Our strength lies in curation and quality
With a career spanning over 25 years, Shilpa Sharma has extensive experience in the fashion and lifestyle retail space. She spent twelve years spearheading the growth of Fabindia’s retail network of over hundred stores across formats and geographies, and ended her innings with them after a successful run driving and managing product buying and merchandising for the entire business. She had earlier spent eight years in FMCG marketing with Marico Industries and Cadbury’s India, besides two years in advertising. She quit corporate life in 2010 and set up her own retail advisory to consult on strategic business advisory projects, and worked on diverse assignments across large and small retailers and entrepreneurs including a large efficiency improvement mandate with a luxury fashion brand in India. Sharma co-founded and now spearheads product design and buying for Jaypore.com, curating high on design handcrafted products from India. She shares her views on Jaypore.com with Meher Castelino.
What made you start Jaypore? How did you zero in on the name Jaypore?
We founded Jaypore in 2012, and launched it officially a month later with an ‘iPad only’ shopping experience. This was followed by a website which opened up to clients in the US in October 2012, and we went live in India and the rest of the world in January 2013. We had a shared vision of how we could present Indian craft-based designs in a contemporary application, one which would appeal to a domestic and global audience as much. We’re focussed on reviving dying crafts and arts of India and want to create a viable business that promotes quality over quantity. We are about India’s most beautiful products. There is no better representation of the most beautiful than Jaipur, be it in the area of craft, textile or architecture. It’s a destination that epitomises all things beautiful in India. We couldn’t have been Jaipur, for obvious reasons, and Jaypore seemed perfect.
Do you offer seasonal sales?
We do not really follow seasons. All of Jaypore’s products are handmade, and there is an almost lyrical cycle of products that we source from artisans that naturally follows the seasons.
We have consciously stayed away from deep discounting as a way to secure sales. We offer sweet deals to our core customers, once in a while, as a way to acknowledge their commitment to shopping on Jaypore. Our aim is not to sell more, but to sell better products than anyone else.
Where is your head office? What is your staff strength?
Our head office is in New Delhi, in the Saket area. Jaypore is a rapidly growing company. Our people resources, the best in the industry, are at the core of this growth and from a handful of young enthusiastic minds we have grown to around 100 employees and I see new faces every week!
What are the top three steps to ease and keep a steady supply-chain?
The three top steps are (i) systems and process orientation across functions; (ii) disciplined approach to vendor relationship management between us and our partners. The commitment has to be both ways; (iii) a commitment to online portals as a workable distribution channel for generating sales as it will make the vendors manage their production and collections better.
When many online companies are running at a loss, how are you staying afloat?
We depend only on the quality of our products to gain and retain business. There is no other way to do that. Jaypore has a long-term commitment to artisans and customers, and we can only fulfil it by being true to ourselves and to our customers. We do not believe in buying sales through discounts–more than 25 per cent of the topline sales of a portal is generated through deep discounts, something that we have consciously steered clear of.
Competition is a good thing. It keeps us on our toes looking for even better ways to provide value to customers. It is this endeavour that keeps us standing out in the crowd. Everyone today believes they can set up a website and run their own e-commerce portals. What most people do not realise is that setting up a beautiful website is only one part of what it takes to be a successful online portal.
Please tell us about the progress of the portal, and the way the products were added.
When we first went live in January 2013, we started with a small representation of stoles, scarves, shawls and silver jewellery, with some home accents thrown in. But as we built up a following, we realised that we would need to offer much more of the Indian aesthetic across categories like sarees, dupattas and home textiles. As we built a representation of these categories, we moved from one feature a day, five days a week, to two-a-day on all seven days of the week, pretty much within the first year of operation. As the following for Jaypore grew, the width of presentation across categories grew too, and we began to introduce categories like art, kids, home and apparel for women. Today, we showcase about six collections a day, every day, across categories.
How do you maintain an inventory of so many products? How often do you change them? How many pieces per style/product are stocked?
We work with most of our vendor associates on a sale or return (SOR, also known as consignment) basis. So, goods move into our inventory for a period of about six weeks, for the duration of the feature. Once we’ve pulled the feature off the site, the unsold pieces are returned to the vendor. So, we have to keep a tight control over products in stock.
