PUMA Takes Retail Experience A Notch Higher, Launches Digitally-Enabled Experiential Store

Sports brand PUMA launched its second digitally-enabled experiential store in Delhi-NCR, after a stellar response in Bengaluru. 

With the country re-opening in full swing, PUMA’s newest store is a significant step by the brand to get closer to its customers by creating meaningful offline engagements and providing customers with an unprecedented shopping experience. The multi-sensorial retail space will not only offer an opportunity to enjoy PUMA’s unique offerings but also create Instagram-able moments and rediscover the joys of returning to ‘normal'.

The store launch was attended by boxing world champion MC Mary Kom, Tokyo bronze medallist in hockey Rupinder Pal Singh, Indian cricketer Washington Sundar and singer Harrdy Sandhu.

Excited about the store launch Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India and Southeast Asia, speaks with us in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q. It is evident that the consumer is going digital. Digital has, in fact, become all-pervasive. What really was the thought behind amalgamating digital with offline retail?

First and foremost, I think Delhi and NCR is a very important market for us and we've seen great traction in this region. Hence, we wanted to put up a store that is very experiential. Now that we are almost out of this crisis year, I believe consumers would definitely come back to retail. It's not that they are searching for more products online, so will shop also online. 

There are things that people would want to touch, feel, experience and eventually connect with the brand in a brick-and-mortar store. This kind of immersive experience and the connection that you get with a consumer is not possible online. Hence, we thought of putting up such a store in such a format, which we firmly believe is required for consumer engagement.

Q. Has there been an increased need for an immersive and personalised consumer experience post-pandemic?

Not sure if it's linked to the pandemic, but this has been a general trend. People want personalisation, especially the young audience. They like it when treatment at a store is unique to them. They like more merchandise with a personalisation option. This is precisely why we have also incorporated a personalisation corner. 

As I mentioned, this is a general trend where consumers want an engaging experience and look forward to being a part of a story. As a consumer, they are looking beyond a transactional relation. Today, people want to know the story of the product, the thought behind its creation, who's wearing it, what is trending, etc.

Q. This is going to be your second store after Bengaluru. What was its response? What are your plans for expansion?

We got a tremendous response to all the elements in Bengaluru. However, this store in Delhi has many newer features. Let me just call it a more updated, improvised version. It has corners where people can take selfies for social media, learn from the social screens on what's trending, get their hands on a lot of exclusive products and much more. We believe that exclusivity is very important for customers today. Hence, we have updated our approach and will continue to do, basis the insights we gather from consumers on an everyday basis.

Q. How are you looking at its marketing part? Will it be any different from your regular marketing?

I believe in the philosophy of engaging the consumer, rather than calling it a marketing strategy. One needs to continuously do micro-events, call interesting personalities who are relevant to our audience, etc. Since we are a sneaker-heavy brand, we love connecting with people who collect them. We also conduct special workshops for our consumers, say around fitness. I always reiterate offering an experience beyond selling.

Q. The festive season is just around the corner. Are you planning any special initiatives or is Puma delving into any special offerings?

Well, we are already doing it. This store is an initiative in itself. We're launching a lot of new products. So, a lot of things that we are doing will be relevant for the festive season as well.