls on digital mediums this year. "We feel this new phase will bring in new opportunities for the brands to showcase exceptional creativity and storytelling by integrating messages like social distancing, and work from home into their ads.” Sreekumar thinks digital will lead the game as advertisers have been shifting their monies from traditional to virtual platforms. “Digital platforms like Instagram Shop along with other channels including Facebook, Google and OTT platforms are likely to garner the advertiser’s attention across categories which will eventually lead to a significant upsurge in the digital ad revenue. Though, the consumer might still be a little skeptical about spending, the arrival of festivals and the announcement of IPL are likely to change their mindset for the better. We are excited to witness the trends unfold and see the new normal for the advertising industry that will lend an engaging experience to the customers through wit, humour and emotions,” said Sreekumar. Murthy is hoping that print will also see an increase in advertisers’ volume this festive season. “Digital and Print will definitely see an influx during the festive period, and OTT will be the new arena that will see more brands coming in. Also, TV will witness a spike due to IPL being held at the same time.” Khemka pointed out that brands will not go too big on media spendings as they have become cautious of what they are spending on. He said, “Due to the pandemic, TV &amp; Digital will be the biggest gainers. They will grow at the expense of the other mediums. There is cautious optimism with brands. Given the state wise lockdown is affecting sentiment, brands will be cautious before they commit big monies on media.” Auto industry, e-commerce and other virtual brands to lead the growth Experts opined that auto will see a boom because consumers are now avoiding public transport. Other categories that popped up in our discussion were EduTech, E-commerce and OTT. “Auto is likely to bounce back because people are looking for private transportation. E-commerce, EduTech, telecommunications will all bounce back first because data consumption has gone up but the market has been pretty depressed for them also. So hopefully that will pick up. FMCG demand is quite stable, one category that continued to advertise despite the lockdown because they were under the essential category, they will be steady. Once the feel-good factor starts, entertainment will start coming back. Film, digital and TV production starts, they will come back. Real estate will continue seeing a slump unless there is a big economic pick-up. So overall, it will be a mixed bag,” said Bhasin. Murthy also shared her optimism about spends from the auto and IT industry. “Auto has already begun seeing this trend as personal mobility is a higher need in the COVID and post-COVID era. Seeking a digitally enhanced and technologically superior experience across business verticals, IT is an area that showcases an enormous potential, too. Additionally, OTT platforms are also slated to bounce back with all their diverse content.” Consumers to continue being wary about their spendings With the economic downturn and uncertainty still looming around, consumer sentiment might suffer this festive season. Sharing what consumers are likely to spend on, Khemka said, “Given the pandemic I think the consumer has now become more rational. They are spending more on technology, equipment, health &amp; immunity boosters on one hand. However, they have also become cautious on discretionary expenses that can wait for some more time given the tough economic scenario. Also, the list of essentials and non-essentials is being redefined. Murthy said that the trends so far have only indicated that consumer sentiment is improving, which is more likely to continue growing during festive. “According to our OMG study, an average daily time spent across OTT platforms is over 95 minutes. Besides, online video and social media have emerged as the top entertainment mediums among Indians, allowing for a great scope of ad spend to be incorporated. It’s definitely an optimistic picture,” said Murthy.

A lot of hope rests on the festive season this year, but will it bring cheer?

The <keyword id="34478" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="auto-industry">auto industry</keyword> is expecting a cracker festival season in the backdrop of good monsoons and the seventh pay commission. 
 
Automakers are hoping for bumper sales as consumers are lining up at different companies ahead of Dussehra and Diwali. 
 For instance, <keyword id="44883" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maruti-Suzuki">Maruti Suzuki</keyword> registered over 29% increase in September dispatches. Among others, Maruti’s Baleno and Vitara Brezza are selling like hot cakes. 
 
"The industry should see good demand during the festivals this year. The turnaround has taken place in rural markets and the momentum is expected to improve over the coming months once harvest takes place,” RS Kalsi, executive director for sales and marketing at Maruti Suzuki, told ET. 
 
