Croma CMO: online isn’t always cheaper, offline owns 70%

The idea that a price tag on a shelf must be higher than the same product in an app is one of retail’s most stubborn assumptions. Amit Agarwal, CMO of Infiniti Retail, Croma, wants marketers to retire it. “It’s a myth that products are always cheaper online,” he said. At Croma, brand offers, bank schemes and retail promotions often bring offline prices level with, or below, online deals.

That stance matters because consumer electronics is no longer an either-or shopping journey. Croma is building one omnichannel experience in which pricing and service look the same whether a customer walks in or browses on mobile.

The offline reality behind the “online is cheaper” story

Physical retail still dominates electronics. Around 70% of electronics sales still happen offline. Digital’s role is heavily front-loaded in discovery: about 70% of Croma’s customers search for products online before entering a store, and half visit the website.

This is the classic ROPO effect — research online, purchase offline — playing out in a high-consideration category. Shoppers are not skipping the store; they are walking in better informed.

Why price parity protects the sale

When consumers can compare prices in seconds, a small mismatch can feel like a breach of trust. Agarwal argues that Croma keeps pricing consistent across channels so customers never feel penalised for choosing a physical visit. Competitive offline pricing, powered by bank and brand offers, removes the main reason to abandon a store trip for a cart online.

The psychology is straightforward: once price feels fair, the decision shifts to trust, service and emotional connection.

Emotional connection becomes the differentiator

Agarwal notes that most retail communication revolves around discounts, which remain important. But long-term relevance comes from trust, experience and emotional connect. That insight drove Croma’s “Ghar Banta Hai Croma Se” campaign, built on the idea that homes are made through small everyday moments, many involving appliances people trust Croma to provide. The 360-degree push uses digital films, a social story, celebrity chef content and in-store activations to add an emotional layer on top of price competitiveness.

What marketers can borrow

• Treat online as a discovery layer, not just a checkout.
• Match prices, or use bank and brand offers to bring offline prices into a believable band.
• Build an emotional brand story so price is not the only tiebreaker.
• Sell AI benefits such as energy savings and personalisation, not the AI label alone.

Agarwal’s larger point for brand managers: the future of retail is not an online-offline contest, but a single, consistent experience with a human reason to choose you.

Source: ETBrandEquity.com