Study of Category and Merchandising Management For E-Commerce (Pepperfry)

STUDY OF CATEGORY AND MERCHANDISING
MANAGEMENT FOR E-COMMERCE

(PEPPERFRY)
By
Kritika Singh
MUM13MM21
Under the Guidance of

Ms. Lip Choudhury
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Fashion Management
Department of Fashion Management Studies
National Institute of Fashion Technology
Mumbai
(2013- 2015)
GRADUATION PROJECT: PEPPERFRY 05/13/2015
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pepperfry is Indias No. 1 Online Furniture, Home and Living
Marketplace with over a whopping million customers. It showcases a
curated range of furniture from the online portfolio of Pepperfry, and
serves as a design inspiration.
Pepperfry is based on three business models which are Marketplace, On

Demand and Warehouse. Pepperfry enables Merchants from across the
country to sell their items on the site after agreeing on commercial
terms. It manages the entire process for the merchant. This includes
pre-sale merchant listings, enabling photo-shoots, packaging to post-
sale shipping and providing customer service of the ordered items. This
approach helps introduce the benefits to even those merchants who
might not be Internet savvy and therefore ensures that a wide variety of
products can be made available to on-line customers. Pepperfry trains
suppliers to make knock-down, foldable products, similar to IKEA
furnishings. The company also provides carpenters to assemble the
items once delivered.
Its unique and proprietary large-item shipment network ensures quick

and damage-free doorstep delivery of bulky furniture. Pepperfry has 11
fulfilment centres in Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Jodhpur, Pune, Delhi,
Bengaluru, Kolkata, Vadodara, Hyderabad, Chennai and Cochin to
enable smooth and speedy delivery of products. In April 2013, Pepperfry
launched its mobile site that can be surfed on any web browser or
mobile device.
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The website has more than 600 global and national brands with more
than 70 national brands in the furniture segment alone. Pepperfry
features national brands like Godrej Interio, Nilkamal, Spacewood,
@Home, Durian, Hometown, Furniture Kraft, Evok, etc. and global
furniture brands like GEBE, Eurosteel Office Furniture, Defianz,
HeveaPac, etc. on its website.
For Pepperfry the main target market is 28-35 years of age group.
People who are newly married professionals would be our target
customers because they have better buying power and mass demand.
Studying processes involved in Category Management enabled me to

understand Vendor sourcing, vendor registration, product assortment
and categorising, product listings and uploading, imaging, pricing, stock
upload, couponing, and Quality Check.
Managing bulk order for brand RAHA helped me understand product

procurement, shipments, quality check and assembly, managing returns
and customer engagement.
Merchandising in Pepperfry deals with display of products in such a way

that stimulates interest and entices customers to make a purchase. The
process involves thorough check and correction of page layouts, images
in different perspectives, proper product categorisation, and product
description with detailed dimension image.
In conclusion Pepperfry gave me the opportunity to understand various

processes that makes the site to function and cater to the target
customer effectively.
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INDUSTRY ON AN UPTURN
In 2013, Asia-Pacific emerged as the strongest business-to consumer (B2C) e-
commerce region in the world with sales of around 567.3 billion USD, a growth of
45% over 2012, ranking ahead of Europe (482.3 billion USD) and North America
(452.4billion USD). The top three were followed by Latin America, and the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to E-commerce Europe. Globally,
B2C e-commerce sales increased by24% over 2012. This reflects the huge
untapped potential ofe-commerce by retail companies, both in their country of
originand across borders.
E-commerce or electronic commerce, deals with the buying andselling of goods and
services, or the transmitting of funds or data,over an electronic platform, mainly the
internet. These businesstransactions are categorised into either business-to-
business(B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), consumer-to-consumer(C2C),
consumer-to-business (C2B) or the recently evolvedbusiness-to-business-to-
consumer (B2B2C). E-commerceprocesses are conducted using applications, such

as email, fax,online catalogues and shopping carts, electronic data interchange(EDI),
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file transfer protocol and web services and e-newsletters tosubscribers. E-Travel is
the most popular form of e-commerce,followed by E-tail which essentially means
selling of retail goodson the internet conducted by the B2C category.
According to E-commerce
Europe, country-wise, the
US, UK andChina together
account for 57% of the
worlds total B2Ce-
commerce sales in 2013,
with China having total
sales of 328.4billion USD.
As against this, India had
sales of only 10.7
billionUSD, 3.3% of that of
China in 2013 with fifth position in Asia Pacific.This is despite the fact that India
enjoys high demographicdividends just like China. Indias internet penetration with
totale-households at 46 million against Chinas 207 million is one ofthe reasons
behind Indias poor B2C sales growth.
According to Forrester Research, an independent technology and market research
firm, only 16% of Indias total population was online in 2013 and of the online users
only 14% or 28 million were online buyers. India, therefore, was still in a nascent or
immature stage of evolution of online retail spending. China was in ascending stage
at 50%, whereas Japan (69%), Australia (57%) and South Korea (70%) were in
mature stage.
Indias growth potential since

the e-commerce industry is fast
rising, changes can be seen
over a year. The sector in India
has grown by 34% (CAGR)
since 2009 to touch 16.4 billion
USD in 20142. The sector is
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expected to be in the range of 22 billion USD in 2015.
An analysis of the demographic profile of internet users further testifies that e-

commerce will rise rapidly in India in coming years. Around 75% of Indian internet
users are in the age group of 15 to 34 years. This category shops more than the
remaining population. Peer pressure, rising aspirations with career growth, fashion
and trends encourage this segment to shop more than any other category and India,
therefore, clearly enjoys a demographic dividend that favours the growth of e-
commerce. In coming years, as internet presence increases in rural areas, rural India
will yield more e-commerce business.
By 2020, e-Tail in India is

expected to account for 3% of
total retail. Further, orders per
million are expected to more than
double from five million in 2013 to
12 million by 2016, which will
mean more opportunities for both
consumers and e-Tail companies.
While the share of online
shopping in total retail has
increased at a fast pace in the last
few years, it is still miniscule
compared to the figure in China,
where the share is 8-10%.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN 2014

The last year has seen several developments that have given a fillip to the e-
commerce industry.
Mobile to be the most influential aspect of e-commerce

