Tag: Festiveseason

7 Hooks from Ramayana to Vitalize Business

Characters pass from generation to generation heritably, but knowledge finds its way naturally. No matter who you are or where you are from, you always have something to imply in life that comes from your forefather. Even the strategies applied back 5000 years are indispensable. Diplomatic planning, organization, ethical codes, a happy workforce if implied today can take you to the next level. 

Modern books are en vogue but the lessons from history are always a get-go.

Ramayana, the epic mythological book of Hindus ascribed to Valmiki not only entails the significance of dharma (duty) but also recites commitment, leadership, management and diligence that are must to run any business. 

Let’s comprehend the sure-shot corporal lessons to sundry in this entrepreneurial era.

Prioritize your Brand Name

Building a long bridge to Lanka was not easy as there were limited resources and time. One of the followers inscribed the name of Lord Rama on the stone and threw it in the ocean; it floated (just the reverse, as all stone sinks). When Lord Rama thought of helping the subordinates and threw the stone without inscription, (as it was being thrown by Lord Rama itself) the stone sank.

Lesson – The incident proves that it is not the person or the position that holds power but the name of the brand you are using. You are known by your brand name and so brand name matters a lot. All the decisions should be taken in consideration of your brand and its exposure in the market. Employees under the brand name, whether high or low, should understand its importance and try to uplift it.  

Learn to choose your brand name and colour to attain great heights

Limit Powers and Manage Stakeholders

King Dashratha, who ruled the vast kingdom of Kosala, the capital Ayodhya, had three wives named Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. Each of their sons was eligible to take over the charge of the kingdom and so Kaikeyi came up with the decision of sending the eldest son Rama to the forest derailing Dasharath’s ruling plan. On the other hand, Ravana after ignoring his wife, brother and grandfather got backstabbed.

Lesson – When there are too many stakeholders with decision-making power it becomes difficult to control the organization. Keeping them happy further becomes a difficult task, so it is important that you limit your stakeholders and keep them in interest else your power might dilute without you knowing.

Quick Tip – Organizations should keep a concern on the interest of the stakeholders as individually they might not hold much power but when they come together can affect decision-making, delay your projects or stop business plans.

Choose your Alliances Wisely

To win against Ravana, Rama needed a powerful ally, but he chose Sugriva instead of Bali as Bali was unethical and kicked his own brother Sugriva to take over the kingdom of Kishkindha and abducted his wife. On the other hand, Sugriva’s managerial skills were so accurate that he was able to make Angad work for him who could have been an arch-rival. 

Lesson – If you ally with an organization that works unethically, you might nurture your business but it would sustain only for a short duration. To win a long-term reputation and maintain your brand name you need to partner wisely and look for the one that can lead strategically and be a support even in difficult times.

Create Clear Vision with In-depth Analysis

Each time a problem knocked Rama; he deeply analyzed the situation, made a clear vision and shared it with his subordinates. Whether it be the time when he was asked to leave Ayodhya, help Sugriva or save Sita, his extreme approach has always made him a success. Even when Hanuman was sent to Lanka, he first analyzed the territory of his enemies, the people, and the internal situation and then made a vision for his act.

Lesson – Only after an in-depth analysis a clear vision can be created. And once you have a clear view you can lead your team to act fruitfully. Throwing the arrows blindly without a target will lead you and your company to nothing. 

Learn about SWOT Analysis or Porter’s Five Forces for an accurate E-commerce Business Analysis   

Seek Experts’ Assistance

Vishwamitra, the most venerated rishis of those times also known as the Rajarshi taught Rama the art of warfare and also gave him the knowledge of Devastras to help him kill powerful demons. On seeing Rama leaving the kingdom for the commitment of his father, Bharat learned how to do the righteous things simultaneously, standing on commitments made.  

Lesson – As the owner of a business it is important to understand the fast changing market trends. The assistance of the experts and learning via workshops, seminars and conferences can develop skills in your employees and make them equipped to face a challenging business environment.

Quick Tip – Every expert has a lot to teach from his life lessons, a close interaction of your employees with these experts can make work smooth and more understandable. 

Keep your Team Motivated

The most eminent incident where Jamvant asks Hanuman to go to Lanka to locate Sita to inform her about the presence of Lord Rama was highly motivational. Jamvant knew the true potential of Hanuman and just needed to ignite it in order to make Hanuman go to the enemy camp. 

Lesson – A leader always knows the true potential of his employees. It is the prime responsibility of the leader to keep the spirit ignited and motivate the employees to do their best in every project.  

Compete in a Fair Game

The complete Ramayana exhibits human greed. Kaikeyi wanted Bharat on the throne, Surpanakha wanted revenge when Lakshmana cut her nose, Ravana abducted Sita to possess her which in turn created war. On the other hand Rama played with ethics and won Sita in a ‘Swayamvar spardha’ and even he warned Ravana to return Sita to avoid battle.  

Lesson – In business you are always in a strong competition. Some play clean and some dirty. The tricks can work once or twice but a long term stability in the market only comes after you play it fair.  

Learn about the social responsibilities that you should adopt in your Organization

Each verse of Ramayana teaches kindness, tolerance, patience and success. The more you read the more you will learn about the tactics for true victory and its essence in the modern world. 

How can ANS Commerce be a Major Help?

