The Badho Story Part 3: How Badho is leading the channel-distribution ‘Kranti’ for India’s traditional retail.

Written by Arunima Joshi | Mar 28, 2025 11:29:42 AM

If you have read The Badho Story Part 1 & Part 2, skip to the next para. If you haven’t read them, here’s a quick recap:

In 2023, Saurabh and I met for a different tech-based project which unfortunately fizzled out. However, we ended up working on something else that became much bigger than we had ever imagined (actually, we did imagine it, but we never thought we’d reach the milestones so quickly!). The Badho platform became our way of tackling one of the biggest, most overlooked problems in consumer goods distribution: bridging the gap between brands and their distribution partners. And we didn’t want to just solve it, we wanted to transform the entire ecosystem!

It all started with a pilot in Kashipur, where we saw firsthand how fragmented the system was. Retailers and distributors struggled with inefficiencies, and brands were losing sales because of it. So, we built something radically simple, a tech solution so easy to use that even the most tech-averse distributor and retailer could adopt it effortlessly. Word spread fast. Before we knew it, we were on a dream run, signing up new distributors and retailers at breakneck speed.

After Mission 80, (remember, from The Badho Story: Part 2?) we set our sights higher. Now we were aiming for the big guns – the FMCG and other consumer brands across the country. In March 2024, we set up a dedicated brand sales team and started meeting brands left, right and centre to showcase how Badho could help them. Early wins with Kapila and Zoff Spices (a Shark Tank brand) gave us the momentum we needed. Those success stories turned into case studies, and those case studies brought in more deals. By September 2024, 150 brands had joined Badho, and 7,000 retailers had downloaded the app.

Today sitting in Q1 of 2025, Badho has already notched up 8.75 lakh downloads. The fire we lit in Kashipur has now spread across India. And we’re just getting started!

Badho: The growth engine for brands to scale offline.

Technology has barely scratched the surface of channel marketing in distribution. The only real advancements have been in Sales Force Automation (SFA) and, to some extent, Distributor Management Systems (DMS).

Yet, most sales leaders still expect their teams to juggle channel marketing alongside selling—despite it not being their core strength. This is where Badho changes the game. It acts as their secret weapon, driving a double-engine impact: sales officers focus on on-ground selling, while Badho powers a seamless, tech-driven connection between brands and their distribution network. The result? A more engaged, empowered, and efficient ecosystem for retailers and distributors.

Here’s how Badho’s three-pronged impact plays out:

1.Market discovery

We are helping CPG and FMCG brands follow a very focused channel distribution strategy to reach the right counters and the right customers. For e.g. we recently helped a D2C baked chips brand understand which retail outlets to be in.
As Gyan explains, “These are the number of shops that sell Pringles, these are the shops that have an air-conditioner in the shop. These are the kind of outlets that your target customers will typically go to, so place your chips in these shops.”
This is the first stepping stone. Once the brands know where they need to be present, they send their sales officers to these specific shops to develop relationships with those retailers, which usually results in a higher number of productive visits.

2. Direct Reach-out

Traditionally, retailers depend on sales representatives visiting their shops to place orders, which often leads to delays, missed opportunities, and stockouts. With Badho, retailers can now order directly from distributors via the app, cutting out inefficiencies and ensuring a smoother supply chain.

Take the example of a regional dairy brand that struggled with inconsistent distribution because its sales reps couldn’t visit every retailer frequently. With Badho, their retailers started placing orders directly through the app, reducing stockouts and boosting sales. The distributors, in turn, fulfilled orders faster, improving their service levels and strengthening retailer relationships.

3.Regular Orders Through Data-Driven Insights

Knowing what sells and when is half the battle in FMCG. Badho provides brands with real-time insights into retailer orders and sales trends, enabling them to optimize inventory, run targeted campaigns, and drive sales growth.
An energy drink brand discovered through Badho’s data that its sales spiked on weekends in specific high-footfall areas. Using this insight, they launched weekend-specific discounts for retailers in those locations, leading to a 20% increase in orders. Similarly, a snack brand used Badho's data to identify seasonal dips and countered them with timely promotions, ensuring steady demand year-round.

Every few months, we try to add a new feature, or a new innovation in the Badho platform which is because of direct feedback received from retailers or brands on their pain-points.

Brand New Features in Badho

1.Direct Promotions/Scheme Credit to Retailers

Traditionally, brands send promotions and scheme based earnings of retailers to the distributors, who further distribute it to their retailers. More often than not, the rewards don’t reach the retailers at all, or only a small portion reaches them. At Badho, we have automated this process end to end by sending the money accrued to a retailer directly to his account.

2.Quotation based Rates for Distributors

We used to get feedback from the market that our rates are not set, so we allowed quotation based rates that would make them more lucrative for them.

3.Badho Credit

A few months back, we realized we need to work on payments, which could offer the distributors a transparent system as well as incentivise them to stay active on Badho. So we launched Badho Credit, a game-changing solution for distribution financing. This innovative service will help distributors expand their business without stretching their credit lines too thin. Now distributors will no longer need to be worried about credit exposure. Badho Credit will enable distributors to offer credit to retailers while maintaining healthy cash flows.

4.Request a Visit

This is a brand new feature in the Badho platform that flips the model from outbound to inbound sales. Retailers log in on the Badho platform, go to your brand page, and click on the ‘Request a Visit’ button. If demand comes from an area where an SO is unable to visit, Badho’s tele-calling executives step in to facilitate the sales for the brand and ensure that the orders are captured successfully.

In the next three years, we’re setting our sights high - 10 lakh retailers ordering daily. By the end of 2025, we want to help at least 100 brands drive ₹50 crores in sales solely through Badho. But our eventual aim is much higher - to make Badho the go-to name for channel marketing in kirana retail.

But this isn’t just our story, it’s yours too. What’s your vision? If you’re ready to take a bold step toward building a powerful, tech-driven distribution strategy, let’s make it happen.

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