Leaders

Introduce us to KALAGATO Consumer Intelligence. How does the company empower clients with consumer intelligence?

With the evolution and growth of Indian digital con­sumers, it has become extremely vital for companies to get a single, consolidated view of their consumers and their digital behavior. KALAGATO Consumer In­telligence is uniquely positioned to deliver this con­solidated view. Given the wide range of apps being acquired, we gain insight into digital behavior across a wide spectrum of consumers. We are building prod­ucts and services that will help feed clients with con­tinuous intelligence on their digital consumers, to aid in driving critical decisions and better business out­comes.

What are some of the most critical challenges you encounter as a leader heading a consumer intelligence business? What steps do you undertake to overcome them?

Given the kind of data sources we have access to, we deal with a huge pool of diversifying consumer data. Many clients are still unsure about how to effectively use this kind of data in their specific context and how to integrate it with the intelligence they receive from other sources. Hence, empowering the clients to use the available data in the right way and making them aware of the benefits of such data, becomes a chal­lenging task. We believe that making clients aware of the benefits of utilizing diverse consumer data is key to unlocking its true potential. Our aim is to partner with clients, to build confidence about the use of such data in their decision making.

"Despite being a consumer insights professional for many years, i have never once felt bored. Consumers have a unique ability to surprise & teach you something new, just when you think you know everything there is to know about them. It’s a humbling experience, keeps me grounded, & reminds me that there is always more to learn"

Another common issue that we face with clients is a misperception about the cost of digital data. Some clients believe that digital data should be available at a lower cost, as compared to other types of data. However, what they fail to understand is that there are large volumes of data that come from various sources and there is a significant level of expertise needed to scrape, process and analyze this data. We are trying to get educate clients to get them to appreciate the complex processes involved in collecting, processing, and analyzing digital data. We also encourage them to start with pilot projects to demonstrate the benefits of using digital data in their decision-making processes.

What have been the best parts of your professional journey so far? What is your success mantra?

Despite being a consumer insights professional for many years, I have never once felt bored. Consumers have a unique ability to surprise and teach you some­thing new, just when you think you know everything there is to know about them. The market is in a con­stant state of evolution, and consumers are evolving with it. Hence, there is always something new to learn.

I have also enjoyed working closely with differ­ent kinds of people – bosses, peers, and juniors alike. Many of them have helped me grow as a professional.  I firmly believe that finding joy in your work is cru­cial for sustaining a fulfilling career. I would consider this as my mantra for success.  At KALAGATO, I am getting the opportunity to un­learn, relearn and work with a completely different set of people, mindsets, and generations. This again is a new experience, hence exciting.

What is the vision for growth for KALAGATO Consumer Intelligence?

I would like the KALAGATO Consumer Intelligence platform to be the ‘go-to’ destination for any client who wants intel on digital consumers. My desire is to see the KGCI platform on every marketer’s desktop.  Given the volume of data we have, our main ob­jective at this point in time is to present the available data to the clients in a consumable format. We are in the process of building a platform that will enable cli­ents to use the data more effectively.

Sushmita Balasubramaniam, CEO, Kalagato Consumer Intelligence

An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Sushmita is the CEO of Kalagato Consumer Intelligence, an arm of Kalagato – a data-driven app aggregator that identifies and invests in high-performing mobile apps using its proprietary data platform. She previously worked at Kantar as a South Asia Domain Lead - CX & Commerce and has extended as a consumer insights professional. She also attended Columbia Business School to pursue a course in Digital Marketing.