From executing marketing and advertising briefs and ideas to handling eCommerce, Rohit’s journey has been enduring and one with many trials and tribulations.
Where did it all start?
It all began at FLAME for Rohit. FLAME incited his drive and passion during his two years of postgraduate course in Marketing and Advertising. In nurturing Rohit into a confident, communicative, and expressive person, he is indebted to FLAME for serving him with everlasting experiences, and life-long friendships.
For his communication and advertising courses, he was exposed to 360-degree marketing, covering varied facets of digital marketing, activations, and public relations. Having learned from industry stalwarts, Rohit graduated with flying colours and embarked on the journey of a well-rounded marketer.
The intern with a ticket to Page 3
For many, getting a glimpse of their beloved on-screen star seems a faraway dream. But, here was Rohit sitting across and interviewing them and getting his name printed against his publications. His internship with Sanskriti Media and Entertainment paved the way for brighter days.
But, the journey was by no measure an easy one. It was one of patience and endurance and kept him grounded. He started by driving the camera crews to the shooting location. His mentor at the time saw his potential and gave it direction. He was then given the opportunity to interview Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan ETC and became an invitee to exclusive soirees.
The move to the internet
After his internship at Sanskriti Media and Entertainment, Rohit stumbled upon an opportunity to work on game-changing projects at Worldoo, India’s first-ever social media for kids! The focal point was content curation for kids, including interactive games, sports, wildlife, and the works.
Rohit interacted and networked with the esteemed brands associated with these projects. Even more so, he met with the Bigwig (B) of Bollywood, none other than Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.
Through his two and a half years with Worldoo, Rohit met many brands and ideated to create the first-ever platform for kids. One of the most valuable, cherished projects was the one with Focus Kids Communications Pvt. Ltd. A Below-the-Line endeavour, Rohit collaborated with brands to create school contact programs. Another project was where selected kids got the elitist opportunity to visit ISRO and witness India’s space program.
The Big Step - Communication to (e)Commerce
This change came at ND Commerce! In blessing the timing, it was also the time when India was making its move toward E-Commerce. Also, the Flipkarts and Amazons of the world had become household names and the go-to apps.
The seven years at ND Commerce fine-tuned his knowledge bank as Rohit helped different MNC brands open their E-Commerce web stores and interacted with several marketplaces. He grasped first-hand the phenomena of omnichannel and the perplexing interlinks that made up supply chain and logistics. He also learned driving quality and relevant traffic by focussing on conversions.
What also happened during his time at ND Commerce was a change of roles through vertical progression. He climbed the ladder from Assistant Manager to Associate Vice President. He had begun his journey by assisting account managers and traversing through the office space and warehouses, ensuring all the logistical nodes are up to the mark.
Subsequently, Rohit assimilated a team that helped him manage his 30+ client portfolio. Today, he heads the business with his chosen servicing and marketplace management wizards. From managing operations and strategy to focussing on the bottom line (Profit and Loss), speaking with E-Commerce heads and CEOs, and putting forth ideas for enhancing the consumer experience, he takes care of it all.
The lessons and learnings
In sharpening the knowledge and experience pool, Rohit quickly learned that returns are a pain point. This lesson reinforced the importance of brand-run E-Commerce stores. Another is that consumers trust the goodwill of brand-run stores. Despite India being a price-sensitive country, e-stores are the way to go. Another mammoth challenge in E-Commerce is reconciliation, dealing with multiple brands and sales channels. The future wave of E-Commerce shall get driven by Video commerce, social commerce, and omnichannel.
The lasting words of wisdom
The frequent travels, continuous hustle, patience, and perseverance have all paid off. Today, Rohit is in good stead and works with top-notch brands across sectors. CROCS, Lenovo, Tupperware, VOLTAS group and SEIKO watches, to name a few.
An enthralling and enriching journey so far is no less than an instrument of inspiration for others. The myriad experiences stand to serve as the beacon of hope for many.