Veda focuses on online retail, plans EBOs

With nearly 50 to 55 percent of its business coming from Tier II, III cities, Daboo Crafts, the online and offline retailer of label Veda is looking to strengthening its physical presence by opening own stores. “We would like to open exclusive Veda stores in the near future. We feel

that Veda has grown now having a wider category to showcase. We would like to be present  in malls that attract good number of footfalls. To begin with, we would open a model store in Pune,” explains Deepan Desai, Proprietor, Daboo Crafts.

Incorporated in 2000, Veda offers ethnic collections created with handloom and natural yarn fabrics. Though the brand was already being sold at MBOs and large formats all over India, the company felt the need to launch e-commerce platform to reach out to the wider audience base.

Extending retail reach

“We felt the need to showcase and sell Veda to a much wider audience. Selling online was the way out. Initially, we didn’t succeed in converting visitors coming on our site to actual sales. It was a nascent stage in e-commerce and customers were not that comfortable using plastic money. Even logistics cost was exorbitant. It was a challenging task but we overcame the problems,” says Desai, elaborating on the journey so far.

Apart selling through MBOs, the Veda is also available in select Shoppers Stop and Ethnicity stores. “We have many international customers who buy regularly. We have initiated weight based shipping for international customers thus making it more viable for them to buy online. We have been 100 percent positive in customer satisfaction in terms of quality shopping experience, payment options and fast deliveries. This has resulted in many referral customers,” Desai explains.

Engaging return customers

Veda’s product line is for men, women and boys. For men, it has kurtas for any occasion that include short length, knee length and pathani kurtas, for women, the range consists of tunics, organic printed leggings with dupattas, jackets and ponchos and there are also kurtas for boys.

To bring back customers to their platform, the company has multiple offers on site. Talking about customer engagement programs, Desai says, “from the time a customer registers on our site, we have a loyal bond with them. We send them mailers about new products and festive offers. We share promo codes that are specially designed for them to redeem during checkout.”

Apart from special offers, the company also ensures product quality and has created a goodwill for its brand. “We understand that the customer is buying online, thus we try and mention smallest details about fabric and blends. We are not selling other brands on our website but are planning to introduce different product categories that would be of interest to our customers. We refresh our stocks on a weekly basis. Our team adds new products and intimates the customers through mailers,” says Desai.