With mobile apps being developed by most e-commerce websites, smartphones are
increasingly replacing PCs for online shopping. In 2013, only 10% of the mobile
users used smartphones, and only 5% of the e-commerce transactions were made
through a mobile device. This figure has more than doubled, and more than 13% of
all e-commerce transactions today happen via mobile3. According to some industry
players, over 50% of the orders are being placed through mobile apps, which is not
only leading to substantial customer acquisition but also building customer loyalty for
various brands. However, most mobile transactions so far are for entertainment,
such as booking movie tickets and music downloads. This trend will change soon
with more and more merchandise being ordered online.
More business coming from smaller towns

E-commerce is increasingly attracting customers from Tier 2 and 3 cities, where
people have limited access to brands but have high aspirations. According to e-
commerce companies, these cities have seen a 30% to 50% rise in transactions.
Enhanced shopping experience

Besides general online shopping, customers are also shopping online for weddings
and festivals, thanks to wider range of products being offered and aggressive
advertisements. The free and quick shipment and wider choice of products, along
with the ease of shopping online as compared to in-store shopping, is also helping e-
commerce gather momentum.Further, e-commerce companies are doing rapid
business due to sales. New concepts such sales on weekends, holidays and
festivals are attracting a lot of new customers and building customer loyalty among
existing customers. Television and social media, particularly Facebook, are playing a
proactive role in promoting e-Tailing through aggressive advertisements. This has
helped several e-commerce companies build substantial brand image.
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Exclusive partnerships with leading brands

Over the year or so, there has been a trend of exclusive tie-ups between e-Tailers
and established boutiques, designers, and high-end lifestyle and fashion brands. For
instance, in 2014, Jabong added international fashion brands such as Dorothy
Perkins, River Island, Blue saint and Miss Selfridge, along with local fashion brands
through Jabong Boutiques. Similarly, Myntra benefited from exclusive tie-ups with
brands such as Harvard Lifestyle, Desigual and WROGN from ViratKohli.
Expanding the product basket

There is a recent trend of relatively newer products such as grocery, hygiene, and
healthcare products being purchased online. Similarly, lingerie and Indian jewellery
has also been in great demand among customers outside India. Export comprises
95% of cross-border e-commerce, with the US, UK, Australia, Canada and Germany
being the major markets.
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OBJECTIVES
1. Carrying out processes involved in Category Management for Pepperfry
2. Analysing processes involved in Bulk Order Management
3. Analysing and streamlining merchandising process at Pepperfry
4. Study of Customer Engagement in E-Commerce (Pepperfry)
5. Understanding Vendor Registration process for Pepperfry
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1. BRAND HISTORY
Pepperfry is Indias No. 1 Online Furniture, Home and Living Marketplace with over a
whopping million customers! Pepperfry.com opened for business on 3rd January
2012 to give customers a wide selection of amazingly priced Furniture and Home
merchandize with a consistently great shopping experience.
Its managed marketplace model is an ideal platform for small and medium
businesses who wish to sell their merchandize to millions of discerning customers.
We currently work with over a thousand merchant partners to showcase their design
skills, craftsmanship and service orientation to customers across India and the world.
Today we are Indias No. 1 online Furniture, Home Decor and Living destination,
offering more than 45000 products across categories like Furniture, Home Dcor,
Lamps & Lighting, Bath & Body, Kitchen, Home Appliances, Housekeeping and Pet
Supplies. Pepperfry won the Red Herring Top 100 Asia Award in 2012.
Our mantra is to be the one stop shop for customers seeking to spice up their home;
our customers love their home.
Why Pepperfry
Pepper is honest and a spice that is proudly Indian. The organisation embraces
Indian talent, craftsmanship and business acumen. This reflects in our merchandize
selection and our habit of going the extra mile for our customers.
Fry stands for fun. The organisation wants the Pepperfry journey to be enjoyable for
all our employees, our community, our merchants and our business partners.
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Facts about Pepperfry
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Investors
Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) is a global, multi-stage venture
and growth equity investment firm that has partnered with
entrepreneurs to build great businesses for more than 50 years.
The firm manages approximately $5 billion in capital and has
funded more than 550 companies since inception. Headquartered
in Palo Alto, Calif., NVP has subsidiaries in Mumbai and Bengaluru, India, and
Herzelia, Israel. NVP makes early to late-stage venture and growth equity
investments across a wide range of sectors including: technology, information
services, business services, financial services, consumer products/services and
healthcare. For more information visit: www.nvp.com. Follow NVP on Twitter
@NorwestVP
Bertelsmann is an international media

company whose core divisions encompass
television (RTL Group), book publishing
(Penguin Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), services (Arvato),
and printing (Be Printers) in some 50 countries. In 2013, the companys businesses,
with their more than 110,000 employees, generated revenues of 16.4 billion.
Bertelsmann stands for a combination of creativity and entrepreneurship that
empowers the creation of first-rate media, communications, and service offerings to
inspire people around the world and to provide innovative solutions for customers.
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2. STUDIO PEPPERFRY
Studio Pepperfry is a one-of-its-kind concept store from Pepperfry.com, India's
leading online Furniture and Home marketplace. It showcases a curated range of

furniture from the online portfolio of Pepperfry, and serves as a design inspiration.
At the Studio, one can experience the cutting edge designs, various types of
furniture pieces with differing wood finishes, and get an idea of the overall quality of
the furniture from Pepperfry. Here, iPad-wielding interior design consultants assist in
browsing through the entire range of 11,000 Pepperfry furniture items online --
making it an interactive session -- and provide a design expertise for the same.
These designers additionally offer free in-store design consultancy on furniture
products ensemble, to design homes that are aspirational and reflect the latest and
the best in home dcor and design.
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A unique concept from Pepperfry, Studio Pepperfry demystifies the furniture buying
process and makes it a delightful experience.
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3. BUSINESS MODEL
Pepperfry operates on a Managed Marketplace model, which is an ideal platform

for small and medium business artisans and merchants, who wish to sell their
merchandize to millions of discerning customers. Currently, the website has over a
1000 merchant partners, who can showcase their design skills, craftsmanship and
service orientation to customers across India and the world. For many merchants, it
has become the primary source of their income.
It is one of the few company in the Home and furniture vertical in India to ship
products overseas. Customers from 12 countries (USA, Russia, Greece, and France
etc.) have bought stuff for their homes on Pepperfry.
Pepperfry enables Merchants from across the country to sell their items on the site
after agreeing on commercial terms. Pepperfry manages the entire process for the
merchant. This includes pre-sale merchant listings, enabling photo-shoots,
packaging to post-sale shipping and providing customer service of the ordered items.
This approach helps introduce the benefits to even those merchants who might not
be Internet savvy and therefore ensures that a wide variety of products can be made
available to on-line customers. Pepperfry trains suppliers to make knock-down,
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foldable products, similar to IKEA furnishings. The company also provides

carpenters to assemble the items once delivered.
Pepperfry recently rolled out a 30 Days No-Questions-Asked 100% Money Back

