Inc.5 started in a small 100 sq. ft. store in 1998. Today it’s scaled to 90+ stores nationwide, becoming a trusted name in fashion-forward footwear and bags.
What got them there? Blending comfort, craftsmanship, with new styles hitting shelves every 15 days to a month.
80 to 85% of their business came from malls. Then COVID hit, and that same strength became Inc.5’s biggest challenge.
What Happens When Growth Forces a Pivot?
When malls shut down, Inc.5 was the first to close and the last to reopen. Operations went to zero. Revenue went to zero. It felt like doomsday, the kind of moment where everything seemed over, done.
But as one door closes, another opens. The only thing that could keep moving was online, a channel Inc.5 hadn’t taken seriously before. They weren’t sure they’d get good demand online.
They were wrong. Online demand showed up, and Inc.5 leaned into it. What started as the only option left became Inc.5’s new backbone.
There was just one problem: returns.
Powering Inc.5’s Payments with PayU
In India, footwear shoppers are used to ordering two, three, even four pairs at once, keeping one or two, and returning the rest. That pattern puts real pressure on checkout and payments to work smoothly, every single time.
Since integrating PayU with GoKwik, Inc.5 has seen uptake improve, success rates go higher, and conversion increase significantly with:
Payment Gateway – Accept 150+ payment modes with industry-leading success rates, 99.98% up-time & seamless integration across web and app platforms.
The Impact of Partnering With PayU & GoKwik
- Higher uptake since integrating PayU & GoKwik
- Higher conversion since integrating PayU & GoKwik
“Since the time we’ve integrated PayU with GoKwik, uptake has been better, the success rate has gone higher, and the conversion is significantly higher.”
— Rajesh Kadam, CEO, Inc.5
What’s the Real Lesson From Inc.5’s Pivot?
Inc.5’s story is a reminder that growth is about spotting what isn’t working, and having the resilience to rebuild when the ground shifts under you.
For Inc.5, the pivot wasn’t just about moving online. It was about proving, to themselves as much as anyone, that the product could carry the brand through a channel they’d never relied on before.
As Rajesh Kadam puts it: “Whatever category you choose, the thumb rule should be your product should be the hero, hero as in the superhero. Rest everything will fall into place, all the ROAS, ROI, but your product has to be the hero.”
PayU powers brands like Inc.5, so they can focus on growing their business.
