The global Indian brand

Sher Singh is another feather in the cap of the ever zealous NRI entrepreneur, Sonny Caberwal, Co-founder & COO of the organisation, with the growing popularity of his lifestyle retail portal Exclusively In around the globe; he has finally made his way back to where he belongs and has given brand India the perfect platform to stamp its authority on the international market.

Aadeetya Sriram (AS): How did the idea of Sher Singh come about?

Sonny Caberwal (SC): Sanjay and I have been friends and colleagues for a long time. Our journey started 3 years ago, when we started up Exclusively In, a global retail portal that represents India, and now we’re the world’s largest online retailer of Indian fashion. Our tradition has been incorporated by designers across the world and loved by the finest celebrities. Now we are looking to build world’s finest lifestyle brand from India to the world. Keeping that in mind we took the finest lifestyle brands and designers as our benchmark and tried and tested the range that we will be offering. The general perception with Indian brands in the global brand has been one of inferior with regards to quality. We made the product online in India and within a couple of months the response was fantastic.

AS: How do you see the brand performing on an e-commerce platform?

SC: The online market in India has doubled itself when it comes to interest penetration from 42 million to 88 million. It is one of the fastest growing internet populations, so we have an opportunity to reach all part of India and the world, which has excited us. Considering our target is customers from 25-35, who appreciate quality yet prefer something which is accessible. We will be looking to partner with other e-commerce players also, like-minded brands across the globe.

AS: Now that you are an e-commerce brand, how will the distribution/delivery take place?

SC: We will provide free shipping of our product range available and make sure that the convenience quotient of online shopping compared to the brick and mortal store stays intact, and since we are present through the e-commerce platform, we don’t have to support the retail infrastructure of stores. This way we are able to pass on the cost savings to our consumers. Even though our products may meet the top lifestyle brand we can actually afford to deal at reasonable rates.

AS: How has the whole brand and its product range been brought about? Have you conducted testing earlier?

SC: We have actually done a lot of research to understand the taste and preferences of customers in India, conducted the required testing of our products, this way we have ensured that our products can be suitable to the weather conditions and also clear the product quality testing with high marks. With regards to difference in physical appearance in the country, we have deployed the same strategy as most of the global lifestyle brands do, which is to provide products in two different cuts, ie, slim fit and a regular fit. Our main objective is to meet the requirements of Indian consumer first then the global base. We have tested these products in the US and UK markets and the response from these markets have been quite interesting as they are more than comfortable with the products we provide and the price range is really attractive to them. Customers find the concept exotic, which clearly works in our favour.

AS: Are you designing the products yourself or they are being sourced from vendors?

SC: The designing and manufacturing of products are being done by our in-house team with the support of vendors in India. Our range includes everything from half sleeves, round necks, v-necks to blazers, long sleeves, sweatshirts, etc.

AS: What are your expectations from the brand in its first year? Any specific targets in mind?

SC: We expect to really ramp up our e-commerce sales in India and when we look to augment that with international sales and compete with traditional retail channels.  Earlier this year, we did some pop-up store experiences around malls in the country which enables us to interact with the consumers in a better manner and the responses have been positive.