Challenges are part of business but with challenges comes the opportunity to meet the partners who can hold your back and help you take care of your business. 

At ANS Commerce we take care of all your e-commerce related queries and provide you the curated solution from performance marketing to warehousing so that you can lean on us. Our full-stack solution with expert hands will meet your needs even in the peak period of the festival and allow you to focus on your main task.    

You can connect with us and grab a free DEMO today. 

Why Do Businesses Demand Forecast During the Festive Season?

Now that the festival is around there is an expected wave of demand for products at every store. Planning the products, the retailers are getting ready to block the shelves to increase their sales. 

Is this Enough to Run a Business?

Running a business is not just anyone’s cup of tea, especially when you are willing to grow, gain profit and flourish every season. Mere assumptions don’t work! You need to roll your eyes and foresee the future. You need to understand the kind of capital you need to invest, the number of products you need to produce, and the inventory units you need to keep up the stock. And able to answer,

  • What is your capital expenditure?
  • How much cash flow is required to make a profit?
  • What is your mitigation plan for the upcoming festival? 
  • What is your profit margin for this year?

Understanding your demand and forecasting your projections at a historical scale is important to predict the future and foresee sales.

Well! The biggest challenge still lies in the shift of these projections for which you need to optimize your scale with time.

You need to understand how Demand Forecasting works in order to beat the challenge and make the right business decision. It is not hard to understand that demand is what is laid by the customer, and forecasting is the prediction that is done by the retailer to make supply decisions. But what’s hard is to get an accurate assumption of this demand with time and acquire the right amount of stock to meet the supply.

Demand Forecasting

Demand Forecasting is a progressive method that uses historical sales data to predict future sales figures. It is a comprehensive process that involves everything from planning, producing, inventory, and warehousing to estimating, delivering, and logistics. It helps businesses analyze the market potential and strategizes growth that is far away from any risk.  

For example, a store producing cake of different flavours refers to the last 12 months’ sales data and understands which flavour made high sales and in which season or occasion based on the past sales he is able to forecast the shortage, make a plan and keep a stock. In comparison to the one that is new and unaware of the flavours in demand, the prior store will always have the benefit of key sourcing.  

Steps to Forecast Demand for E-commerce

Although no one can be certain for the future, several techniques can help you with a detailed analysis and better business estimation. So, whether you are a small business or large, Demand Forecasting can help you draw the margins and understand that there is no business without demand and it needs to be processed with high accuracy.

Schedule Peak Period 

Depending on the season and festival the trend occurs anytime. There are many peak periods around the year when the sales are more than the other days. Viewing historical sales can reflect the important months where the sales dip or is good or a discount should be offered to engage the customer.

Prepare Budget

Efficient financial decisions are important to reduce unnecessary expenses and expand the opportunities to choose a strategic investment. Keeping extra stock at a low sales period just wastes resources and increases unnecessary budgeting. So pre-budgeting to enhance operational processes around forecasting demand is a must.  

Plan Production

Anticipating what customers want and keeping the stock helps channel the offerings. Customers want what they want and acquire it when they want so your demand forecasting should be in sync with the market. Else you will lose the customer to your competitors and will take more time to engage the new.       

Optimize Inventory

Demand forecasting helps drive responses to harness analytical optimization and shape the inventory to reduce error over time. It helps you remain right at the place where you are, never under or over-stock. Your evaluated performance over time will increase word of mouth and gain expansion in business.    

Strategize Development 

Demand Forecasting is a one-on-one task. The process requires testing, learning, and developing a strategy to enhance sales. Closely analyzing the products and efficiently tracking the sales can help make the right strategies for development. Network balancing should also be taken care of in order to constrain your business environment for a longer period of time.

Quick Tip – To avoid frequent stock out you need to keep a feedback loop and start your next forecast with updated allocations. 

Types of Demand Forecasting

The benefits of demand forecasting can be truly tasted once you are aware of your current position and have a clear idea of where you want to reach. There are different types of demand forecasting that can help you weigh your data and depict it over a period of time. They are broadly categorized into two:

On the Basis of Economy

Macro-level

This forecasting deals with the economic level demand that is measured by the national income and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) etc. It helps businesses understand the opportunities for their expansion and market shift.

Industry-level

This forecasting deals with Industry level demand for products as a whole, such as demand for cement, clothes, steel, pharmaceuticals in India, etc. It guides businesses with statistical data for trade under any policy.  

Firm-level

This forecasting deals with the product demand for a particular firm, such as demand for Raymond clothes, Birla cement, etc. It helps businesses improve the aggregate growth of products in the market.

On the Basis of Period

Short-term

If you are a new firm this forecasting is especially for you. It covers forecasts for a short period, generally from six months to a year and is most useful in making tactical decisions depending upon the nature of the industry you are in.

Long-term

This forecasting is for a longer period. Generally done by the old firms for a period of two to five years or more to help take major strategic decisions, such as the expansion of plants, opening a new unit, etc.

Major Demand Forecasting Models

To trail the influence and gather vital information about your business, simple and statistical methods are adopted which are classified under various models.

Market Research

It is a very generic research technique that is completely goal-oriented. It requires customer-specific surveys which are in the form of questionnaires, surveys, feedback, or opinion that are laid out while purchasing a specific product. As this research is very random it should be taken care of in terms of location, geography, and demography. 

