Happy Birthday Rani

My pillars

This is just a deviation from the official script and tonality I otherwise pursue for this blog.
Primarily, the reason is the date and the fact that the content is close to my heart. I had been mulling for some days, to put it in words - was also thinking whether the act would justify the intensity of my feelings about the subject matter.

Yet, writing this post now, I feel lighter. Maybe its an absolving effect on me - more like a panaceas that may catalyze my channel of thought.

I feel that my write-up must be treated like a tribute to the most important pillars of my life.

3rd August is my grandmother's birthday , whom I lovingly have called Rani all my life.There's a reason for it - I have always found her the most beautiful women to have clapped my eyes on. She's flawless in her essence and all that she'd bestowed on me. I still live in her halo.

I have heard that all strains of voices are captured in ether - never truly lost. I do believe in the existence of angels - which is why perhaps I don't believe she's gone completely.

In fact, it just feels strange to be existing sans my grandparents. The parting was sudden - the pain too real. The absence of their love, guidance and motivation, has left a deep void in my soul. At times, my life feels empty - I feel barren as I have no loved face to turn to.

Returning back home after a hard day of work, I feel as if I'm punched in my gut, on seeing the much loved chair empty or the TV silent. Rani loved her serials while Dadubhai delved into his books.

All I have, are wonderful memories. I live off them - chewing on them , ruminating on them like cud. They spur me, drive me and also sadden me of the loss.

The time spent together - as a big happy family - are images of moments that I'll always cherish. They formed the integral truth of my being- strengthened my core and roots. Home, to me , thus means the film, I see in my mind - time and again.

It feels grey today - like the sky outside. Maybe you both are up there - watching over us...

Managing an online brand - 1

Let me begin this blog with a quote I'd come across recently - that undoubtedly had spurred my thinking along these lines. 

"Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. It's that simple - and that hard. And that inescapable." - Tom Peters.

This is in fact, one of the Holy Bible truths for every entrepreneur, as when one may interact with other patrons - investors, stake-holders, customers, partners and more importantly the future team members. This is mainly because , the entrepreneur is mainly judged by these 2 parameters -

1. who he is
2. what he does / has done

One of the ways of building the image of a company / brand is to to use the power of the web.

Online reputation management has thus gained an important mindshare in the consumer as well as the entrepreneur's thinking.

Fundamentally, at the outset, online and offline branding practices are quite similar. Online content is all the more important in the former somehow.It requires care, caution and a keen eye for detail. The medium is just shifted to the LCD this time. 

Successful branding depends on what others think of the brand - not the entrepreneur. In fact, stretching this thread of thought, I must say that the 'like' buttons on FB works wonders ! They map the like and keep a track of the numbers.

Interesting. But I was specifically reading about online brand management with start ups in mind.

For start-ups, as I'd realized, it becomes all the more important to connect, engage and stage the image of the brand with the target audience. In fact, there are some simple steps that guys like me must follow and ace ! -

1. Get an own domain. 
2. Put all content in one place so that even when one searches from Tumblr, Stumble Upon, Wordpress, Pinterest, Instagram or other social network sites, one is directed to the main website.
3. Be stylish - get a designer to jazz up the aesthetics
4. Optimize presence on sites by customizing URL and repeating the brand's name wherever, whenver
5. Keep private as private - assuming that nothing now confines itself in the sanctity of private. This applies in the case of pics and updates , specially over social network sites
6. Be flexible and move with the times.

Hmmm.. I do agree ....

Wait .. this seems appropriate -

"(A) plea for originality, for passion, guts, and daring. Not just because going through life with passion and guts beats the alternative (which it does), but also because it's the only way to be successful. Today, the one sure way to fail is to be boring. Your one chance for success is to be remarkable. - Seth Godin in his Purple Cow

Yes. Brands need to be remarkable to be remark-able. It all depends on imagination.

I need to read up more on creation and maintenance of online brands now

Next blog !

E-commerce trends

So folks, I had spent the last few days reading a lot on E-commerce trends and what 2013 holds for its past, present and future.

