As a business owner, we are always looking for ways to expand. In today’s day and time, any expansion strategy needs to have an omnichannel presence at its core. This is the story of Stree Kolkata, an ethical clothing and accessories brand based out of Kolkata.
Anneswa Maitra and Rituparna Roy, the founders of this brand have been managing both an offline and online store and we are completely charmed by their insights.
2 college students studying earth science came together and decided to take a courageous step. “Let’s create something”
“Let’s start by making jewellery. Durga Puja is coming up. It’s okay if it doesn’t work, we ourselves will wear those!”
And this is the true spirit of entrepreneurship. Fail hard, but don’t stop trying.
What started as a small business selling handmade earrings over Instagram slowly snowballed. In no time they were self-designing and then outsourcing fabric for the final production process.
Anneswa and Rituparna received an overwhelmingly positive response from their community. This love for their creations bloomed into a business – Stree Kolkata.
From a small at-home business they also expanded to a physical studio right in central Kolkata where they could show off all their different products.
But as luck would have it – there was one major obstacle which almost brought them down. Covid 19!
During Covid, having an online business was the only way they could still reach customers.
But now that the pandemic has receded (thankfully), why are they putting so much effort into their beautiful instamojo store?
“Every single brand that wants to be successful needs to have a digital footprint. Having your own website is mandatory if you want to look serious and professional. Our own website allows lets us show our products to buyers all over the world regardless of the time of day”
As a D2C brand, having your own online store gives you the power to cater to millions of people outside your physical location.
Call it their education, or for their own conscious efforts – for them building a sustainable brand was a priority.
Their speciality? They have a network of artisans in different parts of the country. Product collections like Jamdani, and Begumahar are examples of how Stree Kolkata chose to highlight the special fabric and needlework of that area.
Instamojo online store: Stree Kolkata
The designs are by the founders themselves, and the production process is completed in these different clusters, supporting their right to a healthy livelihood.
Fun fact – if you go on to their website, you will see a dedicated page for reusing used clothes. They offer an incentive to those who donate their worn sarees. These sarees are then repurposed into side bags that are quite a hit at this online store.
Other products that are quite a hit? Their earrings and their side bags are evergreen bestsellers.
Stree Kolkata recently also launched collections for the upcoming festive season.
Instamojo online store: Stree Kolkata
This is also an example of understanding moment marketing. Their festive product launch is a perfect way to attract impulse buyers and also get their shoppers in the festive mood.
One of the reasons customers love the products of Stree Kolkata so much is because of their emphasis on authenticity.
They want people to look at their product image and actually understand how these would look in reality. The founders of this ethical brand were determined to not promote unnatural body standards.
Most of these high-quality product photographs are of the founders as models! Looks extremely professional right?
Instamojo online store: Stree Kolkata
This is an excellent example of how eCommerce product photography does not need to be an extravagant affair. You can conduct shoots at home to achieve high-quality product images for your eCommerce website.
Why did Stree Kolkata choose Instamojo as their go-to eCommerce platform?
Stree Kolkata is a premium user of Instamojo. They were drawn to us through referrals. But what stood out for them was our simplicity. They could master advanced features on our platform within months.
Instamojo is an all-in-one Indian #D2CTech platform. We power independent eCommerce brands and startups with online stores, landing pages and payment solutions to help every seller start, manage and scale their online business successfully.
