Pilgrimaide simplifies multi-store management with Gofrugal

The company

Pilgrimaide is a trusted destination for spiritual essentials, blending tradition with modern convenience. Founded in 2016, it began as an online platform providing comprehensive information about pilgrimage destinations, including temple festivals, rituals, and pooja timings.

Recognizing the deeply personal nature of spiritual shopping, Pilgrimaide evolved into a hybrid model, combining the accessibility of ecommerce with the tangible experience of physical retail stores. This transformation led to the opening of the first Pilgrimaide Pooja Shoppe in Thane in 2019, a unique concept that quickly gained popularity.

Today, Pilgrimaide operates 10 stores across Mumbai and Thane, supported by a growing nationwide online platform. Offering a diverse catalog of over 3,000 products, including brass idols, pooja samagri, incense, gemstone bracelets, and home decor, the company ensures high-quality products at competitive prices by sourcing directly from artisans and suppliers.

With a mission to simplify spiritual practices and enhance devotion, Pilgrimaide combines exceptional service, thoughtful curation, and innovation to make every customer's journey meaningful and fulfilling.

The challenge

Mumbai, renowned for its vibrant festivals, lacked a dedicated destination for high-quality religious products. Pilgrimaide Pooja Shoppe addressed this need by launching an ecommerce platform to offer pooja essentials citywide. While initially successful, the team quickly realized that religious purchases were deeply personal, with customers preferring to experience products in person. This led to the opening of their first retail store, which became a Diwali season sensation.

As the business expanded to a second and third store, challenges began to surface. Managing over 3,500 products across 20+ categories became increasingly overwhelming without a centralized system. The absence of real-time inventory visibility often resulted in stockouts for popular items or overstocking of slow-moving products. Monitoring product availability manually across multiple locations consumed significant time and effort, making it challenging to maintain optimal stock levels.

Billing operations presented another layer of complexity. The diverse range of product categories required detailed billing processes, but without an integrated barcode solution, errors were frequent, and the checkout process was slower than desired. These inefficiencies negatively impacted both staff productivity and customer satisfaction.

With multiple stores operating independently, centralized management became a pressing need. Sales trends, purchase planning, and inventory updates had to be tracked manually, leading to time-consuming and error-prone operations. This decentralized approach limited the team’s ability to make data-driven decisions or respond quickly to changing market demands.

Disparate product movement across categories further complicated purchase planning. Fast-moving items like agarbattis (incense sticks) required frequent replenishment, while slower-moving products, such as brass idols, needed careful inventory management to avoid overstocking. Seasonal fluctuations added to the complexity, demanding precise forecasting that was difficult to achieve with manual processes.

Regulatory compliance posed a significant challenge. Many suppliers were not GST-compliant, making it difficult for the business to align with government regulations. Finally, as Pilgrimaide grew, the need for a scalable and technology-driven solution became apparent. Manual processes could no longer support the increasing complexity and aspirations for future expansion.

Benefits and ROI

Gofrugal's implementation delivered transformative outcomes for Pilgrimaide Pooja Shoppe, addressing critical challenges and paving the way for growth. Here are the top five key results.

• Centralized operations: The HQ solution streamlined management across all stores by consolidating data in one place. This enabled quick, data-driven decisions on sales, inventory, and purchases, no matter where the management team was located.
• Accurate inventory control: Real-time stock visibility and daily inventory checks ensured high-demand items were always available, while overstocking of slower-moving products was minimized. This significantly reduced waste and improved stock planning.
• Efficient purchase management: By leveraging categorized and seasonal insights, the team could forecast demand and restock efficiently, avoiding last-minute shortages during peak festive seasons.
• Seamless compliance: The system ensured complete GST compliance, simplifying interactions with suppliers and maintaining adherence to regulatory requirements with minimal manual effort.
• Enhanced customer experiences: Faster billing, error-free transactions, and consistently well-stocked shelves created a smooth and satisfying shopping experience for customers, boosting overall satisfaction and loyalty.