What was NOT striking is that E-com is big. All the countries in the world, starting from USA, UK, Australia to China and even our country, report a steady incline in growth, potential, opportunities and also have a stable prediction ready till even 2020.

This brings to mind a lot of areas to look into where E-com is concerned. There maybe also, a lot of untapped areas that we need to look into.

What I understand from the voracious reading people, and correct me if I'm wrong, India is a magnet for a market. You introduce anything here, and it will sell. The ways can be wizened up - which depends on the imagination of the marketer!!

Let me note down the bullet pointers of what I had found interesting about E-com and its growth potential.

• Mobile or what nowadays people call M-tail - yes M-comm is coming up in a big way and a lot of experts predict that it's soon going to overtake E-comm. Mobile shopping is high and growing higher. For 2013 it is no longer about whether a website should ‘go mobile’ but about how.  Should they spend on making sure their site is ‘mobile optimized’ or go the route of hiring a developer for their own Mobile App? That is the question. most companies now stress on optimized shopping platforms in mobiles too - mobile apps to be downloaded easily. I enjoyed this quote from Eu.cmo.com: “Most shoppers now carry a virtual shop in their pocket, in the form of a tablet or mobile device.”

• E-tail is everywhere - In fact, the e-world is all pervasive and for everybody. Nowadays, everyone is part of the Screen Culture, or so to say and sport a virtual shopping experience from "on-to-off" and "off-to-on."  

•  Yes, no matter what, one cannot take away the growth aspect from E-comm even though T-com (Tablet commerce) or M-com (Mobile commerce) are rapidly growing. It's thus safe to say that all the web's a shop!!      

                                                                                                                     

• In fact Easy-commerce has eroded the barriers that might have stopped our shopper. With easy credit and cash on delivery options in every site, the mental barriers have significantly been reduced giving way to Delivery Delights instead. Compared to brick-and-mortar shopping experience, the online world does offer advantages of being able to share, accessibility, collaboration, reach and transparency.  This Retail Renaissance does not aim to replace but just to supplement offering a Niche Rich variety.

• For the seller, it’s imperative to know that Video is big and becoming humungous. The retailer must dial up the inclusion of an interactive video in his selling strategy to gain the view share and instant engagement

Also, there are some basic pointers on India that I feel must be included here -

India's online market is rapidly and exponentially growing.
Most consumers are in metropolitans.
Most companies tie up with multiple logistics partners.
Just like the emerging markets in India too, a variety of localized payment options is a must.
Think global but act local - must be the watchwords of any retailer in India.

More to follow!!

As I begin ...

So I was thinking of what to do on a rare holiday. I sat with my best friend, my MacBook on the bed. Surfing the net, playing online and Facebook were passé.

My mind was restless for more. Of late, I knew the source of my latest restlessness.

It had begun during work hours - my tryst with my destiny. My mouse, while playing darts with me, led to click on a friendly e-comm site whose ad blinked on the screen for some seconds.

I am not a huge fan of online shopping. While books and gadgets are alright, more personalized items are a strict no-no.

Till that point of time I had never ever questioned my priority.

As the page opened in front of me, I was fascinated by the melange of offers. I scoured over every page, every item - and then more sites.

It struck me with wonder. The plethora of merchandise in demand!

 In fact, suddenly there was this childish enthusiasm of being a semi proclaimed omniscient demi god in this sphere. Ok, that may have stretched it too far - but I'm sure readers, you get my drift! 

I rummaged around for more- pensive and trying to discern a pattern. The judgemental me subsided, to give way to a more keen and observant me as I pored over pages and pages of data.

In fact, once bitten, I felt addicted. I even felt adventurous to shop online. I went to a clothes section and ordered for trousers - knowing that according to the site, I will be given multiple chances of fitting.

I even got my long awaited blender for my house. Yes, the prices were lower and the deals were made to impress. 

I was looking for fast love - and that's what I was getting.

Therein my shopping sojourn began. Shopping a la carte to shopping in a buffet - the only driving force - my need to bid right, buy the best.

I became my own competition as my life began to revolve around savings and purchase out of compulsion.

Now as I became more addicted in my own game, I realized what I was missing. In all actuality, what was not there - that I could have been potentially missing.

