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How this Power Couple Launched an Ethnic Online Marketplace to Touch Nearly $2 Mn in Revenue

Trendia, an online marketplace for traditional Indian products, is scaling the exotic Indian trend & helping local artists ge

The Indian ethnic clothes industry offers livelihoods to millions of artists around the nation. Yet, linking traditional and rural products to urban and international markets has always been challenging. Fortunately, the success story of ecommerce amid the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged people in the sector to turn their businesses online.

According to current numbers, more than 2.5 billion people shop online, with over 63% of shopping occasions starting with the internet. And as we discussed in our previous story, Rising Trends: Wearable Birth Control, Print Media, and 3rd-Party Marketplaces, it has prompted more businesses and entrepreneurs to create their marketplaces on the internet. Trendia is one such marketplace for traditional Indian products.

In an era full of trends, Trendia has all the ethnic wear, food, accessories, and other artistic products procured from local vendors that reflect the traditions and culture of India. In addition, the company is building an online presence for numerous handloom brands and artists to sell their quality products.

Trendia – Company Highlight

Trendia

About Trendia

trendia

Trendia is an e-commerce platform based out of India that primarily sells Made in India fashion and accessories for people across all demographics, including other parallel sector products such as exotic footwear, books, sweets, pickles, desi toys, and many more.

Founded in 2020 by Sampurna and Vijay Karumanchi, Trendia aims to make Indian products accessible worldwide.

The Inception of Trendia

The idea for Trendia struck the couple during the pandemic when an invisible virus had shaken India and the entire world to its core. There were nationwide lockdowns. And, for Indians living abroad, all aromatic pickles, traditional clothing and accessories, sweets, and other traditional exotic products had stopped coming at their doorsteps due to the never-ending lists of precautionary needs.

It was then that the founders came up with an idea to make an e-commerce portal that sells Indian food, clothes, desi toys, etc., to the world.

Trendia, which was initially started for Indians living in the US and Canada, now has customers from all over the world, including countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Russia, and France. They fulfill their orders from two warehouses located in Chicago, United States, and Hyderabad, India.

“We aim to be the most customer-centric e-commerce marketplace offering Indian products to the world, and that in itself is a big statement,”

said Vijay in the conversation with TimesNext.

“In more quantitative terms, our goal is to provide a wide range of quality Indian products from all categories at affordable prices.”

Services Offered by Trendia

Trendia offers high-quality traditional apparel, the finest Indian delicacies, and much more in a single portal. They ensure every product available on their website represents India’s rich heritage and cultural ethos.

The company also offers a basket of auxiliary services like free shipping, free returns, a money-back guarantee, and multiple payment options, including American Express, Apple Pay, Visa, PayPal for the comfort of their international customers.

Consumers can find products from trusted and popular brands like Rare Rabbit, Priyaasi, Juniper Janasya, Chokhi Bandhani, and Bunaai. Notably, Trendia’s vendors like AKS, Anubhutee, Cheera, Nayo, and Label Shaurya Sanadhya, have witnessed a 10x growth increase in their daily revenue in the first three months of joining the marketplace.

Here are some examples of what customers can expect on Trendia:

  • The collection of apparel on the platform is fusion-friendly and perfect for diverse occasions.
  • They have a timeless style of ethnic outfits showcasing our beautiful Indian roots. Womenswear has ethnic kurtas, sarees, lehengas, anarkali, palazzo, sharara sets, tops, Tunics, dhoti sets, and more.
  • They also have unique desi-style collections for men, including kurtas, suits, shirts, t-shirts, Nehru jackets, jeans, trousers, dhoti sets.
  • Their kids’ section covers all kurtas, pajama sets, lehenga, etc., from 6 months to 8 years olds.
  • Their offers are not only fashionable but also super-comfy and priced to match every pocket size.
  • There are also times when Indians living overseas need traditional food and delicacies, and guess what? Trendia has it too. Everything from homemade pickles to organic millets, from traditional Indian snacks to sweets, you name it, and Trendia has it.
  • Last but not least, their earrings, neckpieces, and other accessories have something for everyone, right from subtly sensational to statement-making ones.

Click here to check out Trendia online marketplace.

Business and Revenue Model

The business model of Trendia ensures that only the best products reach their consumers with quick delivery and 100% guaranteed customer satisfaction.

Trendia Team, which has grown from two to 50, claims to have 40k+ happy customers with over 54% repeat customer rate and generating more than two million USD in its first year.

“We at Trendia and all the sellers on board aim to fulfill the needs of our International consumers looking for traditional Indian products at affordable prices. For instance, Label Shaurya Sanadhya has a unique design and variety in traditional and fusion wear. To ensure that their quality and affordable products reach the consumers worldwide, we scaled their products to the international level via marketing them on several platforms. Consequently, there is a rise in the overall volume of sales every month,” told Vijay to TimesNext.

Trendia – Startup Challenges

Customer experience

Most customers expect a similar if not the same experience as they would get in any Indian physical store. Hence, it was essential for us to keep the website’s flow, segmentation, listed products, and merchandise personalization based on customers’ preferences, said Vijay.

“To offer seamless customer service, we work every day to make our website simple and user-friendly as much as possible. We take feedback and ensure that our call to action is clear, so our customers know what to do.”

Customer Loyalty

Trendia teams work with a simple belief, “a customer is happy to have bought an excellent product; however, they are ecstatic when the customer service is on point.”

And the company focuses on offering excellent customer service so that once an individual purchases with them, they stay with them for life. From time to time, the platform arranges sales and promotions. They also have special coupon codes for loyal customers and keep them in the loop for new arrivals via in-app and email notifications.

Pricing and Shipping

While talking about the prices and shipment management of the products, Vijay told us, acknowledging that customers often prefer platforms with free shipping over others,

“Unfortunately, we cannot eliminate shipping costs as of now, but we find the best options for our customers.”
“Currently, we offer free shipping for all orders from the USA and India. However, the offer is only valid on orders above $49 for other countries. While we believe the price is proportional to the services offered, we are constantly working to reduce extra costs as much as possible while maintaining the essence.”

User-friendly Mobile App

In the continued conversation, Vijay told TimesNext that he saw mobile websites have double conversion rates compared to desktop sites. Hence, they are currently working to enhance the Trendia mobile app for an improved shopping experience and bolster the bond between the company and customers.

Closing Note

According to Trendia, creating an online marketplace is not about setting up a pretty website.

Instead, with online sales and excellent customer services, the Trendia team is looking to reach small artists and vendors who don’t have a platform to sell their offerings. Simultaneously, also scaling the trend for ethnic and traditional Indian products.

Vijay signed off, saying, “We at Trendia aim to bring the world their favorite Indian products at minimal prices. And to achieve our core goal, we are constantly working to enhance our technology, online portals, and getting new sellers on board every day.”

NOTE: This article is a sponsored content. Trendia provided the information to TimesNext Team for general information purposes only. We, at TimesNext, make no representation or warranty of any kind (expressed or implied) regarding any information’s adequacy, accuracy, availability, or reliability.

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