Script by Godrej and Boyce has launched a number of products including an Ecosystem that supports all our work from home needs, one that lets us bond over meals as most people are spending a lot of their time at home with their families.
The brand has also launched a contactless Whatsapp experience for consumers so that they don’t miss out on these premium products. The brand’s core TG is the urban Tier 1 audience that has a millennial way of thinking and Script has made all efforts to make sure that their TG is well served.
Rajat Mathur, Business Head, Script by Godrej and Boyce spoke exclusively to Medianews4u about the new initiative and the brand’s expectations.
Read on.
How has Script by Godrej and Boyce adapted to the new normal?
This year has been difficult for everyone. As home time has increased, so has the relevance of home décor. Amidst this, Script is positioning itself as something that helps people justify their needs. In place of regular brand messaging and product pushing, we are communicating messages that relate to the lifestyle changes, and are relevant to positioning the products as needs and essentials.
Additionally, owing to the surge in WFH furniture, tables, chairs and others, we have focused our upcoming designs to cater to the pain points and requirements of today. Operationally, we are strengthening our digital accessibility for consumers with strategic approaches, such as turning our stores digital via WhatsApp.
What are some of the product innovations that the brand has been working on?
Script as a brand has always been design-forward. Our designs have evolved with the changing needs of consumers. The work from home segment is extremely important for us and we are working on coming up with smart solutions towards the same with the intent of giving our customers the greatest level of experience while they work from their home spaces. We are in the process of designing compact WFH ecosystems which will be out in the market by November this year.
While WFH is big today, Script is committed to providing creative solutions for other key activities in the home space and those which are integral to today’s urban living. So we are working on creating solutions for TV binging, Socializing, Reading, other me time activities and so on and so forth.
As per your research, what are the changes in consumer behavior in terms of buying, consumption or lifestyle have you noticed? And how have you used those insights in adapting those changes to the business?
As the world goes through a pandemic, the following trends have emerged out during this phase and we believe strongly that these are here to stay for good:
- Home is the centre of people’s universe
- Rise of work from home essentials
- Home activities with family
- Furniture is central to all activities
- Home aesthetics and functionality matter
- Furniture is the new essential
The pandemic has catalyzed online retail growth across categories. We are hopeful of improving our online sales. Definitely creating a great omnichannel experience for the customer is the way forward for us.
What is the core TG for the brand? Has there been a change post the lockdown?
Script has always been about premium and eclectic offerings. Our core TG is the urban Tier 1 audience that has a millennial way of thinking. For someone with an eye for aesthetics, design and comfort, Script provides a unique catalogue.
Tell us about the contactless Shopping on WhatsApp? How will that unfold?
Social distancing is likely to stay for a long time. The change in consumer behavior towards retail shopping, has called for technology integration in retail for enhancing customer experience. The WhatsApp store activation has been quite imperative for consumers to help interact and engage with us. With a very simple user interface this platform allows us to offer virtual store tours, upload campaigns, catalogues, brand/product stories and much more. It also helps us with customer query resolutions since it enables us to be in direct contact with them. Currently, we have converted 3 of our stores to WhatsApp namely, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
The response since the launch has been very encouraging we have started getting a lot of enquiries on the WhatsApp store and have had conversions too in most of our stores. The best part is that most of these conversions have large ticket values.
Are you also marketing the brand to corporates as a lot of companies may want to set up WFH desks for their teams? Your plans on B2B marketing for the brand?
No we are not looking at creating office furniture solutions at this stage. However, office interiors are becoming more casual and the lines between home and office furniture are blurring specially in the MNC segment, we have started receiving quite a few orders from within our existing home range of products.
What have been your observations on the return of customers to your various retail outlets post the opening of the lockdown?
Since our stores re-opened, we have seen a surge in the level of footfalls we are getting. It is almost the same as last year for the same period. This reinstates our firm belief that furniture is the new essential. During the lockdown people have had an opportunity to interact with their home space unlike ever before and this will only evolve for the good as we look at a new normal. Consumers today realise that this pandemic has led to a permanent cultural shift, WFH being a prime example.
The post COVID era will greet consumers with a very different level of shopping experience powered by technology. And to keep up with the industry trends and demands, we are looking at adding 5 new stores every year for the next 3 years.
