How to wear a bra, and some sales strategies from the Zivame fitting lounge

The Zivame Fitting Lounge in Bangalore, India. Photo credit: Zivame

In India, buying a bra can be a problem.

For the vast majority of women, buying lingerie is still a borderline embarrassing affair involving local stores staffed by men, stilted conversations, and limited choices. Those that can afford to, go to the mall, or shop on their trips abroad.

As a result, 4 out of 5 Indian women do not know their right size and have been wearing ill-fitting bras all their life, according to Zivame, an online lingerie retailer in India.

The company decided it was time to correct that, and founder Richa Kar rolled out Zivame Fitting Lounges in the country. Smaller rival Buttercups has dabbled in it for some time, but the idea hasn’t turned mainstream yet. Zivame is aiming to change that.

Thanks to some solid funding and a nationwide TV spot, Zivame is currently the biggest online retailer specializing in lingerie.

The difference is also in that as a company, Zivame caters to all customer bases, selling not just exquisite, risque or expensive lingerie, but also everyday wear. That gives it a bigger customer base.

The company opened its first standalone fitting lounge in Bangalore this month, with plans to open about 100 more in the next three years, said CEO Richa Kar.

“30 percent of the calls we get are about product and fits,” said Richa.

“We want to have the right retail locations and train the experts well. I am sure Surat ( a town in western India) needs a fit store more than Bangalore, but the challenge is to train people to offer the best experience,” she said.

Inside view of a Zivame Fitting Lounge. Photo credit: Zivame

The idea behind a fitting lounge is still new, at least in India. The country does not have Victoria’s Secret stores, and established brands typically do not offer anything by way of educating their customers.

In other words, there is no place women can go to get themselves measured, or receive professional advice on buying lingerie.

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