Godrej Capital is the financial services arm of the Godrej Industries Group and the holding company for Godrej Housing Finance & Godrej Finance. With a digital-first approach and a focus on customer-centric product innovation, Godrej Capital offers loans for housing, such as Home Loans and Plot Loans, and secured and unsecured loans for businesses, such as Loan Against Property, Udyog Loan Against Property, and Business Loans. It is positioned to diversify into other customer segments and products. The company is focused on building a long-term, sustainable retail financial services business in India, anchored on the Godrej Industries Group’s 127-year legacy of trust and excellence. Godrej Capital focusses on learning and development across its employee base and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as a guiding principle.
Godrej Capital was recognised as one of India’s Top 50 Best Workplaces in BFSI for 2023 and as one of India’s Great Mid-Size Workplaces for 2023. Additionally, it was named the Best Organization for Women by The Economic Times for both 2022 and 2023, and the Best Workplace for Women by Great Place to Work® in both 2022 and 2023. Godrej Capital currently has its footprint across 40+ cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Indore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Alwar, Aurangabad, Baroda, Coimbatore, Jalandhar, Jodhpur, Kanchipuram, Mangalore, Salem, Ludhiana, Mysore, Nagpur, Nashik, Rajkot, Udaipur, Vapi, Vijayawada, Rangareddy, Vishakhapatnam, Thane, Lucknow, Panipat, Kanpur, Raipur, Kolhapur, Rajamundry, Warangal, Hubli, Cochin, Hosur and Madurai.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Nalin Jain, CMO, Godrej Capital to find out about marketing activities planned for the festive season.
- How is the festive season looking for Godrej Capital? What are the expectations for the financial sector during the festive season?
For Godrej Capital, the festive season looks promising, particularly in serving our core focus group: MSMEs. We expect a significant rise in loan demand as businesses look to raise capital to serve the increased consumer spending during the festive period. MSMEs typically face the challenge of balancing cash flow, expanding inventory, and managing operational costs. With our tailored product offerings like ‘Design Your EMI’ and ‘Flexi Funds’ (an overdraft-like facility), we are well-positioned to meet these needs, offering flexibility and ease in managing finances during this crucial time.
For the financial sector, the festive season typically translates to higher credit uptake, as businesses across industries seek liquidity to scale operations and make the most of festive sales. The sector is bracing for robust growth, with NBFCs playing a pivotal role in providing accessible financing solutions.
- How do festive financial needs differ across various regions in India?
Festive financial needs in India vary greatly across regions, much like the unique traditions that define each celebration. For instance, during Diwali, retailers in metro cities often require larger loans to invest in inventory and marketing, while in the South, festivals like Pongal and Onam see more immediate, smaller cash flow requirements to support agricultural cycles and local festive goods.
Recognising these nuances, our processes ensure quick loan disbursals and tailored support to meet these varied regional requirements. By understanding the unique needs of businesses across different geographies, we enable them to capitalize on festive opportunities efficiently.
- How is ‘Inclusivity’ as a core value resonating with consumers according to research done?
The core value of ‘inclusivity’ strongly resonates with consumers, as shown by our research. At Godrej we believe what’s good for society is good for business. This principle also manifests in our lending philosophy. Inclusivity for us means ensuring that credit is accessible to underserved segments, including women entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs with disabilities, and members of the queer community.
We focus on bias-free lending, striving to bridge the credit gap by offering flexible eligibility criteria. For instance, our Udyog Loan Against Property accepts a wide range of collaterals and income sources, providing more flexibility for businesses to access credit. Additionally, we have pioneered home loans for same-sex partners and are working on launching home loan products specifically designed for affordable housing finance.
By offering tailored financial solutions, such as flexible repayment options and longer loan tenures, we empower businesses to grow without being burdened by rigid structures. Our high NPS scores consistently reflect the trust we’ve built by positioning ourselves as enablers of growth rather than just lenders. This commitment to inclusivity affirms its positive impact in the market, ensuring that our values resonate with diverse customer segments.
- Therefore, when marketing campaigns are conceived, is inclusivity of prime importance?
Absolutely. Inclusivity is at the heart of all our marketing efforts. Whether it’s our Women’s Day campaign or the ongoing ‘Be Festive’ campaign, each is designed to be inclusive in tone and representation, focusing on women entrepreneurs, micro-businesses, and self-employed professionals. Campaigns like ‘Hum Samajhte Hain Business’ and ‘Iss Loan Mein Load Nahin’ have been crafted with gender-neutral language and regional inclusivity in mind.
