Zivame - Reshaping The Indian Lingerie Market

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With male employees wandering around, confused salesgirls, and an air of shame surrounding the process, buying bras in India appears indeed agonizing for women. Zivame was started in 2011 to allow women to shop for intimate apparel without fear of being judged.

When Richa Kar, the creator of the online lingerie store Zivame, launched her firm in 2011, she set out to alter all of that. We observed the impact of this concept and how it helped women shatter stereotypes along the road. Kar's site has 5,000 designs, 50 brands, and 100 sizes to choose from, but more notably, it provides shoppers with dignity and privacy.

Know more about the startup story, founder, business model, funding and investors, etc. of Zivame by reading this article further.

Zivame - Company Highlights

About Zivame
Zivame - Latest News
Zivame - Industry
Zivame - Name, Logo, and Tagline
Zivame - Founders
Zivame - Startup Story
Zivame - Vision and Mission Statement
Zivame - Employees
Zivame - Business Model, and Revenue Model
Zivame - Funding, and Investors
Zivame - Growth
Zivame - Competitors
Zivame - Challenges Faced
Zivame - Future Plans
Zivame - FAQs

About Zivame

Zivame is an online retailer that sells women's clothing and intimate wear. Women's lingerie, swimwear, loungewear, nightwear, and associated categories are sold by the firm, which also offers consultancy to assist women to choose economical and branded items, allowing them to get all of their clothing requirements met in one spot, which is, the company's online portal.

In August 2011, Zivame, an online lingerie retailer with hundreds of designs for the Indian woman, launched its website. Customers may shop by category, brand, colour, size, and even specify what they wish to wear their lingerie under! Zivame simulates the offline shopping experience by providing extensive product pages, low-cost rapid shipping, and a hassle-free return policy.

Whether you're an Indian lady or a male, Zivame is dedicated to providing an online shopping experience that allows people to purchase at their leisure and in the comfort of their own homes. Zivame challenges expectations in the lingerie and e-commerce market by going above and beyond what customers have experienced in traditional lingerie businesses.

Zivame - Latest News

November 24th, 2021 - According to the latest regulatory filings to the Registrar of Companies, Actoserba Active Wholesale, which owns the online lingerie store popularly known as Zivame and is now a part of Reliance Retail, reported a 31% drop in sales to Rs 147 crore for 2020-21, while its net loss also decreased by 11% to Rs 42 crore.

Covid-19 affected Actoserba Active Wholesale's business and revenue. The firm sells clothes, swimwear,  lingerie, nightwear, sportswear, innerwear, accessories, textiles, fabric, ready-made dresses, and other forms of dress materials wholesale, including through e-commerce.

Zivame - Industry

Lingerie purchasing in India has gone a long way, from small crowded stores operated by confused sellers to sophisticated online portals staffed by fitting professionals. While the stigma around lingerie still exists, women have been more comfortable experimenting with and purchasing 'intimate' clothing in recent years. To a large measure, if not entirely, this tendency may be attributed to online lingerie businesses.

Buying intimate wear online allows customers to keep their purchases private and have them delivered surreptitiously; this is one of the primary advantages that online lingerie businesses have over physical stores. Discounts, availability of foreign brands, a wide range of designs, and different size options (from slender to plus size) have all contributed to the growth of the lingerie retail business.

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Zivame - Name, Logo, and Tagline

Richa Kar chose to name her company "Ziva", which is Hebrew for radiance. But Ziva was unavailable, so she chose Zivame, which means "radiant me."

Zivame's tagline says, 'Love Yourself Inside Out'.

Zivame - Founders

Richa Kar launched Zivame in 2011.

Richa Kar

Richa Kar earned her bachelor's degree in engineering from BITS Pilani and her master's degree in business from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in 2007. After graduating from NMIMS, she worked for Spencers and SAP retail consultancy.

Spencer's hired her as a Brand Communications Manager after she completed her MBA. She was quickly promoted and stayed there until 2011 when she was hired as a consultant by SAP. She had the opportunity to work with Limited Brand, the company that owns Victoria's Secret, during her tenure at SAP. Her meeting with the client was the catalyst for the creation of Zivame.

Zivame - Startup Story

Richa discovered that while shopping for lingerie from sellers of the opposite sex, ladies are hesitant to discuss their wants and desires. As a result of this, women have difficulty determining what size and style to wear because no one is there to assist and educate them. She found the solution to the problem while keeping the problem in mind. She created an e-commerce site for women with many categories that would not only bring lingerie to the buyer's home but also educate them on how to find the best style and fit.

The company sells more than just lingerie; it also sells women's clothes, fitness wear, and sleepwear. The company is also recognized for providing exceptional customer service.

Richa has always maintained a laser-like concentration, approaching product mix decisions as if she were a buyer. Price, quality, immediate and unambiguous feedback on the goods, cash-on-delivery service, and a simple return/exchange policy have all helped purchasers grasp the brand and gain confidence.

Richa started up her office in 2011 and received her first order 5 hours later. She currently has 2.5 million monthly clients and sells two things in under a minute. Richa Kar's Zivame journey influenced the entrepreneurial system since her proposal was not unique but also controversial.

