TYPOF - Create your e-commerce website in 30 minutes

“The most important thing is customer feedback. Keep checking in with your customers and your business will soar to greater heights.”

-By Trilochan Parida, Founder, Typof

Startup story conducted an exclusive interview with the founder of Typof, Trilochan Parida. Trilochan Parida is a B.Tech in Computer science and completed his education in 2012. He established his own company, which provided software services to small businesses, and was shut down in 2015 so that he can move to bigger things. He then ventured into the hospitality industry which he exited in 2020 to set up ‘Typof’. The company was launched in May 2021 but the company was registered in February 2021.

What led to the ideation of Typof?

During covid, he connected with an old friend, who is now the co-founder of Typof, Divya Mallick. During that time, Divya had a clothing brand and functioned via Pinterest and Instagram. But that posed a challenge as she couldn't always stay active on social media and respond to the slew of queries that were coming in.

 Distressed by this problem, she counselled Trilochan for some advice to find a solution. So, Mr.Parida suggested developing a catalog that had all the necessary information and answered the most frequently asked questions.

Being a developer himself, he developed a catalogue for her business. The customers could now purchase all the products as well as make payments online via the catalogue. He integrated the catalogue with the payment window.

Soon, this became popular among other artisans as well. Soon enough, 40+ artisans were willing to get the same services. Initially, brand awareness was created by word of mouth. And the increasing demand for that service led to the establishment of Typof.

Why was Typof needed?

Initially, typof got 40+ customers solely based on word of mouth and positive feedback from existing customers. Most artisans tipped towards online business due to the pandemic. This led to more demand for their services in the market. From helping a friend in need to establishing it as a full-fledged e-commerce portal, Typof has grown exponentially.

Typof is a Saas e-commerce platform that can be used by laymen, who do not know how to create a website and increase their brand awareness. The pandemic seemed like the perfect opportunity to set up the platform and go live. So, the service was not only limited to the pre-existing customers but to anyone who wants to avail of the service.

The positive impact of COVID-19

The covid-19 pandemic gave a boost to online businesses and directly to typof as well. The business flourished as more and more people wanted to move from the traditional form of market to the internet.

Most of the customers were via Instagram. These businesses were distressed by the constant need to be active on social media and give instantaneous replies. They required an automated service that could take care of that for them and Typof provided them with just what they required.

Typof customizes the features and the services that the website can provide according to the needs of the customer and the audience they cater to. And during the lockdown, when everything was shut down, the need for an online presence seemed necessary for survival.

What makes Typof stand out?

Typof prioritizes customer experience and customer input to develop its platform. There is a constant feedback process going on with their customers to improve their services. The niche market that Typof targets are the artisans and small businesses.

Typof is very easy to use, just like anyone with the basic knowledge of using the internet can make a poster or banner on Canva, and anyone can create a website for their business. The founder, Trilochan Parida, compares Typof to Shopify which is a powerful ecosystem and most D2C brands prefer to establish their presence there.

Typof is the best possible combination of Canva and Shopify, with the ease of Canva and the appeal of Shopify. Anyone can create an e-commerce site within 30 minutes, which makes them stand out from the rest of its competitors. Typof is the simplest e-commerce platform that one can use.

With already established platforms like Shopify and Dukaan which are mostly generic e-commerce platforms, Typof creates its brand worth by focusing on artisans and small businesses.

The development of Saas e-commerce for artisans and small businesses is unique to Typof. Typof plans to expand to the size of Shopify and eradicate the need to integrate the need of an application to set up your business. Artisans and small businesses can create their brand worth without seeking help from other mediums, allowing you to integrate the immediate applications without developing another application to run your website.

The incredible team of typof

The technical team consists of 10-12 people. They are not just employees in the venture but also the founding members. There is a family-like environment and everyone has a vision and is dedicated to the same goals. There is also a marketing team and support team. The work is fluid and not restricted to a single team. They collaborate to create the websites that work best for the artisans.

The core team consists of Trilochan Parida (founder), Divya Mallick (co-founder), Soleman Khan, Sabab Quadri, Rajesh Sardar, Sanmaya Biswal, Pranay Prajapati, Aayushi Sinha, Ranjit Pradhan, and Priyanka Mishra.

The scale of growth

When the startup went live during the pandemic, there were 40+ customers. The outreach was based on recommendations and feedback from existing customers. Within 3 months, the mark of 1,000+ customers. Currently, Typof has approximately 5,500+ customers pan-India. Typof was bootstrapped for a year. In May 2022, the startup received its first investment to expand its operations.

The key mantra of typof

Typof believes in trust and transparency towards all its customers. It aims to create Saas e-commerce affordable and convenient for all users and help them to expand their operations throughout the goal. Even the cost is almost one-fourth of the cost at which this service is provided by other competitors.

The aim of expansion

Typof is already present Pan-India and has 5,500+ customers at present. The founder also plans to expand the operations globally. Even now, some international customers make use of typof and their services. However, typof plans to officially globalize in the coming year.

Customer experience - the riding factor of typof

There is a constant process of feedback and inputs from their customer. Most of the customers are satiated by the services and the affordability that typof has to offer. The model of typof focuses on customer experience.  The freedom to create your brand oath and connect with customers directly is appealing to most customers.

Visit Typof