This method is mostly adopted when businesses are forecasting low-demand products, as it gives a clear view of its sales in specific regions. 

Sales Opinion

It is a complete knowledge and experience-based method that requires input from each salesperson of a particular region. The salesperson depicts data depending on the customer’s demand and evaluates the perspective that presents the final judgment. 

This method is more accurate as it relies on the perspective of the salesperson who in case of any error is held accountable.    

Delphi Technique

This Demand Forecasting is done by a panel of experts and facilitators that are appointed for a specific segment. The questionnaire is sent to the experts and a consensus scenario is attained after a few rounds of expression and discussion among the experts. 

The method is mostly adopted by big businesses to get the most accurate information from the experts. The only flaw lies in, time consumption. 

Econometric Technique

It utilizes a complicated mathematical equation to correlate influential factors with demand. An equation is fine-tuned and the variables are inserted to generate an accurate forecast. It is mostly used to track economic factors of the current scenarios like the businesses that flourished in the pandemic or the businesses that flourished before the pandemic. 

The data of this method is adopted only when the controlled conditions are applied by you. 

Barometric Technique

It is a unique method adopted to predict the future depending on the recording of the past and deploying the statistical analysis on the series of economic indicators like leading, lagging, or concurrent. The leading shows the market activity that is ahead, lagging that changes after a short time and the concurrency that varies according to the economic activity.

This method gives you a complete range of information about where your business lies and where you can take it. 

Trend Projection

It is a method that deploys historical data of around 20 to 25 months to project the demand scale by graphical or square method and forecast the specific product. The most granular level of growth can be attained by examining the date and time of the order, revenue or return. Depending on the data you can adjust your inventory and evaluate your business.   

Quick Tip – In a competitive scenario as today, if you are not forecasting the demand, you are losing a lot, not only in terms of staff, production and sales but also in terms of efficiency and profit. A good forecast provides appropriate planning, selection, layout and management that lead to a profitable business.

With the market shifting so drastically it becomes difficult to track the customer demand and meet its expectations. Demand Forecasting helps you channel your work and make a record so that you are able to make decisions, launch products, plan inventory and optimize the supply chain as per the demand. 

Connect with ANS Commerce

At ANS Commerce, we help brands build their business and take it to the level where they imagine. From brand building to demand management ANS works on everything to help you increase sales. You can also rely on us for inventory optimization, performance marketing, and warehousing to improve your conversion rate instantly. 

Get connected and request your free DEMO now! 

Festive Season 2020 Trends: ANS Commerce facilitates 2.5X more festive sales at 25-30% lower cost for its partner brands

In inclusion with sentiments and happiness, the festive season comes with deals and offers for buyers to swear by. But with the COVID-19 still being the reason for the forbiddance of offline purchase, usage of e-commerce websites and marketplaces have increased.

Undoubtedly, the Indian e-commerce industry has surged, especially after the onset of this pandemic. Not only has established e-retailers boosted their businesses over this time, but we can see many Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands entering the market and earning profits. To showcase the same, the Indian festive month has solely witnessed a huge difference in terms of sales figures that e-retailers have acquired.

Covering and comparing all the e-commerce festive trends, ANS Commerce’s report throws light on the sales volume along with new marketing ideas and warehousing trends, its partner brands have followed this festive season. Right from the difference in the sales volume from that of the last year, to new marketing trends including digital products, to segment-wise changes, we have curated a whole bunch of trends for you. So let’s dive deeper and take a look at the festive season sales insights!

Increased Adoption Of Online! How and Why? 

Comparing offline sales and online sales, many rational minds are opting for the latter than the former. To count a few reasons, no contact delivery is the major intention for people to go online. Not only can you get your products on time, but can also avoid the transmission of the virus. This notion has gotten said popularity from online retail brands, especially amid the Diwali season. 

Hoarding clothes and other items was a trend amidst Diwali, but this year, there is an upsurge in the trend, especially on e-commerce websites including both marketplaces and independent brandstores. There is seen 2.5X more sales at 20% – 30% reduced cost with the assistance of marketing optimization, multi-city logistics, and lower order return.

Decoding the Sales: Thousands of offers, millions of sales, and countless excitement!

Let’s unpack the sales volume exhibited amid the festive season. The sales have turned out to be a megahit this year as our partner brands reported to have done sales of ~34 Cr. Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). Enumerating the volume of items shipped this year, brands have pegged shipment volume of ~5.7 lakhs of products this year. The upsurge unravels how new-age digital channels such as D2C and omnichannel have become a necessity for e-commerce businesses.

How was this festive season different from last year?

No one can forget the first four months of this year when there was an absolute fear of the pandemic, resulting in a lower number of sales. But did we ever imagine that this Diwali will bring light and prosperity to e-retailers? 

To add in the facts there is a clear-cut difference between 2019 and 2020. The report counts in the average order size with an increase of ~20% from that of last year’s. From this. you can absolutely sense how individual customers have spread the hype of online purchases this year. 

The major upside to online sales during this pandemic is the non-COD payment option. In fact, there are many brandstores that are declining the option of cash on delivery as cash transfers can potentially become a carrier of infection. This has resulted in a rise of ~58% of the share of pre-paid (non-COD) payments.

