Construmart Success Story
Construmart Highlights
- Startup Name-Construmart
- Headquarter-Gurugram
- Founders-Harsh Sethi & Mitesh Kumar
- Sector-Ceramic-Sanitaryware
- Founded-2016
Construmart - Introduction
Bathrooms are no longer those dirty and stinky corners of the house. With increasing awareness about sanitization and cleanliness and increase in income bathrooms have now transformed into a spot where one can relax, refresh and get rejuvenated. Owing to this changing trend, the demand for bathroom fitting and sanitaryware has increased in India. However, shopping for these materials is still a daunting task. To simplify the process of buying bathroom fittings and bathroom ware, entrepreneurs, Harsh Sethi and Mitesh Kumar founded Construmart in the year 2016.
Construmart ’s mission is to –
To become an alternative, as well as an easier and faster option for sourcing complete bathroom suite or all kinds of genuine washroom material in one place at a standardized price
Construmart’s long term vision is to position itself as India’s leading specialist bathroom retailer with offline stores pan India.
Construmart - Industry Details
The sanitaryware industry is no longer a segment that is unorganized or not important. It has become an intrinsic part of every urban household that adds definition to the way of living. The sanitary ware industry is witnessing unprecedented growth in India as well as globally. The growth is driven by the high demand for fixtures and components used for sanitation purposes. These include a wide array of products like washbasins, water closets, bathtubs, toilet bowls, faucets, among others.
According to Invest India, the construction market in India is growing at a fast pace and by 2025 it will be the 3rd largest construction market in the world.
The sanitaryware industry in India is experiencing a growth of 12-15% CAGR and it is expected that by 2021, the market will grow to approximately $31 billion (source toiletboard.org)
The global ceramic sanitaryware market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.4% approximately
Construmart - Founder
Harsh Sethi and Mitesh Kumar founded Construmart in 2016.
Both have hands-on experience with B2B e-commerce companies, traditional trading companies as well as manufacturers.
Harsh Sethi has over 15 years of experience working with emerging brands operating in the B2B construction domain. He has held critical positions across portfolios including internal systems, telesales, and marketing. He has worked with renowned new age companies focused on real estate space, including Power2SME and Tolexo.
Mitesh holds extensive experience in housing material sector and has held critical roles in companies like Buildzar, Power2SME and RAMA TMT in his previous jobs.
Construmart currently has a 13 member team.
Construmart - The Idea and Starting Up
While scouting for materials for repair work for our own houses, we noticed that the market of construction materials is extremely unorganized and scattered across the city. The story is the same across the country. The customer needs to do a lot of running around to collect various items in case there are getting their houses constructed. We found that particularly sourcing stuff for a washroom is far more cumbersome than the kitchen and any other interiors.
It is interesting to note that on an average a typical washroom will have 52 different SKUs ranging from floor tiles, wall tiles, sanitary ware, bath accessories, bath linen such as bath towels, waterproof doors, washroom mirrors, lights, holders, cabinets, handles, latches, locks, to name a few. Construmart aims to emerge as an alternative as well as an easier and faster route for sourcing complete bathroom suite at a standardized price.
Construmart - Name and Logo
We aim to be the one-stop destination for all construction materials, running on a smart hybrid offline and online model. Hence, the name ‘Construmart’’ – mart for construction material is an apt one
Construmart - Product
Construmart’s founders have a vision of creating India’s leading specialist bathroom retailer, that offers complete washroom suites at a standardized price. Besides bathroom fittings and bathroom ware, the company also delivers electrical, tiles, plumbing materials, building materials, paints, construction tools and gensets.
Harsh and Mitesh have learned from customer feedback that one of the key pain points in this industry is material delivery from different vendors. Many times there is no synergy between material deliveries and it is a hassle to receive the material from different vendors at different times.
At Construmart, we are committed to solving this. We offer a single-shot delivery for all material ordered through us. This has received a great response from our customers.
Construmart - Business and Revenue Model
We understood that this sector is relatively unorganized and has little cognizance with technology. Hence, we decided to begin our entrepreneurial journey with a concept that will provide a solution to the hassles of procurement.
Construmart aggregates demand and places orders to the lead stockist of the area, this aggregation leads to better negotiations and benefits are passed on to the customers. The company has a hybrid model. Unlike other online players in this domain who have an online-only mechanism, Construmart provides samples of actual products to the customers so that they are able to take a more informed decision about the material while building their dream home. Construmart also has extensive tie-ups with local distributors which gives it a clear edge over competitors. It delivers all kinds of building materials ordered by a customer. The company picks the materials from different vendors and then deliver them in one single shot to the customer.
Construmart - Customer Acquisition
Initially, we were just 2 of us working on meeting customers personally. Since the entire process of procuring construction material is very cumbersome, people were more than happy to give us a chance.
It is only after 3 months of coming into existence, that Construmart hired sales teams and manpower for accounts and purchase. After 12 months of operations, the company set up a telesales team as well.
Construmart - Funding
Construmart has raised seed fund and also angel fund in December 2017. Construmart has utilized the seed capital and some part of the angel fund to scale up the business, acquire new customers, and build a team in line with the business requirements.
Construmart - Challenges
There have been numerous challenges that we have faced over the last 3 years. Hiring and retaining the right talent is one big challenge that all startups face & we are no different.
In order to address this, Construmart has introduced innovative campaigns for better skill development, employee growth, and team bonding. The company takes initiatives like knowledge sharing sessions and at least one customer interaction per month for all employees. The idea behind the customer interaction experience is to give everyone in the company a glimpse of customer expectations so that the employees can align their actions as per customer expectations.
Construmart - Competitors
The company does not have any direct competition as the company is unique in its own way. Unlike other start-ups in this space, Contstrumart is not a marketplace. The company is trying to create a platform focused on sanitary ware & washrooms, at the click of a button.
We want to leverage the best of technology for a seamless and hassle-free experience in the designing/renovating and buying via our innovative, interconnected concept of experiential store and online purchases.
Construmart - Achievements
Construmart is a new age company with the vision of acting as a catalyst in the sanitation ecosystem in the country. It is committed to transforming the washroom economy in the country, by leveraging the best of technology. Some major achievements of Construmart are-
- The company is growing at a rate of 100% YoY.
- The company reached the break-even stage in the 1st year of its operation.
Construmart is a solution-focused company and it is witnessing good traction. Over the past 3 years, Construmart has sold products across categories including Electricals, Plumbing materials, Water tanks, Gensets, AAC Blocks, Bathroom fittings and Accessories, Sanitary-ware, Tiles, Flush-doors, and Hardware items.
Construmart - Awards & Recognitions
Construmart has been awarded 'Innovators award – 2018 in an event in Gurugram.
Construmart - Future Plans
Construmart is proposing to set up ‘Experience Centers’ and display multiple options of complete pre-set washroom designs, across price points, so as to be able to cater to diverse customer requirements. In addition to the displayed preset bathrooms, the Experience Centers will also have the facility to create live/ on-the-fly 3D designs as per customer feedback/ requirements. These experience centers will also be integrated with the Construmart website where the customer will have options to choose across price ranges and see the preset washrooms available for that price point.
