“Planning a special event should be easy, affordable and above all, fun. There’s no one in the world more focused on delivering this experience than Koyal.”

This interview was made possible by our friends at Guidant Financial:

The leader in alternative startup, franchise and small business financing.

Koyal Wholesale is the world’s largest wedding and event supplies company with over 50,000 products shipping to more than 100 countries worldwide (KoyalWholesale.com). Our products include wedding and reception decor, event lighting, vases and centerpiece supplies, floral supplies, favors and gifts, fabrics and linens, DIY craft supplies, and cake, cupcake and candy buffet supplies.

Koyal was founded in Southern California in 2003 with a bold vision to revolutionize the wedding and event supplies space with a fully optimized customer experience, including a comprehensive e-commerce site, worldclass customer service, unique educational content, and the world’s best event products. Planning a wedding and special event should be easy, affordable and above all, fun. There’s no one in the world more focused on delivering this experience than Koyal.

 MO: Can you talk about the process of taking your bold vision to transform the wedding and event planning industries and going on to create the world’s largest wedding and event supply company?

Shreyans: We started by tackling one product line, event vases and centerpiece supplies, and slowly integrated other main categories to offer the world’s most comprehensive selection of event products — all in one universally accessible location (www.koyalwholesale.com). We then focused on pairing these products with unique online content, through our blog, The Daily Design, and our social media, email marketing and affiliate marketing channels. Finally, we heavily invested in recruiting a worldclass staff, and inspiring our entire team to operate powered by one single goal: To deliver the best customer service and customer experience possible.

MO: Where were some of the challenges you faced while developing your business and how did you overcome them? Is there anything you wish that you would have known when first starting out?

Shreyans: Some challenges we faced were tackling the learning curve of running an ecommerce company, and keeping up with tremendous consumer demand both at home, and abroad. To overcome the first challenge, we employed a combination of study and doing. We reached out to and consulted with some of the leading thinkers and doers in the field of ecommerce. We employed A/B testing, and other common experimental features, designed to quickly and efficiently solve problems. And we kept an open mind, learning from other giants in ecommerce, regardless of industry. To keep up with tremendous demand, we quickly innovated our systems and training. We recruited top style experts to track international design trends, so that we could better anticipate and meet demand. For example, we were the first event company in the US to mass produce paper flowers and pom poms, which originated in Mexico, and are now among the hottest event items.

One thing I wish I knew when starting Koyal was how critically important are the members of your team. A company’s team needs to have a team-player attitude. The team needs to be motivated, adaptable, and in tune with the company’s core values. A company’s team is its greatest investment, and while we may not have known this on day 1, we’re excited to have come to this realization so early on in Koyal’s history.

MO: Can you talk about your recent partnership with David Tutera and what that means for Koyal Wholesale?

Shreyans: David Tutera is a celebrity wedding planner, world-renowned for styling events with great creativity and affordability. He has planned events for Elton John, Jennifer Lopez and many industry icons. David contacted Koyal because he recognized that we are world leaders in cutting edge event décor and we share the same goal, that stylish, beautiful event decor should be available to all clients, regardless of budget. Koyal provided event décor supplies that David used to style his centerpiece arrangements and reception décor for each episode of the upcoming season 6 of the hit WeTV wedding show, My Fair Wedding. The crew also worked with the Koyal team on site, and filmed one of the episodes at our headquarters in Southern California. It was great watching David use our products in some truly creative and imaginative themes.

MO: Koyal’s inspiration in the e-commerce space for a number of years has been Zappos. What do you specifically find inspiring about Zappos and has that inspiration influenced how you run your own company?

Shreyans: Zappos is a superb model for any e-commerce company. There’s no better pioneer in the areas of customer service, an optimized customer experience, and commitment to the creation of a positive work culture. Tony Hshieh’s Delivering Happiness is on the bookshelves of every Koyal team member and has guided our philosophy of being “powered” by a great staff, solid core values and great customer service.

MO: How has Zappos’ mantra of “powered by service” been a guide for Koyal in offering the best customer experience? What are some examples of how you go above and beyond to make sure that your customers are satisfied?

Shreyans: Customer service is at the heart of Koyal’s commitment to create the best possible customer experience. The longevity of any business is directly correlated to how happy its customers are. We take that to heart. Our clients are often planning the most important events of their lives — weddings, baby showers, milestone birthdays, huge corporate galas — and they are relying on Koyal to fulfill some of the most important aspects of that event: decor, favors and gifts. Our team works around the clock, often before and after official office hours, on weekends and holidays, to ensure the customer’s order experience is as smooth as po ssible. We often expedite shipping at our cost, to ensure that customers receive their orders in a timely manner before their event date. We often include new products and samples to our clients, and special surprises in the packages as part of our random acts of sincere gratitude for their support and love for our business. Koyal is in the business of helping people plan the most special events of their lives, and we’ll go above and beyond to make sure we provide the happiest experience possible.

MO: What influenced your decision to fine-tune the interface of your website and how will that improve the user experience for your customers?

Shreyans: Every decision we take is guided by the principle of providing a better customer experience. We updated the interface of our website KoyalWholesale.com to provide a more intuitive br owsing and order experience for our customers. The changes allow them to find their desired products more easily, and to easily convey the information that they’re seeking (inventory levels, product alternatives, how-to ideas, and so on). We are very excited for all the features and tools that we will be rolling out with shortly – stay tuned!

MO: Can you provide some tips for creating a beautiful and memorable event on a tight budget?

Shreyans: We have written extensively on the subject of how to plan an incredible event on a budget. Some of the most popular tips include re-purposing your décor (for example, the floral arrangements you use in your wedding ceremony can double as your reception centerpieces), combining items (for example, placecard holders can also act as wedding favors), being aware of the season (for example, choosing in season flowers for your bouquet and centerpieces may lower your cost, or holding events off peak season will also lower costs), and finally planning ahead (one of the most costly parts of event planning include rush fees, expedited shipping fees and last minute charges that can all be avoided with some advance planning).

Koyal not only offers a broad selection of wedding supplies and décor, but also unique budget-friendly tips and tricks, and how-to content in our blog, The Daily Design and YouTube channel, KoyalTV!