If you like fun and games at parties, check out iPartyWild
Festival season is here and probably the biggest year end parties are being planned now as we write this. This time around if you are looking for games to spice things more in your party, then check out iPartyWild.com -- this startup makes games that can help you get high in a different way at parties. So take your pick from Trippy Dice, Queen bee or Ultimate DareDevils among others.
Founded by Shruti Singh, iPartyWild sells games that can be another source of fun at casual get-togethers. Shruti has been a game designer for a while, and has done her MA in Entrepreneurship from London College of Fashion and is also a trained in fashion designer from NIFT Delhi. Before turning entrepreneur, Shruti has donned various roles as a stylist and design professional. The idea for the venture came when they couldn’t find anything interesting to do at a friend’s bachelorette. “I searched a lot for good games that we could enjoy, but there were none in India. Personally I am a games enthusiast as they are a great source of entertainment in social gatherings or even a friends night out,” says Shruti. She did toy with the idea of importing games from abroad, but then the cultural and social differences between Indian and international cultures made her drop the plan.
Next, she put her creative skills and design background to design and create game concepts herself. All the games from iPartyWild are conceptualized and designed in-house. After the final prototype is tested, manufacturing these games is outsourced. There are stringent checks maintained on the quality and durability of these games in order to give a good customer experience. The startup can today ship products within 24 hours of receiving the order.
Talking about the market opportunity, Shruti says she is looking at the youth in India who like to party. Festivals, weddings, bachelor parties, kitty parties and other social get together are also opportunities to market the products, she says. Since launch in April 2013, iPartyWild has shipped over 600 games to customers in Surat, Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Hyderabad. She is bullish about the coming festive season to further boost sales.
Of the games sold by iPartyWild, Trippy Dice has been the best seller with 300 pieces sold todate, and Film-o-Holic is next in line with 120 pieces sale. Shruti has plans to add more games to the portfolio going forward and also wants to digitize the games -- to cater to the growing affinity for mobile and tablet games by youth. She is also exploring options to add bar accessories to the kitty of products.
Customers for iPartyWild products include both men and women aged between ages 18-45 years, and both men and women have different favourites. Besides leveraging eCommerce, iPartyWild products are also being sold in retail stores across cities. The online stores that sell iPartyWild products include its own portal, ExcitingLives, Yellow Trunk, ShopInOnIt, Fab Furnish, EShack, ApkaMakaanHamariDukaan and Why so serious.
Besides Shruti, there is a team of freelancers who help her as and when required. Shruti handles all design work and prototype creation. “After the sample game is made, freelancers help me host focus groups with a variety of audience to test the game concept. Feedback is assessed and changes are made to the product and the process is repeated till we have a final version of the product, after which it is sent for production,” explains Shruti.
Current priorities for her in business include setting up distribution channels for games and help improve awareness about the products. “We want to position these games as party games and a great way to break the ice, increase interactions and have fun at get-togethers,” says Shruti. Long term plans include starting in-house manufacturing of games. The biggest challenge says Shruti has been to find good vendors for the type of games they want to make and have good quality output. “Good manufacturing units require much larger orders and that also restricts the number of games we can get manufactured at one time because of limited budgets,” says Shruti.
Shruti started the venture by bootstrapping and most advertising for iPartyWild has been through social media, personal networking and some PR. They have also done three exhibitions till date, which has given them good boost in the sales, says Shruti. iPartyWild is betting on the festive season to give them enough eyeballs. In the offing therefore, are plans to host games night in Delhi bars and lounges during this festive season. So if you are anywhere in the capital during the period, keep an eye out for iPartyWild games at the bars and lounges you goto.
