How did a cake shop become synonymous with celebrations and parties? Krishni Shetty, Director & Chief Marketing Officer at Ribbons & Balloons shares the growth story of the popular Mumbai bakery brand and Swiggy’s role in making it happen.
Running a business, especially one that deals with cakes and pastries is, well, not a cakewalk. But Mumbai’s Ribbons and Balloons has been making it look easy for almost two decades.
Inspired to scale greater heights, the path was set for Krishni, who leads the marketing vertical at Ribbons & Balloons, to expand the retail chain of cake shops brought to life by her father’s vision in 2005 and currently spread across Mumbai, Pune, Mangalore, and Patna.
Having grown up alongside the brand, Krishni gained a deeper understanding of the confectionaries and bakeries industry even before she joined the brand’s executive team.
After completing her Master’s in Marketing from a business school in London, it was around 2021 when Krishni took charge of the business’ marketing department. Here’s how this story shaped itself and got better through Swiggy’s unwavering support
Business rooted in the family
Ribbons & Balloons began its journey in 2005. However, even before that, Krishni’s family has had a history of pioneering initiatives and businesses in the F&B industry. “My grandfather started a restaurant named Bharat Cafe in Ghatkopar, which has been there for around 80 years and still continues to run,” says Krishni.
Through years of understanding the market and customer preferences, the family got a strong hold on what works best. “We have always been in and around food, and we understand a lot about the quality and what it takes to deliver the best delicacies consistently over time,” she adds.
Foundation followed by expansion
In 2005, the Shetty family observed that there were only a handful of cake shops in their locality and even those were targeting premium niche segments of cake lovers. It was during that time when Krishni’s father saw an opportunity to cater to all segments of customers. “That’s how Ribbons & Balloons came into being. When you think about ribbons and balloons, you think of celebration. This is how our name became so easily synonymous with such moments,” remarks Krishni whose older brother, Yaash, currently serves as the CEO of Ribbons & Balloons.
“Since our inception, we have gained many loyal customers who appreciate our variety of cakes and other offerings. Today, our shops are in Mumbai, Pune, Mangalore, and Patna. Right now, we see a lot of scope for expanding our presence to other suburban regions around Mumbai. We are quite ambitious with onboarding franchises right now. That’s where our focus and efforts currently lie,” adds Krishni.
With more than 60 outlets in Mumbai alone, the overall daily functioning of the business becomes a ‘cakewalk’ through a systematic and tech-enabled approach. “Our head office and central kitchen are in Rabale. Every morning, our cakes are freshly produced and distributed to outlets all over Mumbai,” explains Krishni whose heart lies in building the brand and marketing their products right.
Cherry on the cake: Swiggy steps in
It was around 2020 when Ribbons & Balloons onboarded with Swiggy. “Before Swiggy, we did have a delivery setup in place, but handling the rising number of delivery orders was not an easy task,” says Krishni
“That’s where Swiggy helped us immensely in catering to our customers’ needs instantly. We do not have to worry about delivering a midnight surprise cake to a customer even when their order comes in at 11:50 PM!,” adds Krishni.
Not just the common delivery aspect, the brand’s association with Swiggy was fruitful in many other ways. Having worked as a shadow sales team member earlier with the brand, Swiggy’s account manager, Ayush Ratish Mishra knew what kind of challenges to foresee. “When our association began, we identified the areas that could be strengthened. Uploading proper images for menu items, running banner ads and other marketing initiatives, and adding discounts on best-selling products to increase sales, all of it was part of our approach to boosting the brand’s visibility online and offline. Even in the short span of the last four months, there has been a rise in both the brand’s visibility and sales numbers. For instance, February 2024 saw nearly 14 percent growth compared to February 2023. Overall, it has been an amazing partnership,” says Ayush.
Behind every successful collaboration, communication and mutual understanding play a key role. “Throughout our association, Krishni and the team have been data-oriented and always open to suggestions. Wherever we have identified an untapped growth opportunity, they are ready to deep-dive into it. I get the freedom to pitch my ideas to them, and they patiently listen and make it a point to discuss its feasibility,” adds Ayush.
“We like working with a lot of data, and Ayush has been proactive in deriving and sharing actionable insights from it. Since our association with Swiggy, things have been going great,” says Krishni.
Ribbons & Balloons has kept growing year on year since 2005, and continues to be the icing on the cake at every celebration.
