In an interaction with Imaging Solution magazine, Mr. Gaurav Khetterpal, Director, Greenlam Office Solutions, shares their company’s milestones, policy, brand strategy and future plans. Greenlam Office Solutions (brand name – Growlam), based in New Delhi, is one of the most trusted and fast growing organizations in the Imaging Industry for wholesaling, importing, trading and supplying a large array of Office Supplies. Mr. Gaurav Khetterpal is an MBA from University of Wales, UK. The current product portfolio of Growlam includes lamination machines and laminating pouch films, inkjet photopaper, PVC card material products, spiral binding machines, laser toner powders & compatible cartridges and more.
Please brief us about your journey of your company and brand and important milestones.
Launched just 6 years ago, our journey has been remarkable. Incepted in 2015, Growlam started its journey with providing document laminators and pouches. Within a year after we started, we expanded our portfolio adding new products such as inkjet photopaper, PVC products and laser toner cartridges. Soon we got a good response from the market, which encouraged us to add more products from time to time and become competitive. And then we forayed into new states and regions, and expanded our sales teams to cater the needs of our new channel partners across India.
The year 2019 was a transforming one for us, when Mr. A.K. Jha (former VP at ITDL) joined Growlam as a Consultant. His 40+ years of valuable experience together with our company’s vision resulted in positive and faster results than ever. We hired more senior people from the industry who were specialized in Sales & Marketing, and worked in a more professional manner. We introduced more products, started monitoring sales product-wise and set new targets for our channel partners. We also introduced Incentive Schemes for them, which always kept them motivated for mutual benefit. Despite the pandemic in the last years, we have outperformed quarter on quarter and grown at a rate of 25% year on year. We have a professional sales team with the right experience to penetrate the markets with our products. Growlam as a brand is well known in the market today, and people prefer us over others due to our consistent quality and customer service. In January 2022, we recorded highest monthly sales, and I would like to thank my Sales Team and channel partners for this achievement.
What is your target market in terms of customer segment, geographic locations, etc?
We have been targeting all the dealers and distributors who are dealing in aftermarket products, and also IT market dealers who are keeping a wide range of products to add more clients. Also, some of our products are sold by stationery dealers too and this added to our scope in the market. We have been targeting Tier 2 and 3 cities, and our sales team is making sure our presence is there in these cities. We are now focusing on the South India market which has a lot of untapped potential.
How do you position your brand in terms of quality, affordability, etc?
Over the years, Growlam has become a trusted brand in the market premium quality which has been our main forte since the beginning of our brand. In a short span of 6 years, we have gain a good share in the market for the products we sell. We have come a long way since our inception and collaborated with the right manufacturers in order to keep the quality of our products high and consistent. We continue our best efforts to provide the top quality products to our channel partners, on time, every time. However, our products are not the cheapest in the market as deliver value-for-money products, justifying our tagline ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed.’ Cheap products cannot be the best, and the best cannot be the cheap. Quality has its own cost!
As a brand, what are your strengths, USPs or differentiators?
‘Premium Quality at Affordable Prices’ has been our mantra since we have started our brand. We worked on the customer feedback, learned from our mistakes, and focused on key areas like quality and customer service. We believe that when someone uses our products, they should give them a sense of satisfaction, and urge them to buy our products whenever they need. Providing the right products on time, every time has been one of the Growlam’s USPs. Apart from the quality, customer service plays a very important role. Right from the order taking to dispatching, it shall be a smooth process for the customer without any hassles. Also, we have transparent pricing policy for all our clients, which gives the client assurance of the products they buy from us. We intend to create one of the best professional teams in our industry, with personalized service. Also, one of the key areas for the company is to provide continuous support to all our channel partners who have been with us through thick and thin. We also provide secondary sales support to our channel partners, which is a major differentiator as compared to other brands in the industry. We have some exclusive products which are only available with Growlam that give us an edge over other brands. Our partners get a higher rate of return on these products as compared to competitors’ products. If our products get good feedback from the customers, partners get repeat orders and earn more, and in turn they buy more from us, so everyone is benefited in this chain, and we all grow together.
What opportunities and challenges do you face in the Indian market?
India is a huge market for office supplies and the market is showing a positive growth trajectory post-Covid. There are so many untapped cities in Tier 2 and 3 space, where the demand is rising and we see lots of opportunities in these cities. Also, we see a huge potential for some new category products, which we plan to launch in the near future. One big challenge at the moment is ignorance and lack of information on the part of end consumers. Some companies import or manufacture low quality products and sell them at cheaper prices, but they cost more to the customer in the long run. We need to educate the customers through print, social and online media about this long-term cost and help them to understand the importance of choosing the right products and with right quality.
What new products have you launched in the recent past?
Growlam has been introducing new products every year, whether they are related to lamination, photopaper or imaging. We recently launched an OPC drum for copier and laser printers. In 2022, we are planning to launch some new OPC drums and toner cartridges. We are increasing the range of our OPC drums for both lasers printers and copiers. We have entered into a contract with one of the largest manufacturers/exporters of OPC drums, which will provide us the best quality copier and laser printer OPC drums that offer high yield and excellent performance. In 2022, we want to add new products, create value products for our customers, and make our brand bigger and better.
What are your plans for 2022?
The year 2021 has been a significant milestone for us in terms of growth and expansion of our sales team. We have entered many unexplored territories and this has given a significant boost to our sales. We will aggressively target the South India market in 2022. Also, another of our focus areas will be NPD (New Product Development), wherein we will be exploring new products that will widen our product portfolio and help us increase our market share. Also, we are planning to go digital this year for brand building and gaining online sales. Our vision is to become one of the top 3 brands in India for the Office Supplies and Imaging Consumables in the coming years.
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