Guarantee for customers across categories.
Types of Business Model followed by Pepperfry:
1. Marketplace Model
An online marketplace (or online marketplace) is a type of site where product or
service information is provided by multiple third parties, whereas transactions are
processed by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces are the primary type of
multichannel e-commerce.
In an online marketplace, consumer transactions are processed by Pepperfry and

then delivered and fulfilled by the participating retailers or wholesalers (often called
drop shipping). Other capabilities might include auctioning (forward or reverse),
catalogues, ordering, wanted advertisement, trading exchange functionality and
capabilities like RFQ, RFI or RFP.
In general, because marketplaces aggregate products from a wide array of

providers, selection is usually wider, availability is higher, and prices are more
competitive than in vendor-specific online retail stores.
2. On Demand Model
In this type of business model, products are listed on the website. As soon as order
is placed, vendor gets intimation and after which products are manufactured and
directly delivered to customers.
3. Warehouse Model
Products are either bought by Pepperfry or are with Sell or Return policy. Purchased
items are then stored in warehouses. Pepperfry owns warehouses in Bhiwandi,
Jodhpur, Bangalore, Gurgaon and Kolkata. Products are purchased according to the
past sales data and current market demand.
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4. GEOGRAPHICAL PRESENCE
Pepperfry has successfully established the Last Mile Delivery in 127 towns directly
and plans to extend the geographical reach across the country by reaching 400
towns directly through its own last mile delivery infrastructure by the end of next
year. Till date, the company has shipped furniture to 2,700 towns across the country,
and today it sells a piece of furniture every minute.
5. SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS

Pepperfrys unique and proprietary large-item shipment network ensures quick and
damage-free doorstep delivery of bulky furniture. Pepperfry has 11 fulfilment centres
in Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Jodhpur, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Vadodara,
Hyderabad, Chennai and Cochin to enable smooth and speedy delivery of products.
6. MOBILE SITE
In April 2013, Pepperfry launched its mobile site that can be surfed on any web
browser or mobile device. The experience gives its customers the convenience of
shopping through mobile with facilities like customizable cart before checkout,
creation of wish-lists all of which can be shared with friends & families through
Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest.
7. MARKETING AND INITIATIVES

Pepperfry tied-up with Satchi&Satchi to release its first television commercial with
Happy Furniture to You as its unique brand proposition. The Mumbai-based agency
conceptualized a themed film and two supporting films that highlight Pepperfrys
value propositions of Free Delivery and Assembly and 100% Satisfaction or
Money Back Assurance for consumers. A successful 360 degree campaign, the
marketing mix featured a sustained radio campaign, on-ground activation and key
outdoor promotions across top cities. The campaign also came alive on digital and
social platforms like Google, YouTube and Facebook.
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8. PRODUCTS AND BRANDS

The website has more than 600 global and national brands with more than 70
national brands in the furniture segment alone. Pepperfry features national brands
like Godrej Interio, Nilkamal, Spacewood, @Home, Durian, Hometown, Furniture
Kraft, Evok, etc. and global furniture brands like GEBE, Eurosteel Office Furniture,
Defianz, HeveaPac, etc. on its website.
In other home categories, Pepperfry has leading national brands like Philips, Portico,
Raymond, Prestige, Tupperware, and global brands including Whirlpool, Joseph
Joseph, Kitchen Craft, Philips, Corelle, Morphy Richards etc.
9. AWARDS
Pepperfry was the recipient of the '2012 Red Herring Asia Top 100' award which
honours the most promising private technology ventures from Asia.
They also won the 'Pure-Play e-Retailer of the Year' at the Indian e-Retail Congress
2014 that recognises outstanding performance and innovation in retail.
10. LOCATIONS
The company is based in Mumbai and now has warehouse operations in Mumbai,
Delhi, Bengaluru, Jodhpur, Pune, Gurgaon and Kolkata.
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11. COMPETITION
There are many players who have already made their entry into this niche segment
and are doing unexpectedly well. Some such players are:
1. Urbanladder: Launched in 2012 and a venture of Bangalore-based Descasa Decor

Online Pvt Ltd, Urbanladder is currently delivering to Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi /
NCR region (Gurgaon, Noida). The online store has made a strong foothold in the
segment and have recently raised $1 million in series A funding and is looking to
close a Series B round in coming months.
2. Fabfurnish: A rocket internet backed venture and the most visited online home
store in India, fabfurnishwas launched in January 2012. It is currently known for its
designer furniture, furnishings, dcor items and kitchenware.
3. Zansaar: A Bangalore based start-up and a brand owned by Singapore-based

Salar Online Pvt Ltd has forayed into online home decor space in 2012. Backed by
Accel Partners and Tiger Global, it has recentlyraised $6 million funding from them
with an aim to bring in exclusive range in categories such as Home decor, Kitchen
Tools, World Foods, and Cushion Covers.
4. Roomstory: An online multi-brand home store, Roomstory is offering products

across three classifications, Bed & Bath, Dcor & Furnishings and Kitchen & Dining.
It was launched in 2011 with an aim to become a one stop destination for all home
decor products. The company is currently looking for funding of around $1 million.
5. The Home Label: An online marketplace by Sussanne Roshan, Home Label is

backed by The Label Corp., the first retail brand in the online marketplace to
introduce a unique tastemaker styled model. Under this business model, the
celebrity Creative Directors bring along an assortment of exclusive and trendy
products.
6. Bedbathmore: An online portal, bedbathmore deals in home decor, bed, bath and
other furnishings. It also has its own warehousing facility in Mumbai. It is a part of
Creative group, one of the Indias largest exporters of home furnishing and apparels
to US and Europe. Bedbathmore also raised an undisclosed amount recently in
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Series a funding from Blume ventures with plans to establish private labels and
expanding the technology team.
7. Mebelkart: A Bangalore based start-up, Mebelkart provides a range of products

