By Papri Das

From going full throttle at New York?s Wall Street as an investment banker to establishing an empire of e-ticketing business in India ? Kyazoonga co-founder and CEO Neetu Bhatia knows that there?s no gain without a dollop of risk. She was well aware that her journey from under the safety of being an investment banker to an entrepreneur in India could be a hit or a miss. 

But stronger was the thrill of taking on the challenge of bringing access to a large swathe of the world?s population to their favourite sports and entertainment events, she says. Looking back, she feels her mission has been established. Be it ticketing for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, getting in the record books when India won the Cup at home, ticketing the Sachin Tendulkar 200th Test and coming up as finalists in the bid for the Rio 2016 Olympics ticketing bid ? Bhatia?s stint in India has been a series of fantastic wins for her.

Don?t ask her what it feels to be so accomplished as a woman in business, for she dismisses gender as irrelevant in the field. Her struggle hasn?t been greater or less than any man, nor her achievements. 

In a heart-to-heart chat with Exec Lifestyle's Papri Das, Bhatia reveals what it takes to cut above the noise in this fierce competition, her vision for Kyazoonga and why successful women preach feminism of true equality.

Excerpts:

What have been the benchmarks in the eCommerce and e-ticketing landscape in India and abroad?

I can only speak for Kyazoonga in this matter as we ticket events in India and abroad. Our making it to the very shortlist and being a finalist at the Rio Olympics ticketing program is testament to the fact that we are leading the pack in terms of technical, system and operational capability and have been validated at the highest levels by a global body that runs the most complex ticketing exercise on the planet.

When it comes to sport events or merchandising sales, how does India fare on the eCommerce platform?

The global sports and entertainment ticketing scenario is very vibrant. The number of events that need ticketing around the world continues to increase exponentially and the complexity of delivering an easy and simple solution to clients and consumers alike also continues to increase with it. The size of the global sports and entertainment ticketing market is north of $50 billion and rising. It is an exciting time for the industry with massive advances in web and mobile technologies layered with a connected and networked customer base always on social media. The ability to create a complete event experience for a sports/entertainment ticket customer has never been greater.

India has seen significant growth in eCommerce over the last few years. However, the sports and merchandising sector has huge untapped potential that the sector will need to focus on if we wish to reach global market standards.

Do you think the e-ticketing has greatly increased the revenue that sports earned through their events and matches? 

Indeed, e-ticketing is one of the pillars of major revenue generation for events. In fact, the success of several revenue models of various leagues around the world rests on their ability to maximise ticket sales and attendance.

One example that comes to mind is the IPL games in Raipur a couple of years ago - we were ticketing that and were taking it to all of Chhattisgarh, via online and retail, much in advance, and within four-five days of going on sale, the entire inventory was sold out.

We ended up getting record revenue of over Rs 9 crore per game, for a single domestic league match and that broke most ticketing records of the country, perhaps even around the world. That was 65 per cent online, 35 per cent retail and there was no box office. 

Sports will continue to drive the major share of online ticketing in India simply because cricket is a major driver. Demand often exceeds supply and hence people flock to online to ensure they?ve booked their spot in their favourite match. Average ticket prices are higher as well.

Kyazoonga isn?t just limited to ticketing for sports events and merchandise sale. Tell us about the other arenas that Kyazoonga has ventured into.

We created the movie and entertainment ticketing market in India. We chose to de-emphasize movie ticketing given the economics of that business. Our focus continues to be on live events and sports. We?ve ticketed some of the largest entertainment events in the country such as the multi-city concert tours of Bryan Adams, Guns N'Roses, Akon and the likes. We have ticketed the Jaipur Literature Festival for the last five years.

We also have a product called iTicket ? a DIY platform that allows event organisers the ability and freedom to create, ticket and market their events through our platform.

In the fierce competition, who do you manage to cut above the noise?

Kyazoonga is the only company east of the river Thames that owns its entire IP in ticketing and has developed the product and platform from the ground up and completely in-house. We do not license ticketing software unlike other players. Given that, we are able to scale and customise to serve the needs of the smallest neighbourhood event to one with the site and complexity of the Olympics - unarguably the most complex ticketing exercise in the world. It is generally hard for most ticketing companies that do not own their IP, to compete at the highest levels. 

