How Digital India is Defining the Future of Lifestyle Retail
Kaanchan Shah is an award-winning marketing leader and a distinguished board advisor at the India Influencer Governing Council. Currently serving as the Head of Marketing for Bagline.com at Brand Concepts Ltd, she brings over 15 years of experience in high-impact marketing strategies, digital commerce growth, and brand transformation across retail, beauty, finance, and FMCG sectors. Known for her strategic vision and executional excellence, she has scaled brand presence for Tommy Hilfiger, UCB, Aeropostale, Sugarush, and The Vertical. She drives growth via 1500+ distribution points and key platforms like Amazon and Myntra. She champions phygital innovation and Metaverse retail.
In a recent interaction with Mandvi Singh, Managing Editor at siliconindia, Kaanchan Shah shared her insights on ‘How Digital India is Defining the Future of Lifestyle Retail’.
In today’s Instagram-driven world, the firs initial thought in the morning for many is to pick up their phones browsing WhatsApp or Instagram before they say hello to family. The role of influencers in this mobile culture is critical in generating 'finger-stopping' moments using aspirational material, be it travel, fashion, or lifestyle. Product featuring influencers is a call to action and inspiration to consumers.
Driving Engagement Through Creators and Gifting
Influencers play a crucial role in this digital behavior, creating ‘finger-stopping’ moments with aspirational content, whether it's travel, fashion, or lifestyle. Featuring products with influencers serves as both inspiration and a call to action for consumers. Brands benefit through increased engagement, awareness, and improved KPIs. Influencer marketing also enables stronger visual storytelling compared to traditional campaigns. Many brands now blend influencer collaborations with user-generated reviews to create more authentic and relatable marketing narratives.
Influencer marketing significantly shapes consumer aspiration, builds brand affinity, and creates a strong desire for products. These metrics are central in evaluating the success of collaborations. Brands no longer stop at likes but examine comments, shares, and engagement to drill deeper and streamline strategies. Within collaborations, gift-with-purchase tactics beat discounting by delivering value-added rewards, particularly for fashion and lifestyle. Bundles add perceived value, preserve brand value, and generate consumer enthusiasm. Coupled with brand collaborations, they maximize reach through networks of distributors and build compelling, lifestyle-driven narratives that resonate more genuinely with audiences.
Redefining Luxury and Consumer Engagement in the Digital Era
Design plays a crucial role in handbags and travel gear, with customers expecting more than just a hard case on wheels. Value addition is key be it advanced technologies like Japanese Hinomoto wheels introduced in the Arbor series, or smooth-functioning push-button, telescopic trolleys. Materials such as ABS, PC, and increasingly, lightweight polypropylene (PP) are being favored for durability and ease of handling. With weight limitations in air travel, educated consumers now prioritize lighter luggage to maximize capacity. Also, bag functionality is now a must, with features like travel cubes, toiletry cases, and organized compartments becoming standard. Sustainability also drives demand, with eco-conscious collections using recycled materials like ocean plastic. This blend of utility, aesthetics, and values boosts brand storytelling and drives digital engagement.
Digitalization has significantly broadened access to luxury, making it no longer a niche category. Consumers today have real-time visibility into global launches for example, Apple product releases are now anticipated simultaneously across the world, including India. This shift is largely due to digitalization, which has empowered tier 2 and tier 3 cities with better access and awareness. As a result, brands are expanding their presence in these regions through new store openings. Aspirations in smaller towns are now deeply connected to online trends, fueled by social listening tools, AI-driven insights, and trend identification. These digital tools enhance brand storytelling and allow companies to better understand their consumers.
Additionally, personalized communication through e-commerce platforms, emails, and WhatsApp reflects India's digital-first approach. Live shopping is gaining traction in the broader market, although not yet widely adopted by all. Influencer marketing, however, remains a dominant strategy and is pursued aggressively to engage and influence consumer behavior.
Leveraging Data Integration for Smarter Marketing and Customer Retention
Data fusion and integration have become central to current business strategies. Previously, businesses relied on footfall data and customer details, but with sustainability and CSR initiatives in mind, the reliance on printed invoices and thermal receipts has shifted entirely to digital. Customers now receive invoices via WhatsApp, providing businesses with valuable data to track repeat customers. This information enables companies to build customer loyalty by identifying frequent visitors and addressing their specific needs. Breaking down silos is the first step in effectively integrating data across industries.
Many businesses are embracing data-driven marketing campaigns that help manage ROI and advertising costs efficiently. Behavioral segmentation and remarketing campaigns, often based on look-back windows of seven to 14 days, are particularly effective in driving results. Through the use of predictive modeling and customer look-alike targeting, companies are able to predict trends and maximize marketing. Cross-segment promotions, including offering related items like neck pillows or cross-body bags to customers who buy backpacks, are also employed to maximize category participation and boost sales. These data-driven methods are becoming ever more crucial to business expansion and customer retention.
Looking Ahead
Indian metro city are cluttered & Tier 2 /3 cities are currently aspiring for the for the brands and booming. A recent spate of GST and income tax reforms for consumers has brought some relief, allowing for better spending. High urban expenses and foreign market volatility are being addressed by optimizing supply chains and looking to tier 2 and 3 cities, where costs are lower and growth is more viable.
Furthermore, Companies like Brand Concepts Ltd are significantly invested in skill development for a future workforce. The initiative comprises cross-industry training programs which are designed to empower employees to develop skills for survival within a fast-evolving market. They have two major programs on offer: Shiksha, which benefits the family members of employees, and Pragati, which consists of on-the-job training for workers. These programmes, coupled with a five-to-six-year commitment to the business, have proven effective in building employee development and allegiance.
