Direct selling gaining currency
Direct selling gaining currency

Chairman of Indian Direct Selling Association since May 2009 and Regional Director, South Asia-Oriflame Cosmetics Fredrik Widell, has succeeded in spearheading IDSA's mission of promoting direct selling in India. He shares his role and future plans with us.  

Shubhra Saini (SS): How big is the direct selling market in India? What is Oriflame’s share in it? Do you think direct selling market has a lucrative future in India?
Fredrik Widell (FW):
It is a 3,000 crore industry, which is growing at a rapid space. Although last 10 years had been a tough for all of us but I think now we can consider ourselves as one of the mature industries. Oriflame is one of the biggest players in direct selling and India and China are two potential markets for us. 

SS: What is the USP of direct selling? 
FW:
First and foremost the USP is that direct selling provides self employment to the consultants. Secondly, the consumers can get the products sitting at home. And last but not the least consumers get authentic products.

SS: Tell us about Oriflame products, how are they different from other beauty products? 
FW:
Oriflame offers a complete range of high quality skincare, toiletries, fragrances and colour cosmetics. We have over 1050 product offerings in the global portfolio, which are made from natural ingredients and extracts.

SS: Have you altered your product range and price to suite the taste of Indian consumers?
FW:
Yes, we have altered our product portfolio to suite the taste of Indian consumers. There are 170 products that are manufactured in India for Indian and Sri Lankan consumers. If in the future India’s trade relations improve with Pakistan then we will be exporting these products to Pakistan too.

SS: Give us a rough idea about how many beauty advisors do you have in India?
FW:
Oriflame is based on the core value of togetherness, spirit and passion. We are characterised by a strong sense of entrepreneurial spirit of our employees and consultants. We have over 1,50, 000 consultants all across India.

SS: Do you have a presence in tier II and tier III cities? What kinds of products are preferred by metropolitan people as compared to their tier II and III counterparts?
FW:
Yes, we do have a presence in tier II cities like Indore, Guwahati, Bhopal and Ludhiana. Metropolitan people prefer more of colour cosmetics and perfumes, where as their tier II counterparts are more interested in buying skincare and hair care range.

SS: Do you have any plans to enter core retailing?
FW:
No, we do not have any such plan.

SS: There is a massive potential especially in untapped sphere like durables, health and wellness in India, do you think the direct selling format will work in these spheres? 
FW:
Of course! We have a wellness range, but we are yet to introduce this range in India. 

SS: Please brief us about your marketing strategy?
FW:
We are into ATL (above the line) advertising, we are even trying to promote our brand through radio advertisements. We believe that CSR is another good marketing tool, it helps in spreading positive message about our brand.

SS: The  urged the Government to formulate a regulatory framework to help the sector realise its true potential? Please throw some light on this.
FW:
I am the Chairman of India Direct Selling Association (IDSA), and have made a regulatory framework to protect the interest of business advisors and general public. Now IDSA has made a quality standard and any company that does not abide by that standard can get into serious problem.
 

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