During the festive season, the auto industry reports a surge in sales. During last year Dussehra and Diwali, the passenger vehicle sales increased by 21% to about 2,68,000 units. 
 "Festive season will be good this year. But wholesale growth should be read for September and October together as stocks have been built at dealerships over the last one month. Besides, there are several holidays with Dussehra and Diwali all falling in October this year, which may pose challenges in production,” N Raja, director for sales and marketing at <keyword id="118748" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Toyota-Kirloskar-Motor">Toyota Kirloskar Motor</keyword>, told ET. 
 <keyword id="596" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyundai">Hyundai</keyword> is also hoping for a 25% increase in India sales this festival month. 
 
Rakesh Srivastava, the India head for sales and marketing, said, “Monsoon rains that have been evenly spread which bettered sentiments in rural markets, and the salary hike that has put more money in the hands of government employees, as the key reasons for the optimism.” 
Manufacturers of two-wheelers also expect the growth curve to go upwards. 
 Ashok Bhasin, head of sales, marketing and customer care at <keyword id="6357252" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hero-MotoCorp">Hero MotoCorp</keyword>, told ET, “The company has seen a good start to the season with the Onam in Kerala. There are green shoots in rural markets. This is based on sentiment right now, but once the harvest is in, there should be strong demand over the next few months.” 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Auto industry is expecting the growth curve to go upwards this festive season

<ul><li>A lot of hopes rest on this year's <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword> for businesses across the country. With Covid numbers in control, it is expected that consumer sentiments will take a positive turn.</li><li>According to a recent report by <keyword id="6618217" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="admitad" source="Orion">Admitad</keyword>, the festive season is expected to reach Rs 7.9 billion, which will be a 3X growth over last year.</li><li>The report also states that consumers will prefer online shopping to offline shopping thereby increasing the hike in sales during the festival time.</li></ul>The 2020 festive season has clocked Rs 2.9 billion (GMV) sales for the online brands. This year it is expected to reach 7.9 billion INR and thus increase the growth by over 3X. Most likely, the maximum number of orders across the country will be coming through the categories of Electronics, Fashion, and Apparel, Baby products, Furniture and Homeware. The electronics category is expected to jump to a 41% rise making the category the most popular among the consumers during the festive season. Fashion and apparel are expected to touch the 33% rise in the market. As work from home continues to be a part of the system, Furniture and Homeware products are expected to grow about 11%. As per the analysis, consumers will be preferring online shopping to offline shopping thereby increasing the hike in sales during the festival time. As the covid-19 pandemic continues to improve, Indians are excited about the upcoming festival season sales and are surely planning to make a purchase during this time. As per our analysis, the growth during festive season sales 2021 is expected to grow by 14 % compared to last year. Speaking on the role of the festive season for online brands, <keyword id="6618219" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neha-kulwal" source="Orion">Neha Kulwal</keyword>, Country Manager, Admitad Affiliate India added- “Brands have always looked up to festive season as their prime time to double the sales. An increasing number of brands are becoming more judicious about their marketing spends. Marketers are going beyond search and social media, and leveraging affiliate channels to reach their target audience. Over the years, we have witnessed brands using the Admitad Affiliate network to drive sales, generate revenues and this can play an even more significant role in the upcoming festive season as brands look to strengthen their online presence and drive growth.” Furthermore, we have also witnessed a fair growth in gifting products, Jewellery, and IT Softwares categories which open up new monetization opportunities for publishers during the festive sale. Since consumers spend a lot of time online, and internet usage can prove to be a big shot for brands targeting audiences on various platforms available like telegram, loyalty platforms, cashback and coupon websites which can be an effective source of driving traffic to the brand’s website and generate their revenue. Brands can find the pool of such traffic sources under the umbrella of affiliate marketing. With the festive season round the corner, brands are strateging their marketing plans and publishers are looking for an opportunity to monetize through various channels. On the whole, things are looking positive and this festive season can be one of the biggest among all festive seasons.

