Always refreshing to discuss new start-ups, even more, intriguing when the nature of the business has a soul, and it finds its place organically in the market.
I was excited to visit Mantra Gold Coatings when I was invited by them to not just explore what they have to offer to the customer, but the philosophy and story behind the business.
A new business started only in 2014 Mantra has shown great promise in the market. There are three stores in south India, mainly Chennai and Hyderabad, but like any dynamic business, they offer online shopping and free shipping all over India. So what is Mantra all about? Well, it’s mainly a home decor company, focusing on various handcrafted products, that are gold coated.
Mantra before it ventured into home decor, was the pioneer in gold plating temples. Pankaj Bhandari, the managing Director of Mantra is a motivated entrepreneur who wanted to make his business more stable, wider spread, hence popped up the idea of entering the home decor market.
Mantra Gold Coatings – The Art of Peace:
As an entrepreneur Bhandari is someone to watch out for, he is clear on his goals, and with two stores in Chennai (as per website) and a new one in Hyderabad, he is determined to strategically take over India with his business.
He first started off within 1998 with the start-up called ‘Smart creations’; ‘Samarpan’ on the website is the initiative of Smart creations, which specializes in Pooja rooms, described to be ‘made with a touch of class, your home is just a decision away from becoming a shrine that shines’, customers get to have 24K gold-coated Pooja rooms in their own homes. This is a unique service, for the people of India.
His idea isn’t something that may strike as exclusive, there are several stores throughout India that will provide handcrafted decor for home, however, Bhandari has a niche he’s trying to create, i.e, Home temples, he has products ranging from price points to three digits to a whopping six digits within his stores.
The ideology is simple, to transfer the peace found in temples due to the peace-inducing metals into the home. All items are handcrafted and made from bronze, aluminum, copper, brass, etc., and then coated with gold to give it the Mantra look.
The Mantra website is user-friendly, with tabs of different products (lamps, Pooja and home decoratives, URL’s, etc.) Clearly displayed on the home page, a 24/7 helpline for customers, and simple log-in.
There is a buyback offer introduced recently for its 24k gold-coated idols. Delivery is satisfactory within 7-10 working days. I have to mention though, the website shows the 10% off Aadi sale, but when you click on the link there are no products!
There isn’t any information on the website regarding payment methods as well, there are few payment option icons at the bottom of the home page but they are grey, don’t know what that means! One other disappointment is the very crucial ‘About us page, you will find a 404 error on it.
Technically the website needs more support and help. India is a dynamic country and the customers want to get information, which should be available on the website, customers shouldn’t have to google about the company. Something for Mantra to work on perhaps.
At the Mantra store, however, there is something for everyone. You may want to visit the store till the online confusion clears up. The experience of being surrounded by the workmanship of handicraftsmen employed by Mantra for the various products, and feel the peace exuding from each of the products is breathtaking.
