DQ Channels talked to Samir Mehta, VP, TAIT on the IT hardware retailers' digital plans. Following are his responses.
IT hardware retailers are facing difficulties in the aftermath of lockdown and also stiff competition from the E-commerce companies. In such a circumstance, it is a smart strategy for them to go online and attempt to capture their customers online. In this context, the responses received in this interview are significant. It shows that the offline IT retailers want to move online and they are already making efforts in this direction. Those who have not joined the digital tech, are making attempts to do so.
What strategies are the IT retailers adopting to recover their business loss?
IT retailers are adopting various strategies like bundling/kitting relevant accessories/products with the main product. They are starting their stores early at 8am, providing product delivery support to the customers.
Do they have an E-store profile on IndiaMART etc? Are they getting inquiries there?
Some IT retailers have E-store profile on Online selling portal like IndiaMART; some of them are creating E-store profile. There enquiries do come from such portals.
Do they generally promote their E-stores on social media etc?
They do generally promote their E-stores on social media and also through other modes of the communication.
What do they think about joining WhatsApp platforms that are created to onboard retailers?
Through this platform retailers’ queries related to onboarding are getting addressed, so they are quite willing to join such platforms.
Omnichannel has been very successful for fashion industry. What do you think of the utility of Omnichannel for IT retail?
For IT retail Omnichannel in complete sense is yet to be established due to various aspects of business- like supply chain, needs/requirements perspective are altogether different and wide in nature.