How this Woman Entrepreneur is Making a Stronghold in the Retail Market With her Wellness Brand OZiva

Founded by Aarti Gill, Mumbai-based D2C brand OZiva is going big on holistic health and wellness and launching itself in the retail market.

When Aarti Gill launched the wellness brand OZiva in 2016, the rise of popularity of a healthy lifestyle because of the pandemic was still a few years away. But as the Pandemic hit, the sales of OZiva shot up. OZiva’s revenue saw a sharp rise from Rs 21 crore in FY19 to Rs 73 crore in FY20. It also onboarded Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone as its brand ambassador.

Aarti Gill is an IIT and INSEAD alum and she launched OZiva to nudge Indians towards a healthier lifestyle by offering plant-based and organic nutritional products. Thanks to its digital infrastructure, the startup thrived as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand amidst the pandemic. At present, it aims to strengthen its retail presence across India. 

A digital native brand, OZiva conducts its business on its website and marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Nykaa, along with a handful of offline stores.

But as the pandemic is receding and people are going back to their retail stores, OZiva also plans to launch itself in a retail space. Aarti says she hopes to unlock the brand’s presence in the first 10,000 stores, followed by 40,000 and one lakh outlets in the next three to four years. To achieve this, OZiva wants to expand its retail presence in the top six to eight cities, including Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Pune, and Chennai, which contribute to 40% of the brand’s revenue. At present, OZiva has a retail presence in 6,000 cities.

Leveraging its retail experience, OZiva also introduced sachet products, economically priced between Rs 15 and Rs 20 in July 2021. “Pricing has been a constant concern because people are not likely to spend Rs 300 to Rs 500 just to experiment with something. But, sachet products improve the trial process because one doesn’t have to think a lot before spending,” Aarti says, adding that it has enabled an increase in cross-selling and trials among customers.

Moving ahead, Aarti says the brand will invest further in communicating and ensuring the consumer understands the scientific aspects of its proprietary ingredients.

Credits: YourStory

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-Staff Reporter