Having a transactional website is only one small part of a complex ticketing exercise. Most transactional websites are mere storefronts with a shingle and a payment gateway attached to it. Sending bikers to deliver and collect physical tickets on a daily basis and then reconcile offline sales is a very inefficient way of ticketing events and creates for a lot of revenue leakage.

What online ticketing trends have you noticed in the past one year, especially in India? What kind of consumer behaviour does that reflect?

Online ticketing is still only about 15-20 per cent of the overall pie, which means that we are only scratching the surface. A recent Bain report mentioned that every month India is adding five-six million Internet users and about 650 million users are estimated to be online by 2020 ? of which 250 million will shop online ? spending over $50 billion. The report also suggests that mobile phones will dominate 70 per cent of the total number of Internet users. We believe that these are extremely positive trends and that online ticketing will become the norm in five years.

We are well positioned to capitalise on this trend both domestically as well internationally over the next few years.

Consumers are now leaning toward more personalised services and brand loyalties are now more based on user experience as opposed to more traditional forms of customer experience. 

Please share a bit about your expansion plans with your new office in Silicon Valley. What new can we expect from Kyazoonga and what is the way forward for the company as an e-ticketing platform?

We have serviced a third of the world?s population on this side of the globe, and our plans for expansion have been validated by some of the largest scale events that we have ticketed. We know we have the technology and service to be a serious contender in the market.

Given our focus on innovation and continuously building and enhancing our IP, it is only natural that we chose to work in Silicon Valley, the nerve-centre of innovation as we expand globally. 

We have recruited sales personnel, and have already started ticketing a few events in California, Washington DC, and elsewhere. 

The potential of the US market is tremendous; we are looking at a $25 - 30 billion industry.

Do you think that women in business have to be more aggressive to make a mark than men? What advantages do you think women have over men as businesswomen or entrepreneurs?

I fundamentally believe that the moment you differentiate yourself as a woman or feel the need to do so or get treated like one, you?ve lost the race.

My philosophy regarding this is that I have to be better than the next guy to move forward. I have never considered myself different from the next person. The moment you start to do that, it feels like a crutch. If my product, service, intellect and business acumen is as good as or better than the guy/gal next to me, I am a winner. Gender is irrelevant. I doubt many customers buy a product or service because they?re made by a man or a woman. They buy it because the product is better than the previous or next one.

Women have to be only equally aggressive as men to make a mark. If you are more aggressive, you?re trying too hard. They may have to deal with certain biases, sometimes deep-rooted, but nothing that a top quality product and service and smart business acumen cannot overcome. We see it in other spheres so this business is not much different.

By Papri Das

When Yugoslav expatriate, Ivana Perovic Shah first moved to India as a teenager, she was amazed by the cultural diversity she experienced amongst her classmates. Born in Serbia, Ivana was welcoming of new culture and people, thanks to her father?s transferable job as a Yugoslav diplomat and this helped her soak in the varied flavours of this country.

Little did she know that years later, this very knowledge and interest in India?s diverse behaviour will help her as the CEO of AP Group, a leading retail and distribution of international luxury brands in the country.

Married to Daniel Shah, owner of Club Cabana in Goa, Ivana feels herself quite at home in India and has grown quite accustomed to the Indian way of life. She not only understands the regional languages but also actively researches on consumer behaviour and the market in India for luxury goods.

In a tete-a-tete with Exec Lifestyle, Ivana shares how India is emerging as a promising market for high end lifestyle goods.

As CEO of a company that distributes international luxury-wares, what has been your observation of the ups and downs in the Indian market for luxury goods in the last decade?

The last decade has been very important for the Indian luxury market. Not only has there been an influx of most international luxury brands venturing into the Indian market, but also a rise in the High Networth Individuals (HNI) in the past six years.

Consumers are more informed through travel and media (print and online). The customer base is slowly expanding. We saw that from only traditionally wealthy, the base is moving towards new age HNIs with high purchasing power. While we have seen a lot of growth, the luxury market is yet to see its boom.

