Pipa+Bella’s Strategies
Sources claimed that the jewelry business had been experiencing rapid growth in India and that necessitated several online jewelry brands to develop robust marketing strategies to keep them ahead of their competition. “Pipa + Bella,” a Mumbai-based Fashion Accessories Company, reportedly utilized social media to draw the attention of millennials by building a brand that made its content real and relatable. The brand allegedly made social media a core pillar of its marketing strategy.
According to Shuchi Pandya, a co-founder of the jewelry brand, what it entailed was having engagements with people who could influence others and brands whose relevance related to their brand. She explained that it was an effective way to get the attention of users who were likely to stay in touch with the brand and engage with the brand’s content.
She further explained that the brand’s website had a section which solely had a user-generated content section, where pictures uploaded by their customers who used the relevant hashtags were exclusively featured. She explained that the strategy had increased the brand’s engagement and created an awareness of the numerous ways of styling their jewelry.
$1 million Funding For Pipa+Bella
Media outlets reported that Pipa+Bella, led by Fireside Ventures, recently landed funding to the tune of $1 million. Reportedly, the start-up would utilize the funds to employ more people and also expand its distribution channels in more innovative ways. Also, the funding would enable the jewelry brand launch into the international market and build a strong offline distribution channel.
Pandya, while responding to questions on the funding, stated that the brand’s promotion of financial independence of Indian women captured the attention of investors. She also said that she researched the existing business models that could thrive alongside her philosophy and a soft spot for jewelry. She further stated that the start-up experienced immediate success because women embraced the fact that they could become stylists and also get jewelry for free.
Media outlets claimed that the brand had a long partnership history with Fireside ventures even before they landed the funding. According to Pandya, the brand’s interest in building brands attracted her. She stated that Team Fireside and Kanwaljit were good partners as both brands understood the intricacies of brand building and provided the marketing and distribution support needed.
Panda added that while selecting the right investors, she had to work with brands who showed faith in her commitment towards the business’ growth. She stated that the process of sourcing for funds as a young Indian woman was challenging because some investors asked her questions about what would become of the business if she got married and had children. She, however, stated that the question was always a red light that the investor wasn’t the right one for her business.
About Pipa+Bella
Pipa+Bella was founded in 2013 by the duo of Shuchi Pandya and Komal Goel. The company got its name from two European words that perfectly describe the company’s kind of products and customers. While a “Pipa” woman is an edgy and bold who is always willing to try new things, a “Bella” woman is more conservative as well as graceful and classicist. Pipa+Bella has a wide range of products for these two categories of women, including necklaces, earrings, wedding jewelry, bracelets, and rings.
The Jewelry brand produces and sells ready-made and custom-made fashion jewelry at competitive prices to more than 40,000+ people in India. The company’s business activities are carried out on an online platform and it hopes to reach 1.5 lakh customers in the next twelve months.
With the understanding that only a few brands exist in the fashion jewelry sector, the brand aims to reduce the issues women face while having to pick between a branded jewelry which was too expensive or unbranded jewelry that had no styling guide or instructions for care. Thus, the jewelry brand releases about 100 new styles every week with prices ranging between INR 500 – 3000. The targets of the brand are urban women within the age range of 22-35 years who are fashion-conscious, adapt to new trends quickly and are social media savvy
The demand for fashion jewelry has reportedly increased in the past few years owing to the prices of gold and silver, and the fashion market is currently estimated to be worth about $6 billion.
Pipa + Bella has received several awards, including the Digital Women in E-Commerce 2017 Award by Shethepeople.tv, Top 25 Startups by Singapore’s Javelin Startup-O Victory Fund and the Google SMB Heroes 2017 Award.