including Bean bags, Seating, Home furniture, Kids furniture and Dcor. It claims to
be the biggest dealer in Beanbags and Office chairs. Also, it has tie-ups with some
of the major furniture companies like Durian,Zuari, MoBEL, Rhome and Wood Dekor.
The other major online retailers with Home decor categories include Jabong, Yebhi,
Homeshop18 and Snapdeal.Although, the online retail is grabbing the attention,
there are players in the offline segment too like Godrej interio, DDecor, Zuari,
Durian, @home, etc. which are there from years and are still among the best choices
for the consumers.
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12. PRODUCT OFFERINGS AND BRANDS
In other home categories, Pepperfry has leading national brands like Philips, Portico,
Raymond, Prestige, Tupperware, and global brands including Whirlpool, Joseph
Joseph, Kitchen Craft, Philips, Corelle, Morphy Richards etc.
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13. SEGMENTATION
Market segmentation is a marketing strategy which involves dividing a broad target

market into subsets of consumers, businesses, or countries who have, or are
perceived to have, common needs, interests, and priorities, and then designing and
implementing strategies to target them.
18-28
1. Young people
2. Enthusiastic
3. Trendy
4. Fashionable
5. Sense of aesthetics
6. Good understanding of E-SHOPPING
7. Buying power is low
28-35
1. Newly married working people
2. Independent
3. experimental
4. Buying power is good
5. Willing to spend on products like home dcor
6. Mostly lives in a nuclear family
7. High demand of portable products
35-45
1. Working professionals
2. High demand of home dcor related products
3. Very particular about the design and aesthetics of the product
4. Buying power is very high as compare to other segments
45 and above
1. Industry professionals
2. Buying power is good
3. Experienced
4. Particular with designs
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5. Not experimental
6. Demand is very limited
14. TARGETING AND POSITIONING
A target market is a group of customers towards which a business has decided to

aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise. A well-defined target market
is the first element to a marketing strategy.
For Pepperfry the main target market is 28-35 years of age group. People who are
newly married professionals would be our target customers because they have
better buying power and mass demand.
The brand is dedicated into making peoples life interesting by their wide range of
designs and colors, using so many vibrant colors to energize the design is what
make us different from others, brand offers good range of home dcor products at
high competitive price point
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PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN
1. Study of processes involved in Category Management for

Pepperfry
Category management is a retailing and purchasing concept in which the range of

products purchased by a business organization or sold by a retailer is broken down
into discrete groups of similar or related products; these groups are known as
product categories (examples of grocery categories might be: tinned fish, washing
detergent, toothpastes). It is a systematic, disciplined approach to managing a
product category as a strategic business unit. The phrase "category management"
was coined by Brian F. Harris.
The industry standard model for category management in retail is the 8-step
process, or 8-step cycle developed by the Partnering Group. The eight steps are
shown in the diagram on the right; they are :
1. Define the category (i.e. what products are included/excluded)

2. Define the role of the category within the retailer
3. Assess the current performance
4. Set objectives and targets for the category
5. Devise an overall Strategy
6. Devise specific tactics
7. Implementation
8. The eighth step is one of review which takes us back to step 1
The 8-step process, whilst being very comprehensive and thorough has been
criticized for being rather too unwieldy and time-consuming in today's fast-moving
sales environment; in one survey only 9% of supplier companies stated they used
the full 8-step process. The current industry trend is for supplier companies to use
the standard process as a basis to develop their own more streamlined processes,
tailored to their own particular products.
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Market research Company Nielsen has a similar process based on only 5 steps:
reviewing the category, targeting consumers, planning merchandising, implementing
strategy, evaluating results.
Following are the processes involved in Category Management:
Vendor Sourcing and Management

Vendor management is a discipline that enables organizations to control costs, drive
service excellence and mitigate risks to gain increased value from their vendors
throughout the deal life cycle. Pepperfry Sourcing team approaches brands like Me n
Moms, Pebbleyard, Godrej, etc. Interested vendors/ Brands themselves can directly
approach the organisation online through the website (pepperfry.com). Business
Models are explained to the vendor and margins are set. Usually agreed upon
margin is 45%.
Vendor Registration
This approach helps introduce the benefits of two even those merchants who might
not be Internet savvy and therefore ensures that a wide variety of products can be
made available to on-line customers. Pepperfry trains suppliers to make knock-
down, foldable products, similar to IKEA furnishings. The company also provides
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Assortment Planning
Many businesses suffer from over assortment. In bricks and mortar the
assortment is naturally limited by space and by inventory investment. In the ole
Catalogue business the assortment is limited by paper, printing, and postage cost
another form of space. And, inventory investment. These traditional limits on
assortments dont exist in the same way online. In fact, its fairly easy to put an
image online and begin to sell the product.
Assortment planning from a customer selection standpoint is more crucial for the
specialty retailer. But, basic merchandising, where the retailer focuses or limits their
assortment on behalf of the customer (and the brand) often isnt a priority. The poor
shopper has to scroll down pages and pages of styles if they choose to spend the
time. Inventory investment and cash flow, is another reason to limit the assortment
too much. And, customer satisfaction can be lost by carrying too many styles if one
cant keep the sizes/colours in stock for the customer too little. Sku rationalization
or culling is the science of assortment reduction. The art of developing your
assortment is crucial also. Brand positioning among other things must be
considered.
This is not as true for commodity websites. But, commodity websites still have
some shoppers entering via the home page versus the product pages. (There is a
Google Analytics report which shows this flow and drop offs very well.) And, most
companies still need to manage inventory investment and cash flow along with stock
outs and the customer experience.
Six factors are taken into account in planning the size and content of assortment:
1. Brand strategy
2. Business model
3. Current market trends
4. Sales and margin history
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I
5. Channel(s) of distribution requirements
6. Organizations financial plans (sales, margin, and inventory)
It is crucial to see what has sold well both last season and the same season last year
for your organization. In addition to sales, final margin must also be considered
including all discounting! As always, if something sold well but the margins were very
low its not worth repeating in the same way. Taking a look at the categories and
styles that have sold well in the past is often the starting point for assortment
planning but I have certainly seen too much weight given to this activity. Even in a
traditional business model newness is important! When looking at this history it is
good to begin selecting items that can be carryover items prior to developing or
buying new styles.
Categorising and Listing

