“Customer service drives business” – Vipin

 

“Candes strongly believes that customer service is what can drive any business to success” – Vipin AGgarwal, Co- Founder, Candes Technology

 

India is changing, so is the average Indian consumer. This is more visible in our use of home and kitchen appliances. Candes Technology is India’s most trusted & leading home appliances company providing a complete range of home & kitchen electrical appliances at affordable prices. Team Estrade had an opportunity to speak to Vipin Aggarwal, Co-Founder, Candes Technology https://candesworld.com . Following are the excerpts of this interview,

1. Tell our readers about Candes?

Candes is a leading home appliance brand founded by two brothers, Sandeep Aggarwal and Vipin Aggarwal, backed by their close friend Redcliffe’s Dheeraj Jain. Inspired by the dynamic demands of consumers in present times, the company offers high quality range of home and kitchen products including geysers, fans, heaters, LEDs, toasters, washing machines, Juicer Mixer Grinders, and many more. It will also be launching other large product categories including A/C and Refrigerators by next year. Apart from availability offline, Candes also has a major digital presence with Flipkart, Amazon, Moglix, Tata Cliq, Paytm, Udaan and its own website selling thousands of units every day. 80% of the company’s business is derived from digital platforms which depicts the new buying behaviour of today’s consumers. Though the company officially began in 2015, the operations were going on from 2012. Candes has a concept ‘Smart India ka Smart Home’; aiming to convert each home in India into smart home at affordable rates.

2. Kindly take us through your journey since inception. What have been your major achievements and your major challenges?

Vipin and Sandeep Agarwal have been in this industry since 2005 and after completing their engineering and MBA. They were working as a Software Consultant at Intellinet Systems and then moved on to PCI Ltd as Sales Manager. He further worked as a Director with Quality Electrowire Industries. In 2010, they started their professional journey in the electronic industry joining Vedanta Electricals as CEO. In 2015 the company began functioning officially. Today the company is said to be one of the most popular brands for home appliances and their products are available both online and offline.

 

“Candes has also come out with their new variants in Chopper and Washing machines”

 

3. Kindly give some insights into your segment the company is operating.

Company is operational via multiple fulfilment centres throughout India. Also, we are planning to associate with some alpha sellers and Large Format retail stores to scale up the business and brand presence on PAN India.

4. What are the major products and services? What is your geographical location? Share some data about your – market size, challenges, opportunities, key metrics, etc.

Candes is having vast range of products in home and kitchen appliances such as Ceiling Fans , Geysers, Stabilizers , LED TV , Washing Machine , Room Heaters, Kitchen Appliances( Mixer Grinder, Gas Stove, Induction Cooktop, Choppers, Blenders). With complete range of appliances Candes is providing hassle free onsite and offsite service to their customers throughout PAN India. Company is currently operating via more than 140 ASP’s at PAN India.

Geographical presence

“Demand for household goods and technological gadgets have increased significantly in major cities and a similar pattern is prevalent in tier II and tier III cities as well.”

5. The rising and changing demand for home appliances in India

As days are passing by, we have been upgrading our standard of living. Home appliances are one of them. Everyday there are new appliances being introduced to make our day-to-day life easier and simpler. Candes has also come out with their new variants in Chopper and Washing machines.

6. Increasing use of home appliances- an indicator of change in the standard of living

Home appliances are an important part of our day-to-day life. They help us with things and make our lives easier. A country like India, needs constant change. The home appliance industry has seen a huge change in the last few years. Demand for household goods and technological gadgets have increased significantly in major cities and a similar pattern is prevalent in tier II and tier III cities as well. Metropolitan areas are also seeing an increase in demand for smart, cost-effective appliances with a creative twist. In terms of electronic devices used for working and learning from homes, such as laptops, tablets, and routers, tier III cities saw nearly twice as much traffic as metros as several employees from top metros returned to their hometowns due to an extended WFH scenario, resulting in increased demand from smaller cities.

7. Who is your target buyer? How would you pitch Candes value proposition to firstly the buyers, and secondly, the investor?

Candes strongly believes that customer service is what can drive any business to success and thus they focus on providing impeccable customer service. Consumers can connect with the brand via their website, whatsapp or call their customer care numbers all throughout the product’s lifetime. The loyal consumer base that Candes has built over the years has been overwhelming as the company provides durability, performance and value for money. Candes aims to reach 400 million homes as it is a brand that every family especially in Tier 2, 3 or 4 aspires for while building their homes.

“Candes Technology, will easily reach 500 million households over the next year”

8. How Candes plans to utilize the opportunity in the growing home appliances space

Candes has recently been on board with Arjun Kapoor as their brand ambassador. This can help the company reach their target audience. The idea behind having Arjun Kapoor as a brand ambassador is because of his reach and popularity with the wide audience. With Arjun on board, Candes will be able to reach out to many people compared to before. With this as their marketing strategy, Candes can be the next 1st home appliance brand in the country.

9. Current business growth and Future plans

 When it comes to future outlook, the way the company is functioning; it will easily reach 500 million households over the next year. Candes is said to be on track to achieve Rs 200 crore revenue this year. It is already seeing Rs 10 crore monthly sales with 90 percent online business in the marketplaces works focusing on products like fans, geysers, TV, stabilisers, etc. Candes is just few months away from institutional growth fund, planning to raise $20m.

Their vision for Candes is to achieve and exceed benchmarks in quality and best practices as the motto has always been Customer Delight through innovation.