Ananya Birla, who has already made the world sit up and take note of her initiative Svatantra Microfinance, is ready to create waves again with her latest venture CuroCarte. The 22-year-old scion of the Birla family spoke to BW Businessworld about her latest initiative and more.
Excerpts:
How did the entrepreneurial journey happen?
I am very passionate about start-ups and every large company today was once a start-up. I believe that a company as a whole and its vision can truly transform the world, and we have seen that happen with the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Amazon etc. They have all done it and I believe business has the potential to change the world.
Why luxury and why now?
Actually I did not think of it as a luxury product, it just happened. In fact, all the handmade products designed by CuroCarte look very premium and aesthetically appealing, given the talent involved and the quality checks in place, thus making it easily identifiable with luxury.
How do you plan to market it?
There are two things involved: one is about sourcing and the other is related to marketing the products. We have travelled to nine different countries to source our products and we will continue to travel to more countries to do so. In the next few months we will be launching our website too. So the idea is to source from around the world and sell across the world. As far as the marketing strategy is concerned, Digital will be our largest marketing platform and there will be outdoor marketing that is going to happen soon. While starting with Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat handles, technology aids like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) that may engage the consumer are also on the cards. CuroCarte is currently going to host around 1,500 rare and curated products from Spain, Portugal, Vietnam, Thailand, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, Indonesia and from 22 states of India.
What are the criteria in place for selecting CuroCarte products?
Our products mainly belong to two categories: utility (crockery, pottery, jewellery boxes and the like) and décor (marble inlay vases, table tops, wall decors and other crafts). We lay great emphasis on quality for which we have six quality checks in place. CuroCarte has also tied up with a renowned international laboratory which assures the quality and attributes of each product so that the client knows how to handle the product and to promote complete transparency.
Are you looking at setting up brick and mortar stores too?
I think technology is a positive weapon as it is an enabler for various different things and we at CuroCarte are fully committed to leverage it. Right now we are just focussing on the dotcom to establish the brand. At the same time, we do understand that for a brand like this it is very important to have a way for our customers to touch and feel of the product. Currently we have added advanced technological features that can give a fair idea about the finer details of the product like its texture etc. We are trying to give our consumers a real life experience through our website and we have a mobile app too to enhance that experience.
Where do you see CuroCarte five years from now?
As I said the vision of CuroCarte is to bring together the world by sourcing products from all over and selling them. We hope to considerably increase our product portfolio and reach in the years to come.
(With inputs from Rupkatha Ganguly)
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