Agency Involved : SODME Digital Marketing Pvt Ltd

Kankatala is a well-known silk saree brand from the city of Visakhapatnam. The brand has been around since 1943. When they wanted to start online in 2016, they had eight plus branches in Vizag, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry. But, when the brand decided to bring their products online, they wanted to establish the same brand image online.

Establishing a Premium Brand Online

The brand was popular in all of Andhra Pradesh, but the rest of India did not know about them. In 2016, ecommerce aggregators like Amazon and Myntra were ruling the market, and the average price of sarees sold online was less than Rs 5000. Kankatala’s sarees were priced at Rs 15,000 and above. They wanted to see authentic premium bridal silk sarees online. Many had speculated that people wouldn’t buy at that price online without touching and feeling the saree.

Creating Customer Trust Through Personal Branding

To create customer trust, the team at SODME sat together with Kankatala’s marketing team to discuss the brand’s positioning, customer behaviour, motivations, and challenges. They decided to showcase how each and every saree is special and how it was handpicked. The content was not short, but longer and with a story that told customers why they should buy their product subtly.

Family Members on Instagram

The family members of three generations were showcased on Instagram talking about their sarees or wearing them for occasions. The audience loved the amount of knowledge that the second-generation entrepreneur had about sarees and how he most lovingly picked them for his wife. The daughters-in-law wore them for all the special occasions. When other brands created illustrated wishes on occasions like Diwali, Sankranti, and New Year, the family members wore the clothes and published them online with a beautiful story.

Expanding Reach through Exhibitions

They also went and exhibited their sarees in different parts of the country like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, etc., extending the connection from online to physical.

Results of Personal Branding

The followers of the brand were able to connect with the people behind the brand. They understood that the brand had a human side to it. Trust increased and sales started happening with people from all over the world buying the sarees without touch and feel. People requested for a physical store from across India. The exhibitions across India helped. When the awareness about the brand and the online sales looked promising, Kankatala expanded to cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Delhi.

Global Sales and Local Presence

Now Kankatala has customers across 17 countries and more than 50% of their online sales come from the rest of the world. The brand has also opened three new branches in different parts of the country.

In conclusion, Kankatala’s success in expanding their business globally can be attributed to their effective use of personal branding. By highlighting the personal stories and expertise of the family members behind the brand, they were able to create a sense of trust and connection with their customers. This helped them to stand out in a crowded e-commerce market and attract customers from all over the world. Their strategy of exhibiting their products in various cities across India also helped to increase awareness about the brand and establish a local presence. As a result, Kankatala has now built a loyal customer base across 17 countries, with over 50% of their online sales coming from outside of India.

Read in detail about Kankatala’s Success Story