What do you gift someone who wants a taste of ‘Real India’? A Taj Mahal replica? A pashmina shawl?
If you want to give these a miss, maybe an experience of the insufferable auto-rickshaw driver, the good old chaiwallah or the cow in the middle of a busy road would suffice? Still not sure? Then try Chumbak.in for stuff that promise you a slice of “New India. No more clichés”.
Brainchild of Bengaluru-based Shubhra Chadda and Vivek Prabhakar, Chumbak capitalises on revealing India in its concepts, designs and products. And thanks to social media, Chumbak is going places.
The journey begins:
“I was intrigued by how Indian souvenirs never had the real feel of the country. We wanted to show the mundane yet indispensable parts of India through our brand,” says Vivek. For over a year, Shubhra and Vivek’s quest has been to tap the quirky, desi elements.
Social media marketing:
With over 70,000 likes on Facebook, and counting, 500 followers on Twitter and a dedicated website — www.chumbak.in — social media has put the venture on the commerce map.
Shubhra says she receives over 20 mails in a day, with design ideas, feedback and product requests. “We just cannot undermine the strength of social media marketing,” she adds.
Vivek and Shubhra claim even students from institutes like NID and NIFT have pinged them with ideas.
Virtual ties:
It’s an online routine for the duo, well, almost. They begin their day at 7. After their daughter is off to school, the laptops are out and work is on till 9 pm at least.
“We have developed a strong virtual relationship with clients. Even though we do not know how they look, we know their names and personal information. Business interaction has been redefined due to the Internet,” says Vivek.
Shubhra adds, “We get in touch with retailers, suppliers designers and clients online. It’s so convenient and saves money too.
We know our customers, their preferences, budgets and needs. We would have to spend an astronomical amount on hiring professionals to collate such data.” Plus, there’s been free advertising, because as Vivek says, “Facebook and Twitter have taken care of that.”
Foreign draw:
Brand India sells and Chumbak has already made a name overseas. It has stores in the US, UK and West Asia, and has a tie-up with Japan’s Amina to sell its wares at the retail giant’s 70-odd outlets.
