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Last year, as many as 55 million consumers shopped online, while this year, the number is expected to rise to 80 million, says a study from Assocham and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This data is surely troubling for brick and mortar retailers, since more and more people are now choosing to shop online. 
 However, there is one lifestyle brand which has decided to increasingly focus on offline stores even in this age of online shopping. <keyword id="847170" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chumbak">Chumbak</keyword>, which has more than 70% of its customers shopping from its stores than its website, surely knows how to attract customers to its offline shops, thanks to the strategy thought by its founders unqu. What's more, even those who go online prefer to shop on Chumbak.com (75%) than on ecommerce websites (25%). This has been possible because of the unique experience the founders, <keyword id="2247761" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vivek-Prabhakar">Vivek Prabhakar</keyword> and <keyword id="847172" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shubhra-Chadda">Shubhra Chadda</keyword>, provide to their customers. 
 
 
"Consumers walking in stores should have a great experience. We spent six months to understand what music should play in the stores, two months to decide on what it should smell like, another month to test out different lighting. We spent a lot of time to make our stores more conversational than transactional. We wanted to finalise all that before announcing that we have arrived with a bunch of new things," Prabhakar told <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/in-the-age-of-clicks-chumbak-leads-with-footfalls/articleshow/54026201.cms">ET</a>. 
 
It was in September 2014 that Chumbak launched its first flagship store in Bengaluru, announcing its well-planned expansion into home furnishings and decor. Now, this category makes 70% of the brand's revenue, and is sold out of 16 flagship stores across India. By the end of this year, the team plans to open 10-12 more stores. 
 
"We are one of the true omni-channels because we are not defined by revenue derived from marketplaces, but through our own channels," claims Prabhakar. When asked about <keyword id="3628125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="online-vs-offline">online vs offline</keyword> business, he said, "It is a myth that online is cheaper. There is a limit to how many organic consumers will come online and money will have to be spent on consumer acquisition in addition to the warehousing cost. The unit economics for both are the same and that is the critical part. We concentrated on the online stores to be EBITDA positive rather than concentrating on growing GMV and other such metrics. Chumbak should make money wherever it goes and all our stores are profitable." 
 
<a href="http://motivateme.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Vivek-Prabhakar-and-Shubhra-Chadda-Startup-lessons-from-Chumbak-Founders.jpg">Image source</a>

In the times of online shopping, here's why Chumbak is focusing on brick and mortar stores

Indian consumers are having it better than ever before. With speedy delivery, discounts of up to 70% and a wide range of products across large online retailers, India splurged big online. However, since late last year, the party’s dying down. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> started winning market share and investors at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Snapdeal</a>, however, started pulling back. While most e-commerce entrepreneurs have argued the marketplace model is fundamentally more efficient than single-brand retail, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Chumbak&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chumbak</a> co-founder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Shubhra+Chadda&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Shubhra Chadda</a> says their model has its merits. 
 
“A lot of marketplaces are starting their own brands. They won’t do that if its low margin. Single brand retail have higher margins as you’re not buying stuff off and haggling over the commission. You own it, and you’re in complete control of how to peg it”, Chadda says. 
 
“For a company like ours that has offline and online, there are capex in our business, but as long as you manage it well, you can keep in the positive. Also, the way customers shop on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Chumbak&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chumbak.com</a> is very different from the way they buy it off a marketplace”, she adds. 
 
The current downturn in the investment cycle has forced the biggies to cut back on discounts and advertising, and consequently, sales have suffered. This is a vicious cycle where you die either ways. Failing to raise new money means you cut discounts and advertising, which means sales suffer, which in turn means lower valuations and further struggle to attract investors. 
 
“A marketplace is very price-driven. I don’t know if discounting everything is the right way of doing it. I think in a way that’s spoiling the market”, Chadda says. 
 
Currently, India permits 100% FDI in online marketplace but none in e-commerce. While 51% FDI is allowed in multi-brand retail. 
 
<a href="http://www.jabong.com/juicestyle/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Holding-150.jpg">Image Source</a>

Discounting everything isn't the right way of
doing it: Shubhra Chadda, Chumbak

Start-ups are set to be effective job creators in India. If you’re a young illustrator just out of <keyword id="6373314" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Design">design</keyword> school, you have a lot of options. Don’t want to join a ‘big company’ or an agency? A startup might just be your thing. 
 
