Nothing can tingle our taste buds like cakes and chocolates do. Apparently, human love for chocolates and cakes will never fade away. Out of sheer love, many people make Baking and chocolate-making their profession. Some of them prepare confectionaries from their homes. However, finding the right equipment and ingredients can become a nightmare. Retailers and super-marts often miss a thing or two. This is what lured the Batter house team to build a common platform for all your baking needs!
About The Batter House and the Story Behind
The Batter House is a one shop stop for all your baking requirements. It includes ingredients, bake ware, baking tools, dessert decoration tools, Packaging options for cakes and chocolates, and much more. “We are adding new products daily to the website and are always eager to hear feedback from our customers on any product which they need and do not find on our website.”, says Pooja Gupta, Co-founder.
It all began in December 2013 when 4 cousins went out for a casual dinner. The Dinner turned out to be a brainstorming session where they decided to do something on their own. After 3 hours of discussion over burgers from Dunkin Donuts, they came up with the idea of easing the confectionery requirements of people. As the plan got validated, they began working on the business model and setup. They identified product importers, established a supply chain, built the website and started branding. Thebatterhouse.com went live on 11 February 2014.
Journey so Far
The Batter House witnessed a great traction within first week of its launch. The Startup already caters to customers in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Assam. Many customers have placed repeat orders as well. “It’s heartening to see a nice feedback from a customer who received goods from your store and it’s even more joyful when that’s accompanied by a repeat order.”, says Pooja.
Funding and Marketing Techniques
The Startup is completely bootstrapped by the founders. Working with a lean approach, the team of 4 cousins regularly chips in small amounts to keep the operations going. Pooja further explains- “We are not looking forward to raise funds for this venture and believe that we can make it successful this way too.”
Now, let’s take a look at the 3 marketing strategies that worked for The Batter House-
- Pre-launch marketing- A pre-launch webpage was built as a sneak peak to the main idea. It was extensively marketed on various social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.
- Explainer Video- An explainer video was made to provide details regarding the Idea and concept. It worked pretty well.
- Word of Mouth- The old-school techniques worked well. A face-to-face conversation with the customer rarely goes wrong.
“And the bonus one is making personal connections with customers from the first day. We have not outsourced the customer contact number. One of the co-founders himself or herself talks to any customer calling in. This has been greatly appreciated by our customers.”, Pooja adds.
Challenges encountered, competitors and USP
The biggest challenge for the Batter House team has been to convince the customers to purchase things online. Most Indian housewives want all ingredients on their doorstep but they don’t prefer making an online order. To solve this issue, the website has a ‘Meet The Team’ page. The customers can personally contact the founders and discuss their issues.
As for competition, Pooja explains- “Local kirana stores and some online stores are selling products present on The Batter House. However, what we realized that none of these had the entire gamut of all things required or were dedicated to this need. We are differentiating by providing the entire basket of products required.”
The team
- The Batter House team
Mohit Gupta is the Business Development head of Batter House. Warm and communicative, he has an ability to simplify things. Aarti Gupta handles the Legal aspects of the business. A Charted Accountant, her forte lies in handling people and getting the job done. Shaili Gupta dons the Designing cap of the Startup. An architect, She is a perfectionist by nature. Pooja Gupta is the technical head of batter House. She handles all the technical aspects of the business.
Future Plans
The near future plan is to cater to as many customers as possible. The Batter House team wants to further expand its portfolio. If an opportunities strikes, they’d love to manufacture and import. “Every order that we fulfill feels like an accomplishment at the moment.”, says Pooja.
TTP’s Take
The idea of a one stop shop for Bakery ingredients sounds refreshing and unique. Given the fact that the idea of Batter House was executed within 40 days, we have no doubt over the entrepreneurial skills of the team. However, convincing the housewives to replace the traditional ‘Rashan walla’ would be a big challenge. TTP wishes batter House team all the very best!