We add almost 250 new products every day. So you can find something new you like each day! The number of pieces per style we carry depends on the category and the actual product. Some products like exclusive jewellery and sarees move very quickly and we don’t carry very huge numbers in these, because they’re all handmade and you can only get so much depth in a collection where every piece is made entirely by hand. We carry very large numbers of both apparel and jewellery.
What has been your experience of online portals for clothes and household goods?
Time is the new money. The convenience of shopping online is big, and the added benefit of great deals online across portals like Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart have spoilt the customer for choice. There is nothing that you cannot buy online today. From big bulky furniture to exquisite precious jewellery, it is all available at the click of a mouse. The added convenience of “cash on delivery” or “try and buy” overcomes barriers that may exist in the minds of the traditional shopper.
Who are your competitors, and how do you keep ahead of them?
Everyone who is vying for a share of the customer’s wallet is competition, so, that’s pretty much the whole universe. Specific to product that we feature, we are competing with the likes of Tadpole store and Itokri (though they are both much smaller in terms of category representation), in the online space, and Fabindia and Good Earth in the offline space.
What are your modes of promotions besides social media? What is your advertising plan? How much is the advertising and promotion budget?
Social media is our strongest advertising channel because it builds on word-of-mouth publicity. This way we ensure that our products are endorsed by real life, qualified users who were completely satisfied with our offerings. Other than this, we have a focused online advertising programme and public relations support. Most of our business comes from word-of-mouth publicity. Happy customers get us more business. We also do targeted advertising online on Facebook, and have some PR support for marketing.
We do not advertise on a mass scale, but we do target our prospective customers through social media and focused online advertising as well as public relations activities. It is much lower than any other portal online. We cannot disclose figures at this time.
You moved from FMCG brands to a brick-and-mortar store and now online. What is the difference and how was the experience?
It is a whole new learning experience, and in keeping with the times too. I have followed my dreams, in moving from FMCG to retail when I moved to Fabindia and then on to Jaypore. Keeping up with the times, for sure, as we see that shopping habits in our country are evolving and an online presence is becoming a must, for everyone who wants to build a business and brand.
How do you select your products? Where are your products from?
Jaypore embodies India’s most beautiful products combining a traditional and a classical aesthetic with contemporary design and showcasing a line of product, which elevates the ‘Made in India’ status of Indian craft. We want to mitigate India’s reputation for cheap and tacky (grungy) craft. We are a proud country, we should be proud of our heritage. We are creating a brand that embodies everything we love about India—from classic traditional to contemporary. We want to be an ambassador of modern Indian style, with a contemporary and hence globally-relevant aesthetic. This is the philosophy that guides us in choosing what Jaypore showcases to its loyal and growing audience. Any product, which is high on the hand-crafted quotient, and that embodies a design language that combines a traditional, classic craft form with a contemporary application, or just a contemporary colour palette, will qualify.
Jaypore is committed to the revival of traditional Indian handlooms and crafts. This philosophy takes us to myriad places in the corners of the country to source quality handmade and handcrafted products. So, we have natural dyed block prints from Rajasthan, ajrakh from Gujarat, kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, and weaves from all over the country. We source jewellery and Indian traditional art like Gond and Madhubani paintings from skilled artisans across India. We support initiatives and organisations like AIACA and Women’s Weave, Kumaon Grameen Udyog and Samoolam by showcasing their products on Jaypore.
How long do you hold styles and products on the site? What innovations do you have to make, and how often for the site to be interesting?
There is enough and more for us to do right now; but yes, we are evaluating new categories that would benefit our consumers. Typically, an event in any category stays on for two weeks or more, depending on its popularity with customers. You will see new products every day on Jaypore. We usually have 6-7 new collections in all categories going live on the website everyday. At Jaypore, we constantly look for new ways to talk to our customers, to get them better value for their money, and to provide a financially viable platform for the craft communities that we work with. So, innovation is a constant process and there is never an occasion where we do not learn something new in a day.
