Livpure, which started out as a water purifier brand in 2011, has grown its portfolio to include air purifiers, air conditioners, coolers and most recently, sleep solutions. The company, with its recent foray, is positioning itself as “one that offers consumers health, wellness and purity”, says CEO Pritesh Talwar.
After entering the air conditioners category in 2019, Livpure launched its sleep solutions range during the pandemic in 2020, offering mattresses, comforters, sheets, towels and blackout curtains via the e-commerce and D2C routes.
Competitive landscape
The D2C mattress segment has seen a mushrooming of new-age brands recently such as Wakefit, The Sleep Company and SleepyCat, but there’s legroom to grow. “Since we already operate in the home category, we understand the dynamics of the market and sleep solutions are a natural brand extension,” says Talwar.
India’s mattress segment has been growing at an 11% CAGR in the last five years and is valued at `12,000-13,000 crore, as per a report by Research and Markets.
Livpure, which already has an offline presence for its older businesses, will adopt an omnichannel strategy for the new range and take it offline in around six months. Since the company launched mattresses and sleep solutions during the pandemic, it chose the D2C approach to connect with consumers directly for feedback. The company claims the new portfolio has been growing 20-30% month-on-month, since launch.
In the coolers and air conditioners category, Talwar admits the company is in unfamiliar territory. “The past couple of years were tough because of the pandemic over two consecutive summers, but this year looks promising.” Furthermore, in the water purifier segment, estimated at `4,000 crore, there is stiff competition, with established players such as Eureka Forbes, Kent and Philips. “There are some areas geographically where we are weak, especially in the South and some parts of West India, so we will look at strengthening our distribution there,” says Talwar.
According to Rajat Wahi, partner, Deloitte India, the water purifier market in India is expected to grow at a 35% CAGR over the next decade. “This growth is driven by health and hygiene awareness, growing consumer aspirations in tier-II and III cities, better availability through e-commerce and offline distribution.”
The Tendulkar factor
Perhaps one of Livpure’s biggest challenges is brand awareness. “The company is still establishing itself in the water purifier and air conditioner categories. A differentiated strategy for each product category is essential, while also merging it with the parent Livpure brand and its core values,” says Aman Swetta, co-founder and MD, id8 Media Solutions.
Livpure’s expansion into a non-adjacent category like mattresses comes with its own set of challenges. While dabbling with related categories such as ACs and electronics is easier for a water purifier brand due to synergies in distribution channels, the same cannot be said for the mattress category, Wahi points out.
The company is well aware, Talwar admits, about the challenges. To that end, Livpure’s decade-long association with brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar has helped the brand gain traction, especially for its range of coolers and water purifiers, he explains. It will roll out a series of digital-led campaigns this year, increase its marketing spends and extend its association with Tendulkar for the sleep solutions category, too. Overall, Livpure is expected to register a 25-30% growth this calendar year.
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