New normal: Online exhibitions pop up, breathes life into independent brands

Neha Saini

Tribune news service

Amritsar, July 17

Usually, the festive season in city is preceded by a series of lifestyle shopping exhibitions that have now become a major attraction for city shoppers and is a big business opportunity for local niche brands to stretch their sales. But since the Covid pandemic is still lurking around, there is no way that these exhibitons can showcase their goods, well at least for now.

On the lookout for new outlets, the exhibitors, who primarily consist of local and independent brands are now adapting to hosting of online pop-up exhibitions. There are not many options left otherwise. Almost all have gone online. These exhibitions are collaborations between individual brands offering services like fashion and lifestyle, make-up artists, home furnishing dealers and many other service providers.

The concept of an online pop-up exhibition is quite similar to the ground exhibitions. It brings an array of service providers and products direct to the consumers, only via digital platform though. The products and brands displayed are offered along with heavy discounts and promise safe and sound home deliveries. The individual links and contacts of brand owners and businesses are provided where the orders can be placed. However, still in it’s early stages, a few online pop-up exhibitions in city in the past few days have received a decent response as it also offers a convenient alternative to shoppers looking for some retail therapy.

Still, there is much work to be done. The method is relatively new and is yet to find support on all fronts. There a few industry professionals who think that adapting to the wired exhibitions is challenging task for both the exhibitors as well as consumers. The reasons thrown in vary from limited awareness of digital platforms to low interest of consumers for digital exhibitions. Which is fairly agreeable. While small businesses are suffering financial crunch due to the lack of marketing avenues, innovative concepts like digital exhibitions and previews might present a futuristic option. As far as consumers are concerned, this is perhaps the best option to shop currently.

Quotes:

Luvika Nayyar, an online pop-up exhibitor and brand owner

The possibility of hosting ground exhibitions in given circumstances is highly impossible for at least one year. So, we have to look for the next best viable solution, which is online exhibitions. With home deliveries, discounts and generating buyer interest, these exhibitions serve as growth opportunities to network of people and help in uplifting businesses during these hard times.

Tannu Grover, city-based organiser of lifestyle exhibitions

Until any guidelines are released by the government to allow such business exhibitions, it is not possible to host ground events. The business has taken a hit due to no avenues for local, small brands that otherwise get good walk-in customers in such exhibitions. Online pop-ups are yet to pick up buyer interest and offer limited growth opportunities.

Manisha Behl, consumer

Online exhibitions are a safe option to shop for things until things get normal and retailing begins. Since exhibitors are offering home deliveries and discounts, we get value for many as well. It is also a way to support local businesses as many of these brands provide select, specific items that are otherwise not available in shops.

Binti Kumar, an exhibitor, who now runs online exhibitions

The business is definitely not the same as ground exhibitions on the digital pop-ups, but it is a way to reach out to the consumers and make the individual brands visible again. Exhibitors who were earning their bread and butter through lifestyle exhibitions too have been hit financially. But we have to evolve and innovate in order to get the business going and maybe after a while the online pop-up exhibitions become popular.