Products are segregated according to categories as follows: Furniture, Home Dcor,
Furnishings, Lamps & Lighting, Kitchen & Dining, Appliances, Bath, Housekeeping
and Pet Supplies.
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Further Furniture is divided into Sofas, Seating, Beds, Bedrooms, Dining, Cases &
Cabinets, Tables, Bar Furniture, Kids Furniture and Collections.
Listing is made in includes product name,images with different perspectives, Retail

price, Our Price, You Pay price, Coupon percentage, available product quantity,
Serviceable pin code, item description and Set option.
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Imaging
However impressive the rest of your e-commerce business is, if youve not paid any
attention to the visual aspect of your site then your sales are guaranteed to suffer.
Just as a high street shop with badly thought out displays and no visual promotions
is likely to lose custom, so an online retail site with clumsy or unattractive page
displays will deter users. Following are ways of effective measures taken for proper
imaging for the website.
1. Manage different brands

Pepperfry sell products for a number of different brands. We know that organising
the display of multiple brands can be a headache which is why weve developed
our brand adjacency technology to give retailers a helping hand. This clever
functionality can help you keep products from one brand together, whilst separating
brands that you think are best kept apart. This allows customers to find what they are
looking for quickly and easily, and prevents your site from looking disorganised and
unappealing.
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2. Sequence products effectively

Carefully sequenced products can benefit both the user and the retailer. Our balance
factor technology allows you to organise your sites product display in line with
specially selected site metrics. Grouping products together with other similar items
will keep your customers satisfied, and has the added bonus that you, the retailer,
can target consumers more efficiently.
3. Customise your homepage

The homepage is often the customers first point of call, and as such can be key to
whether or not a sale is made.
4. Implement promotional banners

High street shops use promotional banners to entice customers and get them excited
by a particular brand or offer. E-commerce sites can also use promotional banners to
their advantage. Therefore Pepperfry implement banners that are triggered by user
behaviour, focussing, for example, on product category. This ensures that customers
are exposed to relevant deals for them, increasing chances of conversion.
Pricing
Vendors provide with their manufacturing cost for the product to the category
Associate in pepperfry. To that VAT of 12.5% is added after which agreed upon profit
margin is added which is usually 45%. Maintaining higher spread, Coupons are
applied to the You Pay amount.
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Product upload
Listings are made for all products and uploaded in bulk through Bridge. Bridge is
software used for online assistance to Pepperfry. Once SKUs for all the products are
generated, images are uploaded for every indivisual SKU. Images should be from
different perspectives and with dimensions mentioned.
Stock Update and Couponing
Post product upload and SKU generation. Stocks are added which are provided by
the vendor to Pepperfry team. Stock upload is very important without which items
wont go live on website.
Inventory management is the process of ordering, storing and utilization of the raw
materials needed during manufacturing and the process of monitoring and controlling
the final product that is ready for sale. This inventory is one of the companys major
assets and represents an investment that will not reap returns until the goods are
finally sold. For this reason, inventory management is a serious concern for any
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I
business, whether it is small scale or large or whether it is an online store or a bricks-

and-mortar setup.
Since there is a significant investment in the inventory itself as well as in storage,

tracking and insurance of it, mismanaged inventories can cause substantial financial
concerns and problems for the business. The ideal inventory management system
should create a plan that ensures that there is neither an inventory surplus not a
shortage. Companies can use several methods for inventory management such as
just-in-time where the items are received as needed for production or materials
requirement planning, which bases inventory orders directly on forecasts of sales in
a particular period.
Quality Assurance
Merchandising in retail is like candy on Halloween; its hard to think of one without
the other. In the current state of retail, and especially online retail, merchandising is
the cherry on top that converts shoppers into buyers.
With the seemingly endless numbers of competitors out there, an up-to-date

merchandising strategy is a must to convert and gain new customers. The vast
majority (97%) of website visits dont end in a purchase, which can be a major drag
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for online retailers. Theres a huge opportunity, though, as August 2014 saw an 11%
increase in sales, compared to August 2013. Its just a matter of attracting the right
consumers and getting them to complete their purchases. This is where
merchandising comes in to save the day.
Merchandising can come in many different forms, from inventory to pricing, and
beyondbut the end goal is always the same: to drive conversions. It can be tricky
to keep up with all the different ways online retailers can optimize their stores
through the magic of merchandising, so here is a list of the top five tips to help
retailers of all sizes.
1. Get mobile optimized

Almost half (40%) of consumers dont feel comfortable shopping online and it
doubles to 80% when were talking about shopping on mobile. This may look dismal,
but it means that your web store not only needs to be mobile friendly, but also wow
shoppers on whichever screen they prefer.
2. The clearer, the better

Shoppers dont want to be confused. Do you know what happens when theyre
confused? Yep, you guessed it, they vanish. Luckily, there are many things you can
do to cut down on those pesky abandoned carts. Here are a few:
Add interactive tools that aid customer purchase decisions. This can help retailers
see up to a 40% boost in conversions. This is especially important for ecommerce
because you cant be there like a salesperson can in a brick and mortar store. Add a
live chat feature to support shoppers and get them closer to checkout.
Improve your search function. Did you know that 11%-15% of consumers start
shopping by searching for a specific product in search bars? This number is on the
rise, so its prime time to take advantage of this. Shoe retailer, FootSmart, made a
small change by adjusting search results to include top items sold and saw an
impressive 82% increase in conversions.
Provide shipping policies and estimations as early as possible in the checkout

process. Offering free shipping is a great way to increase average order value
because 93% of shoppers take actions to qualify for free shipping.
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3. Keep it short and sweet

The fewer steps to purchase, the better. When retailers ask for too much information
or otherwise complicate the process, shoppers drop out of the sales funnel. To help
this, you should decrease the number of steps it takes to complete a purchase and
provide a status bar up top to show that it wont take them long to checkout. You also
want to provide clear, descriptive, and to-the-point product descriptions to resolve
any confusion.
4. Be data driven
Analytics can help retailers make better merchandising decisions. More than half of
retail leaders (63%) already do itso if you want to keep up and get ahead, you
should, too. Data is your friend because it can teach you what works and what
doesnt. Walmart is a great example of a retailer that used data to its advantage.
After crunching the numbers, Walmart learned that diapers and beer sales were
highly correlated. So you know what stores did? They put these two aisles side by
side and saw a sales increase for beer. Cheers to that!
5. Keep your enemies closer

