“Open Doors Now for your brand” – Mr. Narinder Mahajan, Co-Founder, ODN Digital Services

In modern marketing, creating content that attracts eyeballs has become a top goal for every business wanting to leave its mark in the minds of people. Great content brings more inbound traffic to the website and helps in gaining more traction. ODN builds innovative and unique content solutions for e-commerce marketplaces and global brands.

The company designs and delivers high-quality content and leads in new-age ways of manifesting creative ideas. In late 2015, ODN started its journey of digital transformation for brands with experienced top management in online marketing, sales, and retail.

It provides solutions that range from photoshoots to cataloging to marketing graphics to managing social media and digital marketing – everything that can be seen on opening an e-commerce website. ODN has served over 200+ clients in FY 2019-20.

In addition, over 1 million catalogs and over 0.5 million edited images have been delivered. The company is also one of the very few Flipkart.com and Myntra.com (biggest names in fashion e-com in India) approved studios in the country today. Besides, the key clients of the company include names like M&S, Nykaa, Paytm, TataCliq, Whirlpool, Diesel, and many more. ODN with Fossil also provides global shoots and cataloging services for their entire APAC region across 40 marketplaces and 13 countries. The company is serving nearly all marketplaces in India and a few in the Middle East and SEA as well.

Mr. Narinder Mahajan, Co-Founder & CEO who has witnessed big investments going into various marketplaces, social media, and digital marketing for e-commerce that led him to think about who could provide amazing content at a dynamic speed for these rapidly growing platforms? And to provide an answer to his question he came up with ODN Digital Services. To know more about the company and its other aspects, here we have a glimpse of an interaction we lately have with him.

 

1. Let’s start with knowing your background, tell us something about you.

Well, to be honest, my journey has been quite simple yet interesting. I am a consumer retail and E-Commerce specialist and possess over 18 years of industry experience. During my corporate journey, I have worked with various game-changing organizations across diverse industries and formats of consumer retail.

Prior to adorning the role of CEO & Co-Founder of ODN Digital Services, I was working with the leading E-Commerce brand, Snapdeal. However, sensing the opportunity and scope for growth for high-quality and creative content, the entrepreneurial streak inside me kicked in and I finally took the decision which people around me address as, ‘the courageous step of starting my venture’, ODN Digital Services in late 2015.

Besides being a professional, I am a spiritual enthusiast and I spend a lot of time in spiritual exploration. Adding to it, I am extremely passionate about music and I do dedicate a chunk of my spare time in creating original music and soundtracks! So you see, apart from being an entrepreneur, I am a creative and spiritual soul!

 

2. When did you start your venture and what was the idea behind that?

ODN Digital Services was incepted in late 2015. At that time, I witnessed a surge in investments in the marketplaces, Digital Marketing, and social media from the E-Commerce perspective. This trend made one thing crystal clear – that the demand for creative content was massive and will continue to increase in the times ahead. However, there were no content creators and providers in the market who could offer high-end content in a quick turnaround time owing to the market dynamics. That is when Udaar and l, with our extensive expertise in online retail and selling, launched ODN Digital Services to help brands tread on the path of their digital transformation.

Archana joined us a little later and took charge of the quality and aesthetics of the creatives. Ever since then, collectively we have been handling the operations, business development, content creation along with other responsibilities and have been making concerted efforts to deliver our clients what we promise- global quality content and innovative and creative E-Commerce and marketing content strategies!

 

3. What are the thoughts behind the name of the venture?

Earlier we started with an aim to help the brands go online including last-mile distribution. Hence, we ideated the name, Online Distribution Network (ODN). However, now for branding purposes, we have settled for the nomenclature- Open Doors Now.

We did so as we realized the presence of a plethora of possibilities in the digital space for brands. Also, this name is an extensive and immersive one and expresses that we are available and will be open to all kinds of opportunities and projects for our clients. That we are ever ready and happy to assist them!

 

4. What are the operations involved in delivering your services?

Well, we began our journey with photoshoots and went to expand our content creation services with copy and creatives. At a later stage, we thought of taking a leap and started delivering edited images and videos, 3D renders, GIFs, A+/ infographics in just a span of 24 hours! (I know it sounds crazy but we pulled it off successfully and continue to do so even now!)

Currently, under our ‘E-Com content’ division, we offer services of catalog videos, catalog shoots, informative graphics, and listing content along with social media management, website design, banner and landing page designing, and creative shoots and videos under our ‘Marketing Content’ vertical. It is just recently that our clients started increasingly demanding content from the consumers’ perspective and hence we are undertaking various multiple online D2C enabling projects as well.