To enhance accessibility, we ensure that our campaigns have regional versions tailored to various geographies, ensuring local relevance. In the near future, we plan to make all our communications—whether it’s our website or customer engagement—available in multiple languages. Leveraging GenAI will play a key role in this expansion, enabling us to deliver hyper-personalised, multi-language content seamlessly across our mediums.
- What marketing and brand-building activities will Godrej Capital be doing in the lead-up to and during the festive season?
This festive season, we are launching an extensive, multi-channel campaign that covers a DVC, along with digital, BTL, and direct marketing efforts across 39 cities and seven languages. Our strategy is designed to ensure comprehensive reach and engagement with our target audience. We are not just placing ads; we are embedding ourselves within the daily touchpoints of our customers.
Our campaign will feature region-specific messaging and branding activities, such as cab branding, to enhance visibility and connection. By offering content and communication in multiple languages, we aim to address the diverse needs of business owners from metropolitan areas to smaller towns. Furthermore, by engaging with our channel partners, we are widening our reach and footprint. Additionally, we are leveraging tech to streamline and personalize these communications, ensuring that our messaging resonates on a local level and supports our goal of becoming a trusted partner for businesses throughout the festive season.
- Is the marketing focus going to rest mainly on digital media through a mix of social media, personalization, and the app? Will data analytics be important?
Yes, our marketing-focus this season is heavily digital, with a strong emphasis on personalisation. We’re using advanced MarTech tools to analyze data, segment audiences, and deliver hyper-targeted, multimedia-rich content. This approach allows us to understand each customer’s preferred mode of communication and unique needs, enabling us to offer tailored solutions.
However, recognising that people are often out and about during the festive season, we are investing in transit advertising. By placing our messages in high-traffic areas and on transit mediums, we aim to engage with customers where they are actively moving through their daily routines. This multi-channel strategy ensures we reach our audience both digitally and physically, enhancing our overall visibility and impact.
- What role do content marketing avenues like webinars, podcasts, and blog posts play in educating consumers?
Content marketing is part of our long-term strategy and is an ongoing effort to have meaningful conversations with our customers. Through our Knowledge Centre, we share blog posts and guides that break down complex financial concepts into actionable advice for business owners. We ensure to create content that cover everything from cash flow management to leveraging loans for growth, ensuring that business owners are well-prepared for their business journey.
- What strategy does Godrej Capital follow to participate in the consumer conversation on social media?
Our strategy on social media is centred around meaningful engagement and authentic interactions. We see social media as a platform for building connections and fostering conversations. For example, during MSME Day, we launched the ‘Ally in Business Growth’ campaign, inviting small business owners from diverse backgrounds—such as women entrepreneurs, those with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ community members—to share their business journeys through video submissions. This campaign not only celebrated their achievements but also actively involved them in our narrative.
In the upcoming campaign, we plan to bring forward a lot of real-life growth and success stories of our customers to power the campaign with organic reach and authentic content.
We continuously engage with our audience through various initiatives like these, ensuring our content reflects their interests and experiences. By using data analytics, we adapt our approach to align with the topics and themes that matter most to our audience, fostering a dialogue that is both relevant and impactful.
- Godrej Capital had done a campaign for Women’s Day. Is that a faster-growing consumer base in the finance sector compared to a decade back?
The financial landscape for women has transformed dramatically over the past decade. Women are no longer just participants—they’re driving forces in the MSME sector. Our Women’s Day campaign underscored this shift by promoting our Business Loans for women with discounted offerings, which saw a tremendous response.
Today, women are more financially empowered, seeking loans to fuel their entrepreneurial dreams. What’s exciting is that this segment is growing not just in volume but in diversity of types of businesses — women are increasingly becoming key players in the financial ecosystem.
- What role is AI playing for Godrej Capital in areas like chatbots, hyper-targeted messaging at scale, removing repetitive tasks?
As a customer-obsessed brand, our commitment to technology is integral in all our business aspects. Currently, our chatbot, GIA, has been serving as a reliable resource for addressing common customer queries around the clock for over two years.
We are actively integrating GenAI to enhance our customer-centric operations. This includes exploring advancements that will improve efficiency and personalise our customer interactions even further. Meanwhile, we are focussed on personalised communication to ensure that each customer receives relevant and timely information.
As AI technology evolves in the BFSI sector, we will continuously adapt and improve our processes, striving to offer a seamless and tailored experience for our customers. Our ongoing efforts reflect our dedication to staying ahead of technological trends and enhancing customer service.
