Gifting is a joy and a pleasure. A medium to express love for and connect with dear and near ones. If it goes wrong, the receiver feels hurt. On several occasions, we receive undesired gifts of little use from and we give inappropriate gifts to our friends and relatives without letting them know our wishes and without knowing what they like. Needless to say, choosing the right gift for your loved ones is often a daunting task. However, no more worries! MakeMyWishes has made gifting a delight for all occasions by connecting both givers and receivers on a single platform.
MakeMyWishes is a social platform cum online gifting portal bridging between you and your acquaintances in the virtual world. It empowers you to express your wishes and know your close ones’ wishes when it comes to gifting to be happy and make others happy. Founded by Anu Gupta and Sapna Chaudhury, this startup also lets you choose gifts for your loves ones with utmost ease and convenience. A first of its kind in India, MakeMyWishes is a complete breakthrough in the realm of gifting. It works on one mantra, which is ‘not too keep your wishes a secret any longer.’
Inception of MakeMyWishes
Online gifting portals or registries like MakeMyWishes are common and popular in the West. The idea of providing people with a platfrom to share their wishes and desires within their circles was sown when Sapna Chaudhary received too many footballs from her son’s friends on his birthday. It motivated Anu and Sapna to ask their acquaintances if they had ever received a gift which they didn’t desire or given a gift which was inappropriate. The responses during the drive inspired them to come up with MakeMyWishes.
Introduction of the Founders
Anu Gupta comes with a strong industry exposure in finance and high proficiency in sales, channel management, operations and people management. Her versatile portfolio includes renowned brands such as ICICI Retail, Deutsche Post Bank Home Finance, Jones Lang LaSalle, Dewan Housing Finance Corporation limited. She has been instrumental in the execution of several projects in business management, executive coaching, learning and development. Sapna Chaudhary has also worked with such multinational brands as Standard Chartered Bank, ICICI Retail, and Deutsche Post Bank Home Finance.
Business Model and USP
MakeMyWishes is very unlike usual gifting portals. Most other players in the market are focused on creating wedding gift registries online. The business model of MakeMyWishes is an altogether different approach to dealing in gifts on the web. The business model is an interface between B2B and B2C providing gift sellers with a platform to display their merchandise on and making it possible for people to connect with their acquaintances through the uninhibited expression of what gifts they desire on special days in their lives.
The USP of MakeMyWishes, accoding to Anu Gupta, is that you can share with your loved ones what you wish for your birthday or marriage anniversary and that you can choose the gift or gifts you desire with the utmost ease. The app makes it pretty simple. Using the app, you can handpick a gift of your choice from the list of e-sellers or click a product image for instant sharing in your social circles on the go. You can also post a wish by sharing an URL. Another unique feature of MakeMyWishes is that you can opt for privacy of your secret wishes.
Role of Technology
“Digital technology plays a great role in the functioning of MakeMyWishes.com since we operate online. It is the foundation of our innovative startup to help people connect with each other through gifting. In today’s tech savvy world, almost everyone from buyers to sellers is moving on to the digital platform. In current fast-paced times, most of us don’t really have the time to brainstorm about what should be gifted. MakeMyWishes makes it possible for people to explore their dear ones’ birthday gift wishes by means of technology,” says Anu Gupta.
Competition
MakeMyWishes is not in direct competition with other similar businesses since it works on different wish lists including but not limited to wedding wishlists, according to Anu Gupta. It lets users create their own events which may vary from ‘Just like that’ to festival like Diwali and state their gift wishes based on the events. What distinguishes MakeMyWishes from its competitors is an e-commerce module integrated to the business model. Using this exclusive feature, the registered members of MakeMyWishes can select one or more gifts from a range of products and send to their friends in one go.
Challenges
“Initially when we started the biggest problem we faced was to educate about the concept, but when the audience understood how beautifully the idea of gift can bring smile on our loved ones is when we were able to overcome it,” says Anu Gupta.
She further says, “In the current market, starting a small business is an uphill task. Fending off against big contenders is worth the learning curve. A solid grip on analytics and a marketing mind is necessary for any venture to work. Strategy, although theoretical, is designed to achieve an overall aim. A goal-centric business can bear out any storm. Having a strategy ensures substantial objectives to work upon, which leads to progress in scaling the business.”
Marketing and Goals
When it comes to marketing, MakeMyWishes mostly relies on social media and digital marketing. The founder duo is looking to engage thousands of users in the next two years by exploring various avenues to reach out to target audience.
On a closing note, Anu Gupa and Sapna Chaudhary say, “A product is innovative only when it is distinguished from others by means of its USP. Do believe in your idea. It is the main driving force behind the success of a new product.”
Read more Indian Startup Stories.
Recommended for you
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.