SSBeauty, the beauty retail wing of Shoppers Stop, has inaugurated India’s largest beauty store. Situated on the first level of Quest Mall in Kolkata, this expansive outlet spans an impressive 9,000 square feet of retail area.
“I’m delighted to introduce the biggest beauty store in the country! Biju Kassim, Chief Executive Officer, Shoppers Stop, said, “SSBeauty at Quest Mall reflects our dedication to offering a state-of-the-art shopping experience for today’s beauty aficionados.”
The store provides a wide range of products including makeup, skincare, fragrances, and men’s grooming essentials. Additionally, it boasts a specialized treatment room for facials and treatments, as well as a nail bar offering nail care and styling services.
It features an array of international brands such as Dior, Nars, Armani Beauty, Kilian, Laura Mercier, Givenchy, Clarins, Lancôme, Kiehl’s, Shiseido, Jo Malone, and Tom Ford, as well as popular Indian brands like Forest Essentials, Kay Beauty, Colorbar, and Kama Ayurveda.
SS Beauty launched its first standalone beauty store in Malad, Mumbai, in February 2022. Currently, it has expanded to operate 14 stores throughout the country.
Founded in 1991 by property developer K Raheja Corp, Shoppers Stop Ltd. opened its inaugural store in Andheri, Mumbai. With a presence spanning 106 department stores across 56 cities, the company also manages seven premium home concept stores named Home Stop, 88 specialty beauty stores featuring M.A.C, Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Jo Malone, Too Faced, and SSBeauty, along with 23 airport outlets and 18 Intune stores, encompassing a total area of 4.1 million square feet.
In a significant move, Amazon India has informed its sellers about changes to its fee structures effective April 7. Several categories are expected to see increased fees based on the product price.
According to a report by Moneycontrol, the company notification stated that the updated fee structure encompasses alterations across different item categories, long-term storage fees, and refund fees.
It’s important to highlight that these fee modifications do not incorporate the 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will be levied separately on the seller fee.
At present, sellers pay Amazon a fee that covers inventory storage, technology, shipping, returns, and a seller fee for each product sold through the platform.
Home improvement fees increased from 9% to 13.5%, luxury beauty shifted from a flat 5% to a tiered system reaching up to 10%, and sleepwear rose from 11-15% to 13.5-19%, marking some of the most significant hikes in seller fees. Additionally, fees for musical instruments rose from 7.5% to 10.5%, and for flipflops, they increased from 10-12.5% to 13-15%.
While some categories experienced fee hikes, the ecommerce giant also decreased fees for categories like inverters and batteries, dropping from 5-5.5% to 4.5%, as well as Baby Apparel, which went from 11-21% to 11-20%, among others.
Amazon’s changes to seller fees will impact major companies such as Mamaearth and BoAt, which depend heavily on e-commerce platforms for sales. Mamaearth, a leading brand in face washes and skincare, will experience a notable rise in seller fees. The costs for face washes will now be around 6-9% instead of 2.5-8%.
Likewise, fees for moisturizer creams, including those from Mamaearth, will rise from 2.5-8% to 6.5-9.5%. Even for sought-after items like sunscreens, fees will increase from 2.5-8% to 6.5-9.5%. This adjustment will also apply to other beauty products, with fees going up from 2.5-8% to 6.5-9%.
It is unlikely that Mamaearth, despite its large sales volume, will be treated differently and will be subject to the same seller fee increases.
In fact, we would be the most commonly treated in terms of players because we function as sellers on these platforms’, stated Varun Alagh, co-founder and CEO of Mamaearth, in February during the company’s Q3FY24 results announcement. As sellers, you function within the same framework that Amazon has established for all sellers in the nation.
Ultimately, though, we are operating under the same guidelines that Flipkart or Amazon have developed for all sellers in the nation. In contrast to most other businesses, which use a B2B model with less transparency, ours is extremely transparent when it comes to the costs involved,” he continued.
Additionally, as part of the recent update, Amazon has discontinued its Zero Fee fulfillment policy. As a result, beginning from April 30, 2024, standard-sized goods costing more than INR 20,000 will be subject to a weight handling shipping tax.