The startup revolution in the country has opened doors to a lot of new job profiles, and with newer ones in the horizon, if you’re a fast-paced multi-tasker who’s hungry for growth, it’s worth giving it a shot. 
 
Meet <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Chumbak&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chumbak</a>, a quirky <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=retail+brand&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">retail brand</a>. 
 
This 'not-so-conventional' Indian single brand retail chain now has over 13 stores across the country and a sizeable Indian customer-base to boast of. Its recent products have moved away from the typical ‘Indian’ theme to appeal to a wider audience across the world. 
 
Company co-founder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Shubhra+Chadda&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Shubhra Chadda</a> says that’s a natural part of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Chumbak&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chumbak</a>’s evolution. “What we started off has become a small part of what it is now. We now focus on world-class illustrations”, she says. 
 
When asked what she looks for in a prospective <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Chumbak&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chumbak</a> illustrator, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Shubhra+Chadda&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chadda</a> tells me, “If we see some synergy between an applicant’s portfolio and our look and feel, there will be two tests of some kind. Versatility is the key. You must be able to switch between characters to patterns to graphics in minutes.” 
 The prospective job candidate is given a theme, and asked to design something. After the test, company officials give their feedback and eligible candidates are called for interviews. “We recently asked some how <keyword id="847170" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Chumbak">Chumbak</keyword> Men should look like”, Chadda says. 
 
With average age standing at 27 years, the Chumbak workforce is pretty young. While senior management is a bit older, Chadda says some roles require a ‘bit more’ experience. 
 
“We’re still a very young company. Our head of brand is all of 28”, she smiles. 
 
Sounds interesting? Well you can apply on their <a href="https://www.chumbak.com/careers/">Careers</a> tab if you want. 
 
<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7f/65/58/7f6558fbdfde6a1312ff9cb86cdf57d6.jpg">Image Source</a>

Want a career in Design? Here's what it takes to be a Chumbak Designer

“I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference.” 
 Robert Frost seldom finds his way into Business Journalism, but ever rarer to find is a retail <keyword id="138263" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword> that’s raised ‘merely millions’, but is still positive at a store level. It has a hybrid model, and has over 13 stores across 8 cities. It’s a retail startup like no other. 
 Enter <keyword id="847170" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chumbak">Chumbak</keyword>, an Indian quirky <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=retail+brand&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">retail brand</a> that’s set the benchmark for ‘not-so-conventional’ <keyword id="848256" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="single-brand-retail">single brand retail</keyword> models across the country. Its designs are a rage among Indian youth, and it’s expected to set foot on US soil soon. 
 Business Insider sat down with co-founder <keyword id="847172" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shubhra-Chadda">Shubhra Chadda</keyword> to decode the magnetic appeal of brand Chumbak. 
 
Labels like yours are presumed to be led by designers, not marketing professionals. How difficult is it for you? 
I always had the Chumbak look in mind. I wanted it to be fun, contemporary and with an international feel. 
 
The big challenge was to explain it to the few designers I met initially. There was no reference or benchmarks. However, once we got the first set of designs out, it became clearer. 
 
The more you do something, the clearer you get about what you want. 
 
How did you explain to designers what’s essentially their craft? 
I had a list of what I didn’t want to see. I didn’t want miniature art forms, the Mughal style, or the traditional symbols of Indian culture. We had several briefing sessions. 
 
However, once you find the right person and the wavelengths meet, it’s not a problem. It’s all about finding the right people to work with. 
 
How do you ensure consistency in design? 
It’s all about the kind of screening we put people through before we even hire them. 
 
There are multiple levels of conversation, their portfolio, then we give them a test. We also do a culture test to see if the wavelengths match. 
 
For designer labels it’s a one-man show. How’s the design culture at Chumbak? 
First two years it was very much based on my vision. 
 
Now as we have a team of 12-15 designers. Each season the designers come up with themes, colors and ideas. 
 
It’s very much a team effort now .They pitch to us, and we sit down and discuss ideas. We choose the one we like the most. 
 
It’s a very collaborative environment. 
 
You’ll soon expand to the US. Would you ever tweak your designs to cater to local demand? 
We’ve already evolved from the ‘in your face Indian’ to a more sophisticated design sensibility. 
 
We’ve expanded from accessories and collectibles to other segments. You can’t be that loud in case of décor and apparels. 
 
