How to Succeed in Business During Lockdown?

I am Suruchi Dua, founder-owner of brand littlemusketeer.com and I ventured into the business of children’s clothing this January and imagine how agonizing it is for a debutant brand to get into a flux during the lockdown. But when the world sleeps, there is a light of the moon which radiances the planet, so here is my story. When the world was all indoors due to the threat of a pandemic, I saw an opportunity, a light in these distressing times.

I begin with few pointers which are helping my business paving its way, making it a brand across India in lockdown days.

1. The Brand name:

    I was headstrong on selling my USP right from the brand name its called up by, littlemusketeer.com. The tagline of your business speaks volumes of your business so ensure the right tagline, Kids Online Apparel Studio. Dotcom is my selling proposition in lockdown days because people are not interested in stepping out to a retail store. So I guess here I am giving you a clear insight into your business. It is a digital era and if you don’t own an e-commerce website, to flourish independently as a brand, then you are missing something. I also strongly recommend to small businesses that are not able to budget on an e-commerce portal can outsource on Amazon, Flipkart, Shopmatic, etc to flourish in these tough times. Do not edge over Whatsapp for business because then you are not a brand, you become a trader in spite of all efforts, so lift your horizon for a bigger canvas.

2. Bloggers Meet

I decided to do a Bloggers Meet in this phase, ask me Why ? – because I knew we were just a click away and we can be on an edge over others and it is the best time to sell and flourish for me and my brand. Although producing articles was a challenge but when you are undeterred and headstrong determined, you have the power to convert ashes into gold.

3. The 4 P’s of Marketing :

Product, Price, Place, and Promotion by Philip Kotler, I as an entrepreneur is focussing on all these 4 P’s to be a brand across India.

Product-

Launch as per the need of the hour. I produced essentials in lockdown and I predicted and anticipated the demand. Be a market setter and not a follower. My brand was trending with night suits which were not on sight with many other existing and old established brands.

My products have copyright Prints – make your product apart and set a trend.

My product Quality adherence is certainly paving a way to be on edge over others.

 Price –

The public is price sensitive. The economy has been bumped under the belt due to lockdown and COVID. The pricing strategy needs to focus here. Do not focus on profits, but rather on building the brand image. I was started to be called a brand of luxury yet cost-effective. I sold my products at breakeven. The pricing policy adopted is Penetrating which means enhancing market share is our focal point. Breakeven helps in money circulation and I guess that is the need of the hour for businesses to stay and not wind off.

 Place –

The land of sales is only and only analog and digital. You guessed it right, its online markets on dotcom, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin where your trade can survive in lockdown and even post it. For the retailing community, it will be a bump under the belt till the vaccination is not produced. Also, the online markets as per my analysis will reach a point of saturation in the near future. Retailers walk-in customers will be back with a bang in the near future and the digital world will reach a state of coma- Digicom to Digicoma as per my prediction. So what do you need to do? Armor and shine with Survival of the Fittest policy, adapt and create ways to stay in the market. Place of the market can be online in the wee hours and offline as per the demand.

I also strongly recommend brands to go for corporate tie-ups for up sales which we as a brand are already onto it. It increases your reach, reputation, and results -My 3 R’s.

Promotion 

The last P is an essential ingredient for successful brand conversions.

Promoting to the right audience and right reach is where you nail it. Spot those people who are the best in their area of promotion. Choose the best Facebook groups, the correct association of people, and the suitable digital marketing of your products on Facebook and Instagram.

As an entrepreneur, I feel that customers need empathy, so here is the list of arrows that can be check listed.

• Contactless delivery
• After-sales delivery presentation which we are already sending to our clients for all precautions and also it acts as a disclaimer to a brand for any litigations.
• We are there for you, instill this in your customers.
• Clear policies on refunds, returns, and shipping should be provided to customers.
• Use quick replies, auto-replies to be a brand.
• Accessibility to customers at fingertips, we released our app for android and iPhone users.

I hope the insights of my business techniques even if creating a niche of a difference to a brand and the entrepreneurs, . Thank you GurgaonMoms for being such a support in my journey and having a fathom on me to write on this topic, I felt privileged. Your group has the power to make women entrepreneurs like real brands and shine out like stars.