Putting a hand-crafted wood furniture business on solid footing
"IP Accelerator and Brand Registry are the BEST. We feel we are completely protected."
Ayush Kothari
CEO and Founder, Woodsala
Bringing solid back
Ayush Kothari developed a deep appreciation for quality furniture from a very young age. Growing up, he spent a lot of time around his family’s furniture business in bustling Jodhpur, India, and saw first-hand how much skill and attention to detail went into every piece. His family business focused on using reclaimed wood and their customers were primarily foreigners visiting or living in India.
As a result of his experience, he was disheartened by the low-quality plywood materials used to make furniture for India's domestic market.
"Many people in India," he says, "can't even remember what it is like to feel the heft and smooth, intricate finish of solid wood furniture." More to the point, he argues, while low-quality furniture may be inexpensive, "it is not built to last. You have to replace it every three years." He knew he could do better.
Convinced discerning Indian customers would value quality when they saw it, Ayush decided to create a line of traditionally-inspired, solid-wood furniture. He believed that if consumers had an opportunity to buy durable and affordable furniture, they would choose Woodsala’s craftsmanship over mass-produced alternatives.
As a result of his experience, he was disheartened by the low-quality plywood materials used to make furniture for India's domestic market.
"Many people in India," he says, "can't even remember what it is like to feel the heft and smooth, intricate finish of solid wood furniture." More to the point, he argues, while low-quality furniture may be inexpensive, "it is not built to last. You have to replace it every three years." He knew he could do better.
Convinced discerning Indian customers would value quality when they saw it, Ayush decided to create a line of traditionally-inspired, solid-wood furniture. He believed that if consumers had an opportunity to buy durable and affordable furniture, they would choose Woodsala’s craftsmanship over mass-produced alternatives.
A knotty start
Right off the bat, Ayush had a very clear vision for his brand, which he named Woodsala — literally "school of wood." "Our unique selling proposition," he says, "is that we deliver what we promise. When we say solid wood, we mean solid wood."
Unfortunately, despite Ayush's hard work and determination, Woodsala's first year was challenging, to put it mildly. "I invested a lot of money in the business, but we barely generated any revenue. It was a difficult period, and I began to doubt myself."
Things changed when he listed his products on Amazon.in.
"On Amazon, quality sells," he explains, "because customers have access to a lot of information in the way of reviews and customer feedback."
Ayush also took Amazon's customer-centric ethos to heart, and he believes this was equally instrumental to growing his brand. "Amazon puts customers first," he continues. "We adopted that approach, and it helped us build up our name.
Unfortunately, despite Ayush's hard work and determination, Woodsala's first year was challenging, to put it mildly. "I invested a lot of money in the business, but we barely generated any revenue. It was a difficult period, and I began to doubt myself."
Things changed when he listed his products on Amazon.in.
"On Amazon, quality sells," he explains, "because customers have access to a lot of information in the way of reviews and customer feedback."
Ayush also took Amazon's customer-centric ethos to heart, and he believes this was equally instrumental to growing his brand. "Amazon puts customers first," he continues. "We adopted that approach, and it helped us build up our name.
"The protection we did not know we needed."
Ayush fully expected that other brands might see his success and copy some of his products. But he did not foresee bad actors selling poor-quality copies using the Woodsala name.
"Achieving a high-level of quality is not easy. So, it hurts when others try to profit off your hard work."
Determined to protect Woodsala's hard-won reputation, Ayush hired a company to help him register his trademark.
"We paid a lot of money without seeing any results," he says.
Then, while browsing Amazon Seller Central Ayush discovered IP Accelerator — an Amazon programme designed to make it easier and more cost-effective for small and medium-sized businesses to register their trademark. IP Accelerator gave Ayush access to a list of trusted Indian intellectual property law firms at competitive rates. Once they got in touch with their chosen law firm, things moved fast.
"We had a meeting where they walked us through the mistakes we would made and explained the trademark registration requirements to us. After working with the IP Accelerator-vetted law firm, we got our trademark very quickly."
According to Ayush, having the trademark was a game changer.
IP Accelerator also brought about another significant benefit for Woodsala: quick-access to Brand Registry.
"Achieving a high-level of quality is not easy. So, it hurts when others try to profit off your hard work."
Determined to protect Woodsala's hard-won reputation, Ayush hired a company to help him register his trademark.
"We paid a lot of money without seeing any results," he says.
