How Me N Moms is Tapping New Markets and Becoming the First Choice for Indian Parents

Today, India is one of the largest contributors to the apparel-retail sector globally. People from every corner of the world, are adopting fast fashion as they do not want to feel left out, they keep themselves updated according to the trends. As the kids' apparel sector is also booming, people are shopping from the comfort of their homes for their kids and after the pandemic, India became one of the biggest hubs for kids apparel and fashion retailers.

The kids' apparel market caters to children between 0 to 14 years of age and has been segmented into boys-wear and girls-wear. The Indian boys-wear segment currently accounts for the majority of the market share.

As per the IMARC’s report, “The Indian kids' apparel market reached a value of $ 16.4 billion in 2020. Looking forward, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.5 percent during 2021-2026.”

Since 1994, Me N Moms has become the first choice for Indian parents who want to style up their kids and look for quality as per international standards. The brand has weaved a success story into every possible segment for kids whether its Skin and Oral care, Bath, Feeding, Diapers and more, Maternity, Travel and Furniture, Sleeping and Nursery, Toys, Apparel and Footwear, and so on. Its research and development team is always working on new possibilities to foray into categories.

What Makes Me N Moms Unique-
There are lots of brands in the market that are putting their efforts in order to grasp as much as they can, but in the race to become the major player they lack some important qualities such as consumer satisfaction, quality, the all-over experience, etc. So what makes Me N Moms stand apart from the rest? 

Naresh Khatar, Managing Director, Me N Moms states, “International quality at an affordable price is the key USP of our brand. Knowing the pulse of a parent, the brand relentlessly works towards bringing innovative products of international standards to the local market that is sensibly priced making it a perfect companion of the foundation years of a baby’s life i.e. 0 to 3 years. The products are scientifically developed and undergo a rigorous test before it reaches the baby and is certified by international standards such as ASTM, EN, BIS, and ISI.” 

Baby care and parenting range have been restricted to the upper echelon of society due to its premium pricing, but every infant deserves a safe and sound development during his early years.

“In the year 2007 ‘MEE MEE’ was launched with a small product line and was sensibly priced for it to be affordable to all. The international quality and the affordable price range made MEE MEE a popular label amongst consumers.  Today, the brand is the country’s only label that offers products in every category of childcare and mother care that is present across all Me N Moms outlets along with more than 3000+ leading baby stores and chemists across the country,” he adds. 

Retail and Marketing Strategy- 
Nowadays, every major kid's apparel brand such as Ginni&Jony, Lilliput, Mothercare, and Little Kangaroos are spending a lot on their retail and marketing strategies. They are tapping every possibility of marketing they can in order to take the bigger bite of the market and to have a new and untouched customer base. Digital marketing being the major tool for the bands in order to expand, Me N Moms is also penetrating the market in a both retail and digital manner.

“Whether you are just setting up a store or have been running your store for decades, acquiring new customers and keeping the ones you already have are paramount. As we have 135 stores present across India, we plan retail store marketing activity as per the preference of said city or the state. We surely do focus on ATL and BTL activity for our stores but from the past 1.5  years we have shifted our focus on Digital Marketing such as lead Gen Ad, Influencer Activity, SMM, as today’s moms are on social media and we try to capitalize connect with our customers,” says Khatar.

“The channels that are driving traffic to our store are as 1:- Retail displays and in-store initiatives 2:- Online listings 3:- Word of mouth 4:- Referral campaign 5:- Digital marketing 5:- SMS campaign 6:- Whatsapp campaign, he further adds.

Omnichannel Strategy- 
It is in the history of every major brand, the Omnichannel approach played a big role in the brand expansion and the same is going with Me N Moms.

On the omnichannel approach of the brand, Khatar says, “During the pandemic, we moved to Software from where the customer can directly place an order on WhatsApp and get products delivered at their doorstep. Also, we are focusing on the O2O business model wherein the customer can place an order online and we dispatch the products from our store which reduces dispatch timeframe as it directly goes from our store. Also, we try to dispatch our products within 24 hours with the help of O2O platforms.”

Future and Expansion Plans-
A key factor driving the Indian kid's apparel market is the country’s huge population. Currently, around 375 million individuals are below the age of 15 years in the country. This represents a huge consumer base for the kid's apparel market.

“We are currently a PAN India company with 135 stores operational in 69 cities and will inaugurate 20 more soon in another seven cities. We are planning to set up 200 stores by the end of this fiscal, which will be both company-owned and franchise shops. We are also targeting to expand internationally as we have started one of the stores in Nepal (Kathmandu). Our plan is to continue geographical expansion and reach out to multiple cities throughout the country. Our vision is to ensure that each Indian parent is able to experience the joy of parenting,” Khatar asserts. 

“Our growth has been phenomenal since our inception. We have been growing at 30-35 percent year on year in the last few years. We are looking to expand to newer markets and launch newer products in the upcoming years to further add to our growth story,” he adds.

Recently, Me N Moms opened 12 new stores across India. Three stores were opened in Hyderabad, Telangana; two in Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh; two in Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida), UP; one in Bhatinda, Ludhiana and Amritsar, Punjab; one in Kolkata, West Bengal; and one in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Among these, Noida has got the biggest outlet at the DLF Mall of India, while Gaur City Mall, Greater Noida West in its vicinity also saw the opening of one.