In our series on Company Feature, today we are showcasing egully.com, one of the leading e-commerce companies in the multi-category segment. egully.com carries over 3.5 million book titles, 11 different product categories including books, movies, mobiles, cameras, computers, healthcare and personal products, home appliances, handicrafts and sweets, and has more than 500,000 registered users.
Devendra Singh of RetailBiz had a one on one with Rahul Malik who is the founder and CEO of the company.
Retailbiz: Please tell us about your business in detail.
Rahul: Egully started in 2009 with an objective of making electronic products easily available to anyone who had access to internet. Today, we cater to different range of products like appliances, books, mobiles, cameras, computers, electronics, healthcare and personal products, home appliances, software and even handicrafts and sweets. With over 3.5 million book titles, 11 different product categories and more than 500,000 registered users, Egully.com is one of the leading e-commerce players in India.
Retailbiz: Kindly give some brief about yourself
Rahul: Egully was conceptualized by me with an aim to provide affordable products to consumers in every nook and corner of India. My role in the company is to define and implement the corporate strategy, supervise the operations and business development. Prior to Egully, I have worked at AMD and Philips in US, at senior engineering positions. I always wanted to have a venture of my own and laid the foundations for it when eretail in India was relatively unknown.
Retailbiz: What were the challenges you faced in the initial months of the start-up?
Rahul: Initially, it was difficult to convince the distributors for a demand-supply strategy, as we decided not to hold inventory. Logistics and work load too were major constraints. Online Retail was a new proposition then and it was tricky to convince our staff to give in their best.
Retailbiz: How was the budget divided among different business process and what alteration in planning was required after first 6 months?
Rahul: We had zero inventory for first 6 months and after that, the division was as follows:
- Employees – 30%
- Logistics – 10%
- Marketing – 30%
- Inventory – 20%
- IT and Utilities- 10%
Retailbiz: Please share some insights on your customer support strategy.
Rahul: We want our customers to treat us as their consultants and friends. Shopping at egully should be a treat for the consumers. We have always exceeded the expectations our customers have of our service.. I remember the days when it took around 3 to 7 days for a product to reach the buyer, some buyers would panic but after speaking to them on a personal level they would understand the process involved in delivering a product and would appreciate our services after the product was delivered. I sometimes send a signed hand written note, thanking the customers.
Retailbiz: How do you see your business grow in next 2 years?
Rahul: Ecommerce in India is at a growing stage but in the near future it would be the sector with maximum returns. The competition is fierce due to hundreds of players in the market but I am sure with our hard work and dedication we would be one of the most renowned ecommerce portal to shop with.
Retailbiz: Any anecdotes about your business that our readers may find interesting?
Rahul: Some businesses start as a result of ideation amongst friends, some are family owned whereas Egully was a result of friends connecting to each other through an IIM alumni network. We complemented each other in skills and shared the same thought process which led to Egully.com.
