R for Rabbit Baby Products Pvt Ltd was started five years ago by Kunal Popat with the intent to bring quality and innovative baby products that are affordably priced. The essence of the company is based on the idea to bridge the gap in the Indian baby care market and to bring about a diverse product range. Kunal Popat, Founder and CEO at R for Rabbit Baby Products Pvt Ltd, shares on design, safety features, and the fundamental principles of the company in an exclusive interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT).
July 01, 2019
MBT: How did the idea to start R for rabbits come about?
Kunal Popat: The starting point for the company came with a very personal experience when our baby daughter Aarna was born. When we started looking for safe and quality baby products in the Indian market, there was a certain unavailability that we noticed. Our quest for good quality products for the baby brought us to the gaps in safety, design and quality in baby products. So, we came up with the vision to provide quality and safety standards certified products at an affordable price for parents. R for Rabbit Baby Products offer products that are designed by parents with safety and quality being their topmost consideration.
MBT: Please describe the product range offered by the brand.
KP: Our first step in the Baby Products industry was with the category of strollers and prams followed by car seats for the little ones. At a gradual pace, we picked up the momentum and introduced a range of high chairs, bathtubs, baby carriers, baby potty training seats and cradles. With the vision of offering an all-encompassing and complete range of safe and quality products, we introduced the ride-on products such as kid’s tricycle, swing car, scooter and bicycles. We also launched a collection of baby care products like electric and manual breast pumps, bottle sterilizer and bottle warmer. We keep on bringing new models and designs across the product range that we offer.
MBT: Take us through a brief history of your company and what significant milestones you think R for Rabbit has achieved?
KP: R for Rabbit was started in Dec 2014 to give a complete range of perfect quality and safe baby products to the Indian parents. Now, the company is recognized and ranked second in the baby products industry domestically, delivering safe and quality products for the little ones.
In the initial stage, we had started with the sales through offline and retail channel only. With the excellent response and acceptance received from our customers, we gradually extended our presence PAN India by partnering with distributors and since then, we are continually growing consistently. Beyond offline, our products are available on the online marketplaces as well.
“The starting point for designing and developing a particular product/product range starts with the need and pain points of the customers so that we can bring an ideal product which effectively fulfils their needs.”
MBT: Elaborate on the designing and the quality-checks of the products.
KP: The underlying idea is to bring such quality baby products that make the lives of the parents easier. We design the products with assurance of safety for the child without compromising on anything in terms of design and functionality. The starting point for designing and developing a particular product/product range starts with the need and pain points of the customers so that we can bring an ideal product which effectively fulfils their needs. We take feedback from our customers and our distributor/dealers and it helps us a lot in designing a product.
The product goes under all the mandatory and other quality checks, then, we have attained safety certifications such as EN71, EN 1888, ECE R44/04 depending upon the category of product. R for Rabbit products are manufactured in production plant which is passed through lot of audit checks and which have got certification of Green Environment as we care for the environment.
MBT: How would you outline the strengths and the USP of your company?
KP: I think the key strengths of R for Rabbit is the equation: Safety + Quality + Design + Affordability. We believe in providing safe and quality products with an ideal design and functionality so that the product is convenient to use and is liked by the cute little ones. We always strive to provide quality and functional products which are rightly priced.
We follow a stringent quality check at the end of the assembly line to give safe and perfect quality product. We follow strict safety and quality standards and procedures for production to give 100% customer satisfaction.
“We are planning to expand our product range… by introducing nursery segment cribs and cradles. In fact, we are seeking to make our baby care segment an all-encompassing range”
MBT: What are the marketing and distribution strategies that your brand adopts to ensure its smooth reach to the customers and how do you promote your product range?
KP: In this digital age, social media platforms have become the new ground for marketing and enhancing brand awareness. Moreover, since millennial parents are more tech-savvy and are active on social media, it is easier for us to reach out to them. Apart from social media, blogging and online articles also help us for wider brand recognition. As a matter of fact, we are present on all the major online marketplaces for customers for online purchases. For online we target the entire major online marketplace to sell our products like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and also through our e-commerce website. In offline marketing, we follow Tier-2 distribution model wherein we have appointed distributors in each of the major cities of India who supply our products further to retail outlets and dealers to sell to our customers. Our sales team looks after and assesses the complete distribution channel.
MBT: Do you intend to introduce any new product or product range in the near future?
KP: We are planning to expand our product range with careful consideration by introducing nursery segment cribs and cradles. In fact, we are seeking to make our baby care segment an all-encompassing range by introducing new products. We will also introduce new designs in the existing categories as per the feedback from our customers and the distribution network.
