Starting in Dec 2022, we started working with Kitab Khana, the iconic bookstore in Fort, Mumbai. Kitab Khana is co-led by Amrita Somaiya and we were happy to work alongside her to give wings to ideas she had wanted to implement for a long time.
The brief was simple: jazz up their social media accounts, build a database of customers and increase footfall to the store, which had taken a blow thanks to the pandemic and a deadly fire that had ravaged the store.
We presented a strategy that positioned Kitab Khana as a Bookstore++ – a literary epicentre, a place where the most important conversations and exchanges could take place. The idea was to bring people to the store and also take the store experience outside through exhibitions and events.
Our brand story promised – a Bookstore with Soul, especially relevant in an age where independent bookstores are fading and are being replaced with cookie cutter multinational/city chains.
In the last year, we’ve curated close to 80 events in the store, from creating the Kitab Klub (the store’s book club for adults) to aiding the establishment of Kaarvaan – Kitab Khana’s cultural label that encourages young, promising musicians by giving them a stage and an audience. We also aided in the creation of the Kitab Khana Historical Walk.
We created a new stream of income through the events at the store.
We took stock of the social media account and created posts and reels that focussed on sharing the “essence” of great books on Facebook and Instagram. We update and maintain the store’s website and established a rapid response team to help the store manage enquiries and sales. We engaged with the Kitab Khana community and constantly amazed at how much ownership people show towards the brand.
We bolstered the kids events section, inviting authors and workshop specialists to engage with children on everything from writing and music to art. We recommended the employment of a robust database system in order to grow our community. Kitab Khana now has robust, active and engaged communities on Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp and on email through a bi-monthly newsletter.
“The team at A Richer Lens is dedicated to improving the customer experience online and offline. They have gone above and beyond the brief to deliver everything we wanted. We would highly recommend them to anyone struggling to engage and grow a community both offline and online”
– Amrita Somaiya, co-founder of Kitab Khana
Samples of our work:
If you’re looking for ways to engage, retain and build a community of fans with compelling content, get in touch with us! Contact: avantika@aricherlens.com