“E-Commerce Has Yet To Achieve Maturity In The Indian Market”

“E-Commerce Has Yet To Achieve Maturity In The Indian Market”

Business Partners are an integral part of any business and it plays very crucial role in the success of business. Brands always understand the importance of offline and online partners. In today’s digital world, online strategy has also become integral part of leading brands. Praveen Valecha, Regional Director, TCL India, shared some insights about their online channel plans in an exclusive interaction with DT.

DT: How important do you see the role of channel partners for your business to grow in India?  

Mr. Praveen: Channel partners for Alcatel form the backbone of operations in India. Since Alcatel is primarily an online brand, the partnership with e-tailors brings efficiencies in reach and scale. We rely on our channel to accurately understand product requirement, for demand forecast and for co-marketing. Better Marketing: We reach marketing mix by investing in marketing on the platform through Flipkart brand ads/ Amazon Marketing Services along with other digital interventions in search and display to ensure we are reaching to a highly relevant audience.  We supplement the investments with spends on ATL during product launches/ partner-led events. 

DT: How do you assure better marketing support, training, rewards to your partners?      

Mr. Praveen: We provide instant support for escalated cases, FAQs and monitor ratings and reviews very closely to ensure that any customer on the platform has access to the right information.  Instead of rewarding the channel partners we reward the customers through various EMI schemes, exchange offers, and data packages. The quicker churn ensures channel partners are rewarded subsequently.

DT: What are the emerging opportunities for partners to add more value to their existing business model? 

Mr. Praveen: There are various opportunities for knowledge sharing, co-marketing and enhancing the end user experience. E-commerce business model is centered around providing a wider selection and competitive prices to the customers. The customer rewards the platform by providing valuable traffic and repeats purchases. We strive to launch the best technology available globally and Indian prices. Timely launches, especially in underserved segments such as large screen tablets and premium designed budget smartphones; ensure that the objectives of the brand as well as channel partner are met. 

DT: What is the major challenge for online partners currently? 

Mr. Praveen: E-commerce has yet to achieve maturity in the Indian market, at times there is a tendency to focus on the “new” rather than the “lasting” In the rush to provide wider selection at times relationships with brands suffer, this is challenge in-built in the business model itself. We address this issue by focusing on exclusive product launches and participating in long-term MoUs. This ensures that we are able to take a long-term perspective on growth, profitability and brand building.

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