Editor’s Word: Persevering with with our particular version of Ramadan Bytes, the place entrepreneurs from identified manufacturers within the area share their ideas on Ramadan 2023 and the modifications they anticipate, we spoke to Mr. Lalit Ratnala, Director – Digital and Development at NorthLadder and talked about Ramadan and the position of sustainability on this festive interval.
Please share a short about your background and your position at Northladder.
I’ve been with NorthLadder for a few 12 months, and I lead the digital, development, and advertising and marketing for NorthLadder.
NorthLadder is a singular market platform for pre-owned digital units, particularly within the classes of cell phones, laptops, tablets & smartwatches. We’ve got greater than 500+ impartial sellers/ small format digital retailers subscribed to our platform, bidding stay within the public sale system for pre-owned digital units. We serve trade-ins throughout 90%+ organized retailers, main E-commerce, telcos, and OEMs throughout GCC and likewise run a digital platform referred to as www.northladder.com the place finish shoppers can promote their used units. This manner NorthLadder connects prospects with sellers by way of an public sale platform.
Used units are usually in each home and each company. Nevertheless, prospects don’t promote or trade-in on account of inconvenience, knowledge security, low worth, or they don’t seem to be aware of promote. NorthLadder addresses all these considerations of the purchasers by way of progressive digital options and operational experience.
Ramadan is an thrilling time for shoppers and types. Individuals come out to fulfill and greet, exit for meals and do different leisure actions. On the identical time, manufacturers devise methods, supply reductions, and encourage prospects to spend. Nevertheless, Ramadan can’t be thought of the identical as some other buying pageant or vacation interval. What are your ideas on that?
Ramadan is certainly a singular time for shoppers and types. Not like different buying festivals, Ramadan has spiritual and cultural significance.
From a shopper perspective, Ramadan isn’t just about buying and leisure actions. It’s a time for religious reflection, household bonding, and group engagement. Whereas buying and eating out stay an integral a part of the Ramadan expertise, they’re not the only focus.
Equally, from a model perspective, the main focus shouldn’t be solely on selling reductions and driving gross sales. Manufacturers have to be delicate to the spiritual and cultural significance of Ramadan and align their advertising and marketing methods accordingly. They need to emphasize the values of generosity, compassion, and social duty which can be central to the Ramadan expertise.
It’s secure to imagine that over the past 7-8 years, your affiliation with a number of manufacturers within the area has given you an publicity for getting ready for a Ramadan season. In your opinion, what are some tendencies that you’ve got noticed within the final couple of years vs. what is anticipated this time?
In recent times, there have been a number of tendencies which have emerged in the course of the Ramadan season. One of the vital notable tendencies is the growing use of digital media for advertising and marketing and promoting. Manufacturers are leveraging social media, cellular apps, and different digital platforms to achieve out to their prospects and promote their services.
One other development is the rising recognition of E-commerce throughout Ramadan. Customers are more and more turning to on-line buying platforms to purchase items, groceries, and different objects, as they provide comfort and time-saving advantages. Manufacturers are additionally utilizing E-commerce platforms to supply unique reductions and promotions, concentrating on the rising variety of internet buyers in the course of the Ramadan season.
Within the final couple of years, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, some modifications in shopper conduct had been seen in the course of the Ramadan season. With restrictions on massive gatherings and social distancing measures in place, shoppers shifted in the direction of smaller, intimate gatherings with household and shut buddies. Manufacturers tailored their advertising and marketing methods to focus on smaller teams and promote merchandise which can be appropriate for such gatherings.
Moreover, with extra individuals spending time at house, there was a terrific demand for on-line leisure and streaming companies throughout Ramadan. Manufacturers that provided such companies ramped up their advertising and marketing efforts to cater to this viewers.
General, manufacturers which can be agile and aware of altering shopper behaviors and preferences are prone to succeed in the course of the Ramadan season. By understanding the tendencies and anticipating the wants of their prospects, they’ll create advertising and marketing campaigns that resonate with their viewers and drive gross sales.