Also, Chumbak’s design is not just India-themed. It evolves with what the buyer wants and has an international sensibility attached. 
 
Has your core target audience changed since launch? We’ve expanded the target audience with the launch of <keyword id="3320323" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="home-and-dcor">home and décor</keyword>. Now there are people up to 40 who’re comfortable buying from our brand. The core audience still remains 18-30. 
 
Some fans complain prices have shot up because of your offline stores. Do you buy into that? 
I can understand why they’re saying that, but the reason is very different. 
 
We started off with fridge magnets and collectibles. Now we’ve expanded to the home and apparel segment. Prices have increased as the product range has expanded.

Retail with a Quirky Twist –
Commerce, the Chumbak Way

Bubble or no bubble, every <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=startup&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">startup</a> founder will agree <keyword id="6359051" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="investors">investors</keyword> are harder to come by these days. 
 
Some say it points to slack investor interest, others say investors should be judicious about their moolah anyway. 
 Anyway what matters is to get the damn money to fund your startup idea. Few people manage it, and they did. I mean <keyword id="847170" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chumbak">Chumbak</keyword>, a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=retail+brand&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">retail brand</a> known for selling quirky stuff. Back in 2012, Chumbak raised some $2 million in <keyword id="6357455" type="EVENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> from early stage investor Seedfund. 
 
Chumbak co-founder Shubhra Chadda offers you solid advice to go about your funding spree, and explains what’s worked for them. 
 
What has been the investor sentiment towards you? 
Ours is very much a proven model. We finished several successful rounds of funding. 
 
It’s not a scary proposition for investors anymore. 
 
Do you suggest unconventional startups go for funding a bit late? 
There is no right answer to that. 
 
Given what the investor sentiments are like now, it definitely helps if you can demonstrate that it works, and has been well accepted. 
 
We were in existence for over 2 years as a brand before we thought of funding. We were already profitable, and the brand was known. 
 
All those things did help in giving confidence to investors. I’ll be lying if I said it doesn’t matter. 
 
Does the data or the design help while pitching to investors? 
You have to have the data on your fingertips. It’s your best friend. 
 
Some, not all <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=investors&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">investors</a> understand the importance of design. Data helps explain what’s different about you, and why anybody would come to you. 
 
It’s also important to find the right <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=investors&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">investors</a>. We were very lucky to find people who understood the DNA of Chumbak, and helped it evolve as a stronger brand. 
 
Most e-commerce players shy away from the <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Retail">retail</keyword> store model. How has that experience panned out for you? 
The model has never mattered much. We were selling from other <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=offline+stores&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">offline stores</a> from day one. 
 
The question isn’t offline and online. We’ll offer the Chumbak customer the best experience wherever they’re shopping. 
 
Today, offline and online constitute 70% and 30% respectively of your sales. Why do you think offline works better for you? 
What better way to tell your story for a single brand like us than through an offline store? 
 
It’s where people experience Chumbak in all its glory. It alleviates the brand, and is a great marketing engine as well. 
 
How did you expand to Japan? 
That was three years back. We tied up with a chain of stores. They approached us saying they’d love to have Chumbak. Japan is a design-conscious nation, and it was extremely flattering for us. 
 
After 6 years, the strategy has really changed. We want to be very careful before we step foot on a new market. ​We have not quite categorized our India business yet, while we are doing great in terms of expansion, there is still a huge opportunity to be tapped before us. 
 
Why expand to the US? 
The US is an evolved market with one of the biggest Indian diaspora. 
 
You’d want to be where your potential customers are. For us, it’s definitely the US. 
 
How do you ensure offline stores don’t hamper your growth opportunities? 
The idea that the channel affects margins is wrong. 
 
We do an ROI analysis, calculating cost-to-revenue ratios, and so on. There are costs on both fronts. For offline there’s rentals and electricity. For online there’s marketing and logistics. You need to be focused on being at the best location. 
 
We’ve refrained from growing too fast. It’s important to get it done carefully and sensibly, not just for the sake of it. 
 
Small brands complain they don’t get enough visibility. How do you ensure visibility as a brand? 
We depend on wonderful media channels like yours *laughs*. 
 
From very early on, the brand has resonated very well just by word of mouth. That in itself is a wonderful channel from a marketing perspective. We do most of our marketing online. 
 
