The $2.4 billion global plastic kitchenware company Tupperware has been in India for 15 years now, reaching out to customers through home parties and special customer contact programmes in malls through its network of 90-odd distributors. In an interview with Rohit Nautiyal of FE, Asha Gupta, managing director, Tupperware India talks about the right use of retail without doing away with the company’s direct selling model, and its new communication plan. Edited excerpts.
Is there a need for Tupperware to get into retail in India?
Currently, Indian customers are happy buying our brand through our sales force by just making them a part of their address book. So there’s a single point of contact. Pick any category of products and see the monumental efforts you need to put in for after-sales services. Our absence in retail is a hurdle that has been faced by a majority of consumers who look at it as the most attractive proposition. Direct selling has always been an unconventional way of buying products or services. We have no plans to get into retail as of now. So the way forward is to increase our touchpoints to an extent that our brand becomes more visible.
One of our initiatives in this direction is to come up with experience centres. We opened one in Chennai recently and our long-term objective is to have one experience centre per distributor. These centres won’t sell any products but will serve the purpose of exposing our brand to the consumers. We have been doing something similar across shopping malls to build a rapport with our consumer base. We have been doing something similar across shopping malls to build a rapport with our consumer base.
How different are the storage needs of Indian consumers as compared to that of consumers elsewhere?
Considering the rising level of humidity across India, ‘freshness’ is the most sought after attribute in storage products. In European countries, quality is taken for granted and the focus is on design and how it is in line with the current trends. Though Indian consumers have started realising the importance of colour and design in products, it is yet to become a larger trend. So freshness will continue to be central to Tupperware’s positioning in India.
As a direct selling company, you have gone for TV and print ads. Why?
We realised that it was important to spread awareness about our brand, make it top of line and create desire to own our products. So we focus on below-the-line activities and print. If values match, we also associate ourselves with films, the latest being the Salman Khan starrer Bodyguard. Under this co-branding deal, Tupperware is promoting a 30-sec co-branded TV ad showcasing its product with scenes from the movie. In-film placements include display of our dry storage products in Kareena Kapoor’s kitchen and a Tupperware branded bus in the film. In the past, we have done similar placements in Golmal 3 and We Are Family. It started as an experiment and today is a part of our well-conceived media strategy. These films have re-runs on television and that guarantees eyeballs.
Which are your top selling products?
Our range of water bottles launched two years ago have proven to be a game-changer. Then we will always be known as a lunch box brand in India because we addressed one of the pressing needs of working people. Being a category that grows 25-30% every year, microwave-safe products is another area where we see higher uptake. Freezing is also in its infancy in India and is not understood entirely by many. Rapid urbanisation will spur growth in this category as morepeople will choose to make one visit to a mall every week rather than going to a kirana store several times.