User:Menwithnoface/Librarywala

Librarywala.com, an Indian services corporation, provides a wide selection of books to readers at a low cost and at their convenience. Librarywala.com is India's first online library, offering members paperback books in Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune.The library size has now swelled up to 12,700 books in Mumbai and almost 9000 book titles in Bangalore. The company have forged tie-ups with publishers and distributors, which helps them in enhancing their literary stocks. Based in Mumbai, IndiaLibrarywala increased its customer base from 4,500 in January 2009 to 10,000 customers by the end of March 2009. The company registered revenues more than INR 6 million in 2009 with an increase of over 180 per cent as compared to INR 2.2 million recorded in the last financial year ended March 2008 Librarywala.com was voted as one of the top ten hottest start-ups in India for 2008-09 by Tata Nen.

Background and origins
Inspired by US-based online DVD sites, Hiten Turakhia figured that online video rental sites like Madhouse and Seventymm had successfully replicated the model in the domestic markets.

Business Approach
The companyinitiated with business survey to assess the market potential. The founders used to stand outside leading bookshops and libraries and ask people a small set of questions. The questions would be in regards to their reading habits, at what price they would feel comfortable to rent books and what were the problems they were facing with the local library near their houses. They also asked them about their monthly spending on books etc.

All four founding members used to do this for four days at one particular location and they did this for about six months, three to four hours a day. They collected a good amount of responses from their target audience.

They analyzed the collected answers within four to five months, then they changed a lot of things based on these reports for e.g. they came up with the “no late fee” option because most of the people had one common problem with the local libraries. It was the 14 day return or the late fee clause. They also came up with the ‘cash or cheque facility against delivery’ option because most of the people preferred to pay against delivery (a lot of people did not trust the online payment systems – online frauds)

Delivery Network
The company had to develop a robust delivery network for timely distribution of books to the customers. Librarywala initially tried to tie up with courier services when they stared but it did not workout as books are of different sizes and weights, so the process was time consuming, inefficient and costly. Then company hired some delivery boys like the pizza companies and started training them. Currently, the company has more than 25 delivery boys across three cities and they deliver more than 525 books in Mumbai, 310 books in Bangalore & 150 books in Pune on a daily basis.

Service Pricing
As the name suggests, it's a library where one is required to register himself to become a member, pay a membership fee of Rs 499 and a refundable deposit of Rs 499. The member can choose books from the collection of more than 10,000 books available.

The next step is to select a plan. There are three plans: O Basic plan for Rs 199, classic plan for Rs 299 and children plan for Rs 199. Under the basic plan, a member can select six books for one month and can take two books at a time. O Classic plan provides a member with three books at one time and a maximum of 12 books. O Under the Children's plan, kids can take two books at one time and a maximum 10 books in a month.

The procedure is easy. A member has to queue the book as per his priority on the site and the delivery boys of librarywala.com will deliver the books at the doorsteps of the members.

Management Team
As every new start-up needs a dynamic team to make the venture successful, Librarywala.com found it's strength in the four founding members:

O Hiten Dedhia brought a rich experience of strategy & operations consulting and knowledge of finance

O Hiten Turakhia brought over 7 years of experience in IT products and services marketing

O Dhairyasheel Pawar brought an experience of over a decade in starting and managing a software & networking company

O Shibanarayan Rath brought a global experience of supply chain management and project management

Expansion Plans
Librarywala is planning to venture out in other cities of India after success in Mumbai, Bangaloe and Pune. Some of the plans, the company is already working on are:

O Developing a mobile platform where members can order for books via SMS (no internet connection required).

O Adding value added services like providing regional books.

O Starting audio book services thereby also serving the visually challenged.

O Book donation – Go green – Help the underprivileged.

O Dial –a– Book service

O Up gradation of the website - Starting book forums, Blogs, Author chats etc.

O Planning to have presence in more than 10 cities in the next two years.

The company plans to venture in Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad market where there are substantial number of readers who do not have time to visit a physical library.