'Touch and feel' barrier a challenge to online sellers: Ridhi Aggarwal

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Vaneeta Punchvedi | 13 Nov, 2014
It is often said online marketing has created a level playing field for all, but at the same time it has a big barrier as online marketing doesn't give an opportunity to customers to touch and feel the products, Co-founder of Packedsmiles, Ridhi Aggarwal said in an exclusive interview to SME Times.

Virtual world is definitely making ways for emotions. Still, there are few things which virtual world can never touch. Online promotions helps us to increase the social circle of Packed Smiles, but when it comes to sales the word of mouth is our hero, she added.

She feels that their products have proven more difficult to sell online as customers are generally accustomed to picking up and examining the product.

She also believes that emotions of the relation cannot be presented by online, "we in our regular format of dealing with our customer also prefer meeting over telephonic conversation or video call. For deeper conversations we don't take the risk of missing out on feeling behind that relationship."

Excerpts of the interview...

Firstly please tell us something about your new company - "Packedsmiles".
Ridhi Aggarwal: Packed Smiles, is a company which deals in customized gifts, cooperate gifts and invitation cards. We truly believe that, person who is gifting is more excited and enthusiastic about the gift. So, We know it is business but it is still all about emotions that is why, we have to be very particular about every minute detail.

We have vividly a set of guidelines for us: Customer must feel utmost satisfied after receiving the gift.

The gift will never be repeated.

Customers private content is completely confidential.

Why you have started personalized gift-making and not something else?
Ridhi Aggarwal: It is just like, somehow you end at your perfect job. Initially, it was very tough to find customers out of our own limited social circle. So, starting this business was not done, with a list of pro's and con's. It was never like we chose this field over any other.

Gifts are very special for everyone; how you make it unique for your every customer?
Ridhi Aggarwal: Every person is unique, so is every relationship. We start this process of creating something unique, by knowing the customer and the recipient of the gift. And trust us, when we say each one of the stories and the relationships were different, they had no similarity else than the name of the relation. We say brother -sister, Husband- wife, Boyfriend- Girlfriend, boss-employee etc, but if you dig the upper crust each pair of brother- sister is different. We just dig in a little deeper.

As we know you had started your business just a year ago, so what are the difficulties you have been facing from the starting till now?
Ridhi Aggarwal: As such there were no issues, the only concern which we had was that, we deal in a business relating with emotions. And we know emotions are fragile, so we were always scared to experiment much during our marketing and promotions.

Who are the prospective buyers of "Packedsmiles"?
Ridhi Aggarwal: We guess anyone who wants to gift is our prospective buyer, but in short run, people who are open to different zone of gifting, who are willing to choose message in a bottle over a card or a box covered with their history over photos.

What kind of marketing strategy you follow to advertise your products? And what do you think about online promotions of your products?
Ridhi Aggarwal: We truly believe best marketing is done by the product. For example: If you see an amazing piece of art, you have a curiosity to know the artist. We strive for that curiosity. We think, if you make something good, people will flaunt it, we guess no marketing strategy can increase your sale compared to this one.

What kind the challenges are you facing in online marketing?
Ridhi Aggarwal: Online marketing doesn't give an opportunity to customers to touch the products. Virtual world is definitely making ways for emotions. Still, there are few things which virtual world can never touch. Online promotions helps us to increase the social circle of Packed Smiles, but when it comes to sales the word of mouth is our hero.In our regular format of dealing with our customer also we prefer meeting over telephonic conversation or video call. For deeper conversations we don't take the risk of missing out on feeling behind that relationship.

The government offers many schemes for registered SMEs. Have you registered your company as a Small scale industry (SSI)? Do you know the schemes and their benefits, which are being offered to the SMEs by the Government of India?
Ridhi Aggarwal: As yet we are not registered as SSI, but we are in process to know all the benefits, which government is providing to Small scale industry like us.