Aman Gupta, Co-Founder boAt Lifestyle to chair IAMAI’s founders’ community of direct to consumer Indian brands
Bengaluru, NFAPost: In a bid to promote new age Indian brands across segments such as food, consumer durables, electronics, fashion, FMCG etc., Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has set up a founders’ community of direct to consumer Indian brands.
The unifying features of these brands are that they are digital first, innovative, competitive and manufacture or produce in India. IAMAI is a not-for-profit industry body registered under the Societies Act. The organisation’s mandate is to expand and enhance the online and mobile value added services sectors.
At present there are at least a 100 odd such brands in the market and more are emerging every day. These brands are innovative since they cater to a younger and often first time shopper catering to a niche demand.
Digital first catering
They are competitive as they have to compete for mindshare and shelf space with large incumbents with deep pockets. They are digital first catering to internet using socio-economic segments and taking advantage of the digital infrastructure that has been created in India. Finally, they invariably manufacture or produce their goods in India.
The industry at present running with the “founders’ fuel” needs a collective identity to help it charter through complicated government policies and regulations; buy-in from stakeholders such as ecommerce platforms, logistics and payments industry; and also earn lasting customer trust. IAMAI is best suited to execute this three-pronged strategy.
With the help of 35 such brands, it is a small beginning of organising this potentially powerful business segment by formalising a committee. The committee is chaired by Aman Gupta, Co-Founder and CMO of boAt audio and co-chaired by Manish Chowdhary, Co-Founder of WOW Skin Science. boAt audio and WOW Skin Science are multi-million dollar brands and have established themselves as category leaders by championing the internet driven business model.
IAMAI D2C committee Chairman Aman Gupta said to ensure a brand continues to do well, it is almost imperative for businesses to enhance their Direct to Customer (D2C) channel.
“The model enables a brand to listen to the unfiltered voice of their customer and is a natural progression from shifting the online shoppers to buy from the brand’s website and own the experience, data and lifetime value of the customer. The committee will bring the ecosystem together, indulge in knowledge creation and put forth the best practises in a mission to build internet driven iconic brands.,” said IAMAI D2C committee Chairman Aman Gupta.
IAMAI D2C committee Co-chairman Manish Chowdhary said that the committee will jointly look towards building the consumers’ trust by engaging in better customer communication and other similar initiatives by D2C entities.
Consumer electroonics
A lifestyle brand started in 2016 that deals in fashionable consumer electronics, boAt product range has expanded to include an extensive catalogue of headphones, earphones, speakers, travel chargers & premium cables.
The brand has been gaining traction while riding the waves of Nirvana in the Audio Electronics sector. All products are designed keeping in mind the preferences of listeners of both Indian music, as well as pop and electronic dance music. Every boAt innovation has consumer needs and desires at the core of its design.
