: Making Noise: From Mobile Covers to Building a Smartwatch Brand Worth Rs 373 Cr/Year #IndiaNEWS #Entrepreneurs By the end of 2017, cousins Gaurav and Amit Khatri were at a crossroads in their pursuit

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Making Noise: From Mobile Covers to Building a Smartwatch Brand Worth Rs 373 Cr/Year #IndiaNEWS #Entrepreneurs
By the end of 2017, cousins Gaurav and Amit Khatri were at a crossroads in their pursuit of entrepreneurial glory. Noise, a venture they started in 2014 primarily selling mobile covers and accessories, was doing well as a business, but something was amiss. (Image above of Gaurav and Amit Khatri, co-founders of smartwatch brand Noise)
“It was doing well as a business in terms of sales and profitability but we soon realised that we didn’t have a brand. During the same time, we also witnessed a sudden shift in the mobile accessories market where the average selling price (ASP) of mobile covers and accessories was dropping at an alarming pace. The unorganised market saw several local and small players and the product category was tagged as a commodity rather than a lifestyle need,� says Amit Khatri, co-founder of Noise, in a conversation with The Better India.
By the end of 2017, they made the ultimate pivot that would revolutionise Noise. Being in the mobile accessories business made them aware that wireless audible products, smartwatches and products associated with the smartphone-connected ecosystem were selling like hotcakes.
There was a lot of interest in the Indian market but the quality offerings were global and required deep pockets. “No player was speaking to the pulse of the young Indian consumer. We were starting from scratch in terms of operations, but our learnings were experience-driven. We also decided to keep in mind our consumer’s aspirations and decided to build products that were mass aspirational with the right quality and pricing. This enabled us to build an ecosystem of different products that catered to the various needs of our consumers,� recalls Amit.
Closing the FY (Fiscal Year) 21 (2020-21) with annual revenue of Rs 373 crore, Noise leads the wearables (a category of electronic devices that can be worn as accessories) segment in India with a market share of 27% led by their smartwatches, according to this February 2022 report by the International Data Corporation (IDC). Meanwhile, according to Counterpoint Research, Noise ranks among the top 9 smartwatch brands globally and stands third in the APAC (Asia-Pacific) region in terms of shipment. This is the story of how they built this brand.
‘Not from a business family’
Neither cousin came from a business family, but always shared a strong desire of starting something on their own. “I had a humble upbringing and spent most of my childhood in the busy streets of Bikaner, Rajasthan, where both Gaurav and I did our schooling. After graduating high school, I decided to pursue my passion for design and join the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Hyderabad.

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