Samir Kazi, Founder & Director, GadgetBucket.in
Samir Kazi is a self-made entrepreneur with a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts hailing from the city of dreams, ‘Mumbai’. What started as a part-time project selling a mobile phone through an ad-hoc eBay account is now a successful venture that sells over 15,000 products monthly. Managing director at GB e-Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Kazi now marks his footprint across the country and major metro cities in China. And what began as a part time project in 2011, has slowly taken shape to be one of India’s premier online shopping portals offering a host of products from a range of categories including computer accessories, mobile accessories, kitchen appliances, home décor and a lot more. In conversation with Dominic Rebello, he meticulously explains how he ensured that the fundamental pillars of the business are laid on a ‘Customer First’ approach and built an empire that will continue to last for eons in this roller coaster business of the e-commerce industry.
What drives you?
Gadgets and gizmos have always been my area of interest. I have always strived towards converting my dream into reality. After working for few years I decided to channelize my passion and started an online portal called GadgetBucket.in. Initially, we started with gadgets, later we started selling computer and mobile accessories, home and kitchen appliances, apparels, healthcare and personal product, toys, perfumes, stationery and much more.
How big is the potential for a business like yours?
The E-commerce market is estimated to breach $100 billion mark by 2020 and we with GadgetBucket.in are poised to grow exponentially with our strategic innovations to garner a share of the market in the coming years. We get unique gadgets at rock bottom prices, which are hard to find in today’s market for consumers. Since 2012 there has been a paradigm shift in buying behavior of consumers as now, more and more people are buying stuff via online. This has definitely helped in boosting our business by getting strong clientele pan India. Our products are available on leading Online marketplaces including eBay, Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc. With more than 1.5 lakh customers, delivering to more than 3000 locations across India,We have witnessed a whopping revenue of Rs.8 crores this year.
How do you plan to scale up; raise funds through seed or venture capital or simply grow the old fashioned way through rising turnovers?
As it was first a part-time project, it was conceived on a shoe-string budget with limited funds and personal savings. However with help of Non-Banking Financial Company( NBFC) like a Lending Kart, Neo Growth etc. we were able to reach Rs 8 cr within four year of its inception.
Who would primarily be your consumer audience?
For Gadget Bucket anyone who needs anything online from host of our products including mobile accessories, kitchen appliances, home décor and much more are our target audience. We also have a wide variety of toys for kids and toddlers.
Where do you see yourself five years down the road?
From 2011, a boot strapped project to one premier online shopping portal, we are moving onwards and upwards. After setting up successful centers in Mumbai and Delhi we are looking forward to back ourselves to achieve a similar triumph in our new setups in major cities like Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. In pursuance of making GadgetBucket.in a household name, we are planning to showcase television ads and expand our wings to tier 3 and Tier 4 cities also. Gadget Bucket also supply products to some known marketplaces like Amazon.in, Flipkart.com, Snapdeal.com, Ebay.in, Rediff Shopping, Shopclues.com and PayTM.com, also sell his products in international market via Ebay and Amazon. 5 years down the road we expect to set new milestones in the road map of e-commerce.