At CXQuest.com, we are thrilled to welcome Rohit Agarwal, the dynamic Business Head and Co-founder of Urban Space, a homegrown brand redefining the home furnishings segment in India. Rohit’s extensive expertise in textiles, production management, and operational efficiency has been instrumental in transforming Urban Space into a customer-centric brand delivering high-quality products with minimal lead times.
Rohit’s journey is an inspiring testament to adaptability and innovation. Transitioning from a successful corporate career at Nokia to the complexities of the unorganized textile industry, he has led Urban Space to excel in quality, scale, and customer satisfaction. His leadership has driven key milestones, including the evolution of a family-run manufacturing unit into a technologically empowered production powerhouse, capable of producing over 50,000 units per month.
With a strong academic foundation in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from MDI Gurgaon, Rohit combines technical precision with managerial acumen. His ability to balance traditional values with modern e-commerce strategies has positioned Urban Space as a brand that resonates deeply with Indian consumers, making homes more personal and affordable.
Join us as we dive into an insightful conversation with Rohit Agarwal, exploring his vision for Urban Space, his approach to customer experience, and the driving principles behind the brand’s success. Welcome, Rohit, to CXQuest.com!
Vision and Customer-Centric Philosophy
Q1. Urban Space aims to create homes that reflect evolving lifestyles. How do you gather insights into your customers’ changing needs and preferences?
At Urban Space, we believe in taking a multi-faceted approach to understanding our customers’ evolving needs. We conduct regular customer surveys, analyze purchasing patterns, and maintain active social media engagement to gather real-time feedback. Our design team also participates in home décor exhibitions and lifestyle events to stay attuned to emerging trends.
Q2. Could you elaborate on how your brand’s unique design philosophy prioritizes customer experience while balancing functionality and aesthetics?
Our design philosophy centers on what we call “Everyone deserves a beautiful home.” Every piece we create must serve a purpose while adding aesthetic value to our customers’ spaces. We achieve this by following a rigorous design process that begins with understanding how people actually live in and use their spaces. Our designers work closely with ergonomics to ensure functionality never compromises comfort, while our aesthetic choices are guided by research into color psychology and spatial dynamics.
Q3. How does Urban Space ensure that its offerings remain relevant and engaging for the metro-millennial audience?
We maintain relevance for our metro-millennial audience through continuous engagement and adaptation. Our product development cycle is intentionally shorter than industry standards, allowing us to quickly respond to emerging lifestyle trends. We’re particularly attentive to the unique challenges of urban living, such as space constraints and multi-functional needs. Our social media presence is curated to showcase real-life applications of our products, featuring user-generated content that resonates with our target demographic.
Personalization and Accessibility
Q4. With affordable and innovative décor as your core offering, how do you ensure that affordability does not compromise the quality of the customer experience?
Maintaining affordability without compromising quality is central to our mission. We achieve this through strategic sourcing relationships, efficient manufacturing processes, and smart material choices.. We also maintain strict quality control measures at every production stage and offer warranties that demonstrate our confidence in our products.
Q5. Are there any steps Urban Space takes to personalize home décor solutions for individual customers while maintaining scalability?
Personalization at scale is one of our core innovations. We’ve developed a modular approach to home décor where customers can mix and match elements within product families. We offer customisation in our curtains to cater to different window sizes in our customer’s homes standardised after surveying large our key audience requirements.
Customer Engagement and Trust Building
Q6. Building consumer trust is critical in the home décor space. What strategies have you used to foster long-term relationships with your customers?
Trust-building starts with transparency. We provide detailed product information, including material specifications and care instructions. Our customer service team is trained to offer honest advice, sometimes even recommending against a purchase if it’s not the right fit. We maintain a robust return and replace program and have a straightforward return policy. Most importantly, we share customer stories and reviews – both positive and constructive – on our platforms, demonstrating our commitment to authentic engagement.
Q7. How does Urban Space leverage feedback to refine its products and enhance the customer journey?
Customer feedback drives our continuous improvement cycle. We have a dedicated customer insights team that analyzes feedback from multiple channels – social media, customer service interactions, product reviews, and post-purchase surveys. This data influences everything from product modifications to service enhancements.
Role of Technology in CX
Q8. In today’s digital age, how does Urban Space utilize technology to improve the customer experience, from discovery to post-purchase?
Technology is integrated throughout our customer journey. We’ve also implemented a chatbot for 24/7 customer support, backed by human service representatives for complex queries. Our Backend system of product inventory and stock management is also largely managed by new age softwares.
Our inhouse Data Analysis always helps us to monitor immense product variety and the performance of every product to adapt with growing trends and drop products that don’t work for us.
Q9. Are there any upcoming technological advancements or features you plan to introduce to make the customer experience even more seamless?
We’re excited about several upcoming technological inclusions. We’re developing a virtual library using AI to provide personalized décor recommendations. We are moving towards further optimizing the backend process to help in sorting and allocation of products to result in error free deliveries of the products.
