Blubox offers in-depth knowledge of How to gain by selling online: Harish Singla

Digital commerce software continues to be one of the fastest growing vertical in the overall enterprise applications software market. Organisations can now generate revenue through a multitude of digital channels incorporating mobile commerce and mobile payments, social commerce through social media platforms such as Facebook, and even local commerce utilising GPS technology to deliver personalised deals to consumers based on their location. The Global Digital Commerce Software Market was estimated to be worth $4 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach to $8.68 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 16.73%. Asia Pacific is showing the highest growth with a CAGR of 18.60% over the forecast period.  Blubox has been part of the growth since couple of years. Retailer media caught up with Harish Singla, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, BluBox, in a curiosity to know more about the brand.

What was the motivation that led to the inception of Blubox? Share your entrepreneurial journey with us.
The company, founded by Dipti Singla, Sriram Subramanian, Harish Singla, & Pulkit Singhal in 2012 has grown 10 times in the last 24 months. BluBox is a platform that empowers sellers by simplifying their online selling process and multiplies their sales. The Mumbai-based platform offers solutions to brands and retailers who want to venture into the eCommerce segment. It is a platform that empowers sellers by simplifying their online selling process. It provides advisory training; tech support and analytics to traditional businesses, helping them make the most of online selling. Additionally, BluBox also offers its services to online marketplaces. It enables them to on-board maximum number of active sellers, solving the technical challenges faced by them and provides multiple channel solutions to marketplaces. Over last four years, the company has managed to collaborate with 15 plus e-shopping portals. We are offering the expertise to over 250 brands. BluBox is a ‘full service agency’ for renowned online shopping portals - Amazon, Snapdeal, Flipkart, etc. and providing end-to-end services along with advising them on building their online brand by devising the right strategy.

What were the challenges that came your way while conceptualising Blubox?
There are many things that are needed to be dealt with in the field of commerce, ever changing policies of marketplaces with tedious & stringent norms and non-friendly policies towards sellers were the major challenges. Apart from that, taxation complexity in billing and low technology awareness among small businesses was another challenge at the same time.

What is the USP of your brand?
While other players in similar space offer either technology, services or advisory. Blubox offers all through its end-to-end platform, with in-depth knowledge of ‘how to gain by selling online’. We take care of all kinds of online selling needs of SMEs.

How Blubox is helping retailers to scale up their business, what services do you provide?
BluBox offers its services to both online and offline marketplaces. It enables marketplaces to get on-board maximum number of active sellers, solves technical challenges faced by sellers and provides multiple channel solutions to marketplace. As I said earlier we provide advisory, training, tech support and analytics to traditional businesses, helping them make the most of online selling.

Having met your angle investors, how do you plan to expand Blubox?
We planning to build ‘one of its kind’ Tech Platform, which can answer all channels i.e. online, offline, b2b or b2c etc. needs of the brand owners. The platform will also serve as a tool to manage inventory, prices, orders, catalog etc. Availing a complete analytics reports to know the needs and buying behavior of their customer, Blubox integrates with most of the online, offline, LFRs, MBOs, POS etc. channels.

What is your target group? Tell us about your clientele as well.
Our target group includes anyone who owns a consumer brand, which includes SMEs and other consumer product brands. Re-seller of a consumer brand i.e. retail shopkeeper and wholesaler or a distributor/agent of a consumer brand.

What has been the Aha-Moment of your business (Peak)?
We are yet to get this moment as till now we had been providing services with/without technology, but now we are building a tech platform, which will solve all the problems of our clients. When a client comes and tells us that his/her all problems got resolved for tackling day-2-day problems of multi-channel environment will be the ‘Aha-Moment’.