You already know that competition is fierce in online retail, but what can you do
about it? The first step is to know exactly whats going on in your competitive
landscape at all times. How are your competitors pricing? What do they have in
stock? When do they run out of products that you carry? Tracking competitors and
their inventories can clear this up once and for all. Then retailers can fill in the gaps
in their inventory and effectively become a more successful competitor. The more
you know, the better your sales can be.
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2. Understanding processes involved in Bulk Order Management
Bulk orders are brought in. Once the order is placed by the customer, Business
Development Team is responsible for handling the orders. Following are the steps
followed by the team.
Procurement of Products
Procurement is the acquisition of goods and services from an external source. It is
favourable that the goods and services are appropriate and that they are procured at
the best possible cost to meet the needs of the acquirer in terms of quality and
quantity, time, and location. Corporations and public bodies often define processes
intended to promote fair and open competition for their business while minimizing
exposure to fraud and collusion.
Shipments
It is made sure that all the products in an order are shipped in proper packaging from
vendors or Pepperfry warehouse to the customer. Committed delivery time is to be
maintained for smooth running of the organisation.
Quality Check
Products are checked before getting it delivered to the customer, if it is getting
delivered from Pepperfry warehouse to customer. And in case, products are shipped
directly from Vendors warehouse to the customer, in that case minimum of one
member from Business Development Team should be present at the time of delivery.
Product Assembly
Product assembly is provided by Pepperfry once they are delivered to the customer.
Therefore arranging for product assembly is crucial in case of Furniture.
Managing Returns
Furniture bought on Pepperfry.com is shipped for free. Products also comes with 30
Day Money Back Guarantee in case customer is not satisfied with their purchase.
Customer Engagement
Customer engagement (CE) is the engagement of customers with pepperfry about
the shipment, delivery, assembly, and returns.
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3. To streamline merchandising process at Pepperfry
Merchandising refers to the variety of products available for sale and the display of
those products in such a way that it stimulates interest and entices customers to
make a purchase. Its the second part of that definition: display of products in such
a way that stimulates interest and entices customers to make a purchase that is at
the heart of online merchandising. Online merchants typically dont select or manage
the inventory, but they optimize the performance of the inventory in the online store
environment based on customer behaviour.
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VII
Merchandising Attribute
All the product should have the spec sheet along with it. All the products should have
the dimension image. The first image should be the isometric/front image. The
product description should be there. The dimensions should be given in detailed
form (Mattress size, Seating height). There should not be any duplicates. There are
five major categories in furniture category:
1. Contemporary
2. Colonial
3. Modern
4. Indian ethnic
5. Eclectic
4. Study of Customer Engagement in E-Commerce
Customer engagement (CE) is the engagement of customers with

one another, with a company or a brand. Customer engagement has been discussed
widely, numerous high-profile conferences, seminars and roundtables have either
had CE as a primary theme or included papers on the topic.
Customer engagement marketing places conversions into a longer term, more

strategic context, and is premised on the understanding that a simple focus on
maximising conversions can, in some circumstances, decrease the likelihood of
repeat conversions CE aims at long-term engagement, encouraging customer loyalty
and advocacy through word-of-mouth.
In store, or offline customer engagement is best leveraged by associates extensive

brand and product knowledge, and the digital access that supports it. Equipped with
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a tablet that also delivers store and sales training, educated on-floor associates
become brand ambassadors who can show consumers high-definition product
imagery and video to help cross-sell, up-sell, grow relationships and foster loyalty.
Online customer engagement is qualitatively different from offline engagement as the

nature of the customers interactions with a brand, company and other customers
differ on the internet. Discussion forums or blogs, for example, are spaces where
people can communicate and socialise in ways that cannot be replicated by any
offline interactive medium. Customer Engagement marketing efforts that aim to
create, stimulate or influence customer behaviour differ from the offline, one-way,
marketing communications that marketers are familiar with. Although customer
advocacy, for example, has always been a goal for marketers, the rise of online user
generated content can take advocacy to another level.
The concept and practice of online customer engagement enables organisations to

respond to the fundamental changes in customer behaviour that the internet has
brought about, as well as to the increasing ineffectiveness of the traditional 'interrupt
and repeat', broadcast model of advertising. Due to the fragmentation and
specialisation of media and audiences, as well as the proliferation of community- and
user generated content, businesses are increasingly losing the power to dictate the
communications agenda. Simultaneously, lower switching costs, the geographical
widening of the market and the vast choice of content, services and products
available online have weakened customer loyalty. Enhancing customers' firm- and
market- related expertise has been shown to engage customers, strengthen their
loyalty, and emotionally tie them more closely to a firm.
Leveraging customer contributions is an important source of competitive advantage

whether through advertising, user generated product reviews, customer service
FAQs, forums where consumers can socialise with one another or contribute to
product development.
Amazon re-branded into 'serving the world's largest engaged online community', the
World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has created a 'Blueprint for Consumer-
Centric Holistic Measurement' and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA),
American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) and the Advertising Research
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X
Foundation (ARF), have put together the 'Engagement Steering Committee' to work
on the customer engagement metric. Nielsen Media Research, IAG Research and
Simmons Research are also all in the process of developing a CE definition and
metric.
Online customer engagement refers to:A social phenomenon enabled by the wide
adoption of the internet in the late 1990s and taking off with the technical
developments in connection speed (broadband) in the decade that followed. Online
CE is qualitatively different from the engagement of consumer offline.
The behaviour of customers that engage in online communities revolving, directly or

indirectly, around product categories (cycling, sailing) and other consumption topics.
It details the process that leads to a customers positive engagement with the
company or offering, as well as the behaviours associated with different degrees of
customer engagement.
Marketing practices that aim to create, stimulate or influence CE behaviour. Although

CE-marketing efforts must be consistent both online and offline, the internet is the
basis of CE-marketing.
Metrics that measure the effectiveness of the marketing practices which seek to
create, stimulate or influence CE behaviour.
Here are just 10 features that help to keep customers engaged on ecommerce
websites. If you've seen any innovative new features from ecommerce companies,
please let us know below.
1. Clustering
Adding a dose of reality to shopping online is often desirable. What I'm talking about
is adding some serendipity and the experience that comes from being in a shop.
Clustering of products that wouldn't necessarily sit together in navigation or in stores

is a way of adding a human touch to merchandising. And of course it's about cross-
selling, encouraging people to see outfits rather than pieces (when used in apparel).
M&S is probably the most high profile proponent of this approach, as its new website
focuses more on fashion than utility.
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2. 'Content'
Content and commerce often collide, in fact there's an E-consultancy report on
where the two meet (Where Content and Commerce Collide). In this instance I'm
talking about additional content, as opposed to product descriptions, video etc. The
best term might be lifestyle content, or perhaps just content marketing.
There are many examples to hand - from big grocers using recipes on site in order to
sell the requisite ingredients, to apparel merchants hosting look books from
designers. Schuh goes from product video into product demo, where a merchandiser
talks to the consumer about the shoe and how to wear it.
The Watch Gallery has a magazine section on its site where it ties together reviews,
videos, editorial and more. This is an important section of the site for a retailer that
doesn't have a presence on the high street.
And, slightly better known, TopShop does a similar online mag titled 'Hitlist' that sits
under the 'Inspire me' call-to-action in the header. I've included a shot below.
3. Copy
Sell the benefits, not the features of products. Use category page copy for SEO
benefit. Inject some fun into proceedings where appropriate, but write for your
audience (who are people, remember).
Most importantly, as Peter Meinertzhagen points out, provide detailed and unique
copy. The example below from Bench is one of how not to write product copy.
4. The value proposition