Meanwhile, Amazon is reportedly preparing to launch its new vertical, Bazaar, which will feature budget-friendly, unbranded fashion and lifestyle products.
According to reports, Amazon Bazaar is currently onboarding sellers to list unbranded products, which include apparel, watches, shoes, jewellery, and luggage, all priced below INR 600.
The recent development closely follows Amazon’s foray into the logistics sector in India with the introduction of a new vertical called Amazon Shipping. The company is poised to enter this domain by managing non-Amazon orders. To kick off this new initiative, Amazon collaborated with logistics aggregators, other companies that receive orders directly from consumers, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) firms.
The pandemic has triggered a significant shift in behavior, leading Indians to increasingly embrace online services such as quick commerce. Furthermore, to effectively target the Gen Z and Gen Alpha generations, companies must leverage online platforms to connect with these digital natives. It’s high time traditional companies revamped their marketing strategies to capitalize on this transformation.
In 2023, the FMCG industry rapidly embraced digital advertising, with approximately 47% of the sector’s total ad expenditures directed towards digital media, according to analysts at Dentsu.
“Personalised targeting, real-time engagement, and quantifiable results are all made possible by the digital landscape. “Investing in digital advertising is essential to maintain relevance and accessibility to our target demographic as consumers increasingly turn to online content consumption,” stated Marico‘s chief marketing officer, Somasree Bose Awasthi.
The company employs a combination of digital platforms, social media, and influencer marketing to enhance its outreach.
Adani Wilmar tailors its digital strategy based on the platform selected. For example, on Meta, the company emphasizes a content-driven engagement approach. The digital medium enables companies to craft targeted communications for particular audiences, reducing unnecessary reach.
Jignesh Shah, Head of Media and Digital Marketing at Adani Wilmar, stated, “We predominantly utilise Meta ads, Google ads, programmatic partners, and content partners. it is fair to say that we are somewhat upbeat on digital expenditures as part of our overall media strategy.”
Parle Products now allocates more than 25% of its advertising budget to digital, up from 10% before the pandemic. In addition to Google and Meta, the company advertises on various OTT (over-the-top) platforms, content platforms such as ShareChat and Dailyhunt, and even short-format video platforms like Josh.
“Many in the younger generation are now cord-cutters. They prioritize mobile-first experiences and prefer to consume media on their own terms. This shift is prompting most advertisers to allocate more of their advertising budget to digital,” stated Vice-President Mayank Shah. He added that the digital medium currently provides much clearer visibility for assessing ROI (return on investment), indicating how effectively ads translate into reach and sales.
ITC’s digital investments are motivated by its goal to target the appropriate audience and optimize the accessibility of its brand. According to Shuvadip Banerjee, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, as internet penetration expands nationwide and its usage becomes more widespread, the digital medium has become omnipresent and democratized.
“As consumer behaviour evolves, so too must our approaches to reaching them. In terms of total reach, digital media currently outreaches television,” said Banerjee.
Consumers no longer follow a linear purchasing path. Before making a purchase, whether online or offline, they often browse through content and reviews on the internet. Therefore, it is crucial in today’s world to have a presence on both digital and traditional media platforms, emphasized Nitin Saini, Vice President of Marketing at Mondelez India.
“The benefits of digital advertising are numerous, including precision targeting, personalized communication, robust ROI tracking, data-driven insights, and the capability to establish a brand presence in a crowded media environment. Moreover, the growth in e-commerce and quick commerce offers a lucrative opportunity, especially for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands,” stated Saini.
“Our choice to utilize digital marketing is rooted in the rising prevalence of digital users worldwide. With more people accessing the internet and engaging with digital content, it has become essential for FMCG companies like ours to establish a robust digital presence,” emphasized Kush Aggarwal, Head of Marketing at Bikano.
For the first time in the history of India’s milk cooperatives, Amul‘s “fresh milk” brand will be available for sale in the United States.
The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which serves as the overarching organization for milk cooperatives in Gujarat and markets Amul branded milk, has partnered with the Michigan Milk Producers Association to distribute “fresh milk” in the East Coast and Midwest regions of the United States.
