‘This Or That’: India’s first-ever ‘e-retailer’ shopping destination devoted exclusively to start-ups.

About the Founders

I am Rohit Pugalia and have co-founded ‘Soch Group’ with my wife Purvi Pugalia. Allow me to share with you about the concept of how it all began.

I come from a family of traders. Having pursued my post graduate degree with specialisation in Finance, I was settled in a comfortable position in my career. My wife has had an inclination for aesthetics, food & clothing. Some conversations with my wife coupled with our kitchen experiments led to breakthroughs in the healthy meal category and the word spread in our social circle. We wanted to share our unique innovations on a professional level that would address some missing gaps in the health offerings. So, in 2014, we moved to Mumbai to test the waters of entrepreneurial life. Having navigated through the uncertainties; we established Soch Group which now includes several other start-ups. On our entrepreneurial journey we have converted our passions viz. food, empowering start-ups and giving back to society into 3 business ventures namely: Soch Foods, VASTRA, Not So Pink, and This Or That.

Introduction about the Startup.

‘This Or That’ is an e-commerce platform for Indian start-ups to showcase their innovative products. It is a start-up initiative under the Soch Group. As for the name, what do YOU think of when you come across the name ‘This Or That’? If your first thoughts are aligning on the lines of: ‘Umm…Ye bhi wo bhi, ye ya wo, A little bit of this, A little bit of that’, then you already got to know a bit about ‘This or That’.

It’s all about making the Choicest Choices! We make choices in our life: big and little choices.

At ‘This Or That’, things take an interesting addition to your lifestyle with those ‘little things in life’ like exotic products that make you feel good.

Our headquarter is in Mumbai.

Date of Inception: 10th July 2021 is the date that the website saw light! In fact, recently we celebrated our 1 year anniversary! We extended the celebration to shoppers by giving away a special freebie on every purchase.

The idea or concept for the startup.

As we love to travel and explore new cultures together, we soon noticed that Indian start-ups and their products are just as creative, unique and fascinating as those from different countries. However, the problem was that these incredible products failed to garner the attention of the Indian mass. The pain-point of making the products renowned is something that requires stepping in with support. Realising this, we started ‘This Or That’ where Indian start-ups have a voice and the attention they deserve in a crowded business environment.

We got ‘Vocal For Local’ by breathing life into the project to highlight distinctive products through ‘This Or That’: India’s first-ever ‘e-retailer’ shopping destination devoted exclusively to start-ups.

Innovation or Unique about your startup.

‘This Or That’ is constantly evolving with changing tastes & preferences.

Each of our brands are hand-picked and the start-ups are carefully vetted. We provide pan India delivery. Other than that, ‘This Or That’ is also innovative for the following reasons:

Extra ordinary: We maintain our pursuit to add the ‘extra’ to every ‘ordinary’: Be it our Brand philosophy, the start-up brands that we curate for, or offerings for our customers – the motto is to go an extra mile, and be unique and innovative at that!

Supportive: We are always there to help our startups in every possible way.

Discerning: We have a duty towards our customers to pick out only the most legit and interesting start-ups that are a good fit for them.

Reliable: Through our way of doing business, we maintain complete transparency in our dealings and help start-ups reach milestones they wouldn’t have thought possible, thereby paving the way for mutual trust and confidence.

Perceptive: We understand the hurdles that start-ups face. It is our duty to pre-empt what might trouble them and ease it for them.

Mission and Vision of Startup.

Our mission with ‘This Or That’ was to break away from the clutter and create visibility and greater awareness for startups across India in today’s cluttered and competitive market.

This Or That has always envisioned to provide Indian start-ups with visibility & introduce their unique, innovative & interesting offerings to the world.

Products and Services.

‘This Or That’ taps into a wide range of categories which provides intriguing services and products to our customers including but not limited to: Fashion & Lifestyle, Beauty & Wellness; Home decor and Food & Beverage

The current problem and solutions.

Having experienced many highs, the journey of ‘This Or That’ comes with its own share of challenges. ‘This Or That’ is a niche brand that supports and features other start-ups. Having been in the nascent stage, we don’t play by the marketplace tactic of too much discounting. Our approach is on adding ‘Value’ through luxurious products and feel-good factors. The Indian audience has probably always wanted accessibility to such aspirational products. It is now within their reach; to make them aware of the USP is something we’re still taking time to spread the brand roots of.

In the meanwhile, we’re ideating, we’re brainstorming, we’re executing, and we’re innovating – every single day! Team ‘This Or That’ is continually working day in and day out to sort out any road-block along the way, for our brand and for the brands that have come onboard with us.

Market and the target audience.

‘This Or That’ is an e-commerce platform that aims to cater to India’s GenZ and millennials. Our target audience are people hungry for something unique, anticipating quirky products and looking to experience the innovation of Indian startups.

The Success and Achievements.

‘This Or That’ started with around 30 brands and now we have more than 120 brands on board, with 60 brands in the pipeline. We also saw growth in the area of the products we provide and those being received warmly by the audience that appreciates unique products. While initially we had 700-800 products, we now have more than 2000 products. We are slowly yet steadily growing and finding our footing in the market. Knowing that so many people have expressed interest in Indian start-ups is reassuring to us and the future of start-ups in India.