What struck me was that, while, there was a macro structure in place with regards to shopping online, yet the micro controls were not too delved into.

In simpler layman's language, perhaps, a customization model was amiss. The sovereignty of the consumer, which of course we have studied so much and so hard in all economy / history books - was underplayed.

The thought alone deserved a fuller attention. For example have you ever imagined that one day perhaps you saw an online deal that promised a holiday for 2 in a certain exotic  place along with a blender and a car-wash? 

Or maybe, when you're looking for that model of an electric gadget, you find everything under the sun but that. What do you feel like then? Have you imagined voicing out your thoughts in the cold crystal clarity of words and phrases?

What is it being heard like? We all are consumers, by our birth right. But is the respect evinced clearly or really there?

Is there any platform for the consumer vox? The vox box is of merit, as feedback is not only needed as a vent but also a correction technique. Of course we all know this. But my worry was - is this where the buck stopped? What is beyond this?

I am sure, everyone has myriad of suggestions or thoughts. Every marketer is a consumer. Can't he think like one? or the profile, structures his thinking - in alignment with budget restrictions or company policies? But if we cater to the mass, why not hear them out? Every word has a pearl of wisdom hidden. And like I said, every sentence is information with an insight. Why not make a model to glean that?

Questions haunted my mind - spirals that led to more concentric circles. I was looking for solutions, which most probably people had not foreseen.

In my mind, there clearly was a gap. It needed to be looked into.

A bit about ME ...

Hello World.

I am Avik. I am from Kolkata and I have no claim to fame - yet. 

To mention, a few words about me… I would have to say that being a 1980-s child, I have the traits of the transformation.

While pen and paper fascinates me still - for example I still love the smell of new books, or ink, fresh on paper - I would love to describe myself as the progressive techie guy.

Yes, Techie. May be this sounds a bit geeky. No. I don't wear specs and look nerdy. But technology, any innovation and any technological debate is something that utterly and butterly allures me. I am drawn like a moth to the flame - to any new news in that quarter of life.

Consequently, I do happen to be well versed with many journals, magazines, online blogs / articles where anything new in the world is concerned. Subscriptions to newsletters are my ascriptions for knowledge foundation.

In fact, on the similar lines let us say that as a person I am extremely curious - and I take pride in the fact that my curiosity about every sphere of life leads on a quest through which I discover more and apply as much as possible to my life.

My pillars of support are definitely my Mac, Xbox / PS3, car, coffee mugs, a canvas where I sketch out my thoughts, and my siblings.

Perseverance defines me - the roots of which I dug deep during my Shito-ryu-Karate training. Martial Arts, in fact, taught me more than just to defend and combat - it has shaped my identity and solidifies the ‘what’ in me as I carved out my ‘who’. 

Besides this, I love bowling and snooker / pool - reasonably good at each and I stop at nothing but a win!

To be very honest, re-tracing back to my techie lineage, I must say that I am very interested in design - I love using something as simple as Paint or as complex as Photoshop to design out my thoughts. The screen then becomes my canvas.

My goals in life are few and sure. To be successful - needless to say- but I am very principle bound. So, for me, ethics in personal and professional life are placed at the highest mantle of integrity, honour, self-service and team-player abilities.

 Aesthetics in any form appeal to me. I find equal joy in revelling in nature as much as sweating it off in gym / squash courts.

The word ‘commitment’ defines me - you'll find traces of that in every act of me. I think through my actions as Newton has been used to brainwash me quite often.

I am a comic book guy who still loves his cartoons and his Sunday breakfast in bed. 

I am a better listener. In life, I search for simplicity.  I cannot stultify my own evolution in structures, rigid definitions and pyramids. I am like an undulating flat land - of thoughts, talks and actions.

My idea of fun is laughing. I am a happy man who loves to spread smiles all around. 

This is my first shot at blogging - to give voice to thoughts in me. I think a lot - ok, I am no Einstein but I just have an active mind and a fertile imagination. Numbers is what I believe any theory by together with my gut instinct.

I would love it if my blog is read and enjoyed.