“The proportion of orders from non-metropolitan cities have solely increased by ~11%, making a contribution of more than 50% to the festive sales. With metropolitan cities such as Delhi and Mumbai contributing to only 35% sales.”

Warehousing and fulfillment also play an eminent role when it comes to e-commerce sales. With an almost ~155% increase in the GMV as compared to the year 2019 for the same set of brands, it’s quite obvious that warehousing and supply must have played an incredible role to execute the operations. So, talking about the trends, the Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) on brandstore has increased by 20% – 25%, resulting in better depth and breadth of inventory.

Along with the drift, the preference of brands has also seemed to change with the rising number of stock-keeping. To enable simple, fast, and reliable delivery, brands are seen to get fascinated by multi-city warehouses and omnichannel delivery options.

New Marketing trends observed with a special focus on D2C segments!

With sales and warehousing, there’s another aspect to e-commerce that’s been transitioning amid the festive season. Marketers around the nation have come up with seasonal marketing ideas to change the digital attire of their brandstore. Offers and discounts sound like traditional concepts when it comes to incorporating them into marketing ideas, especially in 2020. Each year brands perform something new in terms of marketing, but this year the creativity seemed to go a step further. And, the result has been fruitful as the share of new shoppers has increased.

To head towards victory, marketers, and e-retailers have introduced many digital products to encourage their prospects. This year, there is an upsurge in E-gift cards and warranties. 

The main focus remained on customer-loyalty plans, the brands have chosen to use loyalty programs and payment offers to lower customer acquisition costs. 

Loyalty programs are a great way to engage your customers with you. Click here to know more about it among other ideas to get customers reviews and ratings!

Diwali is the season where you can come up with new offerings as it’s the peak time of the year when people look for new and creative options to gift their loved ones. Keeping that in mind, many new and established brands have expanded their product portfolio and introduced a varied combination of product mix for their customers.

“Brands also witnessed a boost in the sales of gift packs and combos, especially in the dry fruits and beauty & personal care segment.”

Sectors in specific that saw major sales!


We are well aware of festive traditions – buying new clothes is one of them. Like each year, this year also Fashion & Lifestyle continued to win the race as it is the major contributor in sales.  

Health has been a major concern this year especially for new mothers and infants, leading to a spike in the Mom & Baby Care category with 14X.

“Beauty and Personal Care segment contribution has increased by 2.2X as compared to last year, making it the fastest-growing category.”

In the current scenario of washing and sanitizing each item, there is a surge in the hygiene and germ control category itself. The brands under this segment have forced people with their aggressive marketing campaigns to stockpile products such as vegetable wash, surface disinfectants, and sanitizers.

This indicates the fact that this year has been full of prosperity and happiness for e-commerce brands. ANS Commerce has supported its brand partners with brandstore tech, warehouse & fulfillment, performance marketing, and marketplace management. 

If you’re planning to claim your stake in e-commerce real-estate and want to be one step ahead of your competitors, then request your free DEMO now!

This Diwali, Be The Light For Small And Local Businesses! Here’s How And Why?

Diwali isn’t a festival of a day or two ─ it’s the celebration of one whole week. The festival of lights begins with loads of shopping for both family and friends, leaving us with the dilemma about ‘what to purchase’ ─ most importantly ─ ‘where to purchase from?’

Whether you purchase from a swanky foreign brand or a local store, it doesn’t matter as long as you get the best quality with a top-notch finish. But it matters to the community and nation’s economy, foremostly, to our small and marginal workers. Small businesses always strive to showcase their brand’s individuality in their offerings by amalgamating flavours of our rich heritage.

“Small businesses strive to give their customers optimum quality with top-notch services because each customer is important to them.”

Local businesses, on the one hand, are the backbone of our nation’s economy, while on the other hand, they serve a plethora of inexpensive options, not to mention the fact that they keep us close to our culture.

With a surge in e-commerce, many of the local businesses are coming out of their comfort zone ─ brick and mortar stores ­ ─ to offer us their services and products. Thus, it’s our responsibility to give them a hand to withstand complex market competition.

Why should you support small businesses?

There are not just one or two reasons to support a small business, but a long bunch of aspects! Let’s delve deeper and learn about ‘why is it important to support these local and small businesses’.

1. You can help to generate significant employment

A business when operated gives a number of people a reason to earn a basic livelihood for better survival and existence. It’s not uncommon that these days finding a job has become strenuous. And with the tight structure in the economy, it’s quite difficult for businesses to pay their employee’s salaries and wages. By supporting a local business, you’re not just lighting up their homes with happiness but bestowing a smile to hundreds of workers who are tied up with them.

2. They bring out individuality and persona to the world of transactions

In the world of numbers, where everybody is running after success, there are some businesses that are striving to bring out the persona and individuality through their production. With traditional methods of production, small businesses don’t just focus on numbers. Their production reflects a sense of originality and character as they produce well with a unique thought in mind.

“Local businesses do what fascinate their unique mind, which is why their products are a reflection of their honesty.”

3. They offer you a unique range of products

Have you ever been in love with hand-felted and embroidered carpets? Does it make you feel connected with your roots? Well, fusing traditional ideas with contemporary fashion is what you will always find in the collection of small businesses. So what could be a better occasion than this Diwali when you can get your hands on the original elegance and give a smile to both these businesses and your loved ones?

