As wearable brands battle hard for visibility, GoBoult says it maintains advertising and marketing investments at 7–8% of revenue while unveiling its newest collaboration with Mustang.
In a conversation with Pitch, Varun Gupta, co-founder of GoBoult, discussed positioning the firm as a bootstrapped and profitable contender in the wearables and budget gadgets space.After ending FY25 with revenues of around Rs 800 crore, the company is now aiming for Rs 3,000 crore by FY27–FY28, according to Gupta.They believe a strong product is the best method of marketing
Marketing stays lean at 7–8% of revenue
Gupta said GoBoult’s advertising and marketing outlay stands at 7–8% of revenue.However, he added that marketing makes up nearly 35% of overall expenses, with a sizeable share linked to e-commerce marketplaces.
The revelation stands out in a category where scale is often fuelled by heavy influencer spends, bursts of performance marketing, and platform-driven discounting.Gupta’s positioning suggests GoBoult is working to build a more balanced growth model, relying on product performance and repeat customer behaviour developed over its 8.5 years in the market.He also stressed that the company is “very cognizant” about spends and monitors performance closely, using CTRs, conversions, and ROI to assess marketing effectiveness.
Collab with Mustang
While GoBoult operates in the value segment, Mustang is a premium automotive brand with strong aspirational appeal. Gupta described the tie-up as part of GoBoult’s effort to “premiumise” its portfolio and create products that can command higher pricing.“The idea for us as a company was to premiumise and thus build products that we are able to command a premium for,” he said, adding that this meant delivering on design, software experience, tech specifications, and performance.The brand’s category mix also signals where this premiumisation push is headed.
GoBoult currently generates roughly 70% of its revenue from audio and 30% from wearables. Going ahead, Gupta indicated wearables are expected to form a much larger share as the company moves into mid-premium and premium segments.He added that premium and mid-premium products are targeted to contribute around 70% by FY26, a transition the company believes will directly enhance profitability and reinforce premium positioning.
95% of campaign spends go digital, influencer mix turns lifestyle-led
GoBoult’s campaign approach mirrors its wider digital-first strategy. Gupta said over 95% of the company’s business happens online, and the Mustang collaboration is being promoted similarly.“About 95% of our spends are going to be digital for this campaign,” he said.
The brand’s roadmap includes influencer partnerships and multiple brand films, including humorous content. Gupta also noted that GoBoult avoids a “spray and pray” influencer strategy, instead analysing audience cohorts. According to him, the influencer mix changes by product. For the Mustang collaboration in particular, GoBoult is leaning more toward lifestyle creators rather than the tech influencers it usually works with.“Tech influencers are more hygiene. But the real magic in communication is going to be driven by lifestyle influencers,” Gupta said.The shift is significant. In wearables, feature-driven messaging often struggles to create differentiation. Lifestyle-focused creators, meanwhile, can convey aspiration, design, and identity key to a brand like Mustang.
Tier 2 and 3 drive 50% demand; Tier 4 adds another 10%
Beyond marketing strategy, Gupta’s data points also reveal how demand is shifting geographically for the brand.According to him, Tier 1 cities contribute about 40–45% of business. Tier 2 and Tier 3 account for around 50%, while Tier 4 adds another 10%.This essentially means 60% of GoBoult’s demand, based on its internal assessment, now comes from outside Tier 1 India.
Gupta credited the change to rising digital access, deeper e-commerce penetration, and the growth of quick commerce and D2C channels. He also highlighted the gap in offline availability in smaller towns, pointing out that large-format electronics retail remains concentrated in Tier 1 cities.Aligned with this trend, GoBoult is also preparing to expand offline distribution. Offline revenue share is expected to increase from 20% to 40%, driven by stronger presence and demand in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.
Beyond tech to lifestyle and design
Wearables are shifting from tech to lifestyle, says GuptaGupta also connected the Mustang partnership to what he views as a broader evolution in the wearables category. According to him, as wearable tech matures, incremental upgrades are becoming harder for consumers to notice or appreciate.
He said the category is moving away from pure tech-led differentiation and toward lifestyle positioning, where design, build quality, and brand experience will matter more than minor specification improvements. “Tech will be more hygiene and the wow and the differentiator will be the design or the brand itself,” he said, adding that this is the direction GoBoult aims to pursue.
Industry projections also highlight the scale of the opportunity. According to IMARC Group, India’s smart wearables market is expected to reach $10.1 billion by 2033, expanding at a CAGR of 17.8% during 2025–2033.For GoBoult, the Mustang collaboration appears to be a carefully measured branding move. The company is attempting to elevate perception through a globally recognised name while keeping a marketing model it says remains lean at 7–8% of revenue and largely digital in execution.
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