Then, while browsing Amazon Seller Central Ayush discovered IP Accelerator — an Amazon programme designed to make it easier and more cost-effective for small and medium-sized businesses to register their trademark. IP Accelerator gave Ayush access to a list of trusted Indian intellectual property law firms at competitive rates. Once they got in touch with their chosen law firm, things moved fast.
"We had a meeting where they walked us through the mistakes we would made and explained the trademark registration requirements to us. After working with the IP Accelerator-vetted law firm, we got our trademark very quickly."
According to Ayush, having the trademark was a game changer.
IP Accelerator also brought about another significant benefit for Woodsala: quick-access to Brand Registry.
LOCATION
India
INDUSTRY
Furniture
AMAZON LAUNCH
2016
BRAND PROTECTION TOOLS
Amazon Brand Registry
IP Accelerator
IP Accelerator
IP Accelerator gave us the protection we did not know we needed. I have peace of mind now. And it is actually fun to work on growing the business because I do not have to worry about someone else reaping the benefits. Plus, the process was really simple!Ayush KothariCEO and Founder, Woodsala
Quick access to the power of the Brand Registry
Working with IP Accelerator to obtain a trademark made Woodsala eligible to enrol in Brand Registry, a programme that helps brands protect their IP, manage their listings, and potentially grow their business on Amazon.in.
After submitting all the required documentation to enrol in Brand Registry, Ayush says he felt even safer selling on Amazon. "To complete my Brand Registry enrolment, they asked for documentation and proof that only a genuine brand holder would have. Having such a high bar makes me feel very protected."
As a brand with a pending trademark enrolled in Brand Registry, Ayush was able to access the Report a Violation tool, which allowed him to find and report infringing and counterfeit listings. After using it a few times, he was impressed with results. "We found some counterfeits of our products and submitted them for review, and then they were taken down."
After submitting all the required documentation to enrol in Brand Registry, Ayush says he felt even safer selling on Amazon. "To complete my Brand Registry enrolment, they asked for documentation and proof that only a genuine brand holder would have. Having such a high bar makes me feel very protected."
As a brand with a pending trademark enrolled in Brand Registry, Ayush was able to access the Report a Violation tool, which allowed him to find and report infringing and counterfeit listings. After using it a few times, he was impressed with results. "We found some counterfeits of our products and submitted them for review, and then they were taken down."
A whole new world of benefits
Enrolling in Brand Registry not only made it much easier to potentially protect the Woodsala brand, but it also changed the game completely by helping Ayush build his brand.
In particular, he credits the brand building programmes Stores (which lets you create an immersive home in the Amazon marketplace) and A+ Content (which makes it easier to visually stand out against the competition) with helping him better connect with customers.
"First, you can create your own storefront," he says. "This could help customers discover your products. If a customer clicks on the Woodsala storefront link, they can see our whole range of products. Plus, you can build a better connection with them by using A+ Content."
"Second," he continues, "we get extremely valuable marketplace-level insights and data. We know what is trending, and, more importantly, are able to track our growth."
"The customer reviews have also helped us realise many new things. These insights have even helped us make product modifications to better suit our customers’ needs." Ayush says he cannot overstate how transformational having this information has been for the brand.
In particular, he credits the brand building programmes Stores (which lets you create an immersive home in the Amazon marketplace) and A+ Content (which makes it easier to visually stand out against the competition) with helping him better connect with customers.
"First, you can create your own storefront," he says. "This could help customers discover your products. If a customer clicks on the Woodsala storefront link, they can see our whole range of products. Plus, you can build a better connection with them by using A+ Content."
"Second," he continues, "we get extremely valuable marketplace-level insights and data. We know what is trending, and, more importantly, are able to track our growth."
"The customer reviews have also helped us realise many new things. These insights have even helped us make product modifications to better suit our customers’ needs." Ayush says he cannot overstate how transformational having this information has been for the brand.
A bright future ahead
Ayush is growing his business on Amazon.in. "Initially, we only had 40 products on Amazon.in," he says. "But due to the trust we have in the brand protection we receive from Brand Registry, we have expanded to 400 products and plan to expand to 1,000 by Diwali."
"And," he continues, "we would not have dared to dream this big were it not for IP Accelerator and Brand Registry."
"And," he continues, "we would not have dared to dream this big were it not for IP Accelerator and Brand Registry."
