PremiumThere’s really no better market than India because it’s truly one of the most exciting categories to be in right now, says Antara Kundu, deputy general manager, Asia South, marketing, brand and customer acquisition, The Body Shop
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NEW DELHI : The Body Shop, a 46-year-old British cosmetics and skincare brand, is planning to add 25 new stores in India this year. In an interview, Antara Kundu, deputy general manager, Asia South, marketing, brand and customer acquisition, said the covid-19 lockdowns pushed the retailer to focus on and double its e-commerce business even as its offline sales return to 2019 numbers as the pandemic subsides. Edited excerpts:
What does The Body Shop stand for in such a cluttered segment of beauty brands?
The DNA of the brand is very “activist" in nature in terms of environmental justice, social justice and equality and that is very exciting for me as a marketer. Having a brand that really stands for something is an immediate draw that consumers understand and find relevant. It is a very active brand when it comes to campaigning about supporting causes, whether it is fundraising, petitioning or advocacy. I feel brands which really stand for something are brands which command consumer loyalty and that is something that we’ve seen is true of the brand in India.
Today, we have approximately 200 stores in India and this year, we’re looking at opening about 25 more stores.
Additionally, a brand with a certain draw, (which) is credible and commands a lot of consumer loyalty, especially in the post-pandemic world, is quite an asset to have, given how competitive the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space in India is getting in this very lucrative category.
Are D2C brands becoming a real threat to traditional companies like yours?
That’s one of the big things that a lot of beauty marketers have quite many opinions on. D2C brands growing has been a good development for the category overall. The envelope of beauty education has really been pushed by D2C brands and because of that, there has been a lot of new consumer acquisition to the category and that also benefits us.
How do you retain customers in such a competitive category?
I think we have the same challenges that other brands face, which heritage brands, which are traditionally retail-first brands, have faced. We are also fighting for consumer acquisition, particularly among the GenZs.
We’re increasingly dealing with more and more competition from international brands. Having said that, for a change-making beauty brand, there’s really no better market than India because it’s really truly one of the most exciting categories to be in right now.
How important is India for The Body Shop?
India is one of the top 10 markets in the world, both in terms of value and size of population as well. The US continues to be a leading market in the world, followed very closely by Asian and Middle Eastern markets. While China is a highly lucrative beauty market by its population and spending power, we do not sell in mainland China because it has a mandatory animal testing requirement and we are a first cruelty-free beauty brand. So, until those regulations stay in place, it’s a principled stand that we will not be selling in that market. India is a market that really aligns very closely with what the brand stands for.
We were also one of the few brands which was able to claim unequivocally that we are 100% vegetarian in every way that matters. That is of deep significance to a market like this and right now, we are in the process of transitioning from 100% vegetarian to 100% vegan by 2023.
Being largely an offline brand, were you badly hit by the pandemic?
Our traditional approach has always been retail-first because it’s about the power of human connection with great retail spaces and customer experience. Of course, it meant we were quite badly hit because the overwhelming majority of our revenues were coming from the retail channel and for the longest period between national lockdowns and state lockdowns, the majority of our doors were shut.
This was an opportunity to make big changes on the e-commerce front and scale up our e-commerce operations. So, pre-pandemic, we were servicing about 10,000 pin codes; post-pandemic, as on date, we’re servicing about 30,000 pin codes.
How do you market to millennials and GenZs?
How consumers look at beauty, particularly millennials and GenZ consumers, is about the fact that it’s something that makes you really feel good about yourself. It’s almost an escape from when life gets too much for you. That is something that works very well for us because we are, since the 1970s, a brand which is about the fact that beauty is something that helps with self-esteem. So, sustainability, what the product does, how it is sourced and if it’s benefiting local communities, to how it makes me feel about myself, are all things that are important. It’s not a dramatic divergence from what we were doing before, we certainly have the freedom to go all-out with that kind of communication to this cohort of people.