‘COVID-19 has forced companies to do better for customer gratification’  

Maintaining that the fear of contraction while going out and related safety concerns have increased screen time on mobiles and laptops, Ronak Sarda, the founder of Cover It Up, the accessory partners with IPL team Chennai Super Kings since 2019, says that consumer behaviour has undergone a drastic shift amid the pandemic.

"Now people are browsing on the internet all the time. The scenario has translated into an unprecedented peak of visitors on the websites during this period. The hassle-free experience which has always been a major driver in pulling the customers' traffic to digital stores is now pushed to secondary factor. Safety has become the top priority of the online shoppers drawing them more towards the online mode of shopping. Besides, the scenario has also forced online companies to do better in terms of customers' gratification," Sarda explained to IANSlife.

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) currently bringing much-needed cheer to cricket fans across India and the world, Sarda says that "IPL is synonymous to any religious festival in India. It brings unmatchable euphoria to cricket followers. Such emotion is the driver to sales, and it has swelled enormously with the onset of IPL."

Being their accessory partner "is a great deal" to the merch brand, given the magnitude of the fan-following the team entails. Products like posters, mobile cases and covers, mugs and notebooks, have done well in this period, said Sarda.

"Besides being a concept-oriented start-up, CSK has given us a platform to experiment and create new things to allure its fan-following. Also, the team has one the most ardent fan followings and its followers supported us (in term of sales) wholeheartedly. Their love for the team reflected on our revenue. Nevertheless, IPL is currently the most trending topic of discussion in Indian households. So, all these factors have played a very positive role in boosting our sales," Sarda says in a time when businesses are finding it hard to stay afloat.

Asked about sales being impacted by the pandemic and "building back stronger", the entrepreneur said: "The pandemic has doomed the economy and like any other business; we also bore the brunt of it. However, we kept our zeal running. Our venture into new products became our path to recovery, which we realized was an ideal decision given the wrath of COVID-19 on the economy. We brought categories like stationery and masks to the table. While it helped us stay afloat during the pandemic, it also helped the company in augmenting its product portfolio and reach as well. This situation has played a good re-set period for us. It forced us to plan for a broader agenda.

"Besides, how a brand pivot during a challenging time is instrumental in figuring out how well the brand has resonated with its customers. Launching new and varied products made a huge difference for us. Apart from making us more organized in a manner, it also reminded us of the significance of research in product build-up. I believe that the start-up industry should adopt a more research-based approach for building and designing products," he signed off.