We’re extremely active on social media. There’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Facebook&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Instagram&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Instagram</a> and also our blogs. We’re constantly communicating with our audience, and that helps.

Chumbak co-founder Shubhra Chadda tells you how to go about
funding your no-so-conventional startup

<ul><li>Established in 2010, <keyword id="847170" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chumbak">Chumbak</keyword> started its journey as an India-inspired souvenir and accessories brand.</li><li>Over the last decade, the brand has transformed into a leading multi-category retailer with a dominating online presence along and 70+ exclusive brand stores. It features homes and lifestyle categories such as home décor items, accessories and apparels.</li><li>We talk to <keyword id="2146982" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vasant-Nangia">Vasant Nangia</keyword>, CEO, Chumbak about the brand's journey so far and goals for FY22.</li></ul>Chumbak was born when Co-founders Vivek Prabhakar and Shubhra Chadda casually looked at their fridge full of magnets from different countries. They were quick to identify that India needed a brand that gave a glimpse of the whole country in the shape of small souvenirs and travel products -- reflecting on its rich heritage and tastes. By integrating desi art into a forgein concept of souvenirs, Chumbak’s main purpose was to instil national pride and celebrate India’s diverse culture and vibrant colours. Officially launched in 2010, the brand has grown exponentially since its inception. It is a family to 150+ employees and has 70 retail stores. It sells home décor items, accessories and apparels. Chumbak on-boarded <keyword id="823990" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sara-Ali-Khan">Sara Ali Khan</keyword> as its first brand ambassador earlier this year to convey how it is now becoming a home and lifestyle brand and dominating offline and online presence. After launching a digital <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/news/chumbak-launches-their-first-celebrity-brand-campaign-with-sara-ali-khan/articleshow/80586366.cms">campaign </a>with a Bollywood star, the brand is now aiming to increase its turnover by 100%. “We plan to double our turnover by the end of this year, our overall marketing spends are definitely increasing significantly. We are also reaching out to our loyal customer base and building up our digital presence including social media, and we plan to resume our in-store marketing once footfalls are back to pre-pandemic levels. We believe there is a strong overlap between the celebrity’s followership and our potential audience,” said Vasant Nangia CEO, Chumbak. For a brand that has grown purely on word-of-mouth, Chumbak will continue to reach out to its loyal customers base. Nangia said, “For 2021, we’re optimistic about pre-pandemic offline footfalls and hence building our offline business while continuing scaling online on our own as well as third-party platforms. We aim to invest in customer-centricity to allow for optimal journey mappings, repeat and loyalty interventions.” Since the COVID-19-induced lockdown last year, a majority of employees have been working from home. The furniture category moved from being a want to becoming a need. As a result, Chumbak also witnessed an increase in demand for its furniture and home decor. On which category brings in the lion’s share and COVID’s impact on the brand, Nangia said, “Our business is a clean 50:50 between our home and lifestyle ranges. However, given COVID-19 and its impact on our audience, we’ve seen a strong uptick in our home categories. As people spend more and more time in their house, they are developing new hobbies, be it gardening or cooking. Our pots and planters, silverware and crockery range is their preferred choice of purchase.” In 2019, Chumbak opened its 50th store and after COVID-19, it has been focusing on building an omnichannel presence. It is now planning to scale its online reach and partner with more third-party platforms. Nangia said, “In 2019, we opened a store a week landing at a total of 50 new stores so our offline growth trajectory was looking very strong. With the lockdown and store closures, we devoted more time and attention to scaling our online and back-end tech capabilities. We launched omnichannel in October last year which has allowed us to better manage our inventories and last-mile deliveries.” “We have witnessed rapid growth in e-com-enabled digital sales. In terms of revenue from each, it is close to 50:50 between the two channels. As walk-ins in offline continue to inch towards pre-pandemic levels, we’re hoping for a robust growth in next FY metrics,” added Nangia. During the lockdown, Chumbak also launched a new brand identity to stay in tandem with the global design language and trends. Telling us the idea behind this shift, Nangia said, “This change was a part of the shift in the positioning of the brand. We want to be represented as a globally inspired home and lifestyle brand which represents the growth not just the brand but also our customers have had in the last decade. We have received an overwhelming response from our ardent brand lovers and community.” This fiscal, Chumbak will increase its marketing spends, continue to focus on digital marketing and increase its in-store marketing.

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