S7 Ep158: How India Shops Online with Swati Bhargava of CashKaro

TRANSFIN. LongShorts with Nikhil Arora and Sharath Toopran

In this episode, we sit down with Swati Bhargava, co-founder of CashKaro, India’s largest cashback website with over 20+ million downloads and EarnKaro, India’s no. 1 deal distribution platform.
Swati walks us through the innovative business models and strategies that have positioned these platforms at the forefront of India's cashback and affiliate marketing ecosystem:

• Personal Journey: Origin story starting from her childhood in Ambala, higher education in Singapore and London, followed by her stint as an investment banker to creating a cashback business in the UK and then building India’s first VC funded cashback website raising over $30m from reputable names such as Affle, Korea Investment Partners, Kalaari etc.
• Model Unpacked: Swati provides an in-depth look at how CashKaro and EarnKaro operate, detailing their unique approaches to cashback and affiliate marketing by onboarding lucrative categories and e-commerce platforms/brands to empower Indian internet users save more money while shopping online
• Hustle of Category Creation: Hacks to approach category creation, role of customer education, and the importance of recognizing and engaging with champion users
• Changing Dynamic of Internet Shopping: Perspectives on the broader e-commerce and cashback ecosystem in India, discussing demographic trends, shift of wallet shares from Tier 1 to Tier 2/3/4 cities, role of social media in shopping choices, and opportunities for growth
• Future Aspirations: What’s next for CashKaro and EarnKaro as Swati outlines her vision for scaling these platforms while maintaining customer engagement

Join us for an enlightening conversation that not only highlights Swati's entrepreneurial journey but also offers valuable insights into the future of online shopping in India!
Hope you enjoy this TRANSFIN. Podcast with Nikhil Arora and Sharath Toopran, where we converse with entrepreneurs and business operators running successful startups, profitable SMEs and family promoted firms on one end, and top investment professionals representing VC/PE/credit funds on the other. The objective is to bring out an "actionable" perspective converging the world of business and investing.
If you're a founder and if you'd like us to drill down your model, feel free to drop us a line at [email protected]