A quirk fest

If you're one among those FOMO addicts, you'll definitely not have missed out on this one. The rest of you, undoubtedly, must have noticed Instagram, facebook, Twitter (you name it) feeds in the past few months with a regular update on 'their' community of 'Proppers'. For the clueless, we're talking about PropShop24 (propshop24.in), an e-store, which is a "one-stop shop for 'fun'tastic gifts."

Narrations by entrepreneurs of "boring, old business school stories" are not just easy-finds but also predictable. But one where the biz idea strikes when some friends get together to watch an episode of Suits…well, that's exactly how the co-founders of PropShop24—Amtosh Singh, Utsav Vohra, Rohan Mangalorkar and Vishnu Malani—made a start. Two days of rejecting and improvising on the ideas, and it finally took the friends six months to plan and launch the store.

Ask Bandra-based Amtosh Singh as to what prompted the idea, and he questions us, "Aren't you tired of receiving a bouquet of flowers, a cake or a bottle of champagne for every celebration? So I suppose that's where the idea came from. We started this store for the love of design and also for the fact that gifts are so unimaginative these days, which is why we wanted to be a destination that has something for everyone."

They can back that up with evidence. From USBs shaped as drift bottles, reusable ice cubes that look like tiny submarines to funky manicure sets and affordable yet edgy sunnies; PropShop24 has a range of products. No matter whom you want to gift to or for what occasion it be, you'll surely find something that is far from the run-of-the-mill stuff.

All for Indian kitsch and designs that shout out desi? Then avoid PropShop24. The products that this e-store offers are the kinds you'd chance upon in corner shops while on an international break. The store focusses on international runway trends: chevrons, anchors, animal prints and now, minimalism.

Question Singh further on the growth of this venture, which was launched in 2012, and its revamp early this year, and he informs us, "Frankly, a year and a half was more of a learning experience. When we launched initially, all we wanted was to be strictly quirky and our site was to offer only bar and party products. But when we looked at our audience, we realised that the site received 75 per cent of its traction from women. That's when we decided to change the strategy. We revamped the site, launched personal category this January, and finally fashion accessories, eyewear and more."

Sourcing products from all over the world, mainly US, Israel, Germany and Hongkong, PropShop24 currently stocks 350 products on their site, aiming to "double it to 700 and launch a new catalogue of jewellery in the next two months." The team is now concentrating on their in-house design brand. Singh explains, "We have three sections: sourced designs, in-house designs (launched a year ago) where we have a team working for PropShop24, and third is a collaboration wherein we handpick graphic designers, illustrators and artists, who make exclusive designs for us (we credit them for their work.)"

While the gifting space has many e-commerce stores, to list a direct competitor of PropShop24 would be tough. But that apart, have they arrived? "From a business angle, yes…we arrived when we started hitting the orders that we had projected," says Singh. And what has kept them going? "Customer satisfaction…we ensured from the start that our customers are our biggest proponents. And we've received the love from them; the comments, emails, testimonials that we get is encouraging." Ask Singh how he keeps up with a dual career (he's also the Digital Social Lead at stylista.com) and he laughs, "If I were living in Europe, I guess it'd be very difficult. But living in a city as boring as ours; I am happier coming to work. It gives me a high."

You can shop for these 'fun'tastic gifts at www.propshop24.in. You can also connect with them on fb at https://www.facebook.com/PropShop24