This year's festive sale in India expected to reach Rs 7.9 billion, a 3X growth over 2020: Report

<ul><li>Online <keyword id="1460935" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-sales" source="Orion">festive sales</keyword> are expected to clock $9+ billion GMV during the whole festive month, according to homegrown consulting firm RedSeer’s latest <keyword id="12158683" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ecommerce-festive-season" source="Orion">eCommerce Festive Season</keyword> Report. </li><li> Tier 2+ will continue to drive growth as they are 55-60% of the total shopper base this year.</li></ul> This year’s festive sales is expected to grow 30% y-o-y to Gross Merchandise Value of $4.8 billion during the first week of festive season and potentially clock $9+ bn GMV during whole festive month, according to homegrown consulting firm RedSeer’s latest eCommerce Festive Season Report. This is a 23% increase from last year wherein the players clocked a GMV of $7.4 billion. The growth will be mostly driven by the accelerated online adoption which has been witnessed as an effect of Covid. Secondly, Tier 2+ will continue to drive growth as they are 55-60% of the total shopper base this year, similar or higher than 57% in 2020 festive days. On the other hand, as offline retail and mobility is recovering almost uptoPre-Covid levels, this will impact the online festive sale as customers may opt for offline shopping as well. Further, categories have been evolving differently during these months which will see an impact during the festive sale as well. While mobile will continue to dominate driven by new launches, electronics are expected to see the second highest demand driven by the wide range of selection, easy payment options including EMIs and Buy Now Pay Later among other factors. Additionally, Fashion is also expected to see a steady recovery this festive season with greater outdoor mobility of consumers and steady rebound of fashion and office wear. The report finds that the sellers are very bullish on this year’s sales and are looking to recover the losses suffered due to Covid. Nearly 80% of the sellers agree that festive sales will play a key role in recovery from Covid losses while 70% agreed that the bigger online players have been supportive and positive which led up to the sales event. The overall online GMV is expected to touch $49-52 billion which is around 37% growth from last year primarily driven by strong consumer funnel expansion and the high adoption of online shopping post Covid across the categories. “We believe that the 2021 online festive sales will continue to ride on strong tailwinds of greater consumer digital adoption supported by an increasingly positive macro and consumption sentiment post the Covid second wave has passed. At the same time, we see strong bullishness in sellers towards online festive sales as ~80% of them believe that the festive sales will enable them to drive strong sales growth and make up for the losses during Covid period. Driven by above, we expect strong 30% y-o-y growth in festive sale week in 2021 to reach $4.8 Bn in Gross GMV with growth across categories, and setting the stage for a strong year for eCommerce in 2021,” said MrigankGutgutia, associate partner at RedSeer.

Online festive sales to clock a GMV of $4.8 Billion in 2021, with a 30% growth YOY: RedSeer

Luxury carmakers <keyword id="19980471" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mercedes-Benz" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Mercedes-Benz" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Mercedes-Benz">Mercedes-Benz</keyword>, <keyword id="19911529" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Audi" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Audi" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Audi">Audi</keyword>, and <keyword id="19911528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BMW" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BMW" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="BMW">BMW</keyword> are eyeing robust sales during the festive period this year with demand for <keyword id="20194571" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="High-end-cars" source="keywords">high-end cars</keyword> continuing to see an upward trend in India. In an interaction with PTI, Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Santosh Iyer said the luxury car segment is set for its best-ever performance this year with <keyword id="19894908" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Festive-season" source="keywords">festive season</keyword> offtakes playing a major role in the overall performance. He noted that the festive season generally gives high double-digit <keyword id="20040491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sales-growth" source="keywords">sales growth</keyword>, helping the automaker to average out single-digit growth of the earlier quarter. "So in that sense, on an average, then we are able to get a double-digit growth during the festive season," Iyer stated. Elaborating on the overall industry, which still remains a very small part of the overall passenger vehicle market in the country, he said the segment is headed for record volumes this fiscal year but not all players are witnessing growth." Some (companies) are even degrowing, some are flat and they are facing headwinds, but because we are the primary player in the market, we still feel the luxury car market should cross 50,000-51,000 cars this year," Iyer said. The luxury car market in India currently remains very small accounting for less than 2 % of the overall passenger vehicle market in the country. Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said the automaker anticipates positive buying trends to continue during the festive season. "Our best-selling models - the A4, A6, Q3, Q3 Sportback, Q5, Q7, and the newly launched Q8 - continue to drive robust demand," he added. The company is equally optimistic about the e-tron range, the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT, Dhillon said. BMW Group India President Vikram Pawah said the fundamentals of the Indian economy are sturdy and consumer confidence in the luxury segment is on the rise. "For BMW Group India, the order bank is solid and we are trying our best to speed up deliveries for our customers. Along with additional bookings around Diwali and Dussehra, we are confident of closing the year on a high note while clocking impressive growth," he stated. He noted that the group is witnessing very strong demand for products across all segments. Pawah said that in the run-up to the festive season, the company has introduced several special editions of its existing model range. The festive season usually commences with Onam and ends with Diwali every year.

