Personalisation is at the core of the growth in the mobile ecosystem: Tejas Rathod

Co-founded by Tejas Rathod, Kunal Kothari, and Ishank Joshi in 2017, Mobavenue is a technology and growth platform that empowers brands, agencies and publishers with MadTech solutions (MarTech and AdTech) to drive acquisition, growth, engagement and monetisation. A journey that started with three people, today has over 100 employees with 9 branches across the world. Mobavenue has exponentially delivered growth and success with state-of-the-art technology to over 150+ direct clients worldwide.

In conversation with Adgully, Tejas Rathod, Co-Founder & COO, Mobavenue, speaks at length about the inception of Mobavenue, the journey so far, leveraging personalisation to keep up with changing consumer behaviour, key trends dominating the e-commerce ecosystem, and more.

Please tell us about your journey with Mobavenue. How did you and your partners decide to start the company?

It’s been an incredible ride so far. Kunal and I were in the same college. Our passion for AdTech aligned us together on one path. It was after receiving a $100 cheque from Google Adsense during our freelancing days that kick-started our entrepreneurial journey. We knew that we had to embark on our careers in AdTech. And from early on, we used to see ads from Google and Facebook based on our online activity. Curious and concerned, we realised that there was a better way to deliver ads to the end users while addressing the consumers’ privacy. It was at this very moment that we realised we could take on this challenge to deliver ads to billions of users with contextual advertising and a privacy-first approach. And that is how we started our bootstrapped start-up, Mobavenue, back in 2017.

It has been more than five years since Mobavenue was launched, how has the growth graph been?

These five years feel like a blink of an eye! To give you our growth perspective, we started in a small cubicle with a lean team and believed we could sail through the turbulent waves in our early entrepreneurial days. Fast forward to five years later, today, we have offices in 10 locations worldwide with 120+ employees in strength. We have partnered with 300+ brands across Fintech, BFSI, E-commerce, OTT, D2C, and Gaming. So yes, we feel quite confident to say that our growth graph has always been growing and will continue to do so.

What are some of the changes in the consumer behaviour that you have observed?

No two consumers are quite the same. In our observation, customers often don’t like being viewed as anonymous individuals. They have their own likes and dislikes, so treating them alike wouldn’t be fair. Personalisation is the key to tailoring according to customers’ wants and needs. Especially during and after the pandemic, we saw a massive shift toward online shopping and value added-purchases. Today’s generation wants something that is relevant and personalised to them.

What are some of the major issues that you have faced, and how did you solve them?

At the outset, we faced challenges in team building, tech infrastructure, and financial management, particularly as a bootstrapped enterprise. However, to address these challenges, we onboarded the right talents in our company without compromising on quality, improving our internal tech infrastructure and implementing the right financial strategies. By doing so, we overcame these hurdles and continued to grow our business.

How has the first quarter of the year been for you?

For us, there was a slower start in the initial months of January and February, primarily due to anticipation of the global recession. Nonetheless, we have since expanded our reach to different geographical regions and have become more adaptable and agile in our approach. As a result, we are currently experiencing a steady growth trajectory.

How do you stand out from the competition? What is Mobavenue’s USP?

Our USPs revolve around maximising return on investment (ROI) in the most effective way to achieve crucial goals. We assist brands and partners in user acquisition, boosting conversions, increasing brand visibility, and retaining customers. Our in-house proprietary tools enable us to achieve desired outcomes while ensuring prompt and quality deliverables through a team of experienced professionals.

What are the key trends that you see dominating the e-commerce ecosystem?

Customer retention is the first key trend that is deciding e-commerce brands’ fate. The GenZ are the ones who prioritise quick checkouts and instant payment options and would mostly approach buying things one time without bothering to come back. So, customer retention has naturally become a priority, followed by interactive shopping and hyperlocal deliveries, which are becoming increasingly popular.

With AI, Metaverse and Web 3.0 coming into the picture, how have the narratives changed for you?

The emergence of AI, Metaverse, and Web 3.0 has changed the Adtech narrative by introducing new technologies and opportunities for advertisers to create more personalised, immersive, and effective advertising experiences for consumers. We see this as an opportunity to work with the advent of technology.

What are the top three tips and tricks that you advise to your brands that will help them grow?

Firstly, I would say brands should focus on their target audience. Knowing your customers inside out is important to understanding their needs, preferences, and behaviour. Secondly, leveraging data to drive decision-making gives you a clear view of performance metrics which helps in making informed decisions, be it your marketing strategy or campaigns. And lastly, building a strong brand identity is an age-old and successful recipe for companies. It is important to develop a clear brand message, visual identity, and voice that sets you apart from your competitors and resonates with your target audience.

Where do you see the mobile ecosystem growing in the upcoming years? Where does Mobavenue stand in terms of positioning?

The mobile ecosystem is constantly changing and evolving. We believe that personalisation is at the core of this growth, creating a tailored experience for mobile users. Mobavenue aims to lead in this space by leveraging our proprietary in-house platforms to provide brands with performance-driven MarTech and AdTech solutions, especially in the mobile ecosystem.