Inspired by the motto of ‘What makes you beautiful must also be beautiful’, Iba Cosmetics was launched in 2014 to especially cater to women experiencing restrictions and guilt in the pursuit of beauty. “Unlike brands that are launched to solve a specific problem or rooted in just ingredients, Iba was born out of empathising with the struggle among a niche consumer segment to pursue beauty without a feeling of guilt,” says Mauli Teli, CEO and Co-founder, Iba.
“It all started back in 2012 when my sister Grishma Teli and I, who worked in the US as professionals in biotech research and management consulting respectively, quit our jobs and moved back to our hometown in Ahmedabad to pursue our dream to be entrepreneurs,” she recalls.
With two exclusive stores in Ahmedabad and presence on Amazon and with a range of 60+ products across skincare, hair care, makeup and fragrances, Iba products are PETA-certified, vegan, and cruelty-free along with being Halal-certified. They are also free of alcohol, pig fat, and other animal-derived ingredients, harsh chemicals such as sulphates and parabens.
Delivering the best last-mile experience
Iba Cosmetics believes in constantly improving the customer service, hence there is increased focus on innovation, choosing the right delivery partner as well as handling customer conflicts.
“A right logistical partner can enable a smoothly flowing assembly line of operations and makes all the difference in enhancing the consumer experience, and that’s something that keeps us continuously striving for excellence,” says Mauli.
Iba’s strive for excellence and endeavour to deliver the best last-mile experience to its customers led the brand to sign up with SaaS-based logistics platform Pickrr. “As we scaled our online sales rapidly post-COVID, there were issues like weight discrepancies which slowed down order processing and reconciliation with accounts. Another major issue was longer delivery turn-around-times (TATs) which result in higher RTO – leading to a poor customer experience. Also, we were facing comparatively higher shipping charges by zone with our then shipping partner,” explains Mauli.
“We were contacted by the Pickrr team at just the right time and we transitioned to Pickrr completely in January 2022,” she adds.
Pickrr enables Iba to track orders in real-time and also provides a tracking page for customers to be able to receive detailed order updates. Features like Pickrr Plus fulfillment facilitates easy delivery of a product and assistance throughout the purchase process. The logistical-tech startup has been the preferred choice for a lot of new-age D2C and e-commerce brands. The company is on a mission to make shipping hassle free, and provide better post purchase experience across the globe.
Leveraging Pickrr’s tech-optimised platform
Managing shipment processes from multiple platforms can be a cumbersome task for online businesses. Mauli describes the process of working with Pickrr as simple and seamless with a single automated dashboard for almost all services. She says, ”Most of the day-to-day working is handled in an automated fashion due to the highly useful dashboard provided by Pickrr, so there is no back and forth to check order details or delivery status. Order processing is a one-platform activity and saves time for our internal Customer Service and Logistics teams.”
Pickrr’s dashboard offers one-click channel integration with maximum compatibility, making the platform a go-to place for brands. “We can track orders in real-time with detailed updates and hence when furnished with the tracking link, the customer can get all the information they need,” she adds.
Timely order updates by Pickrr saves time for executives and also reduces the margin for error resulting in increased business profitability.
Way forward for Iba
Catering to a growing consumer base, Iba Cosmetics plans to further expand its presence within India mainly through the D2C route. “With a growing presence across channels, we aspire to grow 4x in the next few years. We would like to continue working with Pickrr as their seamless post-purchase experience to the end consumers will keep helping us serve our customers better, ” adds Mauli.
Gaurav Mangla, CEO and Co-founder, Pickrr says, “We are proud to partner with a brand which is working towards the clean beauty cause. Iba, by leveraging Pickrr’s services has managed to deliver great purchase experiences. We will continue to work closely with Iba and understand its needs to further grow and scale. The goal is to grow Iba into a category leader in the space with the help of Pickrr as an end-to-end delivery partner.”