“We’ve been exporting milk products to the United States for the past 25 years. However, this will be the first time we will be offering fresh milk in the United States under the Amul brand. Jayen Mehta, managing director of GCMMF, said, “We expect this to be a game changer.”
“We recently announced our US market debut to the board members of the Michigan Milk Producers Association during their 108th annual general meeting. They are a 108-year-old cooperative that ranks in the top ten cooperatives in the United States. “Our products will supplement theirs,” said Mehta, who was present at the announcement on March 20.
The GCMMF representative mentioned that the dairy plant of the Michigan Milk Producers Association in Ohio is strategically located, allowing Amul to reach markets in Chicago, Dallas, and other East Coast areas of the United States.
Amul is set to introduce its lineup of fresh milk in one-gallon (3.8 liters) and half-a-gallon (1.9 liters) packaging under the Amul brand in the United States. This range includes Amul Gold, boasting 6 percent milk fat, Amul Shakti with 4.5 percent milk fat, Amul Taaza with 3 percent milk fat, and Amul Slim with 2 percent milk fat.
Mehta added, “The composition of these dairy goods will remain the same as it is in India.”
Amul exports milk products to over 50 countries globally.
Nature Spell, a UK-based hair and skincare brand, has launched its products in the Indian market. The brand is introducing an initial lineup of 22 stock keeping units (SKUs) in hair, skin, and body care products in India.
“We noticed a gap in the market for products that were not just effective but also sustainable, clean, and most importantly, transparent. This realisation led us to the concept of blending the richness of earth’s natural goodness with the efficacy of modern high-performance based active ingredients and as a result, build effective products suitable for all hair and skin types,” said Sunny Gandhi, co-founder of Nature Spell.
Nature Spell’s products can be found on its Shopify store and on various e-commerce platforms such as Nykaa, Amazon, Myntra, and Flipkart. Moreover, the brand has plans to launch its products in physical retail stores soon.
The brand is set to broaden its product range, with plans to unveil an additional 80 stock keeping units (SKUs) in the forthcoming months.
Nature Spell is a family-owned business established in 2009, inspired by siblings Simran and Siddhi.
FIL's Junaid Alaf with KimiTech's Stephane Chabierski
Kimitec, a Spanish bio-innovation giant, has entered into a strategic partnership with FIL Industries, India’s leading investor in the apple sector based in Kashmir, to revolutionize the apple fruit industry in India.
Both companies assert that the addressable market for this partnership is approximately $30 million over the next five years.
The partnership seeks to revolutionize the horticulture sector in India, particularly focusing on apples and exploring opportunities in agro-waste management. They will collaborate to establish a circular economy for bio-stimulants and smart fertilizers produced from these processes.
“Given the dimension and market share of the FIL industries, we are ambitious that we can reach the numbers we aim for. If we co-invest and design our solutions according to the needs of the farmers we shall be looking at $30 million addressable market in five years,” said Stéphane Chabierski, EVP Global Corporate Strategy and General Manager Asia-Pacific for Kimitec.
India is projected to be the largest producer of bio-waste by 2030. According to Chabierski, the FIL-Kimitec partnership will concentrate on upcycling waste management.
“FIL is the largest apple integrator in the country and has an existing interest in valorizing apple waste. We think we have technologies to help FIL to work on this and many more such projects on a national scale,” said Chabierski.
Kimitec extracts molecules from biowaste and supplies them to the food and cosmetic industries. The company has recently launched the AI platform LINNA to expedite the discovery of new molecules.
“From 18 months it would now take us just one month to find one molecule. We aim to find 3 to five million new compounds in the next decade,” he said.
With apples as the primary focus of this partnership in its initial phase, both partners are optimistic about their potential to introduce groundbreaking changes in the apple industry in J&K and other regions of India, significantly enhancing both the quality and quantity.
“We are looking at decadal partnership with Kimtec. For a farmer, this partnership aims to bring end to end solutions through cutting edge technology with sustainability and responsibility. For us this is the FIL 2.0 version looking at innovative partnerships and solutions,” said Syed Junaid Altaf, Group Executive Director of FIL industries.
