Hailing from one of India’s largest textile hubs, Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, Balaji Manoharan pivoted from his affiliate marketing job to build an apparel brand with a turnover of ₹10 Crores. The secret behind the sustainability of the venture is his commitment to get comfortable in his domain, focus on quality and offer maximum customer satisfaction. Starting from selling two units a day, Balaji’s business now handles over 10,000 orders a day across 25,000 SKUs. Read how he's buckling down for success over the long haul – 5 years and counting!
Hailing from Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, India’s knitwear capital, Balaji Manoharan wasn’t just following the herd when he launched PoloTrendz, his apparel brand. His entry into e-commerce was both a leap of faith, and a calculated move fueled by years spent in the digital marketing domain.
“I got into affiliate marketing while still in college. Soon, I realized the simple fact that someone else owns the products. Since I run the marketing, I thought I should own them,” he explains.
Drawn to the potential of running the entire business himself, he got going on the journey towards launching a children’s and men’s apparel brand on Flipkart. Read his story to know how he went from a modest catalog of a few units to a staggering 25,000 SKUs.
Bootstrapping Success in E-commerce
Balaji comes from a family without any experience in business – his dad is an advocate, and his mother is a homemaker. Balaji, however, was determined to choose his own path. “Since I’m from Tiruppur and moved here after my stint in the US, I’m in very close proximity to the apparel sector. I could access the required resources to start my own apparel brand.”
While his location was favorable, the initial hurdles of getting his business up and running were no less grueling. “While I knew the potential of a digital market, local factory owners and manufacturers were reluctant to believe in it. After convincing them somehow, I was able to acquire a few products. I started off with Flipkart by taking photos on my smartphone!”
Back then, every sale, even just two units in a day, felt like a victory. “Slowly, we started selling five units per day, then ten, and then we understood the business a bit. With assistance from the Flipkart team, we ended up increasing the catalog to thousands,” he says.
From Meagre to Mega
Today, Balaji’s e-commerce venture has transformed into an apparel brand with 25,000 SKUs. “Now we ship around 600-700 orders per day, and in certain seasons our sales reach 10,000 orders per day,” he says.
His success also helps keep factories from whom he sources his knitwear busy. “We give a lot of job opportunities to vendors who employ a staff of 50-100 to fulfill our orders.
Flipkart’s account managers have been a game changer for us, and many upgrades have been implemented on the platform. So, we have seen a lot of improvements over time. I have also received the gold seller certification many times. I witnessed a hike of 10-20% in orders during The Big Billion Days,” he reveals.
Sustaining his Apparel Brand In Spite of Changing Demand
The key to Balaji’s longevity and sustainability has been his ability to weather fluctuations and retain customers. “In this business, we see hundreds of new brands launching every single day. Even if there is a temporary down time, I just try to stick to my guns. I focus on keeping my catalog fresh and updated and ensure optimal shipping quality so that the customers are happy.”
Balaji also runs campaigns for customer retention. “The numbers aren’t bad for us. Last year, our revenue was somewhere close to ₹10 crore. I have learned that the brands which excel are the ones which have patience and stick to the basic principles of marketing – like not burning up too much.”
By understanding the market, the competition, and his product domain, Balaji has scripted remarkable success so far. What’s next for him?
He reveals, “I’m married now, and we have moved to Bengaluru. So, I am exploring new verticals to launch on Flipkart. Once I understand the manufacturing process of new products, I’ll decide what to add to my apparel brand.”
Balaji adds, “For now, I would like to tell new sellers that a lifestyle business is a very competitive one. Time and patience are key. You just need to stick with it, and be very consistent.”
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