Another 'Kart' joins the e-com bandwagon, is there space for more vertical players in toys space?

Following the success of e-commerce giant Flipkart in India, a number of new companies were launched that used the suffix 'Kart' in the name of their portals. So much so that we ended up writing about the 'Kart' phenomenon (read here for more). Now, another player has joined this growing list- WoWkart.com, an e-tailer of toys and games.

The venture is part of Noida-based Spire Online Services Pvt. Ltd which was co-founded last November 2011 by Rishabh Garg (CEO) and Ravi Chamria (CTO). Garg holds a BTech degree from IIT Roorkee and he has worked with firms such as Infosys, SAP Labs India, Genband and Agnity in the past. Charmia is also a founder of Sakshay Web Technologies, another Noida-based startup and holds an MBBS degree from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), New Delhi. Both the founders are currently pursuing their MBA from IIM, Lucknow.

Users can shop for toys, games and activity books (a recent addition) and they can filter them according to type, product arrival date, age, price and gender.

The brands available on the site include Barbie, Funskool, LeapFrog, Nerf and Maisto, among others and although the site claims to be offering products from the 0-17 age group, we couldn't find any products for the 12-17 age range.

Garg told Techcircle.in: "In the near future, we are planning to add gaming consoles and videogames to cater to that age group (12-17), but as of now our focus is on the under-10 age category." The company is also planning to add sports equipment (which means adding more competitors like Healthkart.com and the recently launched Sports365.in, besides horizontal players such as Snapdeal).

The new website will face stiff competition from a number of players that include existing niche players that focus on toys like Kidloo.com, ToyTango.com, Redbell.com and Wopshop.com; plus sites focused on baby and kids products like Babyoye.com, FirstCry.com, Disney's online store and the soon to be launched Kidsoye.com (from the Babyoye team). The list of competitors will also include general e-com sites that also sell toys like HomeShop18, Indiaplaza, eBay and Landmark.

Considering the fact that there are sites that cater everything related to kids (and offer an impressive range), why would anyone want to visit a toy and games only site?

But Garg believes there is space for a new entrant if the business model is strong. He also mentions that the company will remain a niche site focused only on toys and games for the time being and added that the company is currently looking to raise funds. The company is also planning to launch a Facebook store that will allow customers to purchase products right from the social networking site.