Coming to your present model, i.e., NorthLadder, the place sustainability is a vital imaginative and prescient and mission. Equally, this 12 months, Ramadan’s theme within the UAE can also be round sustainability. How do you see manufacturers incorporating this of their campaigns?
Ramadan’s theme of sustainability within the UAE supplies a possibility for manufacturers to align their campaigns with the values of environmental duty and social consciousness.
Listed below are some ways in which manufacturers can incorporate sustainability into their Ramadan campaigns:
- Promote eco-friendly merchandise: Manufacturers can spotlight their sustainable and eco-friendly merchandise, similar to these constituted of recycled supplies, biodegradable packaging, or natural supplies. This will enchantment to shoppers who’re environmentally acutely aware and need to make a constructive impression on the planet.
- Encourage sustainable practices: Manufacturers can encourage sustainable practices amongst their prospects, similar to lowering meals waste, conserving vitality, or utilizing reusable luggage. This may be achieved by way of social media campaigns, e-mail advertising and marketing, or in-store shows.
- Help native communities: Manufacturers can accomplice with native communities and organizations that promote sustainability and social duty. This will contain supporting native farmers, selling honest commerce, or donating a portion of gross sales to environmental causes.
- Undertake sustainable enterprise practices: Manufacturers can lead by instance by adopting sustainable enterprise practices themselves, similar to lowering their carbon footprint, sourcing supplies ethically, or utilizing renewable vitality sources. This will reveal their dedication to sustainability and encourage others to observe go well with.
- Present training and consciousness: Manufacturers can use their campaigns to teach shoppers in regards to the significance of sustainability and environmental duty. This will contain sharing ideas and assets for sustainable dwelling, elevating consciousness about environmental points, or selling sustainable initiatives.
Incorporating sustainability into Ramadan campaigns will help manufacturers join with shoppers on a deeper degree and create a constructive impression on society and the planet. By aligning their campaigns with the theme of sustainability, manufacturers can place themselves as socially accountable and environmentally acutely aware, which will help them construct model loyalty and entice new prospects.
As this 12 months is introduced because the ‘Yr of Sustainability’ by the UAE govt, manufacturers must focus extra on incorporating sustainability into their campaigns which helps to attach properly with prospects.
NorthLadder, in partnership with Sacred Groves, has created a marketing campaign referred to as ‘Junk to Jungles’ the place each model/firm or a person can collaborate with NorthLadder and monetize their used/depreciated units. The worth generated by way of this may be given to Sacred Groves who would put it to the aim of preserving forests internationally. It is a improbable alternative to scale back e-waste & carbon footprint and protect forests on the identical time.
Since we’re discussing campaigns, knowledge, and insights are one thing that helps a marketer in creating campaigns. May you share some insights that you just take a look at whereas strategizing a marketing campaign?
Definitely! There are a number of key knowledge factors and insights that may assist entrepreneurs develop efficient campaigns. Listed below are some examples:
- Target market demographics: Understanding the demographics of your audience, similar to age, gender, location, earnings, and pursuits, will help you tailor your messaging and inventive belongings to resonate with them. This data could be obtained by way of market analysis, social media insights, and web site analytics.
- Shopper conduct: Analyzing shopper conduct knowledge, similar to buy historical past, searching exercise, and engagement with advertising and marketing content material, can present helpful insights into what motivates your prospects and the way they work together together with your model. This will inform marketing campaign messaging and assist determine the best channels and ways to achieve your viewers.
- Aggressive evaluation: Analyzing the advertising and marketing methods and ways of your rivals will help you determine gaps out there and alternatives to distinguish your model. This will contain analyzing their social media presence, web site content material, and promoting campaigns.
- Marketing campaign efficiency metrics: Measuring the efficiency of earlier campaigns can present insights into what labored properly and what could possibly be improved in future campaigns. Key efficiency metrics to trace embody conversion charges, click-through charges, engagement charges, and return on funding (ROI).
- Business tendencies: Staying up-to-date with business tendencies, similar to rising applied sciences, altering shopper preferences, and shifting market dynamics, will help inform marketing campaign technique and determine new alternatives for development.
