Unravel the journey of Kalyan Silks as they ventured their business on online platforms and streamlined order fulfillment from tedious manual processes to automated inventory sync and order processing

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About the brand

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Part of the popular Kalyan Group, Kalyan Silks is one of the most trusted and prominent names for sarees, especially in the southern regions of India. Kalyan Silks was founded in Thrissur, Kerala, in 1909 as a store specializing in silk that later flourished into Kalyan Silks. Kalyan Silks has been dominantly known as a South Indian brand but has grown nationally and now globally. 

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With elaborate expansion plans, they have India’s largest silk saree showroom network today. With 34 world-class showrooms in India and international in the UAE and Oman, 1,000 weaving centers, 300 design centers, 100 production units, and 6,000 employees, Kalyan Silks is a formidable force in textile retail.

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Background

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Despite dominating offline retail and being a key regional player, Kalyan Silks had a minimal ecommerce presence, especially on 3P marketplaces. With its forward-thinking vision, Kalyan Silks embraced the online realm in 2022. However, this seemed like stepping into the land of the unknown due to the unfamiliarity of online retail processes and 3P marketplaces’ regulations. 

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The shift to ecommerce requires different kinds of investment in technology, logistics, operations, and digital marketing expertise. Kalyan Silks strategically partnered with Fynd to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities of online expansion.

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Fynd played a pivotal role not only as a tech partner but also as a consultative partner, providing valuable guidance beyond their traditional scope. This empowered Kalyan Silks to overcome barriers, broaden their reach, and enhance customer experiences.

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Here is a walkthrough of how Kalyan Silks overcame the challenges of online expansion, leveraging Fynd’s support & expertise in the area.

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“The shift to the online space was challenging, but Fynd made it easy at every step, from onboarding to establishing efficient processes and expansion to multiple channels”

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Midhun K Ravi

E-commerce Manager,

Kalyan Silks

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Challenge #1: Onboarding hiccups on 3P marketplaces

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Kalyan Silks lacked experience and a skilled workforce while onboarding on 3P marketplaces, leading to several challenges at the time of onboarding. Some of these were:

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• Shortlisting 150 out of 20,000 SKUs to be listed in the first batch
• Mismatch of existing SKU barcoding format and marketplaces’ requirement
• Absence of marketplace-compliant photographs for the catalog
• Missing 2D CAD image for blouse—a requisite for Myntra catalog upload
• Incomplete base listing files with inaccurate product descriptions
• Lack of listing files in the format compliant for each marketplace
• Absence of packaging material in all sizes for all marketplaces

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Solution

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‍Kalyan Silks partnered with Fynd and leveraged the support and expertise in the industry. Fynd implemented the following solutions to help Kalyan Silks navigate through the onboarding challenges:

• Conducted an assessment, collaborated with Myntra’s category team to gather insights on top-selling products, and shortlisted 150 ideal styles to be uploaded in the first batch
• Guided on new barcode creation for the selected 150 styles and adoption for future collections
• Support in finding the right photo shoot agency, negotiating the prices, facilitating payments, and transportation-handling of sample products from Thrissur to Mumbai
• Fynd worked closely with the brand team to create a base listing file, ensuring relevant search keywords for product discoverability on Myntra and AJIO. Also, facilitated catalog creation, ensuring a right match of products and photoshoot images and listing on each marketplace seller panel
• Facilitated procurement of marketplace-compliant packaging materials through suitable vendors
• Guided Kalyan Silks in building an internal e-commerce team, defining roles, experience requirements, and salary structures

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Impact‍

Hassle-free launch on Myntra, AJIO, Amazon, Flipkart, Tata CliQ

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‍Challenge #2: Manual inventory sync

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‍Kalyan Silks initially used a designated person at the Head Office to manually manage the stock updates on its D2C website.

This manual process was:

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• time-consuming & tedious
• wasting several man-hours
• prone to errors
• delaying stock updates visibility

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This approach not only drained resources but also led to incorrect stock levels being displayed to customers, causing order cancellations when products were sold out or out of inventory.

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‍Solution

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‍Fynd implemented API integration with Kalyan Silks' Ginesys POS system, eliminating the need for manual inventory updates. This integration provided real-time, accurate stock levels visible to online customers, reducing order cancellations due to inventory discrepancies. The system allowed for centralized inventory management across multiple sales channels.

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‍Impact

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• Accurate stock visibility to customers
• Lower store cancellations
• Higher customer satisfaction
• Reduced workload
• Simplified & efficient inventory management on online channels

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‍Challenge #3: Manual order processing methods

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‍Kalyan Silks managed online orders manually, with a designated person entering order details into the ERP system and communicating with fulfillment centers via phone or WhatsApp. This process led to inefficient order allocation and high cancellation rates.

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‍Solution

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‍Kalyan Silks transitioned from manual to automated order processing by adopting Fynd OMS for omnichannel management of all sales channels.

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This shift enabled:

• accurate order allocation
• intelligent routing of orders to the most optimal fulfillment locations
• automatic rerouting of orders if the first store couldn't fulfill them
• auto-assignment of delivery partners for seamless shipping
• centralized management
• of orders across all online sales channels

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Impact

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• Reduced order cancellation
• Reduced order fulfillment timelines
• Drop in SLA breaches on marketplaces

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“Earlier our online order management was tedious and also prone to errors. The shift to Fynd OMS streamlined the whole process, keeps us happy, and keeps our customers happy ”‍

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Midhun K Ravi

E-commerce Manager,

Kalyan Silks

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WAY FORWARD‍

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"Fynd's expertise and proven track record give us the confidence to move forward with a strong partnership. We believe this collaboration will significantly enhance our online operations and empower us to capture a larger market share in the coming years."

Midhun K Ravi

E-commerce Manager,

Kalyan Silks

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If your challenges resonate with those in this story, it’s time to schedule a call with our experts and explore how Fynd can help. Whether you're struggling with marketplace onboarding, managing inventory, or expanding your online presence, our solutions are designed to streamline your operations and drive growth.Learn more about the onboarding journey of Kalyan Silks.With a decade of experience in the omnichannel business and a proven track record of helping 6,000+ brands streamline their offline and online journeys, Fynd is here to turn your challenges into success stories. Let’s drive your growth together.