In the tech-driven era, a plethora of brands are popping up in the online space; operating through marketplaces, social media and their respective websites. For most of these brands, the next step is a strategic shift towards an offline presence; an endeavor that is sure to boost the brand presence while also providing increased accessibility for customers. Yet, this shift is very rarely, time- and cost-efficient. The primary goal of ofScale is to make this shift as easy as possible for digital-first brands. Recently, the distribution-as-a-service platform has raised $375,000 in its pre-seed funding round led by First Cheque.
The round also saw participation from other investors like Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn), Mekin Maheshwari (Udhyam), Revant Bhate (Mosaic Wellness), DeVC, and Relentless VC.
“For every D2C brand that has found some traction online, offline expansion is the next big agenda. ofScale enables brands to take bite-sized initiatives for their offline agenda resourcefully. Over the last 12 months, over 15 fast-growing beauty and personal care brands have launched offline retail via ofScale,” said Suvigna Shour, co-founder and CEO of ofScale.
The company intends to use the fresh funds to enhance product development; aid brands in making data-driven decisions while choosing relevant stores; and bolster sales throughput efforts. The company also highlighted the immense potential offline distribution provides for D2C brands. With this in mind, they also plan to implement more go-to-market (GTM) strategies to enhance the success of their partner brands.
Currently, ofScale focuses on the health and personal care sectors; while steadily expanding into the grocery and gourmet spaces too. ofScale’s clientele includes personal care and gourmet brands like Paradyes, Decontrust, BodyWise, Rishta Foods, and Mother Nurture, among many others.
More about ofScale
Founded in 2022 by Tarun Kedia, Vijay Akkaladevi, and Suvigna Shour, ofScale leverages technology to provide smart store selection; in-store promotions; distribution services; and retail insights for digital first brands expanding towards the offline sector. Their data-driven methodology avoids distribution mistakes while saving cost and time.
The Bengaluru-based company targets three major issues faced by brands as they establish their offline presence; high sales overheads, a longer time to enter the market, and maldistribution. The startup seeks to solve these challenges by creating a marketplace where brands can lease space in independent stores. This innovative approach democratises offline distribution, making it easier for brands to expand into physical retail while reducing entry barriers.
“Offline will be an indispensable channel for D2C brands. Innovative distribution models will reduce offline entry barriers, and D2C brands will start venturing offline much earlier in their lives. Our core capability will be to help brands launch offline by selecting the right retail stores based on data, cost-effectively, and at speed. We intend to offer tools to brands on the platform to take up category-specific initiatives that will enable them to succeed and scale,” added Shour.
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