Imagine gifting unusual and exclusive experiences, very different from conventional presents. They are experiences which a person will never forget—flying a plane, dining under a helipad, calendar photo shoot, getting married Rajputana style, learning to make whisky, driving a vintage car, milking a cow, learning how to make bricks, slum tours, bachelor party in a plane and so on. Bengaluru based start up Nreach Online Services has a platform Giftxoxo that specialises in selling these experiences to corporates and individuals as gifts for various occasions.
The company claims that it is the only one in India which does curated experiential gifting. The company has more than 2 lakh customers, which includes individuals and corporates in India and abroad. Started in 2012, the company works closely with corporates across India and globally to handle their rewards, recognition, channel incentives etc through this technology platform. It also offers curated experiences and activities through its mobile app, 'Frogo'.
The geo-based app helps a consumer to discover and book amazing experiences, activities and things-to-do around them. For instance, if a person is travelling in a city, he can look for places of interest around them such as a speciality restaurant, adventure sports activities, wellness centres etc. Based on their interest, they can book through the app. The mobile app is available in both iOS and Android. Currently such bookings for the app are available in 10 cities across the country, which includes all the metros and some state capitals.
“People get bored with their regular lives and seek out exciting experiences and activities to make life more interesting. Activities and experiences are a big market, but very unorganised. The supply is highly fragmented. Hence, there exists a huge opportunity. We studied similar successful models in the US and Singapore and got the idea to offer innovative experiences through our platform and app. The cost of such experiences can range from Rs 1,000 and can go up to Rs 5 lakhs depending on the type of experience."
"Corporates would like to gift such experiences to their employees as a recognition of their services or their performances. An individual can also gift such experiences to their family members or friends,” Kushal Agarwal, the co-founder of Nreach Online Services Limited told THE WEEK. Interestingly Agarwal is himself an adventure and outdoor enthusiast who has participated in different motor car rallies and adventure sports activities in India and abroad.
The company has, of late, expanded their footprint besides India to the United Arab Emirates and the United States, offering 4000 unique experiences to their customers. It has tied up with around 1500 service providers to offer such experiences. For instance, there is a snake catcher who helps in conducting snake rescue experiences. Since inception, the company has received an investment of around Rs 4 crores of which Rs 1 crore came from Kshatriya Ventures and Rs 3 crores from Club Mahindra. It has around 150 employees and has set up offices across the country. Over the years, the company also acquired four start-ups namely Yipeedo, Actizone, BookMyInterest and Fundoo. These acquisitions have helped the company to increase its number of hosts in different geographies.