By Charu Lamba, Deputy Editor
Jun 27, 2022 / 8 MIN READ
The past two years have been quite a trouble for the entire retail industry, however, the accessories segment has bounced back in a much bigger way. The demand for accessories has increased manifold in the past 6-8 months.
The consumption has gone up and it gives confidence to brands like Da Milano to look at the market from a different angle. And, brands that offer a great product along with consistent quality have done well.
“To match the changing consumer expectations, we continue to innovate our products, provide quality at par to any global high-quality luxury brand and, in terms of style design, we, are at par with trends and that's in our DNA,” asserted Sahil Malik, CEO, Da Milano.
Da Milano has become a very strong household name where consumers believe in the brand, its product, and its lifetime warranty. All these qualities have given the confidence to consumers to invest in its products.
The brand, which has succeeded in winning the heart of consumers in India, is eyeing rampant expansion overseas as well. Currently, the brand has 12 offline stores in international water and is planning to double its presence soon by entering 4-5 newer markets like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the USA. At present, it has a presence in Dubai, Bahrain, and Kathmandu.
Elaborating on the same, Malik said, “At present, we have 8 stores in the Middle East and we will be opening 2 more stores in the next quarter. We are also looking at to have a presence in Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait. We will soon be expanding our presence in markets like London as there is a big demand for high-quality leather goods.”
“We wish to expand to marketplaces in different countries as it will give us a wider global footprint. We offer affordable luxury products, so the penetration can be quite faster in various other geographies through online channels. Currently, we have our company-owned stores, but in the future, we will be inviting franchisees for our international expansion,” he added.
Personalization Matters
Da Milano believes in making a strong connection with the consumers and winning consumer confidence has always been the brand’s prime focus.
“We've never compromised on our product quality. We use the top grade leather with all hardware being imported and for styles, we follow the trends very closely every season. This year, we've taken a conscious decision to renovate almost about 30 percent of our stores just to give an impression, when a customer enters the store and ask smile, they get that along with the feeling of great quality from every aspect,” he asserted.
“And we are also looking at a lot of personalization where we have started with giving a service where a customer can initialize their products with their first name, last name or first letter. We are also working on a lot many things to make the customer experience much better,” he added.
Going Digital
The brand is betting big on digital. Along with retailing on its website, it is also available on a few selected marketplaces.
“I look online as a channel now which can't be missed. And it's a channel where customers are finding it easy, and it is doing very well for us because people are already using our products and they know it's a no-brainer to sort if they order online. And in fact, we have very less returns in terms of the industry standards, and that shows people are using this as a channel for convenience and comfort,” he explained.
Currently, online channels contribute 15 to 20 percent of the overall sales of Da Milano.
Tech Integration
Da Milano has always been consistently bringing in new technology like it has installed a QR code CRM program, which is quite unique as it is more engaging with the customers.
“Apart from this, we are looking at exploring interactive mirrors in a few of our stores. We are manufacturing products which are tech-enabled like a leather stroller with a power bank charging socket, a GPS tracking system, and a biometric locking system to name a few,” he asserted.
Future Plans
To capture the growing gifting market, Da Milano is planning to expand its product portfolio.
“There is a lot of focus on developing new packaging, innovative designs of packaging, to attract consumers. At present, the gifting range ranges from Rs 3,000 to 50,000. In leather, we intend to add more unique accessories. We do have a range of hard goods like a photo frame, table sets, lamps, trays, and tissue box holder - all made out of leather. This is part of gifting home solutions. So these are things which we intend to expand more,” he explained.
Apart from this, the brand is also planning to start a new line of fragrances which will be quite unique along with adding on categories like sunglasses and at a later stage watches.
“As far as physical expansion is concerned, we will continue to expand in the country. This year, we have almost about 12 stores planned to be opened at prominent malls and high streets where we feel there's a discerning customer. We also tend to expand our travel retail much more larger way,” he stated.
The brand is planning to introduce a D2C sub-brand that will be focusing primarily on bags, but slightly lower in price.
The past two years have been quite a trouble for the entire retail industry, however, the accessories segment has bounced back in a much bigger way. The demand for accessories has increased manifold in the past 6-8 months.
The consumption has gone up and it gives confidence to brands like Da Milano to look at the market from a different angle. And, brands that offer a great product along with consistent quality have done well.