2021 - Looking ahead: Where do we go from here?

BongWater Films created a shopification experience for Pero`s collection at Ogaan store in Delhi

There were barely any catwalk shows in 2020. Instead, there were discussions about sustainability and inclusivity, changing customer demographic, habits and their response to digital stimuli. Anchal Jain suggests redesigning the broader industry understanding of an omni-brand that's available across omni-channels. "[Instead], build a brand that means more to the customers that trust it, engages in more meaningful ways and is omnipresent," says Jain, founding partner, Val-More Action Advisory.

The brands need to offer purpose to the customer in 2021 by thinking beyond being the maker of a piece of clothing to being a trusted personal stylist. "Introduce more convenience with shopping from home that would mean new last mile connectivity, integrating tech tools like shop-able videos, to bridge the omni-channels," elaborates Jain. Among the players in the virtual experiences field, many are focusing on creating virtual events- "a blanket term used for anything online," thinks Siddharth Seth, creative director at BongWater Films, the Delhi-based boutique VR Studio. "However, a virtual reality experience with a 360-degree field of view is a different league altogether.

The challenge is to find a creative application of VR and make it accessible," adds Seth, the creator behind VR projects for Pero's in-store collection, Good earth's 10th anniversary show and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Dr Bhau Daji Lad (BDL) Museum, the city's oldest, was also the first to display a stunning speed of digital adaptation when it was invited by the Google Arts and Culture platform in 2016 to showcase its collection. "One of the many merits of digital outreach is our access to a global audience. Our first webinar was viewed by 2,000 people on YouTube," informs Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and Hon. Director at BDL.

Despite the fashion industry suffering its worst year with almost three quarters of listed companies losing money, a report by Business of Fashion and McKinsey states that online fashion sales nearly doubled from 16-29 per cent of total revenues, and 71 per cent of fashion executives now expect their online business to grow by 20 per cent or more in 2021. What does "online" mean for sectors like fashion and art that thrive on human connection? Why does an authentic story matter? What are the digital natives - generation Z and millennials - looking for in a brand?

Relook at the physical store
Anchal Jain, founding partner, Val-More Action Advisory
S torytelling has always been important; the change is on what the story will be and how it will be told. Storytelling would also need to move from 'making of' and 'artisans' to real inspirations and what drives the brands. People are demanding for the brand to be the facilitator, not the owner of storytelling. It's not about 'hype' but content. Consumers with access to digital knowledge and desire for genuine products will increasingly ask for proof.

I cannot stress enough on the power of communities in powering a brand. Brands like Anthropologie have long leveraged communities that engage among themselves and the brand beyond the business they actually transact. It is this community that through its own blog sites, sharing inspirations etc, took the brand to a true omni brand presence today with digital sales accounting for almost 50 per cent.

In the post-pandemic world, store footfalls will become important because they continue to be the main theatre where we engage with our customers. Brands would need to rethink their physical store engagement to make every walk-in count. Inviting in more sharply defined customers and store interactions, tech-human interface delivering more relevant merchandise to them would be the key. The Val-More approach to brand extensions requires them to define their existence DNA; in our parlance, eRA: exceptionalness, Rarity and Authenticity, and then evaluate if that identity will also make sense to millennials and Gen Z, which then would mean a totally new brand-image architecture to also talk to them in addition to their existing customers."

Driving the brand narrative
etienne Marques, social media strategist
A digital agency has always been an important component of brand building; the pandemic however has tilted that promise even more in its favour. This trend will continue in 2021, considering this is now being understood as the 'new normal'.

The Gen Z and millennial generation represent a new customer, and they are invested in responsible ways to consume fashion. Community building will also evolve in a big way with storytelling driving the brand narrative. Brands who wish to appeal to these digital natives will have to first create a personality, a story, a community around its core values, emotions, experiences, and relay it clearly across all platforms. The audience that resonates with your brand identity will in turn become your customers and brand evangelists.

This year, Instagram filters will become a favourite tool of expression, and the platform itself will reflect a move from bloggers to real influencers. The answer here is to create strategic social media partnerships; a chef, retail store owner, yogini, artist, etc., which would trigger a customer's interest in the brand."

The arts matter
Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and Hon. Director, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum (BDL)
We cannot replicate the in-person experience digitally. Not yet, though we have 3D technology. The tactile experience of being in a museum is so much more than just looking at the object. But COVID-19 has telescoped the future into the present. We are rethinking innovative ideas to present exhibitions digitally that will make the experience enriching and absorbing. We are also expanding our education resources and hope to take them online. People will continue to be cautious in 2021 and so it will be necessary to have a mix of both. We will observe all security and safety measures but I think people will prefer more intimate experiences. I am especially proud of Marathi programming, and we are taking this online along with curating special interest tours, working with groups to address their focus areas and making it more personal. I believe strongly that the arts help us become better human beings and so reaching the widest possible audience is important."

Shopping for trousseau wear in a 3D environment
Siddharth Seth, creative director at BongWater Films
V R can create immersive experiences, expansive yet intimate, where the user can move around on their own terms, while simultaneously allowing the brand to recreate their universe, virtually, in a language that's unique to them. When it comes to shopping; be it fast fashion or bespoke wedding couture, it is possible to recreate the magic of an in-store experience within a 3D environment that is much more interactive and experiential than the monotonous e-commerce interface. With VR, shoppers can seamlessly browse, zoom, add to cart and explore the whimsical, intricate details of bridal-wear. Visualisation, access to product information, images, videos, all allow the customer to preview products from multiple vantage points before making the purchase. everything from perusal and purchase occurs inside this VR environment, which is essentially a digital twin of the physical store."

The audience is the storyteller
Udita Jain, producer and managing partner, BongWater Films
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way brands engage with customers, opening up a world of immersive media. By using storytelling, sensory branding, involving consumers in consumption experiences and building emotional connections, retailers can meet consumer desires. VR is one such format. It bridges gaping holes in the narrative, makes storytelling inclusive and lets the audience become the storyteller."