News

GoKwik, an e-commerce enabler, is taking steps to enhance the e-commerce performance of various brands by expanding its services. According to reports from ET Retail, partnering with the business has resulted in between 40% to 160% increases in online orders for brands such as Fablestreet, Neeman, and Boult Audio.
CEO and co-founder of GoKwik, Chirag Taneja, stated that “direct to consumer brands are forming the centre of it” in the trend of e-commerce brands experiencing growth. He further added that the growth of D2C is evident through the increase in transactions, deeper penetration in remote areas of India, and processing GMV.

One of the primary objectives of GoKwik is to minimise business losses due to returned items from cash on delivery orders. By achieving this goal, partner businesses can expand their cash on delivery services across India, which in turn attracts a wider range of customers.

GoKwik has received funding from US-based venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and was established in 2020 by Chirag Taneja, Ankush Talwar, and Vivek Bajpai. The company provides its services to over 250 brands, leveraging artificial intelligence to address merchant-first issues.

Delhivery, India’s largest logistics provider, has announced that it will be making a strategic investment in Vinculum, a global software leader in omnichannel retailing. The investment is part of a two-stage deal that will allow Delhivery to increase its shareholding in the company in the future.

Vinculum is a software company that enables brands to take advantage of eCommerce and omnichannel retailing. It has grown into a leading SaaS company that works with over 400 brands in India, South East Asia, and the Middle East. This investment will strengthen Delhivery’s position as a leading fulfilment solutions provider in the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) enterprise market.

The two companies plan to build a complete integrated stack that addresses the entire range of post-purchase needs of a D2C brand. The integration with Vinculum’s industry-leading Order Management System (OMS) will be a first-of-its-kind fully-integrated E2E offering.

Rajaganesh S, Head of Supply Chain Solutions at Delhivery, congratulated Vinculum on building a world-class product that enables omnichannel retailing for brands and retailers while also powering fulfilment capabilities of 3PLs and online marketplaces. He also stated that the strategic partnership with Vinculum strengthens Delhivery’s fulfilment solution to brands.

Wakefit, the leading direct-to-consumer provider of home and sleep solutions in India, has reported an impressive 30% YoY growth with a revenue of over $825 million during the fiscal year 2022-2023 (FY23). The company’s growth can be attributed to its expansion strategy, which involves opening 22 physical locations across 15 Indian cities, making its products more accessible to customers in metropolitan and tier-2 areas.
A significant portion of Wakefit’s monthly revenue comes from offline sales, which has helped the physical stores reach the $825 crore revenue in FY23. Wakefit plans to continue using its omnichannel strategy as a key growth accelerator and intends to launch approximately 100 outlets in the next three years.

Wakefit is eyeing future profitability and aims to surpass $1 billion in revenue in FY24. The company plans to achieve this goal by expanding its product offering and reaching a wider range of customers in terms of geography and demographics.

Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, director and co-founder of Wakefit, expressed his satisfaction with the 30% YoY growth in sales, saying, “It is a testament to the immense satisfaction people have found in our products, and we look forward to serving them even better this year.” Ankit Garg, CEO and co-founder of Wakefit, added, “This growth has been possible due to the continued support our customers have shown us. This year, our focus will be on pursuing our goal to become a market leader in the home and sleep solutions category.”

Luxury fashion house Eli Bitton opened its first store in India in West Delhi in March 2023. The brand has decided to take the collaboration path to expand in India rather than opening company-owned exclusive stores. Yehuda Bitton, COO & Fashion Designer at Eli Bitton, stated that India is a familiar market for the brand, which used to work with a chosen fashion houses in India for fabrics before the pandemic.
However, the pandemic led to the brand directly entering the Indian market. The fashion house that the brand used to collaborate with couldn’t recover after the second wave. Therefore, the brand decided to launch its own fashion house in Delhi instead of collaborating with other houses.

The newly-opened store features a vast collection of ready-to-wear embroidered gowns, lehengas, and assorted clothing available in all sizes. Several Indian celebrities, including Sunny Leone, Shweta Tiwari, Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, and more, have worn Eli Bitton’s designs.