He emphasized the company’s dedication to biologicals and bio-stimulants, highlighting their significance to farmers.
“We are not giving a substitution but we are here with a better alternative that aims to give better look to the fruit, better feel and outcome and better returns,” said Junaid.
FIL Industries is also currently developing a 100% biological solution for apple Scab disease, which is expected to be cost-effective and superior to any chemical pesticide.
“Apple is going to stay and remain the main focus in the horticulture sector at least for the next two decades. We aim to improve the quality of fruit from traditional orchards and educate the farmer about high density plantations to ensure he gets the desired results,” said Junaid.
FIL has already launched some of Kimtec’s products and maintains regular communication with farmers to gather feedback from the field.
The apple industry in J&K is currently valued at around $1 billion. Junaid believes that with technology, awareness, and expertise from international partnerships like Kimitec, it has the potential to triple in size over the next decade.
FIL Industries is also developing an app for development and advisory purposes, targeting interaction with 80,000 to 100,000 farmers annually.
“Focus will be to digitally capture a farmer’s data point, land detail for insurance and advisory as well. It is a pure outreach endeavour,” said Junaid.
FIL is also introducing India’s first parametric apple crop insurance program, appleINSURE, in line with FIL Industries’ commitment to comprehensive support programs aimed at apple farmers in J&K and Himachal Pradesh.
Starbucks, the US-based coffee chain, has opened its second outlet in Gandhinagar at Swagat Holiday Mall in Sargasan, as announced by a company representative on social media.
This represents the launch of the 22nd Starbucks store in the state of Gujarat.
“Thrilled to announce the launch of our new store, Swagat Holiday Mall, Gandhinagar! Our second store in Gandhinagar and our 22nd in the Gujarat region,” Prathamesh Akre, assistant manager -projects at Starbucks India said in a LinkedIn post.
The first Starbucks outlet in the city is situated at Pramukh Orbit, Gandhinagar, and opened three months ago.
Recently, the coffee chain achieved a milestone of 400 stores in India, opening a new outlet in Coimbatore at The Lakshmi Mills.
The Starbucks-branded coffee chain in India is operated through a 50:50 joint venture between Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Consumer Products Ltd.
In 2023, Starbucks expanded its presence into 15 new cities across India with the opening of 71 new stores.
The beverage company revealed plans to double its workforce, aiming to increase its partners from the existing 4,300 to around 8,600. This growth strategy includes expanding into tier 2 and 3 cities in India and introducing services like drive-thrus, airport locations, and 24-hour store formats to meet the varied needs of customers.
The company aims to operate 1,000 stores in India by 2028, with a goal of opening one new store every three days.
Consumer goods manufacturers are redesigning their product packaging to be more e-commerce friendly due to the continued growth of this sales channel in their overall revenue.
Company executives stated that products sold through ecommerce undergo multiple handlings compared to offline sales, often experiencing rough handling by quick commerce delivery personnel. Additionally, individual units are shipped, increasing the likelihood of leakages or transit damage.
ITC Ltd is redesigning the packaging of most of its FMCG products to withstand transit damage. For example, it has modified the cap of shower gel packs to prevent leaks even without the use of adhesive tape.
Biscuit manufacturer Parle Products is introducing additional protective layers for its INR 30-80 packs, which are primarily sold online. They are also implementing separate outer packaging for bundled online sales to ensure the biscuits remain intact.
Mayank Shah, Vice President of Parle Products, noted that packages in e-commerce undergo more handling compared to modern or general trade, particularly with the increasing prominence of quick commerce.
Sameer Satpathy, the Chief Executive of ITC Ltd’s personal care products business, stated that designing e-commerce friendly packaging offers a competitive edge as consumers seek maximum value from their purchases.
Since the Covid pandemic, most fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have reported an increase in the contribution of e-commerce to their total sales. This trend has persisted even after the pandemic, which experts attribute to shifts in shopping behavior and the growth of quick commerce in major cities.
