30 years on, Oriflame scripts its second coming

Swedish direct-selling brand is betting on hyperlocal outreach beyond metros

- VEENU SANDHU

When Oriflame entered India in 1995, it was among the first international companies, alongside Amway, to introduce the direct-selling model in the country.

Tupperware and Avon followed soon after. As it turns 30 this month, the Swedish beauty brand is now recalibrating its approach to navigate a market crowded with global and aggressive homegrown direct-to-consumer (D2C) players.

“The focus is on Tier-II and Tier-III cities because large metros are saturated with options,” says Edyta Kurek, senior vice president of Oriflame India and Indonesia. The company has launched mobile-focused digital campaigns in smaller cities and begun registering its presence at local melas (fairs) and festivals like Durga Puja and Ganesh Chaturthiby helping its brand partners set up stalls. “Our ethos remains building communities through communities,” says Kurek, the first woman to lead the company in India. It is also collaborating with resident welfare associations to expand its reach at the hyperlocal level.

“For years we neglected brand-building because communication through our brand partners was very efficient,” says Kurek, who is dressed in a black leather jacket with a miniair purifier around her neck to cope with Delhi’s deadly pollution. “Now we are working on changing that,” she adds.