Pepperfry: Virtual bait for offline buyers

A new ad campaign by Pepperfry lures customers to junk the old habit of getting furniture made at home and opt for online shopping

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When we put our minds to setting up a home, like everything else, we would rather leave a personal stamp on the furniture that we buy. Thus, an obvious choice for many of us is to bring carpenters home to be sure that they carve out every piece according to our choice.

However, a new campaign of online furniture marketplace Pepperfry features three advertisements that challenge this very dearly held habit and persuade families to opt for the easier buying option. One of the ads shows a man trying to convince his wife who is miffed at the din and clutter caused by the men creating furniture at their home. In another, an apologetic young woman assures her grandfather caught in a similar situation. In both, the final products are less than satisfactory. The third ad is the most comical, as a woman and her son who is studying at the dinner table fail to have a conversation, their voices drowned out by screeches from the carpenter's tools.

With the number of internet users growing rapidly in India, furniture buying behaviour is gradually changing too as online players led by Pepperfry lure customers with wide-ranging choices, discounts and easy returns. So, even though 85-90 per cent of the estimated Rs 1.34 lakh crore Indian furniture market is unorganised and despite the minuscule share of online players, Pepperfry has set a goal of 20 million customers by 2020. The online furniture and home products market, which include decor, furnishings, lamps et al, is estimated at Rs 2,400 crore.

Kashyap Vadapalli, chief marketing officer, Pepperfry, says, "Consumers tend to overestimate the benefits of getting furniture done at home without realising the associated pitfalls such as physical inconvenience, time escalations, budget overruns and lack of quality designs. Through this campaign, Pepperfry seeks to educate customers about these potential pitfalls and provides them with an alternative."

Since its inception in 2011, Vadapalli points out, Pepperfry has delivered more than three million shipments catering mainly to consumers aged between 25 and 40, who are professionals leading a fast-paced lifestyle. "They are short on time and are attuned to the comfort and convenience of online shopping. These are consumers who have been the early adopters when it comes to online furniture shopping," he adds.

To realise its 20-million goal, Pepperfry plans to address the majority of shoppers who are in the same demographics.

But Indian consumers are to be known sticklers for variety and reasonable prices with a yen for physical trials. How does an online company meet these demands? Vadapalli says, "We offer our customers a wide selection of more than one lakh furniture and home products to choose from. We work directly with small and medium sized businesses, which manufacture the products themselves and hence are able to provide great value and affordable options across all price segments."

He adds that Pepperfry ensures the customer gets the exact item which she sees on the site. "Our product information carries hi-resolution images from different angles. We provide exact measurements and also human references alongside product images. Each of our listings carries all information around the type of wood used, fabric etc. We also have an easy returns policy. We believe these steps have resulted in us building a strong equity with our target audience."

With this TVC, Debarjyo Nandi, senior vice-president of L&K Saatchi and Saatchi - the creative agency behind it - says the objective was "to highlight the inconveniences and suffering people go through when they decide to make furniture at home like budget overruns, delays, finish expectations, dust and noise issues vis-a-vis the ease and convenience of buying the same online".

He iterates that "get-it-made-at home" is the largest segment of furniture consumers and offers a huge opportunity for the next phase of growth for Pepperfry.

The campaign featuring three 30-second ads are being aired on television, digital video channels and in multiplexes. The 360-degree campaign, estimated at over Rs 10 crore, will include outdoor and digital media channels.