Bathroom solutions provider Eauset Bathing Solutions is aiming for sustained business growth despite a challenging economic scenario.
“We are on a steady growth path, even though market conditions are not the best at the moment. Our strategy is to systematically build a network of dealers who value quality and commitment. The volumes will surely come in when the market opens up,” said Eauset managing director Sukrit Bansal (sukrit.bansal@eauset.com) during a recent interaction with Sourcing Hardware.
While Eauset was set up as a faucet and showers manufacturer, in 2017 it entered into the sanitaryware domain with the launch of its Whites range of washbasins and WCs.
The Indian bath fittings industry has been witnessing a similar transformation, with players moving from their core domain of sanitaryware or faucets into the other, in order to emerge as total solution providers. While leaders including Jaquar, HSIL, Kajaria and H&R Johnson had taken this road early, a similar transformation has been witnessed recently at Watertec, Somany and Grohe.
According to Bansal, this is a natural progression for players who understand customer behaviour and aim to provide a sustainable business proposition to their partners. “We believe that channel partners are our primary customers, and we are determined to provide them with a profitable and respectable business opportunity. This we can do by being present in all the categories that have synergies with our business. By offering a comprehensive range of faucets, showers and sanitaryware that are of high quality and in the affordable segment, we are ensuring a decent return to entrepreneurs who invest with Eauset.”
Recalling a recent interaction with a channel partner, Bansal said that organisations should be able to respond to the changing needs of their business partners. “One of our dealers in Kolkata had recently inducted his son into the business after he completed his education.
He had made an investment of Rs 2.50 crore for setting up a new retail outlet with an Eauset distributorship. We offered to train the youngster by bringing him to our state-of-the-art plant at Gugugram and showing him the processes that go into the making of our products. We believe that this exposure would have made him a better marketer of bath fittings, and proven us to be a sensitive partner.”
Harsh Kumar, Eauset’s national sales manager, echoed Bansal’s sentiment by adding that relationships with dealers and distributors can last a lifetime and beyond generations if they are nurtured with care. “We need to take care of our channel partners and enact such policies that are fair and sustainable in the long term. As brand owners, we should consider the lifetime value of our customers instead of short term goals.”
Kumar, who has had extensive experience with market leader Jaquar in the field of business development, stated that he would be implementing many of the industry best-practices at Eauset for channel expansion and dealer development.
Exclusive showrooms, incentive tours and influencer meets are some of the key initiatives being taken in this regard. Connecting all partners through the Eauset e -Connect IT-based platform, where channel partners can access live updates and training material, is another significant initiative of the company.
Eauset has found a responsive market overseas, particularly in Nepal, Sri Lanka and some African nations, for its quality and price value proposition and is planning to enter new territories. “We are doing quite well in international markets, and our presence amidst global brands is helping us become a smarter organisation in India,” Bansal quipped.