Luxury carmakers Mercedes, Audi, BMW expect robust sales this festive season

It is true that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=raghuram+rajan">RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan</a> exceeded expectations by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/BREAKING-NEWS-RBI-cuts-repo-rates-by-50-basis-points-CRR-unchanged/articleshow/49148486.cms">announcing key rate cut by 50 basis points</a>. 
 
This news also brought cheers to the Auto sector as automobile manufacturers said it was a festival gift for them. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Raghuram-Rajans-reasons-for-the-huge-unexpected-rate-cuts/articleshow/49149054.cms">The rate cut</a> will help the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=auto+sector">Auto sector</a> to meet 15-20% sales growth during the upcoming festive season. 
 "This is a festival gift. Traditionally, during the festive season, the auto industry witnesses sales growth of 15-20%, which was missed in the last couple of years. This reduction in rate by the RBI has assured that the growth will be achieved," said <keyword id="103788" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyundai-Motor-India-Ltd">Hyundai Motor India Ltd</keyword> (HMIL) Senior Vice President (Marketing and Sales) Rakesh Srivastava. 
 
The reduction in interest rates will reduce cost of ownership and help the automakers get more customers. Automakers generally expect higher sales during the months of October and November when Durga Puja, Diwali and other festivals are celebrated. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=maruti+suzuki">Maruti Suzuki India</a> Executive Director Marketing and Sales R S Kalsi also echoed the same sentiments. 
 
“The market so far has been moving very slowly but with this (rate cut) sentiments will improve. It gives the much-needed boost to the market in the pre-festive season,” said Kalsi. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=hero+motocorp">Hero MotoCorp Chairman and MD Pawan Munjal</a> also lauded the rate cut and said it came at an opportune time as it will help in raising customer sentiment during the festival season. 
 
The RBI cut its policy rate from 7.25% to 6.75% -- the lowest in four-and-half years. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Raghuram Rajan is the auto sector’s latest messiah!

