Before becoming the founder of online lingerie shopping portal Zivame, Richa Kar was a consultant for several retailers. An assignment with a global lingerie retail company exposed her to the lingerie buying woes of thousands of Indian women. “If you look at the entire lingerie buying process in India, there are difficulties across the entire cycle. Lingerie as a category in India is underserved. There is unavailability of sizes, very poor marketing and no concept of assistance.
Retailers stock only the fast-moving sizes. People manning the sales counter mostly focus on pushing sales, rather than offering help on the right fit and style. All this, coupled with the social discomfort attached to buying lingerie, makes it a hurried and not-so-pleasant activity for women.”
With an aim to change the lingerie buying pattern in India, Richa launched Zivame in 2011; here, women can understand their innerwear needs, browse through styles, order for the right size and get the order delivered at their doorstep without any embarrassment. “We wanted to offer women an environment that is consultative, inclusive and friendly. We want our customers to indulge themselves and enjoy the shopping experience.” The portal offers the convenience of choosing from multiple brands and getting detailed product descriptions and fitting guides to make an informed purchase. “Fitting being a big problem when it comes to bras, we offer a bra size calculator on our website with which women can determine their right size. We educate women through remailers and communication. We have a 24x7 women-only customer care centre. Besides discreet packaging, discounts and free exchange further minimise the apprehension to shop for innerwear online.”
Besides other challenges an e-commerce start-up faces, the biggest hurdle Richa faced was more to do with the category. “For example, launching the company, getting a payment gateway or even renting an office space. Lingerie shopping is such a difficult category even today that people are not ready to talk about it. I remember there was always a 10-second awkward silence when we told someone that we were a lingerie-selling company,” laughs Richa.
But things are gradually changing with innerwear becoming a part of fashion clothing in India now. “It has got to do with the increasing confidence of Indian women who want the best for themselves, even when it comes to lingerie. Mothers no longer do the buying for their daughters.”
Also with the increasing variety in fabric, styling, colour and shape, lingerie shopping is no longer a mundane routine. Richa is extremely focused and passionate about getting many more women to shop online because of the liberating and delightful shopping experience. “We want every woman to dress better under and find herself through lingerie. It’s about building her confidence, intimately,” says Richa.
