The conversation is in Malayalam. This page is an English summary of it. Watch on YouTube
About this episode
In this episode, host Shan A Salam sits down with Priyanka Krishnan and Sudhir Kumar, the co-founders of the direct-to-consumer jewellery brand Adore By Priyanka. They discuss the origins of their brand, which started in 2019 after identifying a market gap for accessible, premium fashion jewellery made from brass and natural stones. The founders detail their early reliance on organic growth and influencer gifting, which helped establish initial momentum on Instagram before expanding into a custom website and dedicated mobile application. Sudhir recounts leaving a high-paying corporate career in information technology to streamline warehouse operations, inventory forecasting, and logistics. They explain their philosophy behind remaining bootstrapped, maintaining profitability from the outset, and strictly operating on a prepaid model for four years before introducing cash on delivery. Additionally, the duo shares insights into dead-stock clearance, managing rapid fulfillment cycles, and their future aspirations of taking their Indian jewellery brand to a global audience.
Key takeaways
- Identifying a unique product niche, such as combining natural stones with brass, creates immediate differentiation in a crowded market.
- Organic word-of-mouth and early influencer collaborations can build strong brand equity without heavy ad spend.
- Transitioning from social selling to custom ecommerce platforms and mobile apps allows better operational control and customer retention.
- Operating on a strict prepaid model initially can protect working capital and minimise costly product returns.
- Maintaining in-house control over warehouse infrastructure and order dispatch ensures strict quality control and lower return rates.
- Applying the Pareto principle helps manage inventory, as roughly twenty percent of designs generate the vast majority of recurring sales.
- Clearing slow-moving stock at steep discounts is more beneficial than letting capital sit idle in warehouse inventory.
Chapters
- D2C Jewellery Brand
- Ecommerce Operations
- Influencer Marketing
- Bootstrapping
- Inventory Management
- Logistics and Fulfillment
