Zivame,
India’s premier online lingerie store, features over 1000
lingerie styles to choose from: bridal lingerie, plus size lingerie, everyday
wear, shapewear, lounge wear, nightwear and swimwear for women. The
collection is curated and hand-picked from the top national and international
brands like Hanes,Triumph, Ultimo, Lovable, Plié, Jockey, Amanté, Bw!tch, Enamor, Hollywood
Fashion Secrets and many others. Recently Zivame has announced
that WonderBra (Part of HanesBrands Inc), the iconic American brand of lingerie
is making its debut in India through Zivame.com We got a chance to talk to Shekar
Tewari, MD, HanesBrands Apparel India and Richa Kar, CEO,
Zivame.com.
What is
Zivame into?
[Richa]
Zivame is the one-stop solution for every Indian woman’s lingerie needs. The
brand philosophy is based on the fact that an Indian woman’s lingerie needs
change with age and stage of life that the woman is in. Right from the teenager
just beginning to use a bra, to the college girl hitting the hottest nightclub,
to the bride on her honeymoon to the lady on her way to motherhood, there's
something for everyone.
How are
you different from your competitors catering to same segment ?
[Richa]
Zivame replicates the offline shopping experience by offering
detailed product pages with in-depth descriptions and images, allowing users to
understand the look and feel of a piece of lingerie. With the use of detailed
illustrations and images, customers are provided with all the necessary details
to make a purchase decision. Zivame's Fitting Room hosted by
in-house fitters Zoe and Zia and stylists offer bra fitting guidelines and
styling consultations to help every Indian woman choose the right lingerie to
suit the mood, occasion and outfit. Zivame also offers very
inexpensive fast shipping and has a customer-friendly hassle-free return and
refund policy.
Which city are you operating and when have
you launched Zivame?
[Richa] We are based out of Bangalore. Zivame started operations
in August 2011 and in 1 year of operation.
How many visitors coming to your website ?
[Richa]
The company has seen an overwhelming 50% plus month-on-month growth. Visitors
grew from a mere 6000 in August to over 17 lakhs in July. Zivame has now become
the preferred lingerie destination for the women across the country.
Tell us something about your tie up with International
product brand - WonderBra?
[Richa]
The coming of WonderBra to India is the most revolutionary launch in the
lingerie space and we are extremely proud to be partnering with HanesBrands as
they launch this iconic brand in India. Zivame provides International brands
the platform to reach Indian consumers residing in over 20,000 pin codes. For
consumers, this translates to best possible range of selection from all brands.
In a one-of-its-kind 5 day
exclusive pre-launch booking for
WonderBra on Zivame.com, the website witnessed an overwhelming response. There
were more than 90,000 visitors to the WonderBra pre-booking page. 100% of merchandise that was set aside for pre-booking was
sold out in 5 days
What is the price range for WonderBra and
What is special about it?
[Richa]
The products are priced between Rs.845
to Rs.1495, available in a range of styles. WonderBra products
are designed to provide stunning cleavage and enhanced natural shape. Several other complex design
features including adjustable straps, precision-angled back and underwire cups, gate back support and a
three part cup construction creates a fuller bust while maintaining superior
comfort
Tell us something about HanesBrands and
WonderBra?
[Shekhar]
HanesBrands is a socially responsible leading marketer of everyday basic
apparel under some of the world’s strongest apparel brands, including Hanes, WonderBra, Champion, Playtex, Bali, JMS/Just My Size, barely there, and Gear for Sports. The company
sells bras, panties, men’s
underwear, children’s underwear, socks, hosiery, casualwear and activewear
produced in the company’s low-cost global supply chain. Ranked No. 512 on the
Fortune 1000 list, Hanes has approximately 53,300 employees in more than 25
countries and takes pride in its strong reputation for ethical business
practices. Hanes is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star 2012
Sustained Excellence Award winner and 2010 and 2011 Partner of the Year. The
company ranks No. 152 on Newsweek magazine’s list of Top 500 greenest U.S.
companies.
After creating a fashion sensation in the U.K. in 1991, the
WonderBra brand made its U.S. debut in 1994 with the Push-Up Plunge Bra. An
instant phenomenon, this WonderBra style sold at a rate of one every 15
seconds, quickly becoming the nation's top selling push-up bra. Since that time
WonderBra has become an American icon for push-up and enhancement. In a
March 2008 survey done with women in UK , the WonderBra was voted as the
greatest fashion innovation in history. WonderBra is all set to storm the lingerie
market in India with its continuous strive to empower women to feel confident and sexy
with the unmistakable brand attitude.
How did this idea come
into your mind and tying up a particular brand with Zivame.com?
[Shekhar]
Having been in the Indian market for over 6 years and having established the
Hanes brand in India, we were exploring the options of getting our other
marquee brands to India. Our research showed that WonderBra was one of our
brands with a high level of consumer awareness already existing and it made
sense to tap that. While we will start rolling the launch of WonderBra in brick
and mortar retail later this year, the online opportunity gave us the platform
to launch the brand with a pan India footprint from day one. Zivame, being
India’s premier specialist lingerie online retailer, seemed a perfect platform
to launch the brand.