The e-commerce industry has been expanding immensely globally. Over the years, the sector has not just been profitable for the e-commerce giants but also for the business partners selling their products on their platforms. Companies like Flipkart and Amazon have given a boost to many sellers and help them grow their businesses.
One such seller that has found success through such sites is Chitra Vyas who, despite having an M.Tech in electronics and corporate background, now has a successful business of dry fruits thanks to Flipkart.
Chitra started her online business by selling jewelry and electronics items. Her husband has some experience in dealing with online sales which made them more confident to take this venture up.
In order to expand their business, Chitra found financial help when her uncle decided to invest in her business. They built up a new website from where people could directly purchase their items, Shopping Whopping. However, they were not getting as many queries as expected.
That is when they decided to work with Flipkart in 2016. Initially, they received 10-15 orders a day, but after joining hands with Flipkart, their sales increased to almost 100 orders a day.
In just a few months of joining Flipkart, Chitra became the highest-performing seller on Flipkart.
Chitra then moved the companies core product offering to footwear. From Relaxo, Khadim, Lotto, Bata, Sparks, and Libert, Chitra’s company was dealing with all the brands. Soon the number of orders a day increased to a whopping 1500.
However, the pandemic caused some drawbacks in the company’s operations. The demand for apparel and footwear dropped drastically during the lockdown, but Chitra knew how to make things right again.
With the help of the account manager allocated by Flipkart, they were able to get some insight into the dry fruits and ration category. On the first day after lockdown, they got 400-500 orders for their dry fruits.
Chitra was then encouraged to start her own dry fruits brand, SoftArt. In just a year since its inception, the brand has grown five folds.
Based in Hyderabad, SoftArt comprises a team of 25 people and runs out of a three-storey building. Chitra’s company has become a well-known brand in the dry fruits segment and the company is now hoping to clock Rs 10 crores in the coming year.
