Panchhi: The Myntra Seller Who Defied All Odds to Build a Thriving Business

When 18-year-old Rohit Goyani decided to start his own business to sell lehengas back in 2008, almost all odds were against him; lack of experience, financial constraints, a crashing economy, and logistics issues to name a few. However, none of these challenges could deter the ambition of the young entrepreneur who wanted to make it big in the business of fashion.

“I had nothing to lose. There were no savings, or property or anyone to support me. As they popularly say – business acumen is in the blood of Gujaratis. So, maybe I had it in me all along- or so I would like to think. The first two years were difficult, but things started turning around for me after that,” said Rohit Goyani, Founder, Panchhi and Myntra’s brand partner.

For the love of birds

How many times have you come across a brand whose name tells a story that touches your heart? Panchhi was born out of love and admiration for birds that Rohit always had. When Rohit and his team decided to name their brand, Panchhi, alongside they were also working with a cow shed in Bhavnagar that had a separate space for injured birds. They decided to make their initiative permanent by allocating 0.5% of their profits to the treatment of these birds.

The Myntra Journey

Rohit admits that he had had no knowledge of the online business in the beginning. Offline businesses were all he had witnessed growing up. “I had no idea what basic online business terms like return, margins or sales meant. My team and I were in constant touch with Myntra’s category associate, who helped us understand the nuances of the e-commerce business. We understood the importance of product photography, sales analysis (to know which segments were doing well) and price range, among other things,” he adds.

The High Point

Rohit recalls that there have been two major milestones of his journey with Myntra so far. “When I came on board, we got 100 orders the very first day! For us, that was huge. We then witnessed a steady increase in average sales figure to about 2 lacs per day. I also remember when we participated in our first Myntra EORS, the numbers rose to 6-8 lacs per day,” Rohit quips.

From the humble beginnings of having started with a team of three employees, today Panchhi employs over 280 employees who have a shared zeal to scale the brand to new heights. He hopes for 2022 to be a defining year and plans to launch 150 new styles and has set a highly ambitious sales goal that he is confident of achieving through his partnership with Myntra. “I have a fire in my belly and Myntra has made me realise that if I do the right things, I will succeed. With Myntra, we get direct feedback from customers. We know that if our product is of high-quality, customers will be willing to pay the right price,” he says.

Touching upon his love for birds, Rohit says that the initiative will continue. “It’s a cause that’s very dear to my heart and we will continue donating as much as possible. In our commitment to uplift the community, we also have a limited collection of belts crafted by the women from our village. 100% of profits are given back to them,” he concludes.