Lalit Arora – Co-founder, Vingajoy

Incorporated in the year 2016, Vingajoy is a gadget accessory and consumer electronics brand that caters to the need of the customer with the latest innovations and cutting edge technology at competitive prices. The brand offers products such as Bluetooth speakers and headphones, chargers, cables, car accessories, care products and much more. Vingajoy was launched with the aim of providing new innovations and latest technology at competitive rates and trendy styles to consumers of every sector, vertical and society. Vivek Singh Chauhan spoke to Lalit Arora, Co-founder, Vingajoy. Here’s the edited excerpt.

What motivated you to start this consumer electronic venture? We were always inclined towards innovative communication through gadgets and their accessories. Indian markets were largely importing accessories from China which were not reliable and very durable. Besides, their quality too was not up to the mark. Most importantly, having seen the growing demand for these gadgets, we made up our mind to start our manufacturing right here in our own country. The primary goal is to deliver the best quality products at

the most reasonable price. We aim at targeting the appropriate markets to sell and gain the credibility of the audience. This has helped us to a great extent in maintaining our brand presence in the market in comparison to the other consumer tech manufacturers. From day 1, our prime motto has been to deliver unique and aesthetic accessories to our consumers which last longer to leave a good impression amongst them.

How important the Indian market is for the

company? The Indian market has always been of paramount importance for us. Vingajoy aims to serve the best range of products to its consumers. Indian market is always on the lookout for variety, style, unique features besides looking for trendy products! We keep on doing a lot of research, to fulfil the demand and strategize to deliver the best-in-class. The best part is, consumers are diversifying towards the emerging brands and they are actively experimenting with our new products. The feedback from their end was quite appreciating and encouraging. Also, markets are not area-specific in the country. Certain remote cities and towns have turned out to be favourable markets for us. The good number of distributors and a variety of products are the major contributors behind the diversity in Indian markets.

What were the challenges that you have

faced during the establishment of the brand? It’s not easy to establish the brand value. It is not just a matter of offering a name or an attractive logo or a slogan. It is one of the most challenging tasks. Brands are created through a wide range of touchpoints; each time a customer interacts with a brand, it forms an association. Which means everybody in a company is affecting the brand. The central aim of the brand building is thus to keep the message consistent across all platforms, media and time. This demands that the brand be kept alive by seeking new ways to express its message so it remains consistent. This means making consistent and adapting necessary improvements across the board to remain on top of the trends. The major challenges were the monopoly of competitors in the market. In India, people don’t experiment with new brands easily. It takes time to gain trust and acquire a stabilized market. But slowly and gradually, we have managed to create a brand position in the market.

What are your future goals? Where do you see the company in the next 5 years? In the coming five years, we would love to see the company acquiring the Pan-india market and imports with neighbouring nations like Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. right now, the main focus is to build a good Indian market. Considering the hectic lifestyle of today’s youth, the objective is to help the Indian consumer stay fit. We are, therefore, exploring innovative products to help them keep fit. We’re working on developing and designing products like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and Vr/ar headsets. Also, we are thinking of sustenance, not only about the manufacturing unit but also for the marketing and sales units. This pandemic has taught us that nothing is permanent. We are updating ourselves accordingly. Shifting our focus on digital platforms and creating an engaging customer base on social networking sites is our current focus which, we strongly believe, will surely help us in the future.

What encourages you to dedicatedly work towards your brand? Our Customers’ valuable feedback, their reviews and the Media’s appreciation towards our products are some of the points that motivate us for this dedication to work hard and offer something unique every time we launch a new product for our consumers. Our customers are always supportive and they love to experiment with our products. Their appreciation posts on Instagram and Facebook act as a catalyst for us. As an emerging brand in India, we are learning a lot about the markets, customer behaviour, distributorship, Governmental support, etc. All these factors are equally important for a company’s growth and we are working hard to have a grip over the market and have a stable base in the Indian market.

How do you manage to cope up with the market trends? even if the business is already established in our industry, it is important to keep up with trends to show our customers that we are flexible. If you stick to a particular mindset feeling “our method works it gives the impression that you’re not willing to change to suit the current circumstances. Trying out a new trend shows you’re willing and able to take chances. And yes, coping up with marketing trends is the most challenging task. Continuous research and development, customer surveys and their feedback help us to a great deal in keeping ourselves up to date with the ongoing trends.

How much growth the company is expecting this year? We achieve 20 per cent growth every year. We have about 100 employees + approximately 600 in our factories. As per the current situation where the economy is facing a slowdown but we are working very hard to achieve the growth target. due to the pandemic lockdown, we have shifted our focus to grow digitally. Learning new aspects of social media, digital marketing tools, cloud-based storage of client data, etc. are helping us to learn a lot about different geographical sales number and client base. Social media is helping us in generating two-way communication between the customer and ourself. This will surely help us post lockdown, and definitely, the growth will be exponential in the coming years.

Offline or online, which medium generates more revenue? Both the mediums have their pros. With the support of Social media and Influencer based marketing, online media nowadays act as an emerging platform and help us to boost engagement in different parts of the country. On the other hand, offline marketing is equally important in reaching remote areas. Online channels are a great platform for receiving customer’s reviews. It greatly helps in two-way communication which eventually helps us in gaining the brand credibility and consumer tractions. Our products can be used by people of all age groups. So, offline and online, both modes are equally crucial for us. Also, the geographical location plays a major role in the type of marketing tactics. The remote cities and locations give us a healthy business without any social media interaction. India is not fully equipped with an Internet presence in every location. Therefore, we rely equally on both platforms to gain a stable client base.n