What has been your observation of the Indian consumer?s mindset when it comes to luxury brands?

India has been long known for its love for luxury goods. Indian royalty, who were idiolised by the general public, often indulged in luxury products like cars and jewellery.  Post liberalization, the Indian economy has seen a considerable growth rate. It has also broadened people?s mindsets and spending power. Besides, the industrial and IT revolution has also given birth to a completely new set of quality-conscious, global Indian consumers. Luxury has become all about displaying the individuals? hard earned currency. Hence, people have become exceptionally brand aware and brand conscious. With the correct products that cater to the Indian taste and mindful investment in real estate for the prime locations, luxury brands can go a long way.

As an expatriate how difficult was it for you to relate to the local mindset and evolve marketing tools accordingly?

Thanks to my father?s postings, I have spent all my teenage life in India, therefore I understand the market very well. My Masters degree in marketing helped me come back and implement the knowledge and adapt to what I know about the Indian culture.

The market is complex but with the right tactics and extensive research, we divide our resources and apply accordingly. For example, north India is open to spending more on products and the southern part of the country looks for value-for-money. Therefore, we promote our higher range products in the north and premium range in the south.

What is luxury according to you?

Luxury is high quality products, that have been meticulously created and that last for years. The design should be classic and not mindlessly themed on a short-lived trend. The best way to spend is by investing in a piece that can be passed on for generations, something you also identify with. A beautiful watch or a piece of jewellery is what I would go for.

In the coming years, what are the major trends that you foresee in the Indian luxury market and how are you planning to tap that for your company?

There are a few factors that will facilitate the growth of the Indian luxury market. These are: infrastructure, favorable regulatory environment and awareness through online media. There will be an increase in the number of young HNIs who look to buy luxury goods. We are going to tap the opportunities by bringing in the right product portfolio and expanding in the right markets. The brands are soon going to be even more accessible through online marketplaces. Fashion trends will soon be at par with the international ones, which will give us more opportunity to experiment and bring in trendier styles.

Keeping women in mind, which watches would you recommend fellow executives and why? Which are your favourite watches so far?

Must have watches for a woman would be:

1. A classic watch piece that can be worn for formal occasions.

2. A timepiece that shows a more fun side of you when not at work.

My personal favourites are rose gold watches and printed watches, which are in trend at the moment. My favorite brands would be the Gc Femme Bijou, Guess Rigor or Chopard Happy Diamonds.

By Papri Das

In the land of the Kamasutra, people have finally woken up to the joys of sex toys or sexual wellness products. While Indian laws prohibit the sale of sex toys in the country against obscenity, India?s Gen Z has come to accept and appreciate its use and no longer treats it as taboo, dirty, illegal, pornographic or vulgar.

While education and awareness has brought a majority of this progressive change, a word of thanks must go to the number of e-shops that have sprung up catering to the need gap of the adult product market in India. Sites like IMbesharam, OhMySecrets, Shycart and That?s Personal have given Indian consumers a safe, private and trustworthy haven that caters to their needs of adult and sexual wellness products.

When That?s Personal was first launched in 2013, it created quite a stir in the industry. This new e-shop, which openly sold lubricants, seductive couple games and lingerie, became a talk of the town, albeit in hushed whispers. It's been two years since That?s Personal launched and its CEO Samir Saraiya says that the site has been doing well.

Exec Lifestyle caught up with Saraiya in a candid chat on how big the adult product market is in India, the latest trends amongst the site?s consumers and how Indians are opening up to sex products.

Excerpts:

How big is the market for sexual products in India and how far have e-commerce sites been able to penetrate it?

The market potential in India is huge. The market size is estimated to grow to Rs 9000 crore by 2020. We?ve just hit the upper crust of this huge market where the early adopters have opened up to us. The outlook towards sexual health and sexual wellness is changing every single day. We?re growing at a rapid pace of over 400 per cent over the last year. This is testament to the fact that the adoption of sexual health and wellness as a concept is, now, becoming a widely accepted phenomena.

