In a conversation, Tajdin Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Daraz Bangladesh Limited speaks candidly about the company’s growing prominence in South Asia’s e-commerce sector, the importance of innovation and what it takes to become a successful marketing professional.
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Daraz Bangladesh Limited
Despite 2021 being a turbulent year for Bangladesh’s e-commerce sector as it was mired in controversy surrounding scams by multiple bad actors, Daraz has seen significant growth over the same period. What have been the company’s biggest strengths?
From the very onset, Daraz has maintained complete transparency regarding its products and services. It helped preserve customer loyalty towards our company even though the entire sector was being mired in controversy. Preserving the interests of the sellers and customers has always been our top priority. Our perseverance in remaining committed to bringing positive changes for all the stakeholders in the e-commerce ecosystem has been one of our biggest strengths over the years.
Subsequently, Daraz has continued evolving and innovating campaigns that enhance customer convenience. 11.11 One-day Sale, Bengali New Year Campaign, Daraz Mall Fest, and Daraz Anniversary Campaign are a few amongst them. We have also taken time-befitting initiatives to inform the sellers about the new digital changes that have taken place in Daraz’s activities as a result of the consistent technological and commercial alterations.
‘Trust’ and ‘Innovation’ – these two words always inspire us to go beyond and excel ourselves. We have recently rebranded ourselves to strengthen our commitment to the customers further. We have put customer experience before anything, and as a tech and purpose-driven business entity, we strive to ensure a personalised and seamless experience for our users. Hence, we have moved into the next chapter of our journey to empower e-commerce customers across our five markets in South Asia by rebranding ourselves.
At the very start of 2022, Daraz Bangladesh Limited unveiled its new logo; how does the refreshed brand aesthetic reflect its vision for the future?
In continuation of the successful run Daraz has had, we have unveiled a brand look and logo. It marks our significant progress in South Asian markets over the years. The new brand aesthetics is a projection of our desire to continue evolving and innovating to facilitate an immersive shopping experience for the modern consumer. The new brand look signifies the elements that have always been part of Daraz’s DNA – progress, innovation, exploration, and discovery. At the same time, it also represents a shift to a more personal experience that will allow Daraz to create greater connectivity between buyers and sellers on the platform.
You have previously talked about the importance of innovation in developing a sustainable digital ecosystem. How is Daraz innovating itself to facilitate an immersive shopping experience?
Innovation is at the core of Daraz’s growth strategy. Our new brand aesthetics and experience align much more with the expectations of modern consumers. We are able to facilitate an efficient and immersive shopping experience through innovation. Daraz is overcoming the existing barriers to grow as a brand that embodies contemporary lifestyle trends for customers of all segments.
Over the years, Daraz has been playing an instrumental role in creating a robust digital ecosystem in Bangladesh, enabling customers around the nation to reap the benefits of digitisation while shopping online. We never paused to pursue our goal of creating a sustainable ecosystem for all. Thus, we have stepped forward with numerous activities and have forged new strategies. Rebranding Daraz consolidated our position and demonstrated Daraz’s commitment to enhancing customer experience and nurturing a solid relationship with customers and buyers in all ways possible.
We are frequently designing campaigns targeted at different groups with different categories of products so that all have something to grab from the platform. At the same time, we are integrating better delivery strategies and monitoring our supply-chain management for optimum efficiency. In short, we aim to strengthen our market position as the ‘peoples’ choice’ platform, which is how our plans are proceeding with innovation. Daraz has launched a Live streaming platform recently as live commerce is going to be the next big area in e-commerce. We have launched Daraz coin- a loyalty platform to ensure reward for our regular customers.
We are frequently designing campaigns targeted at different groups with different categories of products so that all have something to grab from the platform. At the same time, we are integrating better delivery strategies and monitoring our supply-chain management for optimum efficiency.
As a marketing professional who has been recognised as Asia’s top youth marketer of 2020 by the World Association of Newspapers & News Publishers, what are the qualities one must possess to become a successful marketer? Any tips for aspiring marketers out there?
First of all, one needs to understand people. You must have a knack for understanding perspectives, analysing opinions, and assessing trends. Organic marketing strategy development requires an organic connection with the market. Hence – know your people, know your product. You also have to be assertive in developing networks because the strength of your peers can decide the power of your product reach. Besides these, excellent communication skills, language skills, punctuality, and commitment are some of the factors that can always give a marketer a better edge. Finally, you need to be honest with your objectives because that is something one should never compromise with.
Since the start of your tenure, you have facilitated quite a few changes in the company’s brand aesthetics and communications. How have these changes impacted customer acquisition and revenue generation numbers?
‘Change is constant’ – this is also applicable to businesses, especially in this era of innovation. Daraz believes in changes that help us serve our customers better. Consequently, we went through some changes recently. Daraz globally rebranded itself to drive a significantly enhanced customer experience to deliver on its promises to the customers. So far, we have received a tremendous response from all our stakeholders, including the customers. Our commitment and dedication demonstrated in our rebranding approach have helped us gain more customer trust.
The growth of any organisation, I believe, depends on the vision and measures taken by that particular company to attain that goal which should be congruent with the market demand. Daraz understands that and acts upon it, which results in a continuous growth trajectory. We carved out a niche in the e-commerce sector through constant efforts. Our rebranding strategy is a reflection of that endeavour. However, our efforts are being paid off as Daraz is now identified as one of the most popular brands in the region.
Until now, 2022 has been an excellent year for us. Compared to last year’s buyer numbers, Daraz has reached a buyer growth of 75%, 55%, 43% and 34% from January to April, respectively. It resulted in a substantial increase of 86%, 67%, 41%, and 60% in order numbers from January to April compared to last year.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of being the CMO of Daraz Bangladesh Limited? What is your vision for the company five years down the line?
Being a part of a company, which is working with an unwavering passion for building a sustainable e-commerce ecosystem in the country and adding greater convenience to the lives of the people, is always something to be proud of. Nowadays, the role of a Chief Marketing Officer is not only limited to making the brand more visible to the external domain but also responsible for business growth. As the CMO of the country’s largest online marketplace, I feel inspired to pursue the company’s goal to serve the people of this country in the most efficient and innovative ways.
At the same time, at Daraz, I have the opportunity to significantly contribute to the vision of ‘Digital Bangladesh.’ At Daraz, we are now emphasising the dream of a ‘Shopping Odyssey’ with a box of infinite possibilities. Our ambition is to make e-commerce a crucial part of people’s daily lives and enhance their online shopping experience. I would love to see Daraz being part of every household across the country in the next five years.
