Richa Kar, CEO, Zivame unveils what makes the online brand one of the top lingerie shopping destinations for Indian women and how she plans to do even better.
It was in a very closeted and unfriendly retail environment that Richa Kar and Kapil Karekar started Zivame by borrowing Rs 30 lakh from friends and family. In early 2012, Karekar left Zivame to pursue other opportunities, however, with Richa’s efforts, Zivame continues to grow from strength to strength. The word Ziva in Hebrew means Radiance. Ziva-me is radiant me. The CEO of Zivame, Richa Kar discussed the past and future trajectory of her brand.
How and when did you conceptualise Zivame?Richa Kar (RK): Having consulted several retailers in my previous job, I realized there was so much social discomfort while buying lingerie that it has got reduced to a five minutes hurried chore. Also, a lot of stores clearly lacked the kind of variety in terms of designs, sizes and types that a modern woman requires. That is when I conceptualised Zivame as a lingerie store where women can browse through various styles, understand what will suit them best, order for their exact size and get their order delivered at their doorstep without any hassles. We started working out of a small office space and the website was launched on 25th August 2011.
We have read that your first order was from Gwalior. What was the product?RK: Yes, in fact, our first order was worth Rs. 7,000 and came five hours after the website launch. We were delighted! And the best part was, it came from a man who was buying a present for his wife. That gave us the boost to dive deeper into the category! I still remember, it was 10 o clock in the night on 25 August 2011, I called the customer in Indore to confirm if the order was genuine. The gentleman was worried whether the products would come appropriately packed to avoid embarrassment and we assured him of a satisfactory delivery.
What in your mind are the core strengths of your concept? RK: When I was working with SAP as a retail consultant, I got a chance to research on Victoria’s Secret. I came across a very startling fact that 70 percent of Victoria’s Secret revenue comes through online sales, and that got me thinking. I researched a bit more and figured that in India the lingerie brand penetration is very low. There is a colossal need for good quality lingerie across India.
Most retailers don’t stock the entire range as they have a very limited shelf space. Most women don’t find cup sizes that fit them. When you walk into it a store, it is not a very comfortable experience shopping for lingerie as most stores are manned by men. In India, the education level and understanding the right size and style that suits them is very low. Hence, we thought that lingerie was very amenable to online retailing as we do not have any limitations on the amount we stock. Plus we stock everything from size 30 to size 40 in all cup sizes. It also offers a private environment where women can shop without unwanted interference. The other thing is we all are involved, everyone does everything. It was always all hands on deck. I used to take customer calls under a pseudonym Sindu to understand how our customers are shopping and what are their pain points.
What do you have to say on the consumer shopping behaviour while buying innerwear online? How has this evolved over the years?
RK: Today women are very open to trying new things. We have launched categories like shapewear, sports bra, etc. that were underserved and niche, however, customers quickly adopted them and these categories are now seeing good demand. The consumers are also fashion forward. Our lacy collections have done very well and going forward as we are introducing an edgy, statement-making lingerie.
Our bridal bras gets 50 percent more clicks than cotton wear (daily wear bras)– there is a lot of curiosity around the category. The top three cities in India that give us best conversions in the bridal category are Allahabad, Agra and Jamshedpur, none of which are metros.
Is any of the brands on Zivame list a private label? If yes, why did you launch it?
RK: Yes, we launched two private label brands last year –Pen.ny and Coucou. At a category level, we saw some big gaps in the market. While first we tried to bridge them with products from international brands, we soon realized that this would not work for a large number of our customers, as the products were not completely solving the Indian requirements. Therefore, after adequate research, we decided to launch our own brands. Today these brands are responsible for close to 30 percent of our revenues.
Some e-retailers also facilitate the India entry of fashion brands. Do you have plans to bring in some international innerwear brands, if yes, which and when?
RK: We do offer a lot of international brands and some of the brands are exclusively retailing through us in India like Curvycate, Claudette, Anita and Panache. Our aim is to be the ultimate destination for lingerie in India, hence we are always open to getting quality international brands on board.
Zivame sells women’s innerwear only. Do you have plans to expand to kids or men’s innerwear?
RK: Currently, our focus is to build the innerwear category for women only. We think the category offers a great potential and we have not even scratched the surface yet.
Does your concept use 3D body sizing? How relevant is it for a product as intricate as a bra?
RK: No, currently we do not use this technique. The better the visual elements, the better is the customer’s understanding of the product. We have experimented with different ways to share in-depth knowledge about the product to the consumer.
Also we heard of fit specialists. What skills and tools do they possess?
RK: Fit specialists can offer in-depth knowledge about the category, products, brand and most importantly women and their body types. In fact, some of our fit experts come with more than 10 years of experience in the lingerie category and can offer extremely relevant and accurate insights to our customers about fitting. We build our assortment taking into consideration the needs of Indian women. Zivame found that a lot of full figure women were not getting their sizes in physical stores but the brand introduced sizes from A to G cups.
Do you have exclusive services like custom-made bra at Zivame? Do you plan to introduce it?
RK: No, we do not offer custom-made bras. Going ahead, if we see a great need in the market for this, we will come up with a way to address it.
What do you think of the future role of 3D printers in women’s innerwear?
RK: I think while experimenting with a technological innovation, it is important to keep in mind the benefit it adds to the customer. At this point, we feel this technology would not do justice to a category as intimate and diverse as lingerie. The category needs a very consultative approach. You need to understand women intimately. The services provided, be it technological or manual should help add to this personalised experience.
Your female to male employee ratio is 3:1. How does this enhance your abilities as an innerwear retailer? How does it enhance the innerwear consumer shopping experience online?
RK: Women understand women best. Consultation through various channels- fitting lounge, phone calls and skype is a vital part of our business, and our female employees form a major part of these teams. From the customer’s angle, she feels at complete ease when she meets or speaks to our female employees. There is a personal touch added to it.
Also, do you think presence of women in the fashion or innerwear retail industry in general is going to empower this sector, explain?
RK: Of course! You can offer the best service when you can relate to the category yourself. Moreover, when customers come to you, they are seeking knowledge, help and understanding. We would be able to do justice to the service only if we are experts in it ourselves. It is difficult to force men to master such categories. We stand an edge over them naturally, it is a great asset don’t you think?
Share your other future plans in terms of growth and expansion?
RK: With the aim of becoming the ultimate lingerie destination for India, we are looking at getting more brands on board. Another area that we are keenly focussing and working on is improving the service that we offer to our customers. We want to highlight the importance of fit and ensure that all women in India discover their right size. Zivame is looking at expanding the fitting lounge for this purpose. Of course, we are taking baby steps to ensure perfection at each step. We have a set of great designers, who are researching and working on bringing out great products for our private labels.
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