Manoj Chandra and Ankur Dinesh Garg are co-founders of an online children’s merchandise store (www. allschoolstuff.com) owned by the Gurgaon-based Fame Eduserve Pvt. Ltd. A business management graduate of the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), Chandra who is CEO of the company, acquired valuable business management experience with Bata India, AFL Ltd, RPG Enterprises and Godrej Soaps. Garg is an alum of IIT-Bombay with considerable e-commerce experience gained in several internet companies including Wirefoot India and ANM Soft Technologies.
Newspeg. In February this year, www.allschoolstuff.com’s registered followers on Facebook crossed 50,000, confirming it as Asia’s #1 Facebook website in the children’s merchandise category. As such, the website is now numbered among the Top 10 Facebook children’s merchandise websites worldwide.
History. Fame Eduserve was incor-porated in September 2011 and allschoolstuff.com went live on December 25. Chandra and Garg who met in 2006, discussed the possibilities and potential of an online merchandise store for children after the former recounted Bata India’s high volume of children’s footwear sales. Within 15 months of launching allschoolstuff.com with a capital investment of Rs.2 crore mobilised from their own savings, and venture capital of Rs.5 crore from Delhi-based Angels Investors Consortium (AIC) and some private investors, this enterprising duo has signed up over 300 vendors for products such as textbooks, stationery, uniforms, shoes, toys, teaching aids, electronic supplies etc.
With a headcount of 50 the company, which has a 10,000 sq. ft warehouse and eight courier company partners to ship merchandise, offers more than 35,000 products averaging 400-500 transactions per day. Awards and encomiums are pouring in as well. The website won the Best Digital Start Up of the Year Award 2012 of the Delhi-based exchange4media Group, and the Zee Business Brand Excellence Award in Digital Products & Services, 2012.
Direct talk. “Shopping for school and children’s merchandise is a tedious, affair requiring constant visits to numerous retail outlets. Our website offers a time and labour-saving shopping experience to parents who are assured of good quality and a wide choice of brands,’’ says Chandra.
Adds Garg: “The e-commerce market is averaging 20 percent growth per year. People are gradually overcoming their fear about security of online payments, which for your information, is more secure than card swipes in retail outlets.’’
Future plans. Their current priority is to continue to multiply the products available on allschoolstuff.com and reach a wider audience of parents, schools and teachers. “We are also investing in technology and later this year our merchandise will be available on smart phones. Once we cross that hurdle the company’s growth will be exponential,’’ predicts Chandra.
Way to go!
Autar Nehru (Delhi)