At 22, Vivek Malaviya shifted from Mumbai to Rajkot to take a chance on his dreams. Once he became a Flipkart seller and participated in The Big Billion Days sales, he realized the true potential of e-commerce and Flipkart’s pan-India reach. Apart from witnessing a 5X year-on-year growth of his kitchenware company, he was also able to transform his life in ways he hadn’t imagined. Read his #SellfMade story.
Usually, it is Mumbai, the City of Dreams, that attracts strivers all across the country to flock to its shores in the hopes of achieving success. With Vivek Raghavbhai Malaviya, however, it’s a different story. “I moved from Mumbai to Rajkot for Flipkart,” he says with a smile. A Mumbai native, Vivek left his job as a chartered accountant to become a Flipkart seller of plastic and glass kitchenware.
At first, he joined his cousin in Rajkot, Gujarat, and eventually formed his independent company in 2017. It was here that Vivek partnered with Flipkart to sell a raft of products such as oil dispensers, water bottles, jars, and more.
Read on to know his unique story as he gears up for The Big Billion Days 2021.
THE SPARK THAT CAUGHT
Vivek had completed his third year of college and had just joined a chartered accountancy practice when he found himself dreaming of entrepreneurship. Rather than a retail or offline business, it was e-commerce that was his calling. “In an offline set-up, there is a limitation of whether any customer will come to me and buy any of the products we are selling. And with online businesses, I do not have to go to search for customers. Customers can search for the product, and through online advertising, directly reach the products and us!” he says.
When opportunity knocked in 2017, Vivek didn’t hesitate. His cousin was looking for someone to help with his startup and when Vivek found that Rajkot was the hub of all things kitchenware, he made the move. “I knew that staying in Mumbai meant my transport and postage costs would increase, so I shifted to Gujarat.”
After six months, when Vivek started his own enterprise, he tried his luck on a number of online platforms. From advertising to listings, from warehouses to managing seller portals, the going wasn’t easy and there was much to learn. But Vivek knew that it was online selling that would help him get the market share he was looking for.
LEVERAGING THE FLIPKART ADVANTAGE
Registering as a Flipkart Seller exposed Vivek to an ecosystem with the kind of reach he wanted and a variety of tools at his disposal. With Flipkart’s webinars and videos, and help from account managers, Vivek progressed from a bronze to a silver, and now to a gold listing. Once Vivek had a clear understanding of Flipkart as a platform, there was no looking back. His success reached the first milestone during his first-ever Big Billion Days sale.
“I still remember my first TBBD in 2017. I didn’t expect to receive the number of orders I did! And every consecutive year, from 2017 to 2020, I achieved 5X year-on-year growth with the sale bringing in orders that grew exponentially. This year, for The Big Billion Days 2021, I want to deliver 5,000 orders per day.”
LUCK BY ACTION, NOT BY CHANCE
While hard work was a necessary ingredient in Vivek’s recipe for success, he also made smart moves that helped him grow his online business. Upgrading from a 600 square feet warehouse to a larger one that offered him 1,500 square feet was critical. Apart from increasing the storage area for quicker dispatch of orders, his preparation also included targeted advertising to cities in the South, where he sees even more potential for growth.
Today, as he warms up for the upcoming TBBD, Vivek has dedicated himself to being a Flipkart Seller, discontinuing from most other online platforms. His reasons are simple. “Timely payment, regular updates, a simple and easy seller platform, and the support of account managers who share timely insights are things that set Flipkart apart from others. That is why, via Flipkart, I am able to process around 500 orders on any normal day.”
For this #SellfMade Flipkart seller, life completely transformed once he took a chance on his dreams.
“Before Flipkart happened, I was doing a normal job and living on rent. Three years down the line, I now own a 2BHK flat in Rajkot and have recently bought a car. I started the organization with my brother, and now we have grown to 5-person staff. Things are going well, and I look forward to achieving my target during this TBBD!” says Vivek.
Read more inspiring #Sellfmade stories here.