<ul><li>The <keyword id="36208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season" source="Orion">festive season</keyword> has always been important to brands, especially to e-commerce players who line up big bumper discounts, look for more retail brands to partner and ramp up their product offerings.</li><li>This festive season, e-commerce platforms are focusing on bringing more personalisation and curation to customers shopping online through greater tech and marketing integration.</li><li>More and more e-commerce platforms are also exploring social commerce, turning their apps into super apps by bringing content, products and trends under one roof for consumers to watch and shop at once.</li><li>With increasing internet penetration, e-commerce players are expecting new growth from Tier II, III and beyond this festive, which will cumulatively contribute to $150 billion of e-commerce as per RedSeer Consulting’s report.</li><li>We speak to India’s leading e-commerce players to find out more about their festive plans and revival expectations.</li></ul>The year 2020 accelerated e-commerce industry, perhaps by a decade, revolutionising the way brands operate, run, and grow their businesses, as well as how consumers choose to shop and pay. In the initial months of the lockdown, businesses witnessed a clear shift in consumer behaviour. Historically offline shoppers also came online due to convenience and safety. Consumers are still hesitant to return to in-store shopping completely and audiences from Tier II and Tier III are also preferring to shop online. The pandemic has evidently caused an inflection point for e-commerce in the country. With the second-largest internet user base, India has emerged as one of the most prominent markets globally. Around 480 million people in India have access to the internet out of which 90 million are online shoppers, according to estimates from management consultancy RedSeer. Shoppers from India’s small towns and cities will cumulatively contribute to $150 billion of e-commerce GMV in the coming decade, until 2030, revealed RedSeer. <div type="image" title="redseer - ecomm report" msid="85901903" hostid="261"></div> After spending a glum year and a half, consumers are excited to celebrate the festive season with upcoming shopping sales for Diwali, Dussehra and Christmas. IPL and ICC T-20 World Cup will further improve consumer sentiment this year. According to a survey conducted by The Trade Desk and YouGov, 82% of consumers shopped online at least once a month in the past six months, and nearly one in four made online purchases several times a week or more often. Titled ‘<a href="https://pages.thetradedesk.com/rs/527-INM-364/images/TheFestiveSeasonPulse2021.pdf">The Festive Season Pulse 2021</a>,’ it further said that 91% of Indian consumers are planning a purchase during the upcoming festive season and six in 10 are interested in learning about new brands during festive season sales. To leverage this uptick in consumer sentiment, the e-commerce category is all set to begin its festive marketing blitz and is preparing to line up big discounts for the season in a few weeks. For this 30-day period leading up to the festive season, leading fashion e-commerce platform <keyword id="319719" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="myntra" source="Orion">Myntra</keyword> has planned ‘Big Fashion Festival,’ which will be followed up with Myntra Diwali Sale, with a focus on ethnic wear. It will also be focusing on emerging categories like Beauty and Personal care, kidswear and categories such as innerwear and essentials which have experienced tailwinds post-Covid. Myntra’s Chief Business Officer, Ayyappan Rajagopal said, “We are expecting this festive season to be bigger than last year with more customers using online channels to make their purchases. Demand usually peaks in the 30 days leading to Diwali and we expect this year to be no different. In fact, the demand in the 2 months leading to the festive season is expected to be far more than last time (because people have learnt with time to adapt to a pandemic world). We expect high demand from across geographies and markets - metros, Tier 1, Tier 2, T3 cities and beyond. To cater to that, we have built the right ethnic wear, beauty, and home selection, and have partnered with brands on best deals. Hence, to leverage this demand and provide best value to our customers, we are organizing Big Fashion Festival and Myntra Diwali Sale to make this season a resounding success.” Right on the heels of the festive season, Myntra ramped up its marketing game by onboarding Hrithik Roshan, Vijay Deverakonda and Dulquer Salmaan as its newest brand ambassadors, alongside the existing celebrity ambassadors Kiara Advani, and Samantha Akkineni. Now, it is hoping to double its customer base and cater to Gen-Z shoppers with its high-decibel marketing. “With the optimism coming from recovery from Covid and revival in shopping sentiments along with the habitualisation of digital foray across all customer segments, we see a lot of new customers shopping during this festive season. We have also seen trends in Metro/T1 markets where Myntra has been traditionally strong, pointing towards such a revival. With a positive overall sentiment, we will be looking at doubling our customer base during this period. There will also be an added focus towards expanding our footprint in southern markets, deeper penetration into Tier 2 / 3 towns and exploring customer addition through emerging categories like Kids wear, Inner wear, fashion accessories, Beauty and persona care, etc. The greatest focus will be on Gen-Z cohort of shoppers,” shared Rajagopal. E-commerce platforms are also focusing on bringing more personalisation and curation to customers shopping online through greater tech and marketing integration. More and more e-retailers are exploring social commerce, turning their apps into super apps by bringing content, products and trends under one roof for consumers to watch and shop at once. D2C fashion platform Bewakoof.com that recently raised Rs 60 crore