4. They produce goods without causing any harm to the community

Indulged in sustainable ways, not only do these small businesses provide employment but their methods are also safe and cruelty-free. They create methods with consideration to save both humankind and the ecosystem without leaving a dirty footprint. The unconventional practices include; careful usage of natural resources, increasing the recycling of products and choosing renewable sources of energy.

“Supporting small businesses means saluting business owners for the continuous effort they have been putting in to bring out our hidden traditions.”

5. You can support a local cause

Beyond offering unique products, small businesses often contribute to a local cause in the shape of charity, donations, cause events, etc.  They are majorly associated with some or other communal event that benefits the local people of that area. Thus, supporting a local business means you are supporting and contributing to a local cause.

6. They give you personalized service with an incredible experience

From elegant packaging to amiable home delivery services, everything makes these local businesses stand out when compared with a large and established brand. They don’t sell just to earn money but to create happiness, which you can sense from their thoughtful gift packages. That’s not the end yet. They make a point to develop long-term relationships with their customers for brand loyalty. So, their customer support services don’t end with the purchase but go beyond them as they are always present to answer your queries.

“Small and local businesses might not be able to fill your wardrobe with branded and swanky collections, but their unique design and long-established functioning can be a real reason for you to choose them.“

5 Ways to support small e-commerce businesses

Before you snag something to give to your family and friends, take a halt and consider buying something that lights up somebody’s home! Now that we’ve discovered the benefits society and community has with local businesses. Let’s explore how actually you can support them.

1. Show your support by buying gift cards from local online stores for loved ones

Buy a gift card from a local brandstore and give it to your loved ones. Be it a gift card for a clothing store, or an online ticket for a nearby salon or dance studio, you can choose any of the options. This way you can show your patronage to these local brands even if you don’t want to buy something immediately. This thoughtful idea of yours will benefit the local businesses and motivate the receiver to purchase from that brandstore boosting their sales. 

2.  Mention your brand experience on social media while saving them marketing cost

Boost small businesses by tagging them on social media channels with your shopping experience. This way your connections can get a virtual experience and will become their potential customers. Additionally, you can refer them to your friends and family via word of mouth. It will save them a huge marketing dollar, helping them to withstand the complex competition. 

“Happy customers can become real brand advocates of these local and small businesses by raving about their shopping experience to others.”

3. Don’t compromise your safety and shop for groceries online from local businesses 

In the digital age of e-commerce, there are a whole bunch of sellers online to offer you organic vegetables and other food items. From vegan ice-creams to farm-fresh veggies, you get a plethora of healthy options when you purchase online from small and local vendors. Not only do they provide you with local and seasonal produce, but also help in boosting your immunity. So why compromise your safety and comfort if your local groceries can be delivered right to your doorstep?

4. Assist small e-commerce brandstores with your professional knack

Entrepreneurs always look for legal and financial advisors who can advise them on various matters. If you’re passionate to help these local businesses and have expertise in a law or finance firm, then you can contribute your services to a larger cause.

5. Leave a positive review on their product pages

Product reviews and ratings can be a great way to help small businesses combat competition. If you love their services, show some love by leaving your brand experience on their websites and product pages with positive comments so that others can buy from them.

How To Do It (Tips for retailers and entrepreneurs)

If you want to boost your sales this season but you are rather stuck and couldn’t get fresh leads then here’s the right place for you. We are India’s #1 full-stack e-commerce enabler aiming to help small and local producers. Through our omnichannel approach, we ensure that your brand visibility boosts your online sales. Request a free demo now!

What can you expect from us?

  • Scale and knowledge: Our extensive TPL network and marketplace partnership enable you to scale your business with optimized cost
  • Flexibility: Our tailor-made solutions are made for optimized storage and seamless integration
  • End-to-end support: We manage all your logistics by tapping order journey checkpoints
  • Crisis management: We have developed an ability to quickly resolve any expected or unexpected issue

Local businesses are the soul of our belongingness. It’s nearly impossible to imagine life without them. So, gear up and become a light for small businesses by contributing your share of respect to their effort.

E-commerce Marketing: Boost Your Online Sales With 9 Unconventional Tips For This Festive Season!

With the cool breeze starting to ring bells, it’s hard not to feel the festive vibes. Diwali is the time when your sales increase at a 5X speed than at any time of the year. By now, you might have observed that stores have started sneaking Diwali decoration with their offerings in the displays. Fairy lights might be the lead of the season for now, but before you get to know it, combo packs and other gifting options will take their spot to start the annual celebration. To get the most out of the festive season, initiate your marketing strategy before it gets too late.

The festive season brings fierce competition but a plethora of opportunities to seize new customers. To help you have your most successful season, we have curated 9 marketing ideas for you. And absolutely you can’t afford to miss.

9 unconventional marketing tips to boost your online sales for this year’s festive season!

1. Showcase your festive collection with catalogue linked ads

If you are struggling to bring relevant traffic to your website, Facebook catalogue sales campaigns can be your saviour. A catalogue ad contains your product range and holds information on the offerings that you want to advertise. Link your entire catalogue showcasing your product offerings to your prospective audience.

Quick tip: Experiment with different ad formats such as dynamic ads, carousel ads, and collection ads, and choose what suits your brand the best! Not only does it improve CTR (click-through rate) but also helps you in getting a 5-10X return on your ad spend.