You have watched fashion for 25 years. How has it progressed, and where do you think the online business will go?
Western influences have grown, with the growing influence of television and the Internet. Differences between ethnic and western have blurred and fusion wear seems to be the new mantra. Unfortunately, ‘more is beautiful’ and the general aesthetic in the country seems to be gravitating towards bling, and ‘more the merrier’ in terms of design elements. The growing prominence of online marketplaces has opened up a world of possibilities for the customer who is totally spoilt for choice. Technology interventions also showcase possibilities in terms of styling of looks, which make shopping a pleasurable and much easier experience.
What are the top five hurdles that restrict growth?
They are (i) scarce resources leading to an inability to invest in product, technology and marketing; (ii) very high customer acquisition cost for garnering sales within India and abroad; (iii) discount-driven marketplaces rule the roost, and that makes it difficult for niche players who are focused on quality and experience to get visibility; (iv) at this point, we are hamstrung by our inability to give our customers a ‘touch and feel’ experience of what Jaypore as a brand has to offer. We would need a conscious investment in offline stores that will carry a representation of what we are about, and which will introduce Jaypore to the online shopping averse audiences out there, and build faith in the brand, gently nudging them to shop on the portal for a large representation of all that we stand for; (v) not having enough stocks in the categories that work well for us is also a challenge.
What are the terms of payment? How prompt are your delivery and return methods?
We offer the use of online payment systems like Internet bank transfers, pre-paid options and the cash-on-delivery option. Delivery and return depend on the kind of product; for customised apparel, it takes up to 15 days, regular products need between three and five days or less. We have a liberal returns policy, which permits returns within 15 days depending on the product category.
What sort of organisation is needed for the success of online sales? What are the advantages and disadvantages of an online portal?
The first and foremost thing you need is to have certain systems in place, and at Jaypore these are non-negotiable. That is the only way we can deliver the best quality product on time. Ours is a flat organisation and there is clear accountability for every process. The success of online sales depends in a big way on these two factors. In a rapidly digitalising world, I do not really see any disadvantages of having an online portal. Yes, there are a lot of challenges, but every one of them is a learning experience for Jaypore. And with a short turnaround time for incorporating our learnings into our current system, we are getting quicker in adapting to change. There is just no other way. As for advantages, there are many. Apart from the traditional advantages of not having to have a costly physical setup to maintain and hence lower overheads, one of the biggest advantages of an online retail business is the sheer number of prospective customers one can reach. India has nearly 94 million broadband users, according to an April 2015 report by AT Kearney–that is the number of people we can potentially reach and that is an astounding number. Also, with more intense customer interaction, we are able to gauge their mood, needs and pain points faster and accordingly offer solutions far quicker than a brick-and-mortar setup. So, there is higher efficiency, and we are able to customise our offerings better for our customers.
What sells more – fashion, accessories, or household goods?
Traditionally, women’s apparel segment sees the fastest growth in online retail. But we are seeing huge growth in jewellery, sarees, dupattas and home products as well.
What are the top three challenges you faced as a start-up?
The top three challenges are (i) managing priorities with bootstrapping across functions–technology, marketing and working capital for product; (ii) talent, very little out there which comes with a commitment to and passion for the kind of work we do; (iii) with an SOR model, we never have enough of what works for us (quantity of product).
What is the USP of the brand?
As an online brand dedicated to creating a unique interpretation of age-old handloom crafts, we travel across India curating unique and exclusive collections that represent the country’s finest craft-based designs. We present collections online by partnering with artisan communities, textile designers, and independent artists to showcase a new contemporary design language that comes from India and is understood globally. Jaypore’s strength lies in our collective commitment to our customers and artisan communities that we work with. Our strength lies in our curation, quality products and the ability to make changes that are profitable for everyone concerned.
What are the future plans for the site?
To build our own private label brand Jaypore, online for the moment. To increase depth of availability (numbers of pieces per item that sells) across categories that work for us, and to continue to find a way to showcase the finest design and textile products on our portal, thereby making Jaypore the most representative of the finest Indian aesthetics that are available.
