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Shobha Roy Just Herbs, a bespoke Ayurvedic beauty brand, is looking to double sales in the coming fiscal, banking on its omni channel retail strategy.
From an online-only presence, the company is now going for a brick-and-mortar model as well.
According to CEO Arush Chopra, Just Herbs, the flagship brand of Chandigarh-based APCOS Naturals, currently ships 3,000-4,000 orders a day through third party and its own website.
The company has set up a store each in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Hyderabad. Plans are afoot to set up more stores, in Bengaluru, Chennai Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
“We expect sales to double this coming fiscal supported by our offline foray. We have also added certain high value products which is contributing to our topline,” Chopra told BusinessLine .
The company may also rope in a private equity partner to fund its expansion plans. Typically, a 130-150 sq ft store in a high street or mall would require an investment of ₹11-15 lakh. “We are crystallising our (fund-raising) plan — it is not likely to be very big,” he said.
A recent report by Nielsen India estimated the size of the natural segment of the country’s personal care market, which includes products made of natural, herbal and ayurvedic ingredients, at about ₹18,500 crore. It constitutes 41 per cent of the total personal care market and has been growing nearly two times faster than the overall market.
Nearly 15 per cent of Just Herbs’ sales comes from countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Gulf countries. The company will continue to focus on the online model for exports.
“Our overseas sales are growing at a steady pace. We are selling through Sephora Digital in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. We are also selling in the US and Canada,” said Chopra.
Crowd sourcing
The company, which claims its products are 98-100 per cent natural, has been using the crowd sourcing model to develop its offerings. Customers are encouraged to become a part of the product manufacturing process, right from idea generation till the final product is obtained.
It has created the Just Herbs Herb Enriched Skin Tint, a make-up and skincare hybrid, based on feedback received from women of various age groups across the country.
“We have grown through word of mouth, as we came closer to customers we started developing products based on insights received from them as to what kind of products they are looking for,” he said.
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