My Startup World speaks to Ayshwarya Chari, the Managing Partner of Kidore, about her entrepreneurial journey so far.
When was Kidore established?
Kidore.com went live with a media & influencer launch on the 9th of November 2016. The company is managed and run by the Managing Partner, Ayshwarya Chari. Our core team has six people, not counting our PR, Digital marketing and logistics partners.
How was the company started? The initial days?
I have been with E-commerce in this market for over 6 years now. During this time I realized that there was space in the market for a portal that would offer parents good quality products for their kids that wouldn’t break the bank, with easy, hassle free service and a quality shopping experience.
It was an idea that took root and just wouldn’t go away. We decided to validate the concept with a survey. 150 parents participated in it and the results came out resoundingly in favor of launching Kidore so here we are.
What sort of funding went into creating Kidore? Was it through external funding or was it bootstrapped?
We bootstrapped up to the point of launch and less than a month into operations, we were able to raise our first round of funding. For any small business being able to achieve this is a major confidence boost and just goes to show that if you have a solid vision and business plan, this market is always happy to support new enterprise.
What products and services does the company offer?
Kidore.com, is the UAE’s first and only one-stop shop for kids aged 0-12, where everything is priced at AED 100 and below! We have over 1500 products on our (constantly increasing) catalogue, from where you can buy anything from clothes, to stationery, décor & toys.
Who takes care of logistics and customer / tech support?
Customer/tech support is managed internally. Knowing what our customers like or dislike, which bits of the website they find challenging or easy to navigate is very important to us. We thrive on this interaction; it is an important part of how we operate.
Logistics is the spine that holds any E-commerce business together so we have been fortunate in having been able to work with some amazing local partners who understand our business model and go above and beyond to support us.
Did you face any challenges when starting up? If yes, how did you overcome it?
I have always maintained that my biggest struggle is being an E-commerce entrepreneur in a market where E-commerce is just coming into its own. I have many plans but I am not able to implement them effectively for my customers, as the industry infrastructure, especially with logistics, is not in place. Yet. It is changing everyday and I am not taking no for an answer so with some great partners on board, I plan on tackling each of these challenges head on.
What are your plans for Kidore for the next 2 years?
In the next 2 years we will be strengthening our position in the U.A.E as well as expanding into the G.C.C and beyond. We will continue expanding our catalogue and adding to it brands and products that offer value from all over the world.
Customers centric, service initiatives are a big part of our development plan and we would like our customer service standards to model or even rival international industry leaders.
While we, of course, aim to see Kidore as a successful, established E-commerce player in the G.C.C, our success would lie in being able to say that we were the first online store in the region that made E-commerce accessible to everyone; not just a select, elite few. This is what we are working towards.
Which markets do you currently cater to?
At the moment we cater to the U.A.E but we will be opening up to other G.C.C countries sooner rather than later.
What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs in the region?
I would say be positive, be persistent and always keep your sense of humor handy. Entrepreneurship is an awesome, exciting ride, enjoy it!
If you learnt one thing from starting up your company, what would that be?
I’ve learnt that the best time to do something is now. It is better to implement the version of a plan you have today rather than wait for it to be perfect. If you wait for the perfect time, place or plan, chances are, it will never happen.
At Kidore, we are passionate about supporting women. We strongly believe that moms who have been on a career break are a supremely talented, but untapped resource. They present employers with an opportunity to have a skilled and dedicated work force like no other.
Every single woman working for Kidore is a mom, who has joined us after taking a career break lasting anywhere between 2-7 years. Every single one of them works flexible hours. Every single one of them delivers off the charts productivity, every single day.
Our support to women does not end with employees but also extends to the women owned businesses that we work with whom we endeavor to champion at every given opportunity.
