Kant, Founder of Clovia, shares insights on the evolving lingerie category, data-driven tech taking centre stage, diversifying to new portfolios, marketing strategy and more In the post-pandemic times, where most offline brands have embraced digital to reach their consumers, digital-first brands are leveraging latest technologies like big data, analytics and AI to make the consumer experience as seamless as ever. According to Neha Kant, Founder, Clovia, advanced tech adaptation is the only way to address the vast length and breadth of the country that the brand caters to. She adds “Clovia was launched with the core vision of providing every Indian woman with lingerie of her right size. Considering the huge territory of the country, changing seasons and body types, the choices differ almost every 100 miles, we can only do what we want to do by being a 100% data-driven brand.” Leading Through Latest Technology

Diversifying to newer arenas After enhancing consumer experience in the lingerie e-commerce segment, Clovia has recently ventured into the personal care range of products under Clovia Botaniqa. Sharing the genesis and insights behind the new range, Kant elaborates “Clovia Botaniqa aims to provide solution-based, ayurvedic products, enriched in natural extracts and goodness of essential oils in addressing skin & hair care solutions. We went through thousands of data points shared by our customers to arrive at the top skin/hair/body changes problems and then worked to come up with the best solutions. We rooted our formulations in ayurveda and developed a personal care range that is completely safe with natural ingredients. The entire personal care range is dedicated to the needs of modern-day women and also new moms.” Clovia Botaniqa was started early this year with products targeted to new moms and pregnant women like nipple butter, stretch mark oils, breast firming oil, etc.  Kant adds, “After receiving a great response from customers on the basic hair & body care and new moms personal care range, we have, in a short time, expanded our portfolio by introducing a range of face serums, face creams and new variants in body washes.” In terms of marketing the new personal care range, the brand has collaborated with tennis player Sania Mirza. Talking about the insights and marketing strategy, Kant explains “We collaborated with Sania Mirza as she isn’t just a celebrated tennis player but also a proud mother and this latest range is dedicated to new moms. In an experiential short video, Sania talked about how Clovia Botaniqa is an absolute skincare solution for pregnant women and new moms who face problems like stretch marks, acne, dry and darkening skin, etc during and post-pregnancy. We took the launch of Clovia Botaniqa as an opportunity to strengthen our social media presence and make a significant connection with the audience instantly. Apart from collaborating with Sania, we have also looped in over 1000+ mom and lifestyle/beauty influencers for Clovia Botaniqa who are talking about our latest offerings like - clay masks, hair oils, face serums, etc.” Beyond the new range, Clovia has collaborated with actress Adah Sharma for bralettes in the lingerie segment. Sharing insights behind the association, Kant adds “Clovia is all about bringing world-class products to Indian customers at the right price point. Not only focussing upon metros, we strongly believe in taking fashion to the tier 2 & tier 3 cities. We have associated with quite a few celebrities in the past and are looking forward to having more such strategic partnerships in the recent future.” Challenges in the way and growth In an earlier interaction with exchange4media, Kant had shared that education remains a key challenge for the lingerie category in India. Commenting on whether the challenge persists or has evolved, she explains “It has always been an uncomfortable experience for women to shop lingerie from physical stores. We realized that there exists a major gap in intimate wear for women in India. Upon deeper research, we found that the prevailing distribution channel restricts the flow of customer feedback and therefore there was a lack of innovation and variety.  However, the situation is not the same. Today, the customer is well aware of the recent trends and styles. We have been one of the key brands in the Indian direct-to-consumer space which is scaling profitably on the back of extensive use of technology in all its business areas.” Post pandemic, Clovia has observed a great amount of traction with the need for personal comfort seeing a surge. Sharing growth insights, Kant adds “We have noticed a 100% growth in FY'20 over FY'19 in just six months. We observed a 9X scale in sleepwear & loungewear, a 6X scale in maternity lingerie and feeding nightwear, and a 2X scale in Clovia's customer partnership programme. With improved gross margins and repeat business from existing customers, we achieved profitability post lockdown last year. The second wave didn’t impact the online business as logistics and e-commerce businesses didn’t face any halt during this challenging time.”