At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the unique and compelling stories from the start-up ecosystem. As part of this endeavour, we invited seasoned entrepreneur and business leader Kiran Patil for an exclusive interview with us.Kiran Patil is the Founder and CEO of Growisto. He is an experienced entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in e-commerce and digital marketing. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and has worked with companies like Evalueserve and Future group before starting his entrepreneurial venture. Let’s learn more about his inspirational journey and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Kiran:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as an entrepreneur, please;
We founded Nearfox, a discovery platform to help citizens make discoveries across categories like food, shopping, beauty, fashion, fitness, entertainment, and local travel, in 2015. However, the startup shut shop in 2016. Though the startup was shutdown in just a year, we realised the guidance and values of companies like Coverfox and Toppr through SEO consulting and hence, we decided to foray into digital marketing space. We started an agency specialising in SEO services.
In 2016, the we launched Growisto. It is a retail ecommerce marketing and technology company, headquartered in Mumbai. We focuse on leveraging technology and data to drive online retail growth. Our startup helps brands and private labels to grow their businesses on platforms such as Amazon as well as their own website. We have achieved significant growth over the last four years and managed to earn some well-known clients like PUMA and Victorinox. In the past, we have also worked with clients such as LBB, Bewakoof, upGrad, MakeMyTrip, OYO, Acko, Standard Chartered, Coverfox, Manyavar, Fynd, etc.
How does ‘Growisto’ help the brands? What is the key differentiator?
So the team is focussed on a consultative approach. Experts from Growisto team have active discussions with clients on their ecommerce business goals. Then a thorough action plan is created, which is executed by the team.
“We touch base with the clients’ senior stakeholders to realign on the action plan (if required). This unique approach helps us to not only be flexible but also stay relevant to our clients’ needs at all times,” Additionally, our execution team has a weekly discussion with the client. Team sends a detailed report to the client a day prior to the discussion, which helps them make the most of the discussion and keep it power-packed and impactful.
“Instead of presenting the numbers, we present the findings and discuss the way forward. Any ad-hoc changes to the plan basis the weekly observations are discussed and taken up during these discussions. This helps us to work in a collaborative fashion with our clients and make the most of their time,”.
Not every client is the same, they need a customised solution. Growisto has detailed discussions to not only understand the goals but also set realistic targets for the business. Using a consultative approach even before signing the contract, the startup creates the action plan and defines the KPIs. Like any other agency, Growisto works on a monthly retainer basis but with a flexible effort-based model.
We work very closely with our client teams through the weekly catchups to discuss the insights and align on the way forward.
At the end of every month, we also have a strategy call where the senior-most stakeholder from the client team has a discussion with our senior team members. Given the dynamic nature of the industry, these catchups help us to align on the business objectives efficiently.
How is the competitive landscape? What are your plans to scale?
Digital marketing space as a field is not new. There are many companies working in the space. The space is evolving rapidly. According to the International Journal of Advanced Research Foundation, it has been a golden period for the growth of digital marketing in India since 2013, and the trend will continue until the end of this year. From 69 million online shoppers in 2016 to more than 100 million in 2017, India has seen an exponential rise in its internet population.
What is the way forward?
We are at the forefront of this evolution, there are times when we do not have the right answers to our clients’ problem statements. In such scenarios, it is the never say die attitude combined with honesty that helps us to give our best to our clients. We believe in absolute transparency while working with our clients,” says Kiran.
Some of our notable clients are PUMA, Victorinox, Justrite Safety Group, Yoga Bars, Monsoon Harvest, Freakins, etc. It also works with brands such as Estalon, GuruNanda, Puriya, Pure Label Nutrition, Hawaii Nutrition Company, etc. in the USA, and help them grow their business online. Additionally, the team has also been working with early-stage startups and helping them grow their ecommerce sales. In the last 12 months, the team has been working with startups such as Pilgrim, Man Matters, Bold Care, House of Makeup, &Me, Morgan Cosmetics, The Good Cow Co., etc.
How has your growth been so far? Is your startup bootstrapped or funded?
We are a team of 80 people now and we have seen a whopping 1,700 percent growth in the last four years.
We have established itself as one of the top ecommerce marketing and technology services company. We will keep innovating, develop products and offerings to help brands and private labels. We also plan to scale our team 3x in the next two years.
Growisto works on an hourly pricing model.
We have raised funding from Globevestor Angel Fund and a host of other investors that include Devendra Rane, ex-CTO of Coverfox, Ravi Jain, Co-founder of GenY Medium; and a few others.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