Recently Snapdeal and OhMySecrets got in trouble for selling sexual products. Have you faced any such legal problems at That's Personal? How do you ensure your products are all legal to be sold in India?

There are no legal concerns in the actual sale of sex toys, apparels and ancillary sexual products. Since these items are not banned for import or sale in India, there is no legal bar for their sale. However, the concern arises only in the manner in which these sex toys, apparels and related products are displayed and exhibited for sale in India.

Under Indian law, ?obscenity? is an offence. Therefore, if any of these items are advertised and / or displayed for sale using any obscene pictures, graphics, display mechanism, or otherwise in any obscene manner, then there could be a cause for concern. Although neither the Indian Penal Code nor the Information Technology Act, 2000 defines what ?obscenity? is.

As long as the products are not ?obscene? and/or displayed or exhibited in a manner, which is not ?obscene?, there is no legal concern on the sale of such products. However, this does not mean that a pornographic magazine or a movie can be freely sold or distributed in India simply by camouflaging its physical appearance. The fact that the content of such a product/ article is ?obscene?, it will fall certainly within the purview of Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code and hence illegal in India. We have a dedicated team who go through the products very carefully and curate the ones, which won?t fall under the obscenity laws and won?t look offensive. They have the right to veto any products they feel are obscene for India socially. Also, we steer clear of sex toys or pharmacy products as well.

How difficult was it to launch the site in India, get it marketed and even get people on board?

We sell only those products, which are completely legal to sell in India. We?ve been very conscious of staying away from products that are anywhere close to the magical remedies act. We believe in the concept of sexual health and wellness and we?ve projected ourselves as a clean, youthful and a fun brand to interact with. This clean positioning and projection has led to the entire system believing and supporting in us.

We get around 50 resumes a day for various openings that we have on our site. Rich talent is attracted and willing to work with us because of the growth opportunity that this sector has as well as the fun, youthful and innovative nature of the work environment that exists within our organization.

Have you ever been accused of 'corrupting' India's culture?

Absolutely not! In fact, we received accolades from everywhere when we launched. We received tremendous affection and support from all quarters where people were keen for a business like this to start. We have a loyal community on Facebook and LinkedIn and a legion of fans on Twitter, who eagerly anticipate the content that we create for them. We receive so many calls and emails enquiring about the products and wanting to know more about how to use them. We also get a lot of hilarious customer queries. For example: One specific query that we receive often is about Gujaratis enquiring if a lot of our products are vegetarian and we have to inform them that all products are purely vegetarian!

Do you think people equate sex store to pornography, and shy away from it?

I think equating a sex store to pornography is now pass? and a belief of the 1990s. The mindset of people is evolving every day and they?re able to differentiate clearly between pornography and sexual health/wellness.

How much money does an average buy make you? How are the items priced?

We have items for all types of audiences. So, we have economy products ranged between Rs 0 ? 1000 and on the other end of the spectrum, we also have extremely premium brands like LELO, which are priced well over Rs 20,000. The average purchase order value is Rs 2600 with about 2.2 products/order. The average order value is three times of any other regular E-Commerce organization, which is something that really puts us in good stead.

Is their any data to support the demography that visit and buy from the site?

The number of male visitors at 61 per cent easily outdoes the number of female visitors who form about 31 per cent of the visitors in India. However, females constitute about 39 per cent of the total purchases as opposed to 61 per cent by men. Essentially, females purchase more when they visit.

However, the number of females visiting our site is rapidly growing and we think we?ll reach a stage within this calendar year where females will be purchasing more than males. The age group between 25 ? 34 years forms about 52 per cent of the total purchases on the site.

As per the site, what are the most popular items on the site?

Massagers are our leading contributors followed by Lubricants and Women?s Sensual Lingerie. The youth, especially, is trying more of Adult Games that we have. The most significant trend, however, is in the gifting category. Increasingly, people are trying to gift their spouse, friends, etc. something naughty or fun for their weddings, birthdays and honeymoon travels. This gifting trend is in fact very popular amongst girls with more than 74 per cent of the gifting orders coming from women.

Where are the items sourced?