in an investment round led by InvestCorp, IvyCap and Spring Marketing Capital, is expecting to Rs 120 crore in brand sales this quarter. It recently rolled out celebrity-led digital campaigns with Rajkummar Rao, Sanya Malhotra and Farhan Akhtar. It plans to further build its market presence by signing more A-list celebrities to its roster and launch a 360-degree campaign by October. On the technology side, the company intends to launch a gamification-led loyalty program as it upgrades its Bewakoof Tribe with new and exclusive launches for the club members. Sharing the platform’s festive plans further, Prabhkiran Singh, Founder CEO, Bewakoof.com said, “Post pandemic, we saw a strong recovery and growth in certain categories like casual wear and leisurewear because of customers staying at home and with the pandemic slowing down, we expect a strong recovery in categories like ethnic wear, bags, accessories, etc in the festive season ahead. We’re also looking to capitalise on winter wear more this year than usual with winter around the corner and have put in investments accordingly. We expect our brand sales to be Rs 120 crore for the festive quarter.” For Bewakoof, the northern and western markets see the highest demand, followed by West Bengal and Assam because of Durga Puja. Currently, over 6 million customers visit Bewakoof.com every month. Singh told us that the festive season serves as a crucial window in the year for new customer acquisition and bringing back customers that haven’t shopped again for a while. The platform is also planning on increasing its marketing spends this festive. “For this year, 15% of our total marketing budget will be spent for the upcoming festive season.” We’re in the process of rebranding Bewakoof in the next 1-2 months and we’ll have a new look, logo, tagline along with a new set of celebrities that will endorse Bewakoof so we’re excited to roll this out and create buzz around it along with backing it up with top-funnel marketing investments. We plan to go heavy on top-funnel marketing investments starting October,” said Singh. E-retail platform OLX has upped its UI to woo its customers, digitising the entire process of online retailing, including verification of all its premium items. OLX Autos launched a verified inventory of cars with a new interface, which provides a detailed history of the car right from the ownership period all the way up to the service history of the car, and access to a host of financing options and after-sales products like insurance and warranty. As a result, OLX has witnessed a surge in demand for pre-owned cars. Sapna Arora, CMO, OLX India said, “Green shoots are already visible in the used car retail segment. The demand for pre-owned cars has been 25% higher than the pre-Covid levels while there has been an 82% plus growth in demand for pre-owned smartphones. Our goods category has also witnessed a strong rebound, as demand and supply have gone up by an average of 68% and 25%, respectively, compared to pre-Covid levels. The upcoming festival season is important for us as we expect the gap to be narrowing down between pre and post-Covid levels. There has been a strong uptake of e-commerce across regions, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with consumers there making the greatest shift to online shopping. We will continue to focus on the pre-owned auto segment and are expecting to surpass the demand this festive season.” At an industry level, Arora told us that e-commerce players are leveraging on hyper-personalisation to create individualised experiences on the platform and AI-powered chatbots are being implemented by the online retailers to bring customers close to an offline retail experience with a high engagement rate. Sharing OLX’s plan, Arora added, “This festive season we plan to use innovative solutions via relevant messaging at different levels of the retail journey. Our consumer base is growing organically. During this year’s lockdown, a lot of people moved online and we saw growth, about 30% more daily active users (DAUs) from our previous pre-Covid peak. In the festive season, our huge inventories across segments will contribute to increasing the DAU’s on the platform.” As per Nielsen India’s E-commerce Consumer Panel (E-Analytics Solution), there was a double-digit increase in average spend of online shoppers for electronics and accessories (39%), mobile and accessories (12%), and fashion, including apparel, footwear, and accessories (10%) after the pandemic. Appliances (e.g.TV, WM, refrigerators, etc.) also saw notable shopper spending increase at 9%. E-commerce giant Amazon is also ramping up its product range for the festive season. “Together with thousands of small &amp; medium business and brand partners, we continue to offer our customers the widest selection, convenience, and fast delivery. We are humbled by how millions of Indian customers have made us a part of their daily lives. Also, customers continue to believe that online shopping is the safest way to shop which has been reflecting in all the recent events of Amazon like Prime Day 2021, Great Freedom Festival, Rakhi Store, Onam store and so on. This festive season is not a normal one for reasons we all know and our success metric would be focused on how we can make our sellers successful. Customers can look forward to shopping from a wide selection of products across categories like Home &amp; Kitchen, Fashion &amp; Beauty, Appliances and Smartphones, Grocery essentials and more from the comfort and safety of their homes," said an Amazon India spokesperson. This growth trajectory of e-commerce platforms in India testifies how customers are increasingly recognising the importance of comfort shopping within closed doors, and after seeing their businesses take a plunge in the first three months of the lockdown, more and more sellers are also coming online.

This festive season, e-commerce platforms are betting big on Tier II and III markets, which are likely to contribute $150 million to e-commerce growth this year

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