They are also taking advantage of recent income tax reforms to equip consumers with more purchasing power. By adopting omni-channel collaboration, they integrate seamlessly offline and online experiences to provide better personalization to address personal preference. With a significant emphasis on digital transformation, market research, and sustainability, such efforts are the highlight of their post-budget plan, fuelling growth and participation.
In a recent interaction with Mandvi Singh, Managing Editor at siliconindia, Kaanchan Shah shared her insights on ‘How Digital India is Defining the Future of Lifestyle Retail’.
In today’s Instagram-driven world, the firs initial thought in the morning for many is to pick up their phones browsing WhatsApp or Instagram before they say hello to family. The role of influencers in this mobile culture is critical in generating 'finger-stopping' moments using aspirational material, be it travel, fashion, or lifestyle. Product featuring influencers is a call to action and inspiration to consumers.
Influencer marketing significantly shapes consumer aspiration, builds brand affinity, and creates a strong desire for products.
Driving Engagement Through Creators and Gifting
Influencers play a crucial role in this digital behavior, creating ‘finger-stopping’ moments with aspirational content, whether it's travel, fashion, or lifestyle. Featuring products with influencers serves as both inspiration and a call to action for consumers. Brands benefit through increased engagement, awareness, and improved KPIs. Influencer marketing also enables stronger visual storytelling compared to traditional campaigns. Many brands now blend influencer collaborations with user-generated reviews to create more authentic and relatable marketing narratives.
Influencer marketing significantly shapes consumer aspiration, builds brand affinity, and creates a strong desire for products. These metrics are central in evaluating the success of collaborations. Brands no longer stop at likes but examine comments, shares, and engagement to drill deeper and streamline strategies. Within collaborations, gift-with-purchase tactics beat discounting by delivering value-added rewards, particularly for fashion and lifestyle. Bundles add perceived value, preserve brand value, and generate consumer enthusiasm. Coupled with brand collaborations, they maximize reach through networks of distributors and build compelling, lifestyle-driven narratives that resonate more genuinely with audiences.
Redefining Luxury and Consumer Engagement in the Digital Era
Design plays a crucial role in handbags and travel gear, with customers expecting more than just a hard case on wheels. Value addition is key be it advanced technologies like Japanese Hinomoto wheels introduced in the Arbor series, or smooth-functioning push-button, telescopic trolleys. Materials such as ABS, PC, and increasingly, lightweight polypropylene (PP) are being favored for durability and ease of handling. With weight limitations in air travel, educated consumers now prioritize lighter luggage to maximize capacity. Also, bag functionality is now a must, with features like travel cubes, toiletry cases, and organized compartments becoming standard. Sustainability also drives demand, with eco-conscious collections using recycled materials like ocean plastic. This blend of utility, aesthetics, and values boosts brand storytelling and drives digital engagement.
Digitalization has significantly broadened access to luxury, making it no longer a niche category. Consumers today have real-time visibility into global launches for example, Apple product releases are now anticipated simultaneously across the world, including India. This shift is largely due to digitalization, which has empowered tier 2 and tier 3 cities with better access and awareness. As a result, brands are expanding their presence in these regions through new store openings. Aspirations in smaller towns are now deeply connected to online trends, fueled by social listening tools, AI-driven insights, and trend identification. These digital tools enhance brand storytelling and allow companies to better understand their consumers.
Additionally, personalized communication through e-commerce platforms, emails, and WhatsApp reflects India's digital-first approach. Live shopping is gaining traction in the broader market, although not yet widely adopted by all. Influencer marketing, however, remains a dominant strategy and is pursued aggressively to engage and influence consumer behavior.
Leveraging Data Integration for Smarter Marketing and Customer Retention
Data fusion and integration have become central to current business strategies. Previously, businesses relied on footfall data and customer details, but with sustainability and CSR initiatives in mind, the reliance on printed invoices and thermal receipts has shifted entirely to digital. Customers now receive invoices via WhatsApp, providing businesses with valuable data to track repeat customers. This information enables companies to build customer loyalty by identifying frequent visitors and addressing their specific needs. Breaking down silos is the first step in effectively integrating data across industries.
Many businesses are embracing data-driven marketing campaigns that help manage ROI and advertising costs efficiently. Behavioral segmentation and remarketing campaigns, often based on look-back windows of seven to 14 days, are particularly effective in driving results. Through the use of predictive modeling and customer look-alike targeting, companies are able to predict trends and maximize marketing. Cross-segment promotions, including offering related items like neck pillows or cross-body bags to customers who buy backpacks, are also employed to maximize category participation and boost sales. These data-driven methods are becoming ever more crucial to business expansion and customer retention.
Looking Ahead
Indian metro city are cluttered & Tier 2 /3 cities are currently aspiring for the for the brands and booming. A recent spate of GST and income tax reforms for consumers has brought some relief, allowing for better spending. High urban expenses and foreign market volatility are being addressed by optimizing supply chains and looking to tier 2 and 3 cities, where costs are lower and growth is more viable.
Furthermore, Companies like Brand Concepts Ltd are significantly invested in skill development for a future workforce. The initiative comprises cross-industry training programs which are designed to empower employees to develop skills for survival within a fast-evolving market. They have two major programs on offer: Shiksha, which benefits the family members of employees, and Pragati, which consists of on-the-job training for workers. These programmes, coupled with a five-to-six-year commitment to the business, have proven effective in building employee development and allegiance.
They are also taking advantage of recent income tax reforms to equip consumers with more purchasing power. By adopting omni-channel collaboration, they integrate seamlessly offline and online experiences to provide better personalization to address personal preference. With a significant emphasis on digital transformation, market research, and sustainability, such efforts are the highlight of their post-budget plan, fuelling growth and participation.
