This edition of Outside In covers a little story of my own with K. Vaitheeswaran – widely considered as the father of e-commerce in India, courtesy his pioneering efforts with Indiaplaza/Fabmart
I have had few, but quality, interactions with him over the last few years at multiple Industry Forums and we have kept in occasional touch via sharing of good reads or industry observations and such. My interactions with him got some ‘fresh nostalgia’ again when I caught his announcement on the product patent awarded for his latest FMCG venture ‘Again Drinks’ – which doesn’t require refrigeration and has a 90-day shelf life. He’d messaged me even about it and you catch the snippets here:
Twitter Post 1:
Twitter Post 2:
This post fondly recaps some ‘Digital-first’ GTM (Go-to-Market) Ideas I had shared with him way back in March 2019, when he had just begun the hard work on Again Drinks. We had exchanged few notes on the same then, but never really got around to discussing it at length or operationalizing some of it…
These were my 2-bits – from March 2019 – on building Again Drinks as a Digital-first Brand… With a few additional Perspectives…
What I Know, about Again Drinks
Again Drinks are yogurt-based beverages with 4 variants (today) covering 5 major food groups - dairy, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains (based on study by USDA)
Again Drinks have no added sugar, preservatives or artificial flavors; is wholesome and nutritious. They are ready-to-have, with a shelf life of 90 days without refrigeration
Strategic tie ups with two 3rd party manufacturers: Nilgiris Dairy Farm and Quality Milk Farm. Plus, farmer and vendor tie-ups for raw materials, and collaboration with Jain Farm Fresh
WTF Proposition: Good Ingredients. Great Taste – based on 5 core tenets – Delicious, Wholesome, No bad things, Convenient, Priced fairly; whereby Health = Taste; WTF = Wholesome, Tasty, Filling
Substitute for: Processed foods, Protein shakes, Flavored milk, Fruit juices, Energy drinks, Cold-pressed juices, Aerated beverages etc.
Vision is to create tasty and wholesome food and beverages items that will delight consumers globally. Sharply focused on not just creating a strong FMCG brand but also build a sustainable business model
Target Audience: Tweens, Teens, Older People, Sports-players , Diet & Lifestyle-conscious adults – looking for healthy and nutritious beverages
Why Digital-first Approach
Vision: Delight Consumers Globally, Strong FMCG Brand, Sustainable Business Model Approach: Adapt to New Operating Environment, Pick Market Best Practices
Reaching and engaging with today’s tech-savvy Customers and End-Consumers meant Digital First should be Primary Approach, for the following reasons:
1) Pursuit of Quick Access – Global access to Options, Information and Reviews
Example: Amul Mobile App for Customer Shopping Aid
2) Intense Public Discussion – Brand Reputation is managed on Social Networks
Example: Mother Dairy Facebook Campaigns and Social Listening – https://www.slideshare.net/AliveNowInc/mother-dairy-ice-creams-social-media-case-study-by-alive-now
3) Customer Power – Aggregated Digital Customer Groups are creating Buyer Markets
Example: J&J Baby Center as 1-Stop Shop for Moms – https://www.jnj.com/tag/babycenter
4) Digital Channel Bias – Shift to an increasingly Mobile-first World
Example: Cadbury Youtube Channel – Joyful News, Ads, Playlists, Etc.
5) Simplify Customer Delivery – Use of Advanced Digital-led Delivery Models
Example: Amazon Pantry for Home Delivery
6) Reinforce Trust – Thin Trust needing continual Refresh
Example: Sarda Farms Farm to Home Model
Build ‘Again Drinks’ as a Digital-first Brand
Focus Contribution Areas: Customer Engagement, Sales Enablement
1) Customer Engagement
a) Brand Assets
Establish Youtube Channel, covering Product Info, Events, Customer Experiences, Etc.
Build Live-chat on Web to address FAQs in person & build CRM (FPD) Data from the beginning
b) Social
Manage Social Properties: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
c) Communities
Ideate & Build a Community around Sport Essentials or ‘Sporty Parents’ or such
2) Sales Enablement
a) Offline Connect
Deploy Tactical Pop-up Stores at Corporate Parks, Schools, Colleges, Gyms Etc.
Build ‘Again’ Experience Zones, within Retail Flagship Stores
Check out Pop-up Best Practices here: 25 Drinks Pop-Up Experiences by Trend Hunter –
https://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/drinks-popup
b) Digital Sales Enablers
Build Member Subscription Boxes, via Self and/or Partner Apps and/or Websites
Introduce Digital Coupons for Sampling Push
c) B2B Digital Partners
Build Sales & Distribution with pure Digital Platforms like GoQii, Healthians, Eat.fit, Gourmet Delight, Tarla Dalal, Netmeds, Gits Foods, Etc.
In Conclusion
Fast-forward to 2022, Again Drinks and Vaithee (as we all usually call him) are doing very well and getting increasingly popular – going by what I read on Social Forums. My best wishes are with him and his team…
References and Sources
1) Notes from my own Experience/Conversations/Ideas presented to K. Vaitheeswaran
2) Twitter Post 1 on Patent:
3) Twitter Post 2 on Patent:
5) Daily Harvest: https://gypsytan.com/daily-harvest-review-stop-overeating/
6) Sports & Nutrition Summit: https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2021/08/31/Countdown-to-the-Sports-Active-Nutrition-Summit-2021
7) Sarda Farms: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/308355905706552210/
8) Cadbury YouTube Channel
9) Amul Mobile App: https://www.youthapps.in/2016/11/amul-online-by-infibeam-apps.html