There is festivity in the air and for those at Amazon India, who are miles away from their homes, Deepawali as a festival is not foreign anymore. They have spent considerably less time in India, but the festival of lights has begun to mean something to them now.
Diyas sparkling, fire crackers, food coma
Ask Fred Neil Director of Consumer Marketing, Amazon India, what he thinks of Diwali and he says, “it’s a time when he enjoys window shopping at a nearby mall, seeing all the local shoppers take advantage of the many sales.” Yes, we do work online, but we do observe offline shopping behavior! The joy that Alessandra Martinengo, Brand Marketing Manager, sees on her friends face when they know that they are going home to their family to celebrate is what Diwali is. She elaborates, “In their expressions, days in advance, you can see the light of a diya sparkling, the noise of fire crackers, their food coma because of the amount of sweets and the joy of being all together.” For Tim Schultz, Associate Creative Director, “Diwali is a beautiful holiday when our entire apartment complex comes together with their neighbors to light crackers and bring joy to children.”
Unique Indian Experience
At Amazon India, Diwali is also the time of the Great Indian Festive sale and that means putting in those extra hours to ensure that customers are delighted. This too has been a unique experience for many in India a thought that is captured perfectly in Fred Neil’s comment: “It has been so much fun participating in Great Indian Sale war room sessions to watch sales spike on the site and seeing what consumers are buying, as well as taking advantage of the many amazing deals Amazon has across the event. I have been part of many Cyber Monday and Christmas Holiday shopping events in the US, but nothing rivals the excitement and scale of the Amazon Great Indian Sale I have just experienced.”
That overwhelming feeling
It is this overwhelming aspect that even Jonathan brings out when he says, “It has been an amazing experience to see the excitement and volume of shopping that is done during the Diwali holiday period. The amount of customers year over year that are participating and experiencing online shopping where literally almost infinite selection is available to them. For the overwhelming part it is working hard with my team to meet the demands and expectations of our customers constantly during the event and adapt as we see new shopping behaviors and needs emerge.”
Desi shopping!
And if you think these Amazonians have only worked and not shopped – think again. While Fred has purchased TV, artwork, decorative candles, ethnic clothing for his wife and formal ethnic wear for himself, Alessandra preferred waiting till the last minute to see if any exciting deals lured her enough, even as Jonathan has shopped for local sweets. While some are shopping now, even as we write this story, some will be off on holiday and some will be chilling with their familes. For all of them, a special wish by fellow Amazonians:
A wish for everyone
Fred Neil: I am so honored to be part of the India Amazon Team and so proud of the passion and extraordinary effort they have all put into making this Diwali a special session for our customers across India. My special wish for all Amazonians during Diwali is for you all to enjoy this special holiday with your families and celebrate your accomplishments and hard work during the Great Indian Sale that concludes just before Diwali.
Jonathan Burks: I wish all of our Amazonians a wonderful holiday where they are able to take time to spend with family and friends.
Tim Schultz: I hope everyone at Amazon gets to enjoy this time with their families. Even while we’re working so hard to let others give the perfect gift, we should never forget that family is the most important part of anyone’s life.
Alessandra Martinengo: I wish all the Amazonians a very happy Diwali and a year filled with prosperity, success and “Smiles”. As suggestion, have some coffee (best if Italian J) to survive the sweet feast.
