Raymond ready to take-on the e-commerce battle

Keeping the rising interest of customers in e-commerce in mind, textile and apparel major Raymond, has made an online foray with a full-fledged virtual platform called RaymondNext.com. It includes mobile apps. For this latest step, the company has roped in Vijay Basrur, a digital specialist who has worked with online startups like Quikr and Bazee.com. And for the new CEO, Sanjay Behl, who took over the responsibility in July 2013, the mandate is to bring right people on board while driving social media and e-tailing.

The e-platform will display all of the company's brands, including Raymond, Park Avenue, ColorPlus and Parx, and products spread across textile, apparel, home furnishing and personal care accessories apart from customised design and styling services. Its rivals like Arvind and Bombay Dyeing are already rising the e-commerce to drive sales.

The new technologically advanced platform promises to create an offline store experience for the online customer and to use its strong physical retail network of over 1,000 outlets across the country to deliver products directly at the shopper's doorstep. The company is infusing Rs 20 crores to establish the e-commerce venture under a dedicated separate team.

Textiles enjoy almost 44 percent share of Raymond's revenues, followed by branded apparel and denim. The company, which opened its first retail shop in 1958, plans to add 150 more in FY15 to its existing countrywide network of 954.