If you're Tesco in the UK (only Tesco is), perhaps a value proposition on your
website isn't that important. But for most other ecommerce merchants, and indeed
for any company with a website, a value proposition is vital.
Design will give people an impression of your site and your products (after all, users
are reluctant to read unless they have to) but you should still make sure the website
states what you stand for.
5. Product video
Some retailers have found video gives a boost to conversion - certainly the presence
of video would hint at a richer, more persuasive product page.
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David Moth has previously rounded up retailers who are creative with product video.
ASOS gained the most praise for its array of quirky models, I even went to the
trouble of screen casting the dancer below.
As Darin Archer advocates, one can also go further with product video, exploring
post-purchase or targeting a particular segment of your audience.
6. Customer reviews (with a face)

Customer reviews are incredibly powerful, which is why they are used in many
different marketing channels.
On an ecommerce website they can take myriad forms - as a product filter (X

number of stars), on the store-finder page (to show the kind of service to expect on
arrival), against product listings and on product pages etc. They can be more
powerful when combined with the face of the reviewer.
The majority of shoppers are shown to consult these reviews before purchase, and
these reviews don't just encourage purchase (their primary purpose) they also have
SEO benefits, too - fresh content and non-duplication.
7. New categories and filters

While you don't want to disorient your audience by continually fiddling with filters and
navigation, there's a lot that can be done to enliven the browsing experience.
Even simply, looking at Matalan's homepage, categories for 'Holiday Shop' and 'Sale'
immediately jump out. Managing these spaces for different holidays and adding
filters that allow people to browse by reviews, colours, who they are shopping for etc.
- these can all be good tactics.
8. Site search
Look at the example from ToysRUs below. Autocomplete is used, showing me the
SKUs for each term and bolding the differences between them. This is ideal and
unambiguous for the shopper.
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Of course, accuracy of results is the most important thing. If a result is not surfaced,
the SKU may go unsold, and if the results don't inspire faith in the user, the feature
will quickly be ignored.
Setting up a custom report in analytics to show site search terms is a key part of any
ecommerce merchandisers strategy - knowing what isn't being surfaced or what
needs to be stocked is important.
9. Social media
This is quite a broad area. It could include crowdsourced imagery (tools such as
Olapic allow for this), social sign-in for comments, simple embedded tweets, share
imperatives or even incentives against content, trending items and more.
The example from ASOS below is particularly effective. The 'as seen on me' feature
will encourage users to browse and even participate, doing ASOS's content creation
and giving up data in the process.
10. Live chat (including video)

Although the call to action for live chat isn't a big part of an ecommerce site, it stands
out nonetheless and is a valuable feature because of its range of uses. In fact, some
surveys show live chat as the customer service channel consumers are most
satisfied with.A customer may not be satisfied with a list of FAQs, whereas live chat
enables questions about products, ranges, fulfilment, stores, payment etc.
Here's a screen grab of Vee24's solution on the LandRover site. For such a
considered purchase, live chat makes a whole lot of sense - it doesn't take many
sales to recoup the outlay.
With a pre-recorded introductory video and the option to chat via text or via live
video, there's plenty here to reassure the customer, whether they want to engage
face-to-face, or simply fire off a question.
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5. Understanding Vendor Registration process for Pepperfry
Pepperfry follows the 'managed market place' model, roughly a middle path between
the marketplace models of eBay (essentially a facilitator between sellers and
buyers), and Myntra.com and Zovi.com, which manage the inventory and logistics of
retailing business. Through this model, the portal controls various aspects such as
quality, packaging logistics, listing, etc. Though the portal started selling many goods
online, it soon found its niche in retailing furniture, home furnishings and decor.
For its products, Pepperfry has set up a network of merchants and artisans in Jaipur,
Jodhpur, Delhi, etc.; it has also set up its own fulfilment centres or packaging centres
that check quality and package goods. On its site, the portal lists the products of its
merchants. Once an order is placed, the merchant is intimated. He then sends the
product to Pepperfry's fulfilment centres. The products are checked for quality,
packages and sent to courier companies for delivery.
While most products are delivered within three to four days, a few categories such as
furniture and jewellery might take a fortnight, in case merchants do not have the
required stock.
The portal gets about 1, 00,000 hits a day. It ships its products to 1,000 cities and
towns across the country. It also supplies products to countries, including Israel,
Australia and Germany.

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This approach helps introduce the benefits of to even those merchants who might
not be Internet savvy and therefore ensures that a wide variety of products can be
made available to on-line customers. Pepperfry trains suppliers to make knock-
down, foldable products, similar to IKEA furnishings. The company also provides

Pepperfry Sourcing team approaches brands like MenMoms, Pebbleyard, Godrej,

etc. Interested vendors/ Brands themselves can directly approach the organisation
online through the website (pepperfry.com). Business Models are explained to the
vendor and margins are set. Usually agreed upon margin is 45%.
Types of Business Model followed by Pepperfry:
4. Marketplace Model
An online marketplace (or online marketplace) is a type of site where product or
service information is provided by multiple third parties, whereas transactions are
processed by the marketplace operator. Online marketplaces are the primary type of
multichannel e-commerce.
In an online marketplace, consumer transactions are processed by Pepperfry and

then delivered and fulfilled by the participating retailers or wholesalers (often called
drop shipping). Other capabilities might include auctioning (forward or reverse),
catalogues, ordering, wanted advertisement, trading exchange functionality and
capabilities like RFQ, RFI or RFP.
In general, because marketplaces aggregate products from a wide array of