Eli Bitton chose West Patel Nagar over other localities in Delhi. Because this location is famous for designer stores because it offers the kind of space the brand needed and has latent potential.
Eli Bitton needed enough space to showcase its premium collection properly.
First, the brand launched D2C services in India to test out the tractive response. Satisfied by the experiment, the brand decided to set up shop in New Delhi. When they came to India, they saw that it was different from their expectations, and people wanted luxury fashion.

“In the short time, we had around 5-6 clients who flew down from other states just to get their hands on our exquisite collection,” said Bitton, who was happy with the response the brand was receiving in the country. Bitton also emphasised that – “The majority of our clients are repeat customers who purchased online or those who follow us on social media and have been anticipating the store’s launch. The most satisfying aspect is that 90% of the women who tried our designs purchased them.”

Apart from India, Eli Bitton has fashion houses in Haifa, Israel, where it has been present for the last three decades.

Anko, a leading home and living products brand, has announced its plans to launch in India through digital channels in collaboration with Amazon.in. This strategic move will allow Anko to offer its carefully curated range of products to customers across the country.

Currently, Amazon.in offers a select range of Anko products in various categories such as home, furniture, kitchen, decor, and more. However, the brand aims to expand its product range in the coming months.

Ian Bailey, MD of Kmart Group, expressed his enthusiasm for this venture, stating that Anko is well-equipped to capture the attention of Indian consumers who desire high-quality products at affordable prices. Furthermore, Arjun Puri, Director of Anko, is excited to bring the brand’s selection of affordable and high-quality products to the Indian market via Amazon.in and anko.co.in. The direct sourcing model of Anko is based on ethical and sustainable practices, ensuring that customers in India will appreciate the value and quality of their products.

Anko has a long-term vision to win over Indian customers, and the brand has already sold over 800 million products in 2022 across 300 stores in Australia, New Zealand, and other global markets. Anko’s established supplier base in Asia allows it to source products at volume.

John Southwell, Australia’s Trade and Investment Commissioner for food, agriculture, and consumer goods in India, welcomed Anko’s entry into the Indian market through Amazon.in. John sees this as an opportunity for bilateral commerce synergies between the two countries. He also notes that Anko’s products are made in India and exported worldwide, providing economic returns to both countries. This is a testament to the strong trade and investment relationship between Australia and India.

Overall, Anko’s entry into the Indian market through Amazon.in is a significant milestone for both countries, and Anko is looking forward to serving customers across India with its range of affordable, high-quality home and living products.

Pilgrim, a toxin-free personal care brand, has announced Yami Gautam as its first-ever hair care range ambassador. The captivating partnership was announced through a powerful TVC and digital campaign, #PilgrimNeDhoondNikaale.

The campaign aims to emphasize Pilgrim’s promise to provide efficacious solutions for consumers’ personal care concerns. With this partnership, the brand seeks to amplify the power of concern-oriented personal care.

Pilgrim’s hair care range includes a variety of popular products, such as the best-selling Hair Growth Serum, Argan Oil Hair Mask, and Sulphate-free Shampoo. The brand’s Korean range, which was launched in May 2020, has been a significant success.

The quirky #PilgrimNeDhoondNikale campaign video features Yami being questioned by curious Korean natives about the secrets behind her luscious locks. Yami then reveals that Pilgrim has discovered these secrets and shares the secret, i.e., the Korean Hair Growth Serum, with the fascinated natives. The personal care brand sources these hair care secrets from Jeju Island in South Korea.

Anurag Kedia, Co-founder, and CEO, Pilgrim said, “Pilgrim is on an upward curve, continuously gaining consumer trust with our highly efficacious products made with world ingredients. Yami’s belief in the power of concern-oriented personal care products just made her the perfect fit for us and it aligns with what we stand for. Our association with Yami marks an exciting chapter for us as we continue our growth journey in 2023 and beyond.”

Konark Gaur, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Pilgrim said, “Our core brand philosophy at Pilgrim is about being deeply consumer-centric and we are passionate about discovering the best ingredients from around the world to offer the best to the Indian consumer. That’s what differentiates us from the other brands. We are excited to amplify our message on multiple digital and traditional mediums, which we are confident will make us the first choice for haircare for millennials and Gen-Z across India.”

Pilgrim is focused on strengthening its research and development ability while building new, innovative product offerings for consumers across the country. The beauty and personal care brand witnessed massive growth in the last 12 months, crossing the ARR 150 crore mark with 6X growth in sales and revenue.