By analyzing these knowledge factors and insights, entrepreneurs can develop campaigns which can be focused, related, and efficient in reaching and interesting their audience.
What’s the position performed by a buyer engagement platform in serving to you analyze these knowledge factors?
A buyer engagement platform can play a vital position in serving to entrepreneurs analyze knowledge factors and achieve helpful insights. Listed below are some methods a buyer engagement platform will help:
- Centralizing knowledge: A buyer engagement platform can centralize knowledge from numerous sources, similar to web site analytics, social media insights, and buyer conduct knowledge, right into a single platform. This will help entrepreneurs achieve a holistic view of their prospects and their conduct throughout totally different channels.
- Segmentation and concentrating on: A buyer engagement platform can phase prospects based mostly on numerous knowledge factors, similar to demographics, conduct, and preferences. This will help entrepreneurs goal particular buyer segments with customized messaging and gives that resonate with them.
- Marketing campaign monitoring and measurement: A buyer engagement platform can monitor and measure the efficiency of promoting campaigns in real-time. This will help entrepreneurs determine which campaigns are driving essentially the most engagement and conversions and alter their technique accordingly.
- Predictive analytics: Some buyer engagement platforms supply predictive analytics capabilities, which will help entrepreneurs determine patterns and tendencies in buyer conduct and make data-driven choices about future campaigns.
- Omnichannel engagement: A buyer engagement platform will help entrepreneurs have interaction prospects throughout a number of channels, similar to e-mail, social media, and SMS. This will help create a seamless and constant buyer expertise, whatever the channel they’re utilizing.
In abstract, a buyer engagement platform will help entrepreneurs analyze knowledge factors and achieve helpful insights by centralizing knowledge, segmenting prospects, monitoring and measuring campaigns, offering predictive analytics, and facilitating omnichannel engagement. By leveraging these capabilities, entrepreneurs can develop campaigns which can be extra focused, related, and efficient in partaking their prospects.
Ramadan is a season when individuals store essentially the most, however in addition they need to unload their previous digital objects. Nevertheless, submit the vacation season, each business/vertical witnesses a dip in engagement. In your opinion, how can manufacturers be certain that the dip in engagement is just not substantial, and encourage individuals to drive in the direction of sustainability in an low season?
To mitigate the dip in engagement that usually happens after a vacation season, manufacturers can take a number of steps to keep up momentum and preserve prospects engaged. Listed below are some concepts:
- Proceed to supply worth: Manufacturers can proceed to supply reductions, promotions, and different incentives to encourage prospects to make purchases even after the vacation season ends. By providing ongoing worth, manufacturers will help keep curiosity and engagement.
- Foster a way of group: Manufacturers can create and nurture a group of loyal prospects by providing unique content material, occasions, and different perks. By constructing a way of group, manufacturers can preserve prospects engaged and invested of their model even in the course of the low season.
- Concentrate on sustainability: As you talked about, sustainability is a key theme of Ramadan this 12 months. Manufacturers can proceed to advertise sustainability initiatives and messaging even after the vacation season ends. This will help preserve sustainability prime of thoughts for patrons and encourage them to make extra sustainable decisions all year long.
- Create new content material: Manufacturers can create recent content material, similar to weblog posts, movies, and social media content material, to maintain prospects engaged and interested by their model. This will embody content material that’s associated to sustainability, in addition to different matters which can be related and fascinating to the model’s audience.
- Provide customized suggestions: Manufacturers can use buyer knowledge to supply customized product suggestions and gives based mostly on every buyer’s pursuits and preferences. This will help improve engagement and encourage prospects to make purchases even in the course of the low season.
General, by persevering with to supply worth, fostering a way of group, specializing in sustainability, creating new content material, and providing customized suggestions, manufacturers can keep engagement and preserve prospects even after the vacation season ends.
Thanks a lot, Lalit, for chatting with us and sharing your ideas on how manufacturers can have interaction with prospects throughout such a particular time.
Readers, you’ll be able to join with Lalit for extra ideas and recommendation on buyer engagement throughout Ramadan and drive sustainability.