2. Choose the correct approach for your product segment

Putting sun-loving plants in the sunshine and keeping the shade-loving plants indoors is the right treatment. Just like that, every segment demands a different strategy. If you deal with shopping goods including apparel and footwear, online catalogues and gift cards have to be your best friend. Similarly, if you’re into FMCG, gift packs with vibrant yet unique packaging work best for you. COMBO packs can be your buddies to reach sales targets!

“Entice potential customers with exciting offers and sales promotions in the form of a catalogue sales campaign.”

3. Generate time-sensitive offers with a sense of urgency

Time plays an important role during the festive season. People don’t want to lose a hold on discounted prices and amazing deals, and you can take advantage of this. Create deals and promotions on your landing page with countdown timers that you can easily customize with ad customizers. After you have started a time-sensitive campaign, go ahead with persuasive marketing copies that say “HURRY only 2 left”. This not only boosts your sales with a sense of urgency but also viral your campaign for a specific point of time. 

Quick tip: If you’re struggling with your brandstore, then you can get your hands on Kartify- handcrafted to deliver an exceptional e-commerce experience. Having come with 60+ integrations, Kartify offers your fully customizable UI/UX. 

4. Pay attention to your creative visuals

Now is the time to pay attention to the aesthetics of your online presence. Colourful creatives showcasing your offerings and offers are a great way to steal that attention. The idea is to lure people with attractive visuals. Use festive related colour tones in your ad creatives to excite the attention of people. You can also hire an additional staff of graphic designers and social media strategists to do the job.

Quick tip: From maintaining your account hygiene to brainstorming ideas with persuasive ad copies and fascinating visuals, ANS Commerce is your one-stop solution. We strive to help you get maximum ROAS with sales focused campaigns. Request your free demo today!

5. Focus on festive-oriented Google smart shopping campaigns 

Imagine, you’re searching for home furniture and you come across an ad showcasing the exact leather lounge chair you want. You would either click on the ad or search for that chair on the marketplace. That’s what Google’s smart shopping campaign is capable of. You can easily bring relevant traffic to your website. Initially, the user might not be aware of the brand’s presence. In that case, your persuasive ad copy and eye-pleasing visuals come in handy.

“Google smart shopping campaign also lets you re-target your potential buyers on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.”

6. Indulge in re-marketing to engage with cart-abandoners 

A cart abandonment campaign can let you swing into your potential buyer’s mind. You can track down the people who have products in their carts but haven’t made a purchase. Efficient re-target ads can give them a boost to buy your products by showing them the same time to time.

Quick tip: Email marketing also plays an important role here. You can make the inception of your drip campaign while popping their mailbox with the particular products

7. Use different marketing strategies to persuade different types of customers

Marketing strategies for existing customers don’t go along with strategies made for new customers. Segment your audience into different buckets basis their interaction with your website and catalogue, and then create marketing campaigns for them. Push strategies including SMS marketing, email marketing, and app push notifications help to generate sales while targeting existing customers.

“To blow the minds of your new customers, you can start by strategizing marketing ideas that include exciting festive offers with exclusive gift packs.”

8. Reach your followers with community outreach strategies

Engagement is the key to increased profits. You can only get one if your community is fed daily with unique yet informative content. To master that, you can vouch for festive-oriented contests by arranging your most popular offering as a giveaway. The idea is to create word-of-mouth where your audiences can tag their friends in their stories and posts. Blogging is yet another interesting way to reach your community of followers. You can create engaging content to promote your products. To inform and aware people of your offerings, you can write blogs on your website with CTA (call-to-action) buttons that redirect them to your brandstore. For example, if a person is looking for ethnic wear, then curate a blog about your store’s ethnic collection. Cover all the relevant information including your upcoming offers, the fabric of your ethnic wear, prices, etc.  

“Community engagement ideas wouldn’t just increase your brand’s reach but also strengthen the relationship with your customers, turning them into brand advocates.”

9. Take advantage of Instagram’s new feature

Due to a tremendous increase in online shopping, Instagram has come up with a new option to sell. It has launched a global expansion of its shopping services across IGTV. You can sell and merchandise your products by showcasing your range of products via IGTV. In the future, they might come up with a shopping feature on Instagram’s reels as well. So gear up and try it out before it gets captured by others in the market. 

How to do it?

If you want your customers to get taken by your marketing campaigns with 5X more ROI then you must think of investing in performance marketing. It enables you to measure everything from the reach of your products to the conversion rate. This new age of advertising is completely transparent and lets you pay for successful transactions.

Don’t know how to do that? From checking your brand logo to creating account progress reports to optimizing the load time of the website, ANS Commerce provides you with performance marketing solutions across various channels with a special focus on sales and ROAS. Request your demo for the performance marketing solutions.

What can you expect from us?

  1. Account Hygiene: Be it checking your brand’s logo, getting ad copies approved, or creating account progress reports, we keep our eyes open to assist you anytime.
  2. Tech & Product: We help you in everything from building XML feed for fetching product info to auto sorting of products basis CTR.
  3. Business & Analytics: We have in-house tools for driving market automation and insight mining.

With high traffic on sites and tough competition from other retailers, the festive season is undoubtedly the most crucial yet stressful time of the year. From generating new leads to satisfying existing customers, it might be quite complex but the return you would be enjoying will go beyond this year. If you haven’t already started prepping for the Diwali season, NOW is the time to start. And it goes without saying that time is running out. So grab the opportunity and get a head start on the completion.

