Marketing tips to enhance a brand's reach in order to boost sales amidst the pandemic.

The pandemic impacted several industries across the globe and the retail & apparel sector witnessed a huge slump in sales during the lockdown period. However, with ease in restrictions and people getting back to routine life, the situation is gradually improving. The pandemic has given a lot of new insights to marketers, showing drastic change in both consumer behaviour and attitude towards choosing a brand or purchasing products. As the traditional approach or push strategy is not quite working in the new normal, retailers are bringing in innovative technologies to provide a great experience to the shoppers. Here are a few marketing tips to enhance a brand's reach and customer engagements in order to boost sales:

Relook your e-commerce site: The contagion has enforced every business to shift focus from offline to online. It is crucial to ensure that a tactical approach is taken to provide customers with a better experience. The user-interface and journey of an e-commerce website matters the most. This is a platform where you get an opportunity to set clear expectations for your audiences. Keeping the homepage attractive and showcasing top brands and best-selling products on it grabs attention. A seamless payment method and allowing varied options to make the payment is of utmost importance.

Bank on social media: This is the era of social media. It is a necessity now to be a part of the social media universe and promote your brand to the right set of audiences. Weaving messages based on topical trends and social developments have been a must. 'Marketing with purpose' is a widely discussed topic these days. Retail brands are carefully picking up those causes which resonate with the brand's personality and creating huge campaigns to convey a strong and positive message to its audience.  This is a great way of expressing support to the society and portraying a positive image.

Use technology: Retailers are widely adopting technologies like virtual and augmented reality for enhancing the customer experience. Technology is helping brands save a lot of money, ease out transactions, track and monitor inventories along with providing better services. Customisation and personalisation are possible with the help of user data, analytics, search history, and reactions in the digital platforms. Robotic store assistants and chatbots are also being widely used by retail brands in India. 

Making the in-store experience faster: One of the worst parts about offline shopping is waiting in long queues in front of the billing counters. And ever since the spread of the novel coronavirus, it is a practice that needs to end. A few retail stores have already adapted to this by using technology like self-checkout from the store app, where the customer can scan the QR code on the product through the app and pay online. It has not only made the shopping experience faster but also much more convenient. Every retailer and brand must implement this method in the new normal.

Influencer marketing is key: Today's consumers do not rely on advertisements or traditional ways of promotion. Word-of-mouth is a highly effective medium of marketing a product. Figuring out the right match of influencer is the foremost step. The followers do not only act on the basis of the testimonials but also notice if they are using it in their routine life. Hence, tactically promoting the brand and products in their handles is of vital importance. Both micro and macro influencers have the potential to elevate a brand's likeability and customer base to the targeted set of audiences.  

These are some strategies that will allow retailers move forward with seamless operations and get the business back on track.