For example, according to research by NielsenIQ, the online contribution for impulse food items like chocolates, confectioneries, and salty snacks increased from 3% in 2022 to 5% in 2023. Similarly, for fabric care products such as washing powders/liquids, pre-post wash solutions, detergent cakes/bars, and fabric blues, the online contribution surged from 6% to 7%. Moreover, for home cleaning products like utensil cleaners, toilet cleaners, floor cleaners, and glass cleaners, the online contribution rose from 10% to 11% during the period analyzed.
Little wonder, a major FMCG company discussed this issue during their recent corporate management committee meeting, prompted by complaints from several executives who received damaged products when buying online.
Dabur, aiming to attract younger online consumers, has begun designing new packaging specifically for online sales. Chief Executive Mohit Malhotra stated that they are introducing “aspirational packaging,” featuring consumer-friendly designs that are ergonomically improved for easier handling and use.
Health food brand Bagrry’s has transitioned their mid-sized cereal packages from cardboard boxes to pouches and jars to make them more suitable for e-commerce shipping. Additionally, they have introduced corrugated boxes for their plant-based beverages to minimize transit damage. In collaboration with Amazon, the company has also developed a corrugated box packaging for a 1.5 kg muesli pack, eliminating the need for Amazon to add additional packaging.
“The returns due to shipping damage has drastically come down due to these packaging changes,” said Bagrrys India director Aditya Bagri.
Orion India, the Indian subsidiary of South Korea’s confectionery giant, Orion Holdings, is expanding its range of local snack products. This includes the popular Choco Pie dessert snack and Turtle chips, as stated by the company’s Managing Director, Saurabh Saith.
The company, which ventured into India five years ago, is increasing the production capacity at its current manufacturing facility in Rajasthan and introducing new snack products to meet the growing demand, according to Saith. The snack manufacturer has enlisted actor Palak Tiwari to promote its Turtle Chips brand in India.
The growing popularity of Korean cuisine has prompted major brands to diversify their offerings with Korean-inspired products. For instance, Nestle recently introduced Korean BBQ noodles under its Maggi brand, while ITC expanded its Bingo chips range to include Korean varieties just last week.
“To differentiate from existing competition and the number of similar products which exist in potato chips and tortilla chips, we need to break the clutter,” Saith said.
According to the latest NielsenIQ data, the market value of Korean noodles in India surged to over INR 65 crore last year, up from a mere INR 2 crore in 2021. In contrast, the overall instant noodles market grew by 10%, albeit from a significantly larger base.
Other Korean food items available on store shelves include Hindustan Unilever’s Knorr Korean meal pots, Top Ramen’s Geki K-noodles, and Moi Soi noodles and sauces.
The snacks market in India is expanding quickly, supported by easy entry for new players, a consumer preference for all-day snacking, and local innovations, as highlighted in a report by market research firm IMARC Group. The report states that the Indian snacks market was valued at INR 42,694.9 crore last year and is projected to more than double to INR 95,521.8 crore by 2032.
Produced, blended, and packaged at the Poonamallee plant by Enrica Enterprises, Veeran is classified within the “ordinary range” segment, catering to cost-conscious consumers.
Authorities indicate that several additional liquor options within the affordable range are set to be introduced to the market shortly.
“Twelve brands including four beer varieties have been approved by Tasmac board and they will hit the shops post elections. The approval for Veeran came much before the model code of conduct,” said Tasmac official.
Since the price increase in 2022, budget-friendly options have constituted approximately 50% of the liquor corporation’s total sales. Tasmac has raised the maximum retail price (MRP) twice within the past two years.
The latest hike, implemented on February 1st, saw increases in the prices of both ordinary and medium-range liquors. For 180ml bottles, the cost of ordinary range and medium range increased by 10, while for 375ml bottles, the increase was 20, and for 750ml bottles, it was 40. Premium liquor varieties also became pricier by 20, 40, and 80 respectively for the same bottle sizes. Currently, Tasmac offers 43 varieties of ordinary range liquor, 49 medium-range liquors, and 128 premium range liquors, along with 35 types of beer and 13 varieties of wine.
Retail shop employees at Tasmac have noted an increase in customers opting for ordinary range liquors, attributing this shift to the comparatively higher prices of medium-range options.
“Daily wage labours who drank medium range have shifted to ordinary range now,” said a worker .
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