providers, selection is usually wider, availability is higher, and prices are more
competitive than in vendor-specific online retail stores.
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5. On Demand Model
In this type of business model, products are listed on the website. As soon as order
is placed, vendor gets intimation and after which products are manufactured and
directly delivered to customers.
6. Warehouse Model
Products are either bought by Pepperfry or are with Sell or Return policy. Purchased
items are then stored in warehouses. Pepperfry owns warehouses in Bhiwandi,
Jodhpur, Bangalore, Gurgaon and Kolkata. Products are purchased according to the
past sales data and current market demand.
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CONCLUSION
Pepperfry is Indias No. 1 Online Furniture, Home and Living Marketplace with over a
whopping million customers. It showcases a curated range of furniture from the
online portfolio of Pepperfry, and serves as a design inspiration. It is based on three
business models which are Marketplace, On Demand and Warehouse. Pepperfry
enables Merchants from across the country to sell their items on the site after
agreeing on commercial terms. It manages the entire process for the merchant. This
includes pre-sale merchant listings, enabling photo-shoots, packaging to post-sale
shipping and providing customer service of the ordered items. This approach helps
introduce the benefits to even those merchants who might not be Internet savvy and
therefore ensures that a wide variety of products can be made available to on-line
customers. Pepperfry trains suppliers to make knock-down, foldable products, similar
to IKEA furnishings. The company also provides carpenters to assemble the items
once delivered.
Its unique and proprietary large-item shipment network ensures quick and damage-
free doorstep delivery of bulky furniture. Pepperfry has 11 fulfilment centres in
Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Jodhpur, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Vadodara,
Hyderabad, Chennai and Cochin to enable smooth and speedy delivery of products.
In April 2013, Pepperfry launched its mobile site that can be surfed on any web
browser or mobile device.
For Pepperfry the main target market is 28-35 years of age group. People who are
newly married professionals would be our target customers because they have
better buying power and mass demand.
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I
Studying processes involved in Category Management enabled me to understand

Vendor sourcing, vendor registration, product assortment and categorising, product
listings and uploading, imaging, pricing, stock upload, couponing, and Quality Check.
Managing bulk order for brand RAHA helped me understand product procurement,
shipments, quality check and assembly, managing returns and customer
engagement.
Merchandising in Pepperfry deals with display of products in such a way that

stimulates interest and entices customers to make a purchase. The process involves
thorough check and correction of page layouts, images in different perspectives,
proper product categorisation, and product description with detailed dimension
image.
In conclusion Pepperfry gave me the opportunity to understand various processes

that makes the site to function and cater to the target customer effectively.
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II
Learning Outcomes
1. Vendor Sourcing
2. Vendor Registration
3. Product Listings and SKU generation
4. New Product uploads
5. Inventory Management
6. Online Merchandising
7. Image photoshoot
8. Bulk order Management
9. Handling Category: Mattresses and Beanbags
10. Customer Engagement
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Webliography
http://www.pepperfry.com
http://jlsears.squarespace.com/blog/2012/12/20/e-commerce-assortment-
planning-and-merchandising-101.html
https://www.pwc.in/en_IN/in/assets/pdfs/publications/2015/ecommerce-in-
india-accelerating-growth.pdf
https://econsultancy.com/blog/62658-the-importance-of-a-value-proposition-
in-lowering-bounce-rate
http://succeedasyourownboss.com/three-ways-increase-ecommerce-
customer-engagement/
https://twitter.com/pepperfry
http://ecommerceconsulting.com/2012/05/online-merchandising-what-it-
means-why-it-matters-why-its-so-misunderstood.html

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STUDY OF CATEGORY AND MERCHANDISING

MANAGEMENT FOR E-COMMERCE

Under the Guidance of

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Department of Fashion Management Studies

National Institute of Fashion Technology

Pepperfry is based on three business models which are Marketplace, On

Its unique and proprietary large-item shipment network ensures quick

Studying processes involved in Category Management enabled me to

Managing bulk order for brand RAHA helped me understand product

Merchandising in Pepperfry deals with display of products in such a way

In conclusion Pepperfry gave me the opportunity to understand various

consumer (B2B2C). E-commerceprocesses are conducted using applications, such

Indias growth potential since

expected to be in the range of 22 billion USD in 2015.

An analysis of the demographic profile of internet users further testifies that e-

By 2020, e-Tail in India is

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN 2014

Mobile to be the most influential aspect of e-commerce

More business coming from smaller towns

Enhanced shopping experience

Exclusive partnerships with leading brands

Expanding the product basket

1. Carrying out processes involved in Category Management for Pepperfry

2. Analysing processes involved in Bulk Order Management

3. Analysing and streamlining merchandising process at Pepperfry

4. Study of Customer Engagement in E-Commerce (Pepperfry)

5. Understanding Vendor Registration process for Pepperfry

Facts about Pepperfry

Bertelsmann is an international media

leading online Furniture and Home marketplace. It showcases a curated range of

Pepperfry operates on a Managed Marketplace model, which is an ideal platform

foldable products, similar to IKEA furnishings. The company also provides

Pepperfry recently rolled out a 30 Days No-Questions-Asked 100% Money Back

Types of Business Model followed by Pepperfry:

In an online marketplace, consumer transactions are processed by Pepperfry and

In general, because marketplaces aggregate products from a wide array of

5. SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS

7. MARKETING AND INITIATIVES

8. PRODUCTS AND BRANDS

1. Urbanladder: Launched in 2012 and a venture of Bangalore-based Descasa Decor

3. Zansaar: A Bangalore based start-up and a brand owned by Singapore-based

4. Roomstory: An online multi-brand home store, Roomstory is offering products

5. The Home Label: An online marketplace by Sussanne Roshan, Home Label is

7. Mebelkart: A Bangalore based start-up, Mebelkart provides a range of products

12. PRODUCT OFFERINGS AND BRANDS

Market segmentation is a marketing strategy which involves dividing a broad target

14. TARGETING AND POSITIONING

A target market is a group of customers towards which a business has decided to

1. Study of processes involved in Category Management for

Category management is a retailing and purchasing concept in which the range of

1. Define the category (i.e. what products are included/excluded)

Following are the processes involved in Category Management:

Vendor Sourcing and Management

Pepperfry recently rolled out a 30 Days No-Questions-Asked 100% Money Back

3. Current market trends

4. Sales and margin history

5. Channel(s) of distribution requirements

6. Organizations financial plans (sales, margin, and inventory)

Categorising and Listing

Listing is made in includes product name,images with different perspectives, Retail

1. Manage different brands

2. Sequence products effectively