How Should You Manage Warehousing Operations Amidst Festive Season? 9 Tips To Improve Supply Chain Flow For Increased Profits!

From buying new clothes to devouring sweets and savories to purchasing gift items, Diwali season is all about materials management. On average, the month of October and November help businesses to increase their inventory by threefold. To meet a surge in the demand, supply chain processes also increase, leaving entrepreneurs with more stress on warehousing and fulfillment services.

To avoid any error, it is important for businesses to prepare a warehouse plan beforehand that not only eliminates chaos but increases profits with grace.

9 Exclusive Tips To Manage Warehousing Operations Amidst Festive Season!

1. Rent additional or temporary warehouse to cater to the festive need

The festive season demands increased inventory, which calls on for more storage space. Small scale and mid-sized businesses generally face this problem as they couldn’t raise the supply due to a shortage in the space. A warehouse comes as a savior during these situations. To match pent up demand, businesses should focus on renting additional warehouses to fill in the gap between the market forces of demand and supply.

2. Hire additional workforce to tackle the last-minute crisis

The rising expectations and demands of potential customers aim towards hiring an additional workforce. Once you start volumizing the storage space, the next step is to staff up. You can think of hiring both permanent and temporary workforce. Setting up a separate refurbishment team is also a good option. The refurbishment team helps to replenish RTO (return on stock) while ensuring better inventory depth.

Quick tip: To avoid the last-minute chaos, businesses must hire a workforce in advance so that they can get trained to manage the peak days. Also, don’t forget to take COVID insurance for your old and new staff.

Small scale and middle-sized businesses generally hire seasonal workers, as they both cost less and work efficiently during the peak season. 

3. Split your inventory into two or more warehouses

Imagine this; you’ve fully stocked your warehouse with your products to meet the festive sale. But due to a sudden hike in the number of COVID cases in that particular area, the government has red-zoned it. You can’t regulate your inventory, leading to a huge loss to both brand equity and finance. 

Quick tip: To avoid any such mishappening, you must focus on more than one warehouse to ensure the ease of movement and the last-minute chaos.

ANS Commerce provides warehousing operations with the help of the latest devices and software. Currently, we are working with 15+ marketplaces to enable brands’ presence across long-tail marketplaces. Request your demo for the warehousing solution.

4. Hire temporary vehicles for smooth functioning

Businesses can reckon upon hiring a temporary yet dedicated vehicle to manage small scale B2B volumes. Backed by the transport system, not only does it ensure quicker delivery but also helps the business to generate more sales.

5. Adopt new ways to train the staff

Tech-driven warehouses are the best to operate. You can start by installing videos and e-posters on the premise explaining the complete process. This helps newly-trained staff to avoid any mistakes while saving time and efforts of the supervisor, who can focus on other big operations. 

Interactive training sesh also motivates workers to enhance their performance, which reduces absenteeism.

6. Take insurance of all the inventory

You must have a risk management plan to prepare yourself for any future loss or mishap. Taking insurance of your inventory is essential especially during peak season when your inventory levels are relatively higher. The inventory insurance policy usually covers various types of damage including, handling damage, theft, fire, and any natural disaster. 

7. Warehouse maintenance is essential

Your success is directly dependent on how you handle your warehouse. To meet a surge in the business, it is rather important that you do daily-checks of the equipment. From the lift to power conveyors, to scanners, to generators, you must make sure that you have maintained the entire inventory handling equipment before you hit the festive season.

8. Avoid thefts and pilferages

Your warehouse is likely equipped with more inventory than usual. This increases the chance of robbery and theft. Therefore, you must install more security cameras in the warehouse. Also, you must focus on keeping a complete record of your inventory.

Quick tip: You can even think of hiring additional security guards to prevent your business from theft and pilferage.

9. Keep a track of marketplaces restrictions

There are a few marketplaces that place a restriction on the change in the address of the warehouse. If that’s the case with you then figure it out and ensure that the movement takes place before such restrictions are put in.

How to do it?

If you are worried about how to manage your inventory during the peak season, then we are here to assist. With end-to-end fulfillment and logistics- from the product in warding to delivery, ANS Commerce is specialized to cater to all your e-commerce needs. We manage warehouse and supply chain across all channels, including multi-category storage support and return management with JIT flexibility. Request your demo for the warehousing solution.

What can you expect from ANS Commerce?

  1. Order processing: We handle the complete ‘pick-patch-dispatch’ process and the manifestation of your B2C orders, including B2B marketplace delivery with integrated logistics
  2. Return Management: We receive, re-label, and pack products with better QC standards; report cancellations, and returns
  3. Third-party coordination:  We ensure timely delivery with an optimized cost for both domestic and international inventories. Also, we enable marketplace shipment with trusted partners – Delhivery, Bluedart, FedEx, India Post, etc.

Managing warehousing amidst the festive season seems like a complex task but the returns of it go beyond the peak months. Prep your warehouse by planning beforehand; bringing in more workforce, renting more storage space, installing optimized technology, and ensuring regular maintenance.

Is Your Website Festive-Ready? Gear Up To Light Your Online Brand Store With 8 Ultimate Ideas!

