PM Modi in his address to the nation highlighted the importance of encouraging a strong and self-reliant economy supporting Made-In-India products.
And one company that stands for all things Made-In-India and prides itself on being a custodian of Swadeshi versions of every consumer product has been quick on its feet. Patanjali Ayurveda, the FMCG giant established by Baba Ramdev has announced the launch of an ecommerce platform called “OrderMe”. The platform will sell, other than Patanjali’s own products, made-in-India and Swadeshi products made by others and will go live within the next 15 days. Other than products, the platform will also offer 24/7 consultations with its inhouse doctors and Ayurvedic experts.
Confirming the development, Patanjali Ayurved’s managing director and CEO Acharya Balkrishna said “OrderMe will only supply and endorse swadeshi products. It is Patanjali’s effort to contribute to our long-standing swadeshi movement by connecting all the local retailers and small shop owners so that those selling swadeshi products can benefit from our platform. They can join the platform and the plan is to deliver their products free of cost.”
Founded in 2006 by celebrated Indian Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Patanjali was built with a mission to make everyday use products with traditional Indian ingredients, incorporating the principles of Ayurveda and close to their source. Baba Ramdev owns no stake in the company he founded, and considers his role in the company as a service rather than business. Patanjali products are reasonably priced and said to have very thin margins. Despite being rooted in traditional Hindu practices, Ayurveda and the yogic philosophy, the Haridwar-based company has kept abreast with latest technology and leveraged modern branding strategies to stay ahead in the competitive market.
Patanjali today sells its 2500+ goods across categories such as food, cosmetics, healthcare and medicines through its own branded stores, supermarkets and third party online retailers. Last year, it also started undertaking online orders for a select range of goods on its website Pantanjali.net. The company made its digital foray in 2017 by offering its products on top ecommerce retailers like Flipkart, Paytm mall, and Amazon, launched its own messenger app Kimbho, and introduced its own wallet called the “Swadeshi Samridhi card “. In 2017, Patanjali launched its own official caller tune with the slogan ‘Swadeshi swabhimaan, rashtra seva ka abhiyaan’ . Patanjali’s appeal lies in its simple Hindu-centric premise, claims on purity, and low prices. And results have shown for it. Within 14 years of its operations, the company has grown leaps and bounds to becoming a Rs. 10,000 crore company giving established multinational FMCG giants like Unilever, P&G and Nestle a tough fight in the market.
Patanjali has proven time and again that an Indian company using indigenous resources and Hindu principles with a loyal customer case of millions of users is a winning formula to succeed. With its foray into a Swadeshi marketplace all set to go, Baba Ramdev and Patanjali can potentially disrupt how the make-in-India movement can turn into a sizeable opportunity to serve a billion plus people.