Online lingerie shopping in India should not be considered as isolated phenomena. It is however, an unexpected event. What made it an even bigger event is that the biggest growth was achieved by online sales. In essence it is the online vendors which have created a market and are profiting a lot from this.
The online market has been fueled mainly by two things: increased affluence of the middle class; and the increased buying power of women. Women have not been considered as a market force until now. Women’s buying power came about due to more economic opportunities. With more jobs available for women, and more women having jobs, they have found economic independence. They also found that they can indulge themselves.
At the same time with the rising affluence of the middle class, they have more disposable income than before. This is a liberating feeling, and has fueled a growth in consumer spending. The limiting factor has always been the disposable income, and with more flexibility in spending, there are more purchases of goods which were formerly considered as luxury items.
Traditionally, the Indian undergarment market is divided into mass-market, economy, mid-market, premium and super-premium. The above market segmentation follows the traditional segmentation for most markets and economic classes in India. However, for the lingerie market, there is a difference compared with other types of markets. The mass-market and economy markets compose the bulk of the whole lingerie sales. It should be noted that no matter how small the premium and super-premium market is, these showed the highest growth rate in recent years. In addition, these are items which are mainly sold in online stores. It can be said that the bulk of their sales are in online stores and these are the brands which fueled the growth of the internet-based lingerie market.
Overall, the Indian lingerie market has been growing at an 18% clip from 2009 to 2014. This means that it more than doubled during the said period. For the upper-end premium and super premium class, the growth rate for online sales was even higher. As an aggregate industry, men’s and women’s lingerie is expected to reach more than Rs 180bn in 2014. This is no longer small change, but a big market which is significant in size and growth rate.
So far there has not been a dominant Indian brand among those sold online. PrivyPleasures is one store in India which provides facility of online lingerie shopping. When companies started selling lingerie online, the local companies were still following conservative cuts and designs. They were also content to be selling in store outlets in malls and department stores.
It is not a coincidence that the online lingerie shops were selling more foreign brands. These are the brands and models which define intimacy and comfort. Even the terms used changed starting with foreign brands. Undergarments became lingerie and intimate wear. Nowadays, even the term “fashion intimates” is sometimes used.
Besides the terminologies and the marketing approach, international fashion and influences have put a badge of acceptability and prestige in the products on display online. The level of sophistication and detail in the designs has yet to be achieved by local brands. However, it is expected that at some point, there would be a local brand which would follow the footsteps of these established and big foreign lingerie brands. So far, with online lingerie stores, the biggest sellers are foreign brands in the premium and super premium category.
As with other internet-based businesses, online lingerie shopping in India is still in its infancy. However, it is already showing a big promise with regards the size of the market and market acceptance. The reasons cited for its growth so far, are expected to sustain further and even greater growth. Added to this, among the reasons cited, the least commonly mentioned is convenience. With rising affluence, as well as spreading internet use, convenience is expected to be the primary reason, and the driving force for the online Indian lingerie market.
Author Bio :-
Sunny is working at PrivyPleasures. He is much interested in online shopping. He understands that it is very difficult for women to purchase their lingerie from men shopkeeper. So now days mostly all women do online lingerie shopping. For more information you can visit https://www.facebook.com/PrivyPleasures
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