Consumers are now more likely to sit online, be more digitally aware, and demand that companies offer them an effective user experience. Building a brand in 2022 involves adapting to the changing consumer needs brought about by the Covid pandemic.

With the onset of the pandemic, consumer needs and expectations too have taken a different route. During one of the sessions of BW Golden Cart Awards 2021, Mohit Ahuja, CMO, Droom explained the number of changes he has experienced in the past two years. He states,” With the onset of the pandemic, we have seen that the need for personal transportation has gone. Since we are a pure-play online platform, we have observed a tremendous amount of change in supply chain and logistics cost.”

Smita Murarka, CMO, Duroflex shares that the customer of today has been bombarded with various choices. "They have a lot more control. If they are unhappy with one party or service, they can immediately jump onto another in a flic of seconds. This can thrash a company’s reputation in minutes."

Other panellists, Bharati Balakrishnan, Country Head & Director, Shopify India and Rajamani Kalpathy Subramanian, Head - Digital Strategy Aftersales, Tata Motors also expressed the importance of being authentic and true. They agreed that consumers don’t have the patience to look at marketing or communication as a frivolous activity or as something that is just creatively led. They will only be loyal to a brand that is adding value to their lives.