Happy Saturday, everybody!
I hope you had a lovely week because I had an exciting one!
My eat-the-frog moment comprised of sitting at home and working.
Now, don’t get me wrong- working is not the problem, sitting down at home is.
I love going out, so staying indoors in my PJs and working is a bit challenging at times- especially when I’m having a good hair day.
Because why waste good hair days by staying indoors, with your back hunched - working on your laptop- reading 4000 words and writing barely 2000?
I thought- why not play dress-up?
I’ve loved playing dress-up since I was 3- this is why I went to a fashion school!
So I decided to take a dress-up break.
The problem was, when I skimmed through my wardrobe, I did not really have a lot of clothes.
I unsubscribed from fast fashion and hoarding trendy apparel and accessories 3 years ago!
So, instead of playing dress-up,
I went back to the ergonomically unfeasible “desk setup“ of mine to see what’s happening in fast fashion…
Drownin’ in clothes
The WHAT and WHO of clothes
When it comes to fast fashion in India, there are 2
Oh wait!
3 brands! Oh!
1. Zara
2. HnM
3. Zudio
Well, we know about Zara and HnM, but what is Zudio?
An Indian Zara?
Yes, it is! But cheaper in terms of price and quality.
And Zudio is everywhere!
But what is Zudio?
For those of you who don’t know, Zudio is one of Tata Trent’s beloved fast-fashion brands that speaks consumerism!
Meaning- from foundations to fit-and-flare dresses to flip flops- you’ll find it all at a price that’s not more than Rs 999.
Zudio is not just in Tier 1 cities- it is present in cities like Dimpaur- where Zara can hardly reach on time.
Since you all love numbers, let me give you some more numbers.
Zara is present in 11 cities across India, while Zudio is present in 70 cities across the country.
Zudio has 346 stores all across the country.
Their stores multiplied by 2.9 times in the year 2022!
As well, Zudio has clocked a revenue of Rs 1,100 crores FY2022 (grew by 2.3x)
Now, I know what you’re thinking..
You might be thinking that Zudio will be like FBB- it will rise and rise and then become barely relevant in the market.
But here’s why Tata Trent is confident about the Up-and-up trajectory of Zudio.
It’s not for everyone
People in India are climbing up the social and financial ladder.
The middle class is growing, and so is their spending power.
Their incomes have grown and they are traveling more.
They have smartphones, a stable internet connection, and access to all kinds of social media apps- homegrown and foreign.
Zudio focuses on a consumer population that is newly trend-conscious and globalized, but whose low average incomes mean that clothing from Zara itself is still mostly out of reach.
Rapid Changes
In the Indian consumer market
The World Economic Forum claims that India will be the third-largest consumer market by 2030.
Irrespective of their income and the size of their town/city, the sense of fashion in Indians has evolved.
They are more aware of the latest trends.
Gone are those days when we had to buy overpriced fashion magazines like Vogue to know who’s wearing what.
Thanks to the surge in the number of smartphone owners in the country- even a small-town girl knows what her favorite influencers and celebrities are wearing, and she wants to dress like them.
She wants to fit in and stand out.
Monthly Sprints
Fast fashion requires brands to be flying and breaking records, because just running is not enough.
And here’s how Trent sprints-
Trent creates a situation to collect ground-breaking data and uses the data to achieve ground-breaking sales.
Every month, it spots a trend on Instagram or some foreign runway show and turns it into a limited run in select stores in 12 days.
If the product does well, it goes into a full run.
In total, it takes about 60 days to go from designer’s sketches to store shelves.
Propaganda
One thing that will never be dead is propaganda.
Want something to go viral? Propaganda is our answer.
Now, propaganda is not always negative..
It is positive, too!
It’s actually a pretty smart move if it actually goes viral.
Here’s a sneak peek into Zudio’s sneaky(not-so-obvious) propaganda
Store Openings
Zudio opened 48 stores in 48 days.
That too, in a multitude of locations across the country!
For real!
Well, ever heard of modular systems for retail purposes?
Think of it as a quick-to-install cash desk and shelf-fitting solution.
There’s more to a modular system for a retail shop, though.
Using modular systems and standardized methods- they could achieve the seemingly unachievable.
Price
Here’s what Zudio has to offer-
Everything under Rs 999.
Make-up that starts from Rs 49.
It’s like, Sarojini has been branded all over India.
Why would people not talk about trendy and cheap fashion that’s branded?
Trent knew for sure that this will spread like wildfire, and it did.
Attractive Stores
Ever watched The Confessions of a Shopaholic?
Saw how Rebecca just could not stay away from shopping because the mannequins were so attractive that they literally spoke to her.
Zudio stores are present in prominent locations that aim to offer an exciting shopping experience for customers.
The 6000 by 8000 sq. ft. stores are an absolute treat!
Here are the key factors leading to high footfalls:
- Striking windows
- In-store displays that can woo anybody
- Exciting store ambiance
Yes, that's how the window displays and the in-store display of Zudio is- people get wow'd and woo'd.
Lookbook
With the rise of various homegrown fashion labels and brands, influencer marketing is on the rise.
It does not really matter anymore if big brands are being endorsed by celebrities or not
What matters more is if it is endorsed by influencers or not
And which influencers are endorsing it
But what’s better than influencers endorsing a specific product?
Customers flaunting the product
The best thing about Zudio’s online lookbook is that it does not even have influencers.
It has non-influencers like you and I- posting pictures wearing clothes from Zudio, and boy-oh-boy is it working!
The biggest factor for brands is relatability.
If you can relate to a person and their style, you want to know what they wear and where they buy their apparel and accessories from.
And that’s excatly what Zudio is acing in- relatability!
Have you tried Zudio?
Do you like what they sell?
Let me know.
Until next time,
Toodello!