Brands
Paytm Mall targets $10 bn annualised gross sales by 2019
MUMBAI With the aim to garner a bigger slice of India’s growing online retail market, Paytm Mall, owned by Paytm e-commerce, has ramped-up its efforts to expand the business. The company is aiming for a three-fold rise in annualised gross sales and aims to achieve the $10 billion mark by March 2019.
Paytm e-commerce, which runs the online marketplace, achieved $3.5 billion in annualised gross sales in June 2018. This robust performance has made it a strong No. 3 contender in the local e-commerce market within a year of its launch. By March’19, Paytm Mall expects unit orders to jump to 1-1.5 million orders per day, from about 625,000 currently.
Paytm Mall has raised about $650 million since its inception in April 2017. During its latest fundraise the company raised about $450 million from Japan’s SoftBank Group, and it is currently valued at about $2 billion. Shareholders in Paytm e-commerce include Alibaba Group, Ant Financial, SAIF Partners and founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
For Paytm Mall, the largest categories by value include appliances, laptops, and mobiles with the daily needs category generating the maximum number of orders. The company plans to expand its fashion and home business this year. Paytm Mall plans to create differentiation in the market by not having an inventory-led business model. Instead, it aims to promote the O2O (offline to online) model in India.
It currently offers same-day delivery and O2O deliveries in the top 15 cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad. The company plans to further expand its services to 25 cities including Kota, Jabalpur, Dehradun, and Indore, among others by Diwali.
Paytm Mall COO Amit Sinha says, “We are excited to witness the growth of the Indian retail market and we have ramped up our efforts to expand our business to meet its ever-growing demands. We are building an O2O model offering same day deliveries to top 15 cities and will be further expanding our services to 25 cities across the country. Our partnership with brands/merchants and their offline retail stores is driving an important opportunity for them to increase their business while building engagement with their customers.”
Paytm Mall’s O2O operating model is aiming to leverage India’s 15 million offline retail shops to participate in India’s e-commerce boom. The company currently works with offline stores in partnership with brands such as Samsung, LG, Lenovo, Intel, Red Tape, Canon, HP, Godrej, and Hitachi.
Brands
Raj Cooling Systems launches Agreyas appliances brand
Emraan Hashmi named brand ambassador for consumer appliance push.
MUMBAI: A company known for cooling solutions is now heating up its ambitions in the home appliances market. Raj Cooling Systems Pvt. Ltd. has launched a new consumer appliances brand, Agreyas, marking its entry into India’s rapidly expanding home appliances sector valued at more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The move represents a strategic diversification for the company, which has traditionally focused on cooling solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Through Agreyas, the firm plans to tap into growing consumer demand for energy efficient and technology driven household appliances.
To build brand visibility, Agreyas has appointed Emraan Hashmi as its brand ambassador. The campaign has been developed under the banner of Zoommantra Productions, with actor and filmmaker Rohit Roy contributing to the creative direction.
The brand’s initial portfolio will include mid premium air conditioners, washing machines, geysers and other white goods designed to cater to modern Indian households seeking efficient and reliable appliances.
Raj Cooling Systems, founder and chairman Kalpesh Ramoliya said the launch aligns with the company’s broader expansion plans.
“The launch of Agreyas is in line with our vision to build a strong presence in India’s consumer electronics and home appliances market. The brand has been developed as a standalone identity to meet the evolving needs of Indian consumers,” he said.
Hashmi said the collaboration comes at a time when Indian buyers are increasingly looking for innovative and functional home solutions.
“I’m looking forward to working with Agreyas at a time when consumers are seeking more innovative and efficient home products. The brand reflects changing consumer behaviour around functionality, innovation and ease of use,” he said.
Raj Cooling Systems plans to invest around 10 million dollars in developing the brand, with an additional 5 million dollars earmarked over the next three to five years for product development and distribution expansion.
Agreyas will follow a multi channel distribution approach, selling through online platforms, retail outlets and dealer networks aimed at both urban and semi urban markets across India.
With the launch, the company is positioning Agreyas as a standalone consumer facing brand while continuing to leverage its existing manufacturing, engineering and research capabilities built through its core cooling solutions business.