Zivame - Vision and Mission Statement

Zivame's vision statement says, "To Offer Every Woman the Confidence, Comfort & Choice She Deserves. Confidence is sexy and we want to help women find it, wear it, and be it every day."

Zivame - Employees

• Amisha Jain - CEO
• Yash Dayal - Chief Technology Officer
• Jayesh Nair - Head of Facilities Management
• Arun Kumar - Associate Director Business Development & Projects
• Chetna Bhaskar - Creative Director
• Manab Hembram - Creative Director - Design & Product Development
• Sirisha Tadepalli - Marketing Director
• Sourav Kejriwal - Director Finance
• Aditya Mulay - Regional Sales Manager
• Astha Sahay - Business Manager - Partner Business Ecom

Zivame - Business Model, and Revenue Model

The firm suffered management reshuffles in the early years, and since 2017, it has concentrated on developing sustainably by combining online and physical techniques. As part of its omnichannel marketing approach, Zivame has opened several brick-and-mortar storefronts known as "Fit Studios" around the nation.

A completely integrated shopping experience from the physical store to the virtual store, including mobile applications and the entire range of options given by the offline and online worlds, is what an omnichannel marketing strategy entails. The goal is to provide a seamless purchasing experience for them.

Individuals are more affected by images than by text. Zivame used a lot of attractive photos of their product range, which made it difficult for their target demographic to navigate. All of the bargains are linked on the Facebook page and advertisements, directing people to the website. Visitors' inquiries were promptly answered.

Individuals were able to develop a bond with the brand as a result of this. What appears to have worked particularly well for Zivame was its approach to its product range, which allowed clients to select the best match.

Zivame - Funding, and Investors

Throughout eight rounds of financing, Zivame has generated a total of $69 million. Their most recent fundraising came through a Secondary Market round on July 28, 2020.

Zivame - Growth

The firm suffered management reshuffles in the early years, and since 2017, it has focused on developing sustainably by combining online and physical techniques. As a consequence, Zivame's losses in FY19 decreased by roughly 39%, to INR 19.56 Cr from INR 32.11 Cr in FY18. In the fiscal year 2018-19, the firm recorded total revenue of INR 141.89 Cr and total costs of INR 160.01 Cr, according to the company's filings.

In terms of revenue, Zivame's main source of income is product sales, which totalled INR 137.42 Cr in FY19, up 59.49 per cent from INR 86.16 Cr in 2018. The pace of growth is comparable to what we witnessed last year when the firm reported a 56 per cent increase in sales. In addition, the company's service sales remained unchanged at INR 48 lakh, while other revenue fell to INR 3.98 crore.

According to Zivame CEO Jain, the company's annual run rate for FY20 has reached INR 340 crore. Jain further stated that revenues via Zivame's mobile application had climbed from 50% of total sales in FY18 to 65 per cent in FY19.

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Zivame - Competitors

Top Competitors of Zivame -

• Shyaway
• Clovia
• Boux Avenue
• Andra Group
• ThirdLove
• Adore Me
• Figleaves
• Change

Zivame - Challenges Faced

“Challenges lay at every point- First with the category itself – There is a lot of discomfort surrounding the lingerie as a category in India. The hushed or the suppressed nature of the category, has led to various myths and misconceptions getting attached to it,” said Kar.

She went on to say that she was confident that Zivame had the answer to tens of thousands of Indian women's lingerie issues. However, there was an uneasy ten-second quiet when she informed someone about it. The next stage was to incorporate the business, obtain a payment gateway, and lease office space. Each of these processes was difficult due to the nature of the industry in which the company works.

In 2015-16, the corporation experienced one of its most significant problems. In the financial year 2016, the company's overall net loss increased by 84 per cent, amounting to almost 54 crores.

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Zivame - Future Plans

"To our astonishment, offline sales have returned to pre-Covid levels a few months ago," said Amisha Jain, Zivame's CEO. Reliance Brands is one of the owners of the digital-first retailer, which has opened roughly 24 new outlets in the previous four months and wants to treble the number in 2021.

“By the end of next year you will see us with about 150 stores and we are going to be expanding through other formats as well,” added Jain.

According to Zivame CEO, Amisha Jain, the firm is poised for exponential growth in the next years because of technology, analytics, and innovation.

She predicted that the firm will increase by more than 75% in the following several years. The firm is focusing on four areas to fuel development, according to Jain: ongoing product innovation, exceptional user experience, omnichannel presence, and its new brand identity.

Zivame - FAQs

Is Zivame an Indian brand?

Yes, Zivame is an Indian online lingerie retailer founded by Richa Kar in 2011.

Who is the owner of Zivame?

Richa Kar is the founder of Zivame.

Is Zivame owned by Reliance?

Reliance Brands acquired a 15% stake in Zivame and is eyeing to buy a 100% stake in this online lingerie retail brand.

Which companies do Zivame compete with?

Top Competitors of Zivame are Shyaway, Clovia, Boux Avenue, Andra Group, ThirdLove, Adore Me, Figleaves, and Change.