Natural and herbal skincare brand Jovees Herbal is targeting a revenue of Rs 175 crore this fiscal. The brand currently retails through online as well as 35000+ offline retail stores across India and is looking at expanding into international markets. “Currently, our products are available in Sri Lanka, Middle East, France, Malaysia, Mauritius & Maldives. We are planning to treble our exports in the next couple of years,” Rakhi Ahuja, CEO, Jovees Herbal, told FinancialExpress.com. The brand is looking at achieving 2X the sales of March 2022 by 31st March 2024, she added. In terms of the ongoing festive season, Jovees Herbal is expecting at least 20 per cent growth as compared to last year during the festivities.

Here are the edited excerpts from the interview.

What was the idea behind introducing the brand?

The brand was established in September 2004 with 24 products. We bring a wide range of products to our consumers, i.e., skincare, haircare, body care, professional range, and also ayurvedic products. Today, Jovees has more than 3,000 employees. And we have sold over 100 crore units since our inception.

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Tell us about your retail presence and your expansion plans.

We ensure to be available across India through various retail channels. We have partnered with 18 e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Nykaa, Purple, Reliance, etc. and across 35000+ retail stores. We are striving to reach a wider audience in the online and offline space. We are looking at achieving 2X the sales of March 2022 by 31st March 2024. Along with potential new customers in India, we are also looking to expand our horizons in the international market. We are also in the process of scaling up our recently launched professional category in the next couple of years.

What percentage of your sales come from offline retail channels as compared to online channels?

Around 94 per cent of our revenue comes from our offline retail channels and the remaining 6 per cent comes from e-commerce and exports.

What kind of investment goes into your marketing strategies? Are there any plans on increasing it in FY23?

Our marketing budget for FY 2022-23 is around Rs 20 crore. We have recently onboarded Parineeti Chopra as our brand ambassador. We firmly believe in allocating 70 per cent of our budgets on amplifying the content on various media platforms as there is no point in creating the content if it’s not reaching the maximum number of people. Over the next 3 years, the brand is looking to spend about Rs 75 crores on marketing as we have exciting plans for the future, both in terms of product range and marketing.

In terms of the festive season, we are floating festive offers as per market feedback. Currently, we are in the midst of our campaign and we have a 360° campaign which includes TV, outdoor, digital marketing, OTT platforms and social media.

Throw some light on the Omnichannel strategy of the brand.

‘Seamless experience’ is what a brand should focus on while working on the omnichannel strategies. Keeping the key visuals same across the platforms – be it offline or online – helps in creating a great brand recall. The same is applicable on product offerings, offers and providing cross-channel customer support.

In terms of technological upgradation at Jovees Herbal, we keep upgrading our website as per the latest tech for a smoother shopping experience. We are also working on a project for the Metaverse currently.

How have consumer shopping behavior changed in the beauty products sector over the years? How is the segment adjusting to this?

Rising disposable income has assisted the growth of India’s beauty and personal care industry in recent years. The key factor driving the Indian beauty and personal care market is the growing focus among individuals on personal hygiene and skin health. Product demand is being fuelled across the country by an increasing female workforce, rising fashion trends, and the popularity of social media outlets. The Indian beauty and personal care industry attained a value of Rs 54,558 crore in 2020, owing to increased spending on personal care products. The market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 6.5 per cent during the forecast period of 2022-2027, aided by the increasing penetration of a diverse range of brands and the growing popularity of herbal products.