Few days ahead of the festive season and shopkeepers are starting to revamp their shops with festive lights and gift packs. That’s what planning is all about. Before a festive season starts you buck up to attract your customer base. Just imagine, if brick and mortar shops are prepping up to makeover their stores from scratch then what do you have in mind to light-up the digital attire of your online brand store?

To attract your customer base with vibrant festive themes, it is rather important to deck up your website with festive cheers. Well, don’t get crippled over the growing competition, as we provide you with an array of ideas. Not only does it help you to increase sales, but also improves your brand’s online equity.

Before we delve into ideas about how you can revamp your website for the festive season, let’s dive deeper into your goals and how to set them.

How To Set Up Your Goals?

To set up your goals, you first need to get the hang of your customer base. Consumer segmentation is an important factor in marketing. Check the type and kind of customers you deal with and then tally the results with your product offerings. Designing the website without positioning your goals is merely a waste of your time and effort. With that, you also need to check upon your short-term objectives. Would you want to generate sales or just viral your brand presence, or would you rather want to position your products in the customer’s mind? It’s important that you come up with an action plan. 

8 ultimate e-commerce ideas to light-up your online brandstore this festive season!

1. Make your brandstore’s UI/UX festive-friendly 

UI/UX is the foremost point to be taken into consideration while revamping your website for the festive season. Start by modifying your website’s attire with festive-friendly features and sunshine themes. Also, with the advancement in technology, there is a rapid increase in smartphone users, who also use their smartphones to shop on various websites. Thus, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and opens immediately without taking halts in-between. Nobody has a minute to spare, especially amidst the hustle-bustle of the festive season. To avoid any glitch, make a festive-friendly action plan beforehand

“How you should make-over your brand-store will depend on the uniqueness of your business, but the advantage of that will go beyond the festive season.” 

2. Check your web store’s navigation

Picture this; you’ve reached a hyper-local store to run some errands. But, you can’t navigate the items you came to buy. How would you feel? The same way, if your website’s visitor can’t find what they wanted to get, then it will directly have an effect on your site’s conversions, sales, and bounce rates. To avoid any hassle, create complete hierarchical website navigation that helps your visitors find out your festive combo offers and deals in a jiffy.

3. Optimize your site’s content to improve the search results

optimize

A rational customer generally looks for the first three SERPs when browsing for a particular idea. If your website is not SEO friendly and doesn’t land up on the initial result page with happy festive keywords then you’re losing the game. Look for relevant content ideas and nourish your website’s content including product descriptions and banner ad copies with specific keywords. Play with the ideas and check what works best.

4. Create a festive version of your brand logo

Colors play a major role to reflect your corporate identity. A logo is the voice of the brand and playing with it is not an easy thing to do. You can’t change your logo altogether for a temporary festive season. Instead, think of changing the hues to match the happy sunshine vibes. Not only does it showcase that your business is celebrating national festivities, but also helps to boost your sales.

“Keeping harmony between bright hues and minimal design is the key to steal your customer’s heart.”

5. Optimize your site’s content to improve the researches

A rational customer generally looks for the first three SERPs when browsing for a particular idea. If your website is not SEO friendly and doesn’t land up on the initial result pages with happy festive keywords then you’re losing the game. Look for relevant content ideas and nourish your website’s content including product descriptions and banner ad copies with specific keywords. Play with the ideas and check what works best.

6. Introduce a new feature to manage refunds

With increased sales, refunds have also become a common issue. When a customer returns a product, then they tend to face a problem in refunds. This not only degrades the reputation of your website but also wipes-off your strategies to retain loyal customers. Thus, it’s important to create a segment on your website where your customer can check the refund status.


To enjoy services like these, you can check up on Kartify- handcrafted to deliver exceptional e-commerce experience. Having come with a refund manager, Kartify assists you to process refunds on both prepaid and COD orders. Request your demo for Kartify solution.

7. Include your product offerings with deals and discounts

If you get extra money on the top of the discounts, then why would you be not interested? It is a great strategy to pull-off sales in bulk. Many retailers’ offers great discounts and cashback offers by partnering up with various other cashback enabled websites. You can also start up with programs that give early-bird discounts and better offers while they shop.

discounts

“Now’s the time to showcase your unique value proposition while including exclusive offers and discounts.”

8. Enable a gift card option to your website

gift card

Showing gratitude by giving gifts to friends and family is an essential part of Diwali. Thus, start by introducing e-gift cards, which will enable your customers to give exciting gifts to their loved ones. With this, not only can you increase your customer retention, but can also spread happiness on their faces.  

To make you enjoy this feature, ANS Commerce has enabled gift cards on Kartify. It’s an easier way to increase your customer loyalty. Also, this festive season, we have decided to offer it for *FREE*. Chase the offer before it ends.

To know more about the gift card module, check out this.

How to execute the ideas?

If you want your customers to get smitten by your web store then you must think of getting your hands on Kartify, a complete store-front platform by ANS Commerce. It helps you manage your brand store with extensive tech options and 60+ third-party integrations. With that, it also offers you value-packed features that are fully customizable UI/UX including menu layout, filter, cashback, COD fee, sales promotion, and many more features.

Revamping your website seems like a lot, but it can be very gratifying. Start strategizing your re-launch plan to give a boost to your sales and online presence. We want you to get your website all cheered up drop us a mail at [email protected] to get the free demo.