Synopsis:

Pepperfry.com (Pepperfry) is India's leading furniture and lifestyle online retailer (e-tailer). As a pioneer in the online furniture and furnishings space, Pepperfry had a first-mover advantage that led to the achievement of significant milestones within a short period. Considering furniture is a non-standard product, Pepperfry's online marketing involves distinct challenges, compared with marketplaces that sell standard products. Ambareesh Murty, chief executive officer and co-founder of Pepperfry, believes that improving customer experience at all the stages of the buyers' decision-making process is the foundational strategy to address challenges associated with an online furniture business. The case analyzes Pepperfry's customer-advocacy strategy for creating a positive customer experience, and evaluates the company's service-design strategy for its multi-channel retailing. The case also explores the various strategies that Pepperfry could leverage to improve its customer experience and thereby achieve a competitive advantage for the next stage in the customer decision journey.

Possible questions to explore:

1. Taking into consideration the various stages of the Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard (EBM) model, can you suggest how to improve customer experience at each stage?