Seasons and Tides

Like most consumer businesses, tides on Chaupaati ebb and flow with the seasons. Before we started on June 26, 2008, we were fearful about the monsoons. Effectiveness of below-the-line media is upto 50% lower in the monsoons and large spenders on outdoor media take a 4-month break in the rains. Getting the attention of new users to try a new idea and new service is a challenge anyway, then how would we get the consumer’s attention with the roaring rains on the roads. The Mumbai rains are not too kind on personal electronics, home electronics, white goods and automobiles (Chaupaati’s key categories); what with flooding, humidity and bumpy roads. Once a buyer and seller connect through Chaupaati, who would step out in the monsoon traffic and muck to do the deal and transport the items. As a start-up, however, we had little choice in picking the season when we should go live.

The reality turned out to be much to our advantage! Good outdoor media options were more available in the off-season, despite our modest budgets. We were not competing for attention with new brand launches. Our shop customers did not mind spending the time to try us out, since other activity was slow. They were happy connecting with new buyers while footfall was low and were quite forgiving about not closing as many deals (”barsaat mein dhanda to manda hi hota hai. aap contacts bhejte raho.”). Last but not least, we were able to fix broken things in our product and make significant improvements to our quality of service in time for the imminent festive season.

With the test of Ramzaan and the excitement of Dahi Handi and Ganesh Chaturthi concluding, Mumbai will be ready for Navratra, Id, Diwali, Christmas, New Year, and all trade, shopping and prosperity that comes with it; and Chaupaati will be ready to receive the high tide on its shores. To more phone pe deals…