In today’s fast-paced world, how often do we manage to take out time to surprise our loved ones and bring out a smile? It is where Oye Happy comes to the rescue. Started by Harsh Khemani and Varun Todi, Oye Happy is a fun and fresh start-up that operates on one motto. Happiness!
It’s a website that offers uniquely customized gifts to surprise people who matter to us. For every special occasion or a surprise just like that – Oye Happy has plenty of unique gift ideas. The start-up began with two simple thoughts as the owners explained, “First, people today are too busy for the very reason they stay busy for – to be happy! Second, we Marwaris can make money out of anything!” say the owners. Yes, they are Marwaris and cousins. Khemani worked as a consultant with KPMG and Todi has years of experience in Copy Writing.
The idea of their start-up was mooted in a 100 square feet room and it was simple – to make people happy and make a living out of it. The concept was absolutely new, so the biggest challenge was to make every product exceptional. “We launched with a very few products but are launching more and more every week. Today, we are getting orders from across the country and very soon we are launching experiences across the country”, says Todi.
The journey so far however, was not without the initial hiccups. The biggest challenge for Oye Happy was that it offered an idea which was never there before. “People are too accustomed to conventional gifts and adapting the idea of something entirely new – like a Harley Davidson outside the doorstep is 7 in the morning, chartering a private flight for 2 or waking someone up with a real bear hug – makes people think twice. But the moment someone buys an Oye Happy experience, they usually come back”, says Khemani. About 30% of their orders come from references and without a referral scheme.
At the first phase Oye Happy surprises were available in Hyderabad only. But they are now expanding to other cities as well. Currently they are working with an 11 member team from Hyderabad and freelance “happiness consultants” across the country. Since there is no other company works on the line of spreading happiness with surprise gifting, their line of competitors are the ones who are into hardcore gifting, say Khemani and Todi.