When Sugar Cosmetics opened his shop Colaba Causeway in Mumbai, CEO and Shark Tank India Judge Vineet Singh had one main concerns – street stalls blocking the visibility of the shop. A year later, this concerns turned into an unexpected business victory.
Vineeta, sharing experiences on LinkedIn, wrote: “Before we signed the rental of our Colab Causeway store, we were worried about street stalls blocking our visibility from the main road. But Colaba is COLABA – every store has a stand in front and are stalls that have more heritage than shops, so we decided to try. ”
Over the next 12 months, sales in the store increased sharply, with frequent purchases exceeding 1 Lakh. Vineta, curious about this trend, decided to explore.
She found that the fastest growing customer base in the shop was Arab women visiting Mumbai for medical tourism. “They love Indian make -up because they also have warm tones like us and need products that suit hot weather, but how do they discover us?” She wrote.
The answer was just before the shop – Suraj, a fruit seller whose stand has been there for years. Many Arab women stopped at his stand to buy local fruit and prefer them to imported. After he picked up Arabic over time, Suraj asked them if he wanted “Kahaal al Hindi” (Indian Kajal), which led them to explore Sugar products. Result? Bulk purchases, with each customer lifting 15-20 pieces of their favorite shades.
The cooperation was not unilateral. Megha, which operates the Sugar Store, also directs customers to the fruit stand Suuraje. When business is slow, Suraj and his father invite her to tea and use time to learn Arabic-especially the words related to makeup. “So, when Megha has foreign customers, she is also able to remind them in her broken Arabic to buy an authentic Indian fruit before they go,” Vineeta shared.
At the end of her position she wrote: “India is really a country of entrepreneurs. And even if we have to have processes and systems, according to my limited retail experience, they are the biggest difference people – sometimes people who do not even belong to the system. ”
The story resonated with many who appreciated organic success controlled by man.
“This is such a great example of how human connections control business in the way that no strategic package has ever been able to! The best ambassadors of the brand are not on the payroll, but directly in front of the door, ”commented one user.
Another called it “master class in organic marketing”, applauding Suraj's initiative and Megh's cultural adaptability.
The third was perfectly summarized: “A wonderful example of a community -based business! Knowledge such as Arab women loving Indian makeup is gold-some that no market research could fully capture. ”
In the era of strategies based on data, this story is a reminder that sometimes the best business growth occurs through simple human connections.