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The Indian retail landscape has taken us on an exhilarating journey over the last couple of decades. What was once heavily reliant on traditional customer service is now witnessing a profound shift鈥攖he rise of the self-reliant shopper. It is quite tricky to figure out exactly what triggered this shift in consumer psychology. A possible explanation could be as simple as this - Indian shoppers increasingly value autonomy and control. 

The desire for control

A brand鈥檚 customer care quality was once a very common discussion. Chats over coffee would include the speed with which online brands answered order query calls, the steps taken for resolution, and just how quickly everything got sorted. Shoppers today shirk at the very thought of reaching out to a customer support executive, raising tickets, and following up on multiple emails. Consumers no longer consider self-serve solutions a convenient option but an absolute baseline expectation.

With India鈥檚 smartphone user base expected to cross 1 billion, with 56% of new users joining the ranks from rural India, digital literacy and internet penetration are soaring. They all have one thing in common: the desire for control.

How much control can a brand give its customers?

Everyone has been emphasizing the importance of branded order tracking as a key step in reducing a shopper鈥檚 dependence on the brand for updates.

And so, with tracking off the topic, what else are brands supposed to focus on? Can brands blend operations of brick-and-mortar with ecommerce to provide flexible and easy shopping? Are there ways to retain revenue when it comes to exchanges while giving the shopper the upper hand in decision-making?

While offering immediate returns/exchange solutions, how can a brand go above and beyond to support more convenient options? What are ways in which the delivery of a product to a shopper is pretty much guaranteed?

How much control can a brand give its customers to ensure loyalty and empower self-reliance while staying the course on the uptick? Supporting modern shoppers in their pursuit of informed independence is achievable throughout the entire purchase journey. So, let鈥檚 dive in.

Enhancing shopper autonomy

Pre-empting potential issues by guiding shoppers to take charge of their choices plays to the goal of consumer autonomy. While offering alternate options, brands stay ahead by not losing out on revenue retention opportunities, and customers are given the ability to pick and play without having to rely on external support. Just by tweaking current offerings, brands can experience a massive positive impact in terms of how shoppers interact with their online and offline stores.

The BOPIS Edge

Brands that have implemented omnichannel functionalities in their business offer customers two options on their product page - an EDD as well as the option to pick up the product at a nearby store. This simple feature gives shoppers the ability to choose as they please. If the displayed EDD is longer than they鈥檇 like, all shoppers need to do is buy online and head to the closest retail outlet to pick up the product. This cuts through the chaos of browsing in a crowded store and queueing up at the till. This concept is known as BOPIS - Buy Online, Pickup In Store.

Under H&M鈥檚 Pickup in Store option, the brand also displays the sizes and color options that are currently available for a product at relevant locations in the selected city. Meanwhile, Decathlon specifies the date and time a product will be ready for pickup, accounting for possible store-to-store transfers as well. 

And..there is 鈥楤ORIS鈥� too!

A sister functionality is BORIS, which allows shoppers to Buy Online, Return-In Store. This works extremely well if the product received has a size issue or a color issue or even if the online store doesn鈥檛 offer site-wide exchanges. While this works as an additional return mode for customers, walking into the store and seeing other products could nudge them to opt for an exchange instead.

Site-wide exchanges are a big step toward revenue retention. If a shopper buys a product and doesn鈥檛 like it, offering them an exchange across a whole catalog of products reduces the chances of a knee-jerk return. Brands like Plaeto, Cult Store, and Crocodile are taking the lead in offering this R&E feature, drastically cutting down a shopper鈥檚 reliance on refunds and returns-related support.

Allowing shoppers to re-schedule deliveries and pickups via the store app or website is also a great way to give them control over important decisions and helps cut down unnecessary communication hassles and delivery woes. In case of any rescheduling, a simple automated flow can help collect customer edits and convey them to the delivery partner.

The last word

Consumers today expect rapid resolutions and command over delivery & pickup. They desire self-care over customer care. On the other hand, brands are doing everything in their power to improve their customer NPS, reduce costs associated with shipping, and nurture brand loyalty. There is a fine line between customer expectations and sustainable brand initiatives that allows room for creative strategizing.

Collecting and analyzing Net Promoter Scores (NPS) is a great way to identify just where the problem areas of a brand lie. Doing so helps businesses invest in the right solutions to course-correct their operational style and improve decision-making.

We are moving into an increasingly 鈥淚ntelligence鈥� driven world. Companies that provide logistics solutions for ecommerce and retail brands are coming up with revolutionary, ground-breaking products to solve the tiniest hiccup. (After all, it is often the tiniest blip that starts a big social media ruckus.)

It is time for brands to embrace cutting-edge, tech-forward solutions that blend online and offline services, provide shoppers self-service access, improve their reach into rural digital India, and enhance every single customer touchpoint while staying just a step ahead of their shopper鈥檚 expectations.

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