It’s a known fact. Online retail in India still comes in small numbers. Say about 1% of the organised retail market. But that online shoppers are growing in count is another fact known to most by now. Think about it – we’re referring to the last time your friend booked a couple of tickets for a show at the multiplex, or your dad ordered a cassette for his ten year-old handycam, or you played a good husband (or boyfriend) by buying a night of comfort for your mother-in-law (or would-be mother-in-law) by buying a two-tier AC train ticket on Indian Railways’ official website. Shoppers in India are showing confidence in the online market format, and many web portals are making merry in the process.
In 2012, the online retail segment posted a 122% growth y-o-y with revenues rising to $14 billion. Jabong.com, which experiences more than 8.2 million unique visitors every month (comScore data) – a 12.1% share in the online market – is one player that is serious on riding the high tide. With awareness and Internet penetration increasing, Jabong is right on the money.
Clutter is an issue though. With the flood of online shopping portals in India since 2010, the crowd is expectedly worrisome for a year-old portal like Jabong. Yes, the portal enjoys good word of mouth amongst youth in the country, not just for its basket of products of over of 900 brands (a common sight on most portals today), but for its superior logistics (that ensures delivery in quick time). Late last year, Jabong.com became the first online portal to promise delivery of goods purchased online on the same day. The company as of today, possesses more than 55,000 Special Packaging Units that boost its delivery mechanism across India.
The company has also made efforts to connect with consumers through TVCs a couple of times in the past year. The first TVC was rolled out in March 2012 (in which a young man warns viewers against telling their wives, girlfriends or sisters about Jabong). A similar ad was repeated in September 2012 (where a lady explains about how her husband, son and daughter have all become as mad as a March hare due to Jabong). The company now plans to launch the next TVC in the first week of February 2013. Unlike the previous two TVCs, that informed online shoppers about Jabong’s product offerings and free delivery and return services, there has been a shift in gear this time around. The forthcoming TVC (with the tagline: “Fashion Nikla Mann Fisla”) will carry the humorous flavour forward but will talk more about how addictive shopping on Jabong.com can get. In an exclusive conversation with 4Ps B&M, Manu Kumar Jain, MD & Co-founder, Jabong.com, discusses about the concept behind the new TVC, “Jabong has always validated and emphasised on the concept of ‘shopaholism’ throughout its communication. The idea this time is to communicate Jabong.com as a one stop shop for the youth and how tempting the portal is for shoppers.” It is therefore not about only products and service anymore.
The creative duties for the new TVC were allotted to Draft FCB Ulka, with clear instructions from the company that the task this time was to highlight an unparalleled shopping experience at the web portal. The agency is associated with the brand since its early days and has therefore executed creation of the ad in a manner so as to showcase the brand as youthful with a message to establish Jabong as a tempting fashion stop. “Jabong has taken a different path than its competitors by focusing on the shopper’s attitude. The TVC brilliantly elucidates the allegory of the company being a temptation island, where the consumer will be selfish for his shopping needs and prioritise them over all else,” says Sanjay Sharma, Group CD, Draftfcb Ulka.
So how does the TVC – that you wouldn’t have seen yet – flow? It opens in a restaurant. The husband is busy checking wristwatches on the iPad, while the wife is teaching English alphabets to their child. The lady tells her husband that it’s time for their child to be admitted to playschool. She says, “Yaar ab isey playschool mein daalna hi padega. Savings haina?” The husband mumbles something, and in the next few seconds diverts her attention by showing her dresses on Jabong.com. He then tells her, “Kitna masoom hai yey. Kyu iske bachpan ki lene mein lage hai hum. Phir to umar bhar padhna hi hai isey.” [Translation: “He is so innocent. Why are we spoiling his childhood. Eventually, he will have to study all his life.”] The next shot opens in their house. A delivery person from Jabong rings the door bell. The husband and wife are then shown trying out their purchases from Jabong. When the wife asks the husband about their child’s education, he replies that they will not compromise with his education. She can teach the child in the morning and evening! [“Iski education ke saath no compromise. Subah tum padhaogi, aur shaam ko bhi tum.”] Saying this, he continues showing his new watches to his wife. The TVC ends with a VO, “Fashion nikla toh mann fisla”.
When 4Ps B&M spoke to the production team, they said that capturing the film on camera was easy, but the toddler was some trouble. Sharma of Draftfcb Ulka recalls, “The toddler was giving excellent expressions when the camera was mostly on the parents. Later, when the focus was on him, he started crying. It took a great tact on the part of the production team to lure him with toys and sweets.” To this, Jain of Jabong adds, “During the shoot, the baby cried for almost 2-3 hours and the shoot came to a halt. Everyone at the shoot tried their best to soothe the baby but nobody could. Finally, the lead models and the director managed it. This incident created a mess then.” At present, Jabong and other shopping portals are doing brisk business. But clutter is the poison that could spoil the party. India is still a sleepy online shopping town. But the transformation has begun with bolder new shoppers crowding the Internet. And if players like Jabong continue to shake up idiotboxes, they could even give the brick-and-mortar format a run for the buyers’ money. Actually, they will.