We source products from all across the world. We have 32 top international brands that we have exclusive deals with. There are no Indian brands manufacturing these items.

Fun facts:

The market size is estimated to grow to Rs 9000 crore by 2020.

Number of male visitors at 61% easily outdo the number of female visitors who form about 31% of the visitors in India.

The most significant trend, however, is in the gifting category, mostly popular amongst girls with more than 74% of the gifting orders coming from women.

*Survey and assessment conducted by That?s Personal team from their consumer reports

By Papri Das

Since time immemorial we have been seasoned to believe that a bottle of good wine can only come from European nations, or the ?old world? wine as it is popularly connoted by wine connoisseurs. However, this notion has seen a gradual transition with wine connoisseurs increasingly giving the ?new world? wines a swirl as well, observes Sula Vineyard AVP marketing Shraddha Nathani.

Eloquent, dynamic with a soft spot for adventure, Nathani?s colourful and diverse career in advertising, media and marketing started with Lowe Lintas, where she had the opportunity to work with a number of brands like Close Up, Pepsodent, Lifebuoy, Wheel, Vim and Domex, primarily working on insight mining tools, new product development and creating communication strategies for South-East Asia markets. She later honed her marketing skills under Bloomberg TV (then UTVi) and Bisleri, where she successfully carried out the ?Stay Protected? and ?Kiss to Drink? campaigns, catapulting the company into the social media space.

Now with Sula Vineyards, which is rightly hailed as India?s leading winery, Nathani has taken up the challenge to build Sula as brand at par with international wines.

Indiantelevision.com?s Exec Lifestyle caught up with her to find out the challenges in marketing wine produced in India, her tryst with Bloomberg TV and her adventure filled travel experiences.

Excerpts:

In an industry where European wines are favoured, was it challenging to market ?Made in India? wines?

Before we delve into marketing techniques, it is important to note that the world is increasingly shifting its attention towards New World wines ? wines from areas such as United States, New Zealand, Chile and India to name a few. This is because the quality of the wines that these regions produce have been at par with the Old World regions.

Sula has invested in ensuring that we provide the right information to consumer. The world was unaware about the fact that India too can grow wine grapes. Sula has put Nasik on the world wine map, thus not only bridging the gap on this perception, but also competing internationally. The fact that Sula is the market leader in India and the top exporter for Indian wine goes to testify that we understand consumer psyche, global and Indian wine consumption trends and market nuances.

What is your marketing strategy for Sula Wines?

For a brand such as Sula, marketing plays a very important role given all the rules and restrictions on the alco-bev category in India. Our wine portfolio is broadly classified in categories like Elite, Premium, Economy and Value. Each segment caters to a specific target audience, with distinct and unique marketing strategies. We ensure through strategic brand alliances, events and cross promotional initiatives that we maximize brand recall.

How does Sula cater to it?s premium patrons? What range of Sula wines is exclusive to the elite?

Yes, we have a dedicated portfolio for the evolved wine lovers.

Our Elite and Premium portfolios contain the following wines:

• Sula Raza Shiraz ? Limited Edition
• Rasa Cabernet Sauvignon ? Limited Edition
• Sula Brut
• Sula Brut Rose
• Dindori Reserve Shiraz
• Dindori Viognier
• Sula Riesling

Do you think that the liquor industry is male dominated? Have you done any marketing targeting women patrons of wine?

It?s not just the wine and liquor industry, which is male dominated, but the entire corporate universe that has seen more men in decision-making roles as compared to women. However, in the last few decades industrious and ambitious women have risen to the forefront acquiring indispensable roles in organizations. This has made cosmopolitan India open up to the idea of women being at par with men. 

As for Sula?s marketing, certain brands may appeal more to women depending on personal preferences. However, wine as a category is flush with women consumers ? not just in India but also across the world.

What is your favourite wine experience?

One of my most memorable trips was a couple of years ago to Spain. But the highlights of the trip truly came down to some of the simplest of things - getting lost on our road trip from Seville to Cordoba, eating eating Gambas al Ajillo and paella on the Las Rambla streets and sampling the lovely Spanish wines.