'Zivame played pivotal role in shifting perceptions about innerwear category'

Online shopping over the past decade and more has evolved magnificently. While going to the store to buy clothes is a joy for most, the ability to have the option of shopping from the comfort of one’s home is becoming the more convenient option.

Earlier in the days, when the option of buying undergarments online for women was not so readily available, it was an awkward task for most Indian women. Cut to 2011, with the launch of Zivame, a destination for women to shop for innerwear online, the shopping experience for the same evolved.

The ease and comfort of shopping innerwear online became an enjoyable option rather than an awkward one. Founded by Richa Kar and Kapil Karekar, this company has become a household name in urban cities of India.

Speaking to e4m, Zivame’s Head of Marketing, Khatija Lokhandwala talks about the challenges of lingerie shopping for women in India, how online shopping has made it an easier experience and how the festive season looks for Zivame.

Excerpts:

What does Zivame have in store for the festive season and what kind of consumer sentiment has it seen so far?

Every year, we start off the festive season with our biannual event, The Grand Lingerie Festival (GLF). It happens in September every year, which is basically the advent of the festive season. So, this year we've had a roaring success. Grand Lingerie festival is India's biggest intimate wear sale event, which is basically enabling women to shop for all of their needs, across occasions, different outfits, and different moods, to get them ready for the festivities that are coming up.

This year's edition of GLF was actually bigger and better than the editions that we've seen before. We had over 50,000 plus styles and 100-plus brands. The event was co-powered by Triumph and GLF this time was endorsed by Kriti Sanon.

We’ve promoted the property across both offline and online markets. We've had a TV campaign and print campaign, across all digital mediums. We tied up with the biggest influencers, both on Instagram and YouTube, to give a shout-out to the event. And we've seen massive success for GLF this year.

The launch of GLF in September indicates the fact that we know that consumers are going to get ready and we're encouraging them to ensure that they refresh their intimate wardrobe, along with their outerwear as well.

Which part of the country did you see the most success from for GLF?

Of course, there are certain markets, which are big markets for the brand, which are the metros. In the leading ones, you've got Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai. But we also saw the tier two, tier three markets really come to the party. We saw massive demand from new smaller pockets across Pune, Nagpur and Lucknow. So, I think we've seen demand from across different tiers of the country.

Could you speak a bit about the recent campaigns and what kind of research or thought goes into making them?

Intimate wear shopping can be extremely overwhelming for a lot of women in this country. Understanding how to find your right size, choosing styles that are right for your specific body type, for your specific needs and doing it in an environment which is free of judgment and embarrassment.

Zivame.com is basically playing the role of a guide, who's helping you navigate this category, discover things that are right for you, and then helping you find intimate wear that is perfectly suited to your needs.

The recent campaign that we just launched, which is, “Zivame.com Gets You” really brings this thought alive. The campaign has three films and each of the films has been built on a very strong consumer insight. The three films establish Zivame.com as the go-to or your number-one intimate web destination that will help you not just navigate the category, but also find something that's right for you.

When Zivame was launched, it was a pioneer. Over time, there's been a gradual rise in competition. How would you say Zivame is tackling that?

I think Zivame was a pioneer and continues to be a pioneer even today. I think we have played a pivotal role as a catalyst in growing the intimate wear base in India and shifting perceptions within this category. Over the course of the last several years that the brand has existed, we've constantly identified changing consumer trends, and then we've adapted our business model to stay relevant in this category.

When Zivame was launched, it was initially launched as a shopping platform that understood the need for consumers to be able to shop for this category in a very private and comfortable environment. Post that, Zivame identified the problem did not lie just in the purchase channel, but there was also a big gap in the availability of the right products built for the Indian body profile, products that were inclusive in their offering. Hence, the company completely adapted and metamorphosed itself into a private label.

So, basically, Zivame has built an ecosystem that not only engineers products that deliver on fit, comfort and quality, but also offer consumers a comfortable and enjoyable shopping experience through various channels like online and our retail stores. There is a seamless and pleasant shopping experience. Zivame.com is enabling women to wear the right fit, and find intimate wear designed for their unique types and unique needs across different occasions.