Indian textiles and garments have a long-standing history of fine craftsmanship since ancient times. Indian cotton, silk, linen, and denim have always been in demand across the world. In fact, as per reports, the Indian fashion industry is one of the fastest growing industry’s in the country. 

The industry has been gaining global recognition for its creativity, sustainability, affordability, and diversity. 

As Statista mentions, the fashion market revenue in India should reach USD 9.28 billion in 2023. Apart from catering to its domestic population, the fashion industry in India is a leader in exporting textiles and apparel. 

India’s textile and apparel market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10 % and reach USD 190 billion by 2025-26. It is one of the biggest contributors to the Indian economy, with a 5% contribution to the gross domestic product. The Indian fashion industry is also the second largest employer in the country after agriculture. It provides direct employment to 45 million people across various states in India. 

Seeing the tremendous growth potential in India, many foreign fashion brands have started foraying in the Indian market. While fashion giants like Nike and Adidas conquered the Indian fashion industry at the beginning of the millennium, the last decade has witnessed the growth of international fashion brands like H&M and Zara. Zara India generated INR 1815 crore in revenue in 2022, with a 61 percent growth rate.

It’s been no different for other international fashion brands like Marks and Spencer and Forever New. Other foreign fashion brands continuing to mark their footprint in the subcontinent are Miss Poem from Turkey, NA-KDs from Sweden, and I Saw It First from The Manchester. 

However, that doesn’t mean the Indian fashion brands are left behind. 

Raymond, one of India’s first and most loved brands, was established in 1925. India’s first-generation fashion designers like Satya Paul and Rohit Khosla became the pioneers in fashion design in India. 

India is also home to many indigenous brands like FabIndia, Khara Kapas, Nori, Koai, etc.

So, setting up your fashion label in India can be a lucrative business opportunity. 

However, it also means you will be facing cut-throat competition. If you want to make a mark for your brand, these five hacks will help you grow your brand in the Indian fashion industry. 

PS. We have a bonus tip too for those who will stick till the end.  

5 Ways To Grow Your Brand In The Indian Fashion Industry

First thing first – identify and understand the industry competition and figure out who your ideal customer is. Once you know how you want your brand to be perceived, who you’re talking to and how you want to reach them, implement the following tips: 

1. Say Yes To Brand Building

Research your customers to build a strong online presence for your retail brand. What do they like to wear? What are their preferences? What are their demographics? What does their wardrobe look like? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you identify your category. Once you do that, craft your brand positioning message that resonates with your target customers. 

One such example is Elegore by Krypthm. The brand was created in 2016 with a vision to offer workwear. Since then, the brand has created a strong brand strategy and a cohesive brand identity across its online presence and has built an authentic relationship with its target audience. 

2. Invest In Social Media

A survey by Rakuten Insight mentions that 68 percent of female respondents shop for clothing from social media. So if you’re a fashion brand in India and have not yet leveraged social media, you’re surely leaving money on the table. However, jumping on social media will not benefit your brand unless you know your target audience and which social media platform they spend the most time on. 

For example, W for Women, an Indian product label, catering to the young Indian audience, has a strong presence on Instagram with 505K followers. It ensures that their branding is well reflected through their social content! 

3. Create a Smooth Checkout Process

Do you know that 7 out of 10 online shoppers leave their cart in between? This is a significant number, and you must act on it to help these shoppers complete their transactions. While you can do only so much about their buying decision, you can improve their buying experience by streamlining their checkout process. 

By partnering with GoKwik, you can give your shoppers a streamlined checkout process that can integrate different payment gateways and other integrations on one interactive screen. So irrespective of where the shopping journey starts from, you get to nudge the shopper to the point of conversion, faster! 

4. Leverage WhatsApp Commerce

WhatsApp for business has been a great boon for eCommerce brands in India. The country has a strong base of WhatsApp users. As Statista mentions, the user base in India is projected to reach 795.67 million by 2025. With WhatsApp business, you can have your product catalog to showcase your products, share deals, and more. 

Here’s how a homegrown fashion brand does it, and you can too!

You can further use WhatsApp broadcast campaigns to get the deals and discounts on this catalog noticed by subscribers. 

5. Upsell and Cross-sell

With the increasing competition in the Indian fashion industry, brands need to focus on customer retention. Considering how customer retention is seven times cheaper than customer acquisition, upselling and cross-selling are two strategies that brands need to become more proactive at. 

For example, if someone has previously purchased a cotton dress from you during the summer sale, reach out to them recommending similar products they may not have discovered. This could include your range of linen and cotton pants and tops that are available on a similar discount. 

Apart from displaying product recommendations on your website, you can also use channels like WhatsApp to upsell and cross-sell. 

And as we promised, here’s our bonus tip! 

Bonus Tip: Focus on Sustainability

Indian consumers are growing conscious of sustainability. In fact, 88 percent of Indian customers are willing to buy from sustainable brands and organically grown products. So if you want to win the heart of Indian consumers, embracing sustainability can be a great choice! Plus, you will be doing your bit for the environment too. 

No Nasties is one such sustainable Indian fashion label that claims to remove 3X the CO2 they create by using 100 percent organic cotton, 300 percent carbon offset, and 3X planting trees.

Supercharging Your Brand In The Indian Fashion Industry

Growing a fashion brand in India can be lucrative if you can sustain the massive competition. The tips discussed above will give you an edge over your competitors when you approach them strategically! 

But in the end, it all boils down to making it simpler for consumers to engage and purchase from your brand. 

This is where optimising shopping journeys becomes important and GoKwik does exactly that for you. 

Want to learn more about growing your fashion brand in India? Get in touch today!