iGRID is a brand made for India: Madhav Kota

iGRiD is a brand made for India, built with a keen eye to look for value in every product/service . iGRiD is designed and developed for the discerning Indian. It is for products that offer high value for money by virtue of offering the very best in quality and customer service at a very affordable cost. 

Madhav Kota, Director and Founder of iGRiD, tells us more. Excerpts from an interview:

DQ: Give us an overview of iGRiD and its journey so far.

Madhav Kota: iGRiD as a D2C brand was launched in late 2018, iGRiD was created with an intention of creating an everyday consumer brand for the discerning Indian. We Indians have a sharp eye for maximizing value in every product or service that we choose. 

Our products provide excellent ‘value for money’ by assuring the highest level of quality and customer service, at a desirable acquisition point. We offer products that the customer needs, at a value that the customer would desire. Our current product categories are in the space of health and personal care devices, home and automotive essentials and beauty devices. We launched our brand with 5 SKUs, and this has grown to around 75 SKUs.

DQ: What is iGRiD offering, and how is it different from its competitors?

Madhav Kota: Our product offerings are in the verticals of health and personal care devices, beauty products, and home essentials.

Consumers are more aware in today's world. They are purchase products that they believe are necessary and essential. We offer high-quality, dependable, and innovative products at a desirable value to our consumers. Furthermore, we are constantly expanding our product line through our presence in almost all of the country's leading ecommerce portals.

DQ: Give us an overview of the evolving electronic consumer market in India?

Madhav Kota: The electronic consumer market is constantly evolving due to various ongoing technological advancements and the constant evolving demand from consumers. The electronics industry is one of the most competitive and inventive marketplaces. 

At iGRiD, we believe that our consumers deserve the most up-to-date products and technology at a price point that the average Indian consumer would appreciate. We strive to provide the best service to our customers while also providing high-quality products. Customers who choose us can be confident that they chosen the best value for money brand in India.

DQ: Tell us about your network in India and the brand's footprint?

Madhav Kota: Apart from our brand store we have made our products available on all major eCommerce sites. We rank among the top brands on Amazon, Nykaa, TataCliq, Tata 1mg, Netmeds, and other eCommerce websites. To provide same-day delivery services to our customers, we operate through warehouses in all major cities in India, including Mumbai, NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.

DQ: What are iGRiD's long-term goals? What are your visions for the brand?

Madhav Kota: We want to be the everyday essential consumer brand, at iGRiD. We wish to be in the consideration cycle of every Indian consumer

The years 21-22 have been good for us in terms of business growth and development. Despite the pandemic, we increased our revenue by 100% over the previous year and added new product categories and categories. In the current financial year we intend to broaden our product offering in the categories in which we currently operate. In addition, we intend to add another 250 SKUs, which will help push our growth by 300 percent in the current fiscal year.

DQ: How has the brand navigated through the pandemic? Post-pandemic, how has the brand changed its communication approach?

Madhav Kota: Following the pandemic, many businesses were forced to reconsider their long-held business strategies. We at iGRiD also observed a sluggish period during this time. As a result of the lockdowns in various parts of the country and the world, we experienced delays throughout our entire value chain, including production facilities, logistics, and so on.

We remained steadfast in our approach and made the most of this time to expand our product line. We used the time to plan our future growth, and as a result, we added two new product categories. Apart from home essentials, we have expanded our consumer offerings to include health devices, beauty and personal care products. 

As a result of this approach, we have been able to grow and evolve from a single product category brand to a multicategory brand at iGRiD, reaching out to our consumers as their go-to brand for any need.

Our current communication model is focused on raising customer awareness and educating them on the benefits and applications of various technologies and goods.

DQ: What are the omnichannel marketing strategies the brand has adopted to reach out to customers? 

Madhav Kota: We are a direct-to-consumer brand, in the space of health and personal care products, beauty products and home essentials. We intend to be India's everyday consumer brand. We operate through the eCommerce/online model as its easier and faster to reach our consumers. 

We reach our products to customers through our online store, IGRiDstore.com, as well as through most of the major e-commerce platforms as their preferred brand partner in the categories in which we operate. Our health and beauty products can also be found on well-known vertical retail e-commerce platforms such as 1 mg, Netmeds, and Nykaa, among others.

DQ: What are your plans for expansion?

Madhav Kota: The direct-to-consumer (D2C) market is expanding at a fast pace. This concept has enabled businesses to reach out to customers in previously untapped areas. As a result, tier II and III cities are growing much faster than tier I cities. Consumers today are well-informed, thanks to rising internet penetration and the advent of social media. Their expectations are constantly changing, and they can no longer be limited or fulfilled purely by brick-and-mortar stores. 

As a result of our expansion during the Covid-19 lockdown, we have grown significantly in recent years. We are also planning to add 250 or more new SKUs, which we believe will help us meet our organization's goals.

We intend to expand our portfolio as the segment expands.

The industries in which we operate are open to new technological advances. We believe that our customers deserve the most up-to-date products and technology at a price bracket that the average Indian consumer would appreciate. We strive to provide the best service to our customers while also providing high-quality products. Customers who choose us can be confident that they will have access to the most advanced technology at the most competitive price.

DQ: How has eCommerce transitioned to the ever changing electronics and lifestyle products market? 

Madhav Kota: With the rising popularity of the Internet into tier II and tier III cities, demand in these regions is already expanding significantly. India has a big emerging market in these rural places that are being investigated. There has been a significant increase in product sales due to the pandemic, which has helped businesses achieve huge exposure.Ecommerce allows us to reach out to customers all over India. 

With increased Internet penetration, logistics services, and social media awareness, we are able to communicate with our customers spread across not only tier I cities, but also tier II and III cities. Our products are available to our customers through our online store, IGRiDstore.com, as well as over several major e-commerce platforms as their preferred brand partner in the categories in which we participate. Our health and beauty products can also be found on well-known vertical retail e-commerce platforms such as 1 mg, netmeds, and Nykaa, to name a few.

DQ: Why are traditional businesses trying to integrate innovations in their business processes? 

Madhav Kota: When it comes to making a purchase decision, consumers now have a lot of options. They are no longer reliant on big brands and corporations to fulfil their desires and expectations. This is why traditional businesses are trying to integrate innovations in order to meet the needs of today's customers. Businesses are exploring for new options to continue operating in the traditional manner.