: Interview: IPL & Kapil Sharma Show brought significant leads from Tier II & III cities: Sapna Arora, Olx #IndiaNEWS #40 Under 40 Sapna Arora tells Social Samosa that the platform has been targetting

Interview: IPL & Kapil Sharma Show brought significant leads from Tier II & III cities: Sapna Arora, Olx #IndiaNEWS #40 Under 40
Sapna Arora tells Social Samosa that the platform has been targetting aspirational millennials from Tier II and III cities. Multi-lingual spots in television and radio, combined with a digital push play an integral role in Olxs marketing strategy for the same.

In conversation with Sapna Arora, CMO, Olx, Social Samosa attempts to understand how the brand communicates with not only their consumers but also vendors, many of whom are concentrated in Tier II and III cities. Arora explains the role of regional marketing in their mix and speaks about growth driving categories, sharing how it all ties into the overall Olx marketing strategy.

Please share some insights into consumer buying behavior that you have seen post the pandemic hit the country

The pandemic has rewritten the rules of customer behavior quite extensively. And the triggers caused by the pandemic are likely to prove lasting for shopping behavior in the near future. The virus-induced lockdowns accelerated the already in motion move to digital channels quite significantly. Virtual shopping for previously unheard of items such as cars and electronics has also increased. People are also known to shop consciouslykeeping an eye on discounts, comparing products across channels, and planning their shopping around mega digital sales.

There is also an increase in hyperlocal buying channels where smaller traders are fast approaching digital commerce. What is also interesting is the growth in online shopping in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets where supply chains are improving, as are delivery channels.

Internet penetration & increasing purchase power seen in the Tier II & III markets has been spoken about a lot. How is Olx penetrating regional markets? Where does vernacular stand in the scheme of things at OLX?

Long before the endemic hit, OLX had started making inroads into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and we saw substantial organic traffic growth across our channels. Categories like automobiles and smartphones contributed significantly to the overall growth. With internet penetration, especially post-pandemic our Tier II and Tier III users are increasing. For us, this makes a very significant market segment where we plan to target a large section of aspirational millennials.

OLX is not just into selling and purchasing but also enabling logistics and infrastructure by creating jobs in these geographies and demographics. Our marketing also ensures that the vernacular market is not just included but is a major component of our promotions.

Our campaigns and sales strategies have thus been focused on the aspirational millennial consumers from smaller towns and cities who are a primary target for OLX.