Salon-driven O3+ eyes omnichannel growth

Riya Sethi 

Vidur Kapur, Director of the Rs.250 cr-plus professional personal care brand, tells Riya Sethi about to-be-launched products, its growing consumer division and talks to onboard a celebrity.

Founded in 2004, O3+ has come a long way. How has the brand grown over the years?

O3+ has been there for the last 19 to 20 years. It is a professional personal care brand and we are known for salon facials. Moving ahead, we went digital in 2013. Then in 2020, we came on the general trade and the modern trade channels with the consumer division.

The approach has been very omnichannel. We started with the salons and till date we are known as a salon-first brand. However, the product is now available across different channels. It’s been a fantastic journey – from Jammu & Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the presence is everywhere. We have been growing horizontally as well as vertically pan India. 

The brand expects to achieve a revenue of Rs.350 cr in FY24. How do you plan to achieve this target?

We are looking at that number. Last year was more than Rs.250 cr. We plan to achieve the target through our omnichannel approach. We have a different B2B department for the salon division. Different verticals have different teams, management and targets.

Currently O3+ earns around 70 to 72 pc of its revenue from offline sales with the highest coming in from salons. How are you planning to strengthen the brand’s online presence?

We have been focusing on that. However, the brand does not believe in discounting – we are not a discounted brand online. We definitely have seen a steady growth online. It is a big focus for us and we happen to be a very big partner to brands such as Nykaa and Amazon. We are looking at exclusive online launches. We are soon launching one such brand by the name of DermaCult.

DermaCult is about adaptogens, which are basically herbs, mixed with scientific ingredients. This is something which nobody has done in the world. It’s basically the Eastern medicine take on ayurveda but not really ayurveda because the ingredients are different. It is a very unique concept. 

We are mixing adaptogens with skin actives such as niacinamide in making up formulations. We have done a soft launch. The mega launch is supposed to happen soon.

Tell us about the diversified product portfolio of O3+. What are the largest selling categories?

The largest selling category for us would be our salon range because we are a salon-first brand. 

The salon range is where we are the strongest and we continue to be the strongest in that. 
We have everything from pedicures to hair removal. We have hair, hair removal, hands and feet, and body. We do not deal with make up. The top selling is definitely skin followed by hands and feet.

O3+ also launched its own hair care range, Biozoma. How is that business faring? 

It’s at a very initial stage. It’s just been a couple of months and we are in the journey of expansion right now. Our main focus is North India to begin with, in the offline channel. Soon it will be launched online on Nykaa. Biozoma is an independent brand and it has nothing to do with O3+. Since it’s just a couple of months old, we are at the moment focusing on expanding. Our first priority will be North and then we will be going East and then West and South.

How are you planning on expanding your offline presence?

We are planning on opening salons. The overall crux of O3+ is definitely salons. Biozoma Select Salons are already there and as far as O3+ is concerned, every salon is using our brand.

You also offer skincare solutions for men and have a special range for men. How much does that category contribute to the total revenue?

This is a good part of our total contribution, somewhere around 15 to 20 pc of sales of the consumer division.

O3+ is also receiving good traction in international markets like Dubai and Canada. What are your global expansion plans?

Dubai is where we are seeing a lot of growth. We are available in salons and online in Dubai. Our international business is based out of Dubai. Majorly, the sales happen online. We are also starting home services there. In Canada, we are very much available. There is a huge amount of demand coming from there. However, we are very new to the Canada market.

With the Indian beauty and skincare market flooded with players, how is O3+ managing to stand out?

The brand has a lot of legacy on its own in India. The right kind of marketing and consumer studies contribute to that. Also, the product does what it claims, so our focus always goes on technology and results. 

The brand is switching to more sustainable options. Tell us about the sustainability initiatives that you follow at O3+.

We are reducing the use of plastic and we are using more recyclable plastic. At the same time,we are also using SSC-certified paper which is sustainable. Along with that, we are contributing through social initiatives with one of our natural brands, Sara. We will also be doing a lot of sustainability initiatives in terms of growing plants. 

What is the marketing approach at O3+? 

The marketing approach at O3+ is always about what the customers want. We understand that our consumers are spread across India. There are different kinds of content that we do. We have to tap different emotions of different people, differently. 

A lot of brands today go mainstream and show what they want to portray themselves as. We go backwards and focus on where our product goes and how the customer wants to see it and how the customer wants to relate. For instance, a metropolitan customer wants to see the brand in a certain way and a customer from a tier 3 city wants to see the brand in a certain way. Having a huge customer base of 600k followers (on Instagram), we are able to do that. 

With most skincare brands having tied up with celebrities, are you also planning to get a celebrity on board?

We are in the middle of that. We always believe that our salon is our ambassador. But soon we will be able to release a name. We are working with our partner.

Tell us about the targets set for the next few years for O3+. Are you planning on launching any new product lines or exploring any categories?

I won’t be able to share future targets. We already have two or three plans with DermaCult and Biozoma. Nothing new besides that. 

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