Empowering Women and Team Impact
Q10. With 60-65% of your team composed of women, how does this women-centric workforce contribute to improving customer experience at Urban Space?
Our women-centric workforce brings invaluable perspective to our customer experience. Many of our team members are our target customers themselves, providing firsthand insights into the challenges and aspirations of urban homemakers. This authentic understanding influences everything from product design to marketing communications. Our female team members often contribute innovative solutions based on their personal experiences with home organization and décor.
Q11. Do you think having a diverse workforce brings unique perspectives that enhance the way your brand interacts with customers?
Absolutely. Our diverse workforce brings a wealth of perspectives that enhance our customer interactions. Different cultural backgrounds, age groups, and life experiences within our team help us understand and serve our varied customer base better. This diversity is particularly valuable in product development and customer service, where understanding different viewpoints is crucial for creating inclusive solutions.
Sustainability and Customer Expectations
Q12. Today’s customers are increasingly eco-conscious. How does Urban Space incorporate sustainable practices into its offerings to align with these expectations?
Sustainability is integrated into every aspect of our operations. We use eco-friendly materials wherever possible, including recycled fabrics and sustainably sourced wood. Our packaging is minimal and recyclable. We’ve also introduced a furniture recycling program where customers can return old pieces for upcycling. These initiatives not only meet customer expectations but often exceed them, setting new standards for the industry.
Q13. What role does sustainability play in shaping the overall experience for your customers?
Sustainability has become a key differentiator in our customer experience. We find that customers increasingly value transparency about our environmental impact. We provide detailed information about our sustainable practices and materials, which has become a crucial part of our brand story.
Growth and Market Expansion: Urban Space
Q14. As you expand into new markets, how do you ensure that the brand’s core values and customer-centric approach remain consistent?
Maintaining consistency during expansion is achieved through robust training programs and clear documentation of our core values and processes. New market teams undergo intensive orientation to understand our customer-centric philosophy. We also ensure that successful practices from existing markets are adapted appropriately for new regions while respecting local cultural nuances.
Q15. Could you share how customer feedback has influenced your decisions regarding product expansion or market entry?
Customer feedback has been instrumental in our expansion decisions. For example, our entry into Dinnerware was directly influenced by customer requests. We also use customer insights to determine which products to introduce in new markets first. Our expansion into tier-2 cities was accelerated based on strong online demand from these regions.
Future of Customer Experience at Urban Space
Q16. What innovations or improvements can customers expect from Urban Space in the next few years?
Customers can expect several exciting developments. We’re expanding our customization options, introducing more sustainable materials, and developing collections all about home decor. We’re also enhancing our digital experience with virtual design consultations and improved visualization tools.
Our focus on urban living solutions will continue to evolve with innovations in aesthestic and functional home decor solutions.
Q17. How do you envision the future of customer experience in the home décor industry, and how is Urban Space preparing for it?
We believe the future of customer experience in home décor will be increasingly personalized and technology-driven. Sustainability will move from being a feature to a fundamental requirement. Urban Space is investing in these areas while maintaining our core focus on understanding and meeting customer needs.
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs from Urban Space
Q18. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs on maintaining a customer-first approach while managing business growth?
Customer centric approach is not a choice. It’s the baseline for any business, no matter the industry.
You cannot grow and sustain without having satisfied customers in this age where communication is so open and easy, and more so, cost of new customer acquisition is way higher than cost of retention; and WOM is very cheap against any form of marketing.
Q19. How can startups in the home décor industry differentiate themselves by focusing on customer experience?
Brands will have to think of solutions, convenience, value for time and money spent by a customer. No longer customers can be viewed merely as an entity buying your product / service. They are buying into a whole experience – transparent information, choices, ease of acquisition, good packaging, value for their money, swift customer support channel and a community to come back. And if any brand can create this experience, it will stand really tall in the cluttered market.
Key Takeaway About Urban Space CX Philosophy
Q20. What is the one key takeaway about Urban Space’s customer experience philosophy that you would like our readers to remember?
We keep it very simple and our customer experience philosophy revolves around 2 basic thumbrules .
a) Consistency of experience irrespective of the product bought, irrespective of the channel from
where it is bought, and irrespective of the price paid
b) Upon receiving any product, at any time,
Customer should never feel ‘oh this is not worth the price paid.
Closing Note
As we conclude this insightful conversation with Rohit Agarwal, it’s evident that his visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence have been pivotal to Urban Space’s journey. From navigating the challenges of the textile industry to building a customer-centric brand rooted in quality and innovation, Rohit has set an inspiring example of adaptability and growth.
At CXQuest.com, we are grateful for the opportunity to explore his perspectives on production efficiency, customer experience, and the evolving landscape of e-commerce in India. Rohit’s commitment to blending traditional values with modern practices is a testament to the power of thoughtful leadership in creating meaningful customer experiences.
Thank you, Rohit, for sharing your journey and vision with us. We wish you and Urban Space continued success in crafting personalized, high-quality home solutions for Indian households.
