While passing through Nai Sarak, looking for a component for their manufacturing business, Kunal and Samrath saw a flurry of students carrying loads of books. They had bought these and now were walking to the nearest metro station to get back home. The thought was provoked. In an informal visit to a university in the middle of UP, Samrath found that library and book bank facilities were still ‘coming up’. The text books were to be bought from a city shop 40 kms away. Entrance exam preparation centers in these smaller cities had other challenges. There was a need to be fulfilled.
It has been a spurt of online businesses in the country, and with accelerated internet penetration it was deemed to happen. And these are platforms offering solutions to users, giving them an opportunity to access and buy a plethora of products sitting at the convenience of home. The challenges of brand building, logistics, technology interface, etc. have been well met by most.
“We thought of catering to the requirements of students, specifically and not just going after everything and everyone”, says Kunal. The duo started working Stufbagg.com in the middle of the year. StufBagg.com is a one-stop-shop for students looking for academic books, test preps, add-ons and much more, at highly affordable rates.  “We wanted to connect with students, youth and sound cool, so the name came along. As students, we have so much stuff to take care of, and who doesn’t love his/her bag. Yes ofcourse its spelt differently!”, says Samrath on the choice of name. The logo had to be colorful and fresh. “The U in stufbagg, depicts a student juggling balls, analogous to multi tasking, which might include study, sports, having fun, extra currics”.
A few months were spent understanding the market, technology, consumers. Then building a small team of a chosen few people to work on the technical development, vendor relationships, marketing and supply chain. “The website has been designed keeping in mind the customer base, i.e. students. The products featured on the website and the products in pipeline, are in line with the requirements and expectations of the students”. Amongst the yebhis and wobhis of the ecommerce world, there are a few players who know their customers well and keep the business focused enough for best service.
“We believe the consumer experience is primary. The process starts from logging on and goes on till the delivery of purchased product. We need to ensure an aesthetic and clutter free user interface, ease of navigation through pages/categories, finding what you want, multiple payment options and finally timely delivery of products in good condition.”
Stufbagg reached out to market with a pre-launch activity at the Delhi Book Fair, Pragati Maidan. The engagement on social media also started almost during the same time. The launch date was chosen as Oct 10 this year, symbolic of the revered 10/10 score.
Check out StufBagg.com.