Shopping for lingerie can be very annoying in India, says Vanita Sharma, a 32-year-old Mumbai resident. Besides the lack of good brands, not many standalone shops sell lingerie. The few which do don’t have a wide range.

To cater to shoppers like Sharma, a number of entrepreneurs are attempting to make lingerie shopping convenient for both men and women by offering their wares online.

Suchi Mukherjee, Founder, LimeRoad.com, says there are very few stores in metros and practically none in smaller towns which cater to this need. This has got more women searching for products online. “There is less inhibition in buying intimate wear online. Women are also becoming aware that the right lingerie makes a dress look great. Hence, the category is growing,” she adds.

Myntra’s Chief Merchandising Officer Ganesh Subramanian says sales of sports and designer bras are picking up. The average billing size for this category has gone up to Rs 2,000 from Rs 200 a few years ago.

“We are working on the problem of size and will soon launch a solution driven by content,” he says, adding that sports bras are the most sought after, followed by the lacy and designer stuff.

Weddings are another huge pull factor for the lingerie business, says Mumbai-based entrepreneur Sarabjit Kaur, who focuses on wedding lingerie, corsets and sleepwear. Kaur, who started from a small boutique in upmarket Juhu, says more and more women are now shedding their inhibitions. She also plans to go online soon.

Lingerie portals are witnessing huge traction from smaller towns, too. Market estimates show such sites are growing by almost 300 per cent year-on-year. Portal Zivame says it witnesses 50 per cent repeat purchases every month, and is eyeing Rs 1,000 crore in the next four-five years. Delhi-based private label lingerie e-shop Moodsofcloe gets around half a million visitors a month, with 35 per cent repeat visitors. The other few players in the category are ShopImagine, Oyegirl, Cilory and HerStyle.

Funds galore Several players have already attracted venture capital investments. Moodsofcloe got seed investment from Zurich-based Mountain Partners AG. Bangalore-based Zivame.com received $10 million (Rs 62 crore today) venture capital within just two years of operation. Strapsandstrings is also looking at raising funds, say sources. PrettySecrets has got angel funding from the Indian Angel Network, Harvard Angels and Orios Ventures.

Other fashion portals such as Jabong, Myntra, Yebhi and Fashionandyou.com are also focusing on lingerie. According to research firm Technopak Advisory, the $2.9-billion Indian lingerie market has undergone a transformation over the past few years with much innovation going into product design.

The growing number of working women, changing fashion trends, increased awareness about brands, media exposure, mall culture and the entry of a large number of international brands such as Triumph, La Senza and Victoria Secrets have led the change.

Even domestic players such as Enamor, Lovable, Rupa and Daisy Dee are shifting from regular whites and blacks to trendy, colourful and lacy bras with variations. The market is expected to touch $5.1 billion by 2017, the Technopak report added.

priyanka.pani@thehindu.co.in

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