Exclusive | Up & Close with Oriflame's Mohapatra and Deshpande

Direct Selling has been one of the most challenging industries in the country. Though it has been a successful model for many housewives in the country, the model still stands to be a challenging one for many. With companies like Amway, Tupperware and Oriflame being one of the prominent players in this industry, all of them have ventured out their way to offer the best to their consultants or independent business owners.

Oriflame India, which is one direct selling organization in the cosmetics and wellness section, recently launched their ONE Range in a town event. The launch saw the presence of Huma Qureshi, their brand ambassador for their Colour Cosmetics Range.

At the launch of their new range, we at Adgully caught up with Prachi Mohapatra, Category Manager, South Asia and Pradnya Deshpande, Sales Director, Oriflame India to know more about the brand and about this range.

The ONE Range

Mohapatra tells us, “Oriflame has always believed in reinventing the wheel and presenting products at various price points to cater to our varied set of consumers. Keeping in mind the unprecedented demand of matte lipsticks, we present 10 intense shades of lip colour that gives you beautiful, intense matte lips to last throughout the day. With this expansion and the inclusion of compact powders and powder blush in our portfolio, The ONE range is set to be a beauty must have for the beauty-conscious, independent and confident woman of today.”

She adds, “Every year we launch about 100 new products. We don’t really talk about all the products. This year we definitely are focusing on The ONE range and we are gradually launching other products.”

Brand ambassador

The brand has been associated with Sonali Bendre for two years now and for their Colour Cosmetics Range and the One Collection they’ve associated with Huma Qureshi.

Enthralled and elated at the launch, Huma Qureshi, Brand Ambassador, Color Cosmetics, Oriflame India said, “In today’s age, we all aim to look good and feel even better all the time. Oriflame has stood by me with the enormous range of beauty products that instantly give me the confidence to step out and win over the world.  During my association with the brand, I’ve learnt of the various steps that the brand takes to make millions of people beautiful every day. I have tried the products in The ONE range, and am in love with the shades, the stay and texture of them all. They complete my look whether I am shooting during the day or heading out for an evening with friends- The ONE range is my beauty secret like no other!”

Ecommerce Presence

Elaborating their presence on Ecommerce Deshpande said, “Our products have been available online for quite some time now. People did not want to go anywhere, they wanted offers, options, convenience, payment opportunity and they wanted to get everything at their doorstep. The model was always to reach directly to the customers, so we have our e-catalogue and we have our website.”

Strategy over the years

The model of the organization has been of direct selling ever since they began operations in India. Deshpande elaborates, “We have all kinds of people as our consultants. Today we see housewives, working professionals and in fact even men as our consultants. I would say that the background and the culture itself has changed so much that when they come to know about us through online media; what was fashion, today it is a need. So when you admire the changes so much and if you’re in an organization that is encashing on all these opportunities then you pick up the growth.”

Marketing

On the marketing front, Oriflame has been on the fore front through their consultants. Mohapatra said, “When you talk about marketing, we touch base with our consumers at every point. We touch base through our consultants who are our primary face to sell the product. We touch base with them directly also be it via social media or our website.”

She adds, “Today also the best advocate for the product is my sister, my friend and so on. I won’t ask what the price of the product is, I’ll ask have you used it and when I try it, it gives me that experience and that’s how I buy it.”

Distribution strategy

If you are unaware of how the company distributes their products, Deshpande simply explains it to us. She said, “There are certain options on how you can buy your product. One is you can directly go to our website, get in touch with a consultant on our website and order your products from them. You have an option of signing up as a consultant if you willingly want to do it. Only consultants can order online for the customers, and then the consultants will deliver it to their clients. The other option is to physically go to our distribution centre, place your order via a consultant and collect your products.”

Deshpande shares an insight, “I’ve been in the organization for 20 years. I remember, when mobile was launched I was told, Pradnya red button or green button and I was taken aback as I dint have time to answer everybody’s call. When we launched our website in 2007, housewives dint know how to operate it. But today, they might not be tech savvy, but they know how to go to our website and place orders. In fact, some of them also know how to operate their social media accounts. And that’s the beauty of Oriflame. It’s not about selling products, it’s about self-development.”

Training is the Key

Training is an essential part in any organization and so is it in Oriflame. Deshpande tells us, “Everything is important. I do and I say it. They want to earn money, they want to travel abroad, they want to fund for their kids and when they asked can I, and I said of course you can. Become a consultant; attend trainings, whatever you need in Oriflame, we will provide. The more you sell, the more it becomes easy for you.”
“We constantly have training sessions and anyone who takes those trainings will definitely get up,” she went on to add.

Market Statistics

Deshpande tells us, “The market size for direct selling is approximately 24000 crore.”
She adds, “Direct selling market is very fragmented and it is difficult to analyse the competitor and on what basis do we classify that. We are into the cosmetic and wellness industry, somebody is only into wellness. So it’s extremely difficult to analyse because all companies operate in different formats.”

The ONE Range Variety

Speaking about the range, Mohapatra said, “We have 5 key categories. And we offer various price ranges, starting from value oriented products to premium range of products. So we offer all the price ranges in all categories.”

The expanded range of The One includes:

• Oriflame The ONE IlluSkin Powder available in 3 shades- Light, medium & dark
• The ONE IlluSkin Blush with Halo light Technology available in 3 hues- Pink Glow, Shimmer Rose & Luminous Peach
• The ONE Matte Lipstick enriched with Avocado & jojoba oil with Vitamin E, available in 10 trendy shades

Price

• Oriflame The ONE IlluSkin Powder - Rs. 649/-
• Oriflame The ONE IlluSkin Blush - Rs. 599/-
• Oriflame The ONE Matte Lipstick- Rs. 499/-

By Archit Ambekar | Twitter: @aambarchit

Marketing
@adgully

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