We are presently serving over 200 clients both at the domestic and global levels. We are India’s one of the very few content partners authorized by Myntra, Flipkart, Tata Cliq, Noon, and many more leading marketplaces specifically for catalog shoots.

 

5. Whom do you see as your potential competitors and what makes you stand out?

Stating the truth, we don’t feel there is any direct competition of ODN Digital Services in the market. However, there are a few brands that work in a similar domain as ours and have been performing exceptionally well. Moksha Creative, Karvy, Iksula, and Shutter Images would be there on the list if I had to name them explicitly.

We offer E-Commerce content production as the core service and we cover product shoots, rich media production A+ content, digital creatives, marketing graphics, and byte-sized videos. ODN Digital Services is all about delivering global quality, creative and innovative content in a quick turnaround time and this is what gives us a competitive edge. Our studios ensure the provision of world-class content production in 4 days flat, right from the start to the finish and our clients prefer us due to this very reason, that we stand up for what we claim!

We believe in transparency and our focus lies on creating state-of-the-art content. Every project that we take up radiates creativity and innovation and does all the talking for us!

 

6. What is your targeted customer segment?

We are not tied to or focused on any set customer base. We don’t have any filters while roping in new clients on board. We work for our clients across categories ranging from fashion and footwear to electronics, durables, watches, personal care brands, etc., and deliver as per their requirements. So far, we have worked for over 150 consumer brands both at the national and international levels so far.

Our clientele comprises brands of diverse markets and statures. It is as per the needs and preferences of their consumer base that we curate content so as to tap them and help their businesses achieve their objectives.

We conduct catalog shoots and videos, QC of listing content, A+ informative graphics, stop motion explainer videos, along with offering services of social media content and digital marketing content designing as per the brand’s needs, their goals, and their target audience.

 

 

7. How would you define the journey of ODN Digital? What have been the challenges and milestones during the course of establishment?

Well, ODN Digital Services’ journey has been quite a roller coaster ride. I have to say the road has been bumpy but quite interesting, learning, and satisfying too!

We did experience various hurdles ranging from arranging finances, scouting for the right talent, to maintaining our position in the constantly changing world of content creation to convincing the brands about our credibility, authenticity, originality, and instilling trust amongst them with reference to our quality of work and quick deliverables.

But we kept on going and in just a few years, we have been able to earn the tag of being India’s leading content design company and we are known for our innovative mindset and cutting-edge creative content!

We started with photoshoots, copy, and creatives. At a later stage, we wanted to step out of our comfort zones, and hence we started delivering edited images and videos, 3D renders, GIFs, A+/ infographics in just a span of 24 hours. And now, we are in a position to cater to all the diverse needs of our clients and deliver state-of-the-art services to them!

 

8. Where do you see ODN Digital 5 years from now?

By the end of this year, we are planning to create an impact in the fields of Video commerce and CGIs (3D, 4D, animations, etc). Pulling this off would indeed be our contribution to the Digital India campaign.

We also plan to expand our services in a full-fledged fashion in the Middle-East, South-East Asia, and APAC regions in the next two years. While we already have a few clients in these geographies, the E-Commerce markets are still in the development stages in these areas and hence we anticipate that we would be able to support the brands across industries over there as well.

Additionally, besides actively marketing our brand, we are planning to invest heavily in inculcating new-age technologies like automation, 3D, AR, VR. Etc. So yes, the future of ODN Digital Services is indeed techie and promising.

All in all, we wish to maintain our leading stature. We know the content creation industry will flourish in the coming times and we want to be the game-changer for this domain.

 

9. Anything you would like to add?

All I would like to say is that we have been making concerted efforts to survive and thrive in the ever-evolving world.  We are ecstatic that we have been recognized for our services and have been able to create a position for ourselves in the market.

We started as a five-member team in late 2015 and it is indeed an undeniable fact that we did face our fair share of start-up challenges but I am glad that we successfully surpassed all of those.

It has been a long way ever since then and with our workforce of 90 experts across categories, we are presently considered as India’s leading content design agency specializing in E-Commerce and Marketing Content services.

We have a few goals to achieve in the coming times. As already mentioned above, we wish to grow and create an impact in the fields of Video commerce and CGIs (3D, 4D, animations, etc) and also expand ODN Digital Services’ client portfolio across the Middle East and the APAC regions in the next two years.

On the whole, all we envision is to assist the brands to tread on the path of the digital journey and help them connect with their customer base via our expertise, skillset, and high-end services of global and new-age content creation.