Vodafone
View Brand PublisherHow AC Transformers looks to a virtuous cycle of growth with Vodafone WebBuddy
Vodafone WebBuddy is a suite of online presence tools that enables small businesses to set up professional responsive websites, get advanced business email, or start selling products through an integrated e-commerce solution.
Consumer behaviour has undergone a tremendous shift in the past decade, thanks to the growing internet penetration in the country, which is credited largely to the growing use of smartphones. In fact, the number of smartphone users in India is expected to rise by 84 percent to 859 million by 2022, according to a study by Assocham and PWC.
Access to the internet affects the spending habits of the consumer. According to a report by bazaarvoice, 82 percent of smartphone users carry out research on their phone before making an in-store purchase.
These trends point to a single reality: The online world is inseparable from today’s consumer, making it imperative for businesses to have an online presence to stay relevant to these consumers
The challenge
Most small businesses often lack the time, skills or resources to craft the required online presence to stay relevant to their target consumers. Take the example of AC Transformers Services — a business that offers a variety of small and medium-sized industrial equipment such as conservator tanks, Buchholz relays, air release plugs, flexible separator gasket sets, and electrical bushings, among others.
Since 2011, the company has been supplying their products and services to prominent clientele including Essar, Welspun, Siemens and Nayara Energy, among others. Most of their customers are onboarded through industrial references and face-to-face meetings. However, the business runs with limited staff, making in-person marketing difficult.
Given its annual turnover of Rs 1 crore, advertising costs were also an expensive affair in comparison to the size of their business. In fact, any additional costs in business development adds to the cost of the products, making it less competitive.
Crafting a strong online presence
The team at AC Transformers found the perfect solution in Vodafone’s WebBuddy — A suite of services carefully designed for small businesses to create a customised online presence that would showcase its offerings to millions of netizens. With WebBuddy, AC Transformers got its unique Domain, which they leveraged to create professional email addresses that offers up to 10 GB in storage, enhanced security with anti-spam and filters, and superior accessibility across all devices, among other advanced features. These email addresses are crucial in creating a sense of professionalism for potential customers, and expanding their outreach.
In the past, it was tough for AC Transformers to present themselves to prospective clients without a proper website, nor were they able to reduce their dependence on expensive, traditional ways of marketing. To create real impact with customer outreach and aid their efforts in digital marketing, AC Transformers also created a feature-rich, modern website through WebBuddy that helped them in reaching out to clients at no cost. The responsiveness of the website meant that potential customers could view AC Transformers’ online profile, search and contact them across any device, be it a desktop, tablet or smartphone.
The Vodafone edge
Being a small-sized business, AC Transformers did not have the know-how, time or resources to gain the skills needed to make a professional website. On signing up for Vodafone’s WebBuddy services, Vodafone’s technical staff took care of all these issues — right from setting up all the basic infrastructure, to getting the website up and running, and setting up professional email addresses for all employees of the company.
Even after the setup, operating the website and managing their email addresses was a hassle-free experience as the Vodafone staff was easily accessible to provide the required support and guidance, be it for technical or non-technical issues.
Future plans
The team at AC Transformers hope to provide their products and services to clientele beyond their own geographical area. As a part of their website and digital marketing strategy, they are planning to build awareness around their offerings to potential customers through social media and increase their client base.
By pivoting to digital marketing, they are looking at significantly reduced fixed costs that come with the traditional way of marketing. This would help them in increasing competitiveness and allow them to offer their products and services at more attractive rates.
They also hope to kick-off a virtuous cycle, where access to a vast number of potential clients would eventually help in increasing their business. And to effectively cater to a larger client base, it would require them to upgrade their email and security services.
