Channel Play: From Silos to Seamless

A look at the evolution of different channels from functioning independently to becoming unified

- Phygital Bureau

The lines between offline and online have blurred and the channels once seen as cannibalising each other today have become complementary. Just like offline businesses have gone online, e-commerce-first companies have opened physical retail stores.

The evolution of e-commerce reflects consumer behaviour and brands are adapting themselves to suit this. "The customer is always omnichannel in terms of the way they shop. The way we have adapted our strategy for India is we are looking at an omnichannel expansion. And India is one of the few markets to do that," Bhavana Jaiswal, Country e-commerce Head, of Ikea, said speaking about how the Swedish furniture retailer is aligning itself with the Indian customer.

"We do not wait for stores to open. We opened e-commerce in Mumbai and Bengaluru before the stores. Next year, we will do it in Delhi as well. So inherently, our overall expansion plan for India is focused on omnichannel," added Jaiswal.