NaturalMantra sells natural , organic
and ecofriendly products to its customers.
“Being natural is being as close to nature
as possible” this is what NaturalMantra believes. For natural
products to be truly natural they have to be safe for humans to consume and
have minimum impact on our planet thus making them sustainable. It is
all about caring for the health of children and planet. Recently,
NaturalMantra received funding from Fremont Partners. To understand
NaturalMantra better and what need they are addressing, we talked with Nishant Nayak, CEO and Founder of NaturalMantra.
What is
NaturalMantra and how do you differentiate from any other online retail vendors?
NaturalMantra is India’s dedicated lifestyle destination bringing
Natural, Organic and Eco Friendly products to our customers. We pride in
selling products that are safe and free from harmful chemicals and pesticides Our
focus on safe products sets us apart from other online retailers. We are purely
focused on this niche thereby building a long term credibility, trust and
loyalty with our customers.
How did
this idea come into your mind of starting something on Natural Products?
The idea of NaturalMantra started with our personal quest to find
natural products for our daughter’s eczema in the US back in 2007. When we
returned to India in April 2011, we found it hard to find products in one place
that we could rely on and trust for our daily use. Lack of information and
availability was also another hurdle in our search for the right products. In
Oct of 2011, I left Futurebazaar.com to start NaturalMantra. The vision was to
build a company that we ourselves would turn to find amazing natural, organic
and eco-friendly products.
Who are
your competitors in online retail landscapes?
We compete with the large online retailers who sell organic
products, smaller companies focused on the organic space and even offline
organic stores. We welcome competition because our goal is to grow the market for
products that are beneficial to consumers in the long run.
Why did
you leave your lucrative job and came down in India to start something on
Ecommerce?
I spent 4 years in eBay San Jose in various roles of Product
Management, Search and SEO. After seeing
the massive ecosystem of entrepreneurs that have their primary income derived
from eBay, I always hoped that someday I
would take the plunge myself. We moved to India to be closer our families and
of course be a part of the growth story in the eCommerce space. There really is
no other market quite like the one in India today and the pieces of the
ecosystem are being built as we speak.
It is the right place to be in my opinion to build something truly
impactful.
Did you
received any funding? Are you looking for any angel investor?
We are happy to announce that we have received funding from Fremont
Partners. NaturalMantra was looking for investors who share our vision of
bringing a chemical free lifestyle to consumers everywhere. We believe that the
team at Freemont Partners brings forth a wealth of experience and a shared
vision to help take NaturalMantra to the next level. We look forward to their
guidance as we take the next steps on our journey to make buying earth-friendly
products easy and accessible. Fremont Partners is India’s first Global
Incubator and Accelerator, which provides seed funding to entrepreneurs focused
on technology driven start-ups. Freemont Partners provides mentorship,
strategic direction and access to local and global CXO mentors and partners
Typically,
How many visitors are reaching to NaturalMantra.com and what is the conversion
rate?
NaturalMantra is on track with its goal of visitors and revenue
and doubling both metrics every month. Our typical conversion rate is between
1.5% - 2%.
How are
you doing your marketing?
Our marketing has been limited to Facebook, Twitter and word of mouth
via customers referrals. We don’t spend
too much on advertising and focus on bringing the best customer experience. The
rest takes care of itself. With our
latest round of funding, we will start utilizing some interesting and non-traditional
marketing channels to spur demand and awareness for our products.
How many
product lines you have and how many you are going to add in coming future( 6-8
months)?
We currently sell a curated list of over 2000 products. We intend
to double it in the coming months. Since we carefully select products,
interview the vendors and check for ingredients, addition of product lines on NaturalMantra
takes time. We intend to keep it this way to ensure the integrity of our
products.
What is
your overall strategy in next 2-3 years?
NaturalMantra is not just an eCommerce portal. It’s a brand that
we intend to build over a long term that is known for its trusted range of
products sourced from all over the world.
Our overall strategy will continue to be the same – good execution in
logistics and supply chain, an exhaustive product range and international
reach.