The Art Of Balancing Luxury With Approachability With Vivek Sahni Of Kama Ayurveda
Kama Ayurveda was among the pioneering brands that introduced Ayurvedic wellness to the mainstream. They took words like Kumkumadi and Nalpamaradi, which were previously unheard of, and have made them household words. Over the last two decades, they’ve expanded their retail presence to over 65 exclusive stores and 120 shop-in-shops across India.
In the world of beauty and personal care, proliferating with brands and products that promise the world to consumers, Vivek Sahni, Founder & Chairman, tells us how he gets Kama Ayurveda to stand out and make a difference.
Edited excerpts…
Tell us about the insight Kama Ayurveda was birthed with.
We've been around 20 years. It was a project born of passion—to take something that is traditional and Indian, with proven efficacy, out into India and the world. Twenty years ago, I don't think there was much familiarity with Ayurveda, especially in the North of India.
I had worked on a project with the government to create this brand called Khadi. We formulated soaps and shampoos for the brand back in 1999-2000. After that a bunch of people came to me asking me to work with them to create something similar.
I was in Coimbatore with my partner Rajshree when she took us to a pharmacy where I, first hand, saw the power of Ayurveda. The initial conversation was about doing internal medicine but we did not have the bandwidth or the technicality to do that. So we thought about how we could take this incredibly powerful science, which has been around for thousands of years, and turn it into a brand.
How have you seen consumer behaviour change in the wellness industry?
During the pandemic, when a lot of people were home, is when e-commerce in India really took off. There's a huge amount of information on products and a whole bunch of brands—both Indian and from across the world have come into the country. So the consumer has far more choice, knowledge and information.
However, the choice has also made it confusing to know what to use. There are so many products available and everybody's promising the world to you. I think the advantage of Ayurveda is that it's safe and time tested. So you do know that your skin is not going to be damaged by a product, apart from it being proven to be effective by clinical trials.
What have been the most effective marketing strategies for the brand over the years?
What we've done is not rocket science. Initially, sampling and trials were everything. When we started, I would walk around with a bag full of samples, handing them out to people I’d meet. And I knew that at some point, they’d come back to buy whatever was working for them. This method gave us a 70 to 80% repeat customer rate.
Today, of course, there is social media which everybody is on. But when we started, there were only magazines, PR and a large number of events. We used to do physical, in-store and out-of-store events. We’d go to women's clubs and have Ayurvedic doctors explain products and how they worked.
How do you, personally, approach wellness?
My approach to wellness is this: the only thing we own is this body—not our clothes, and not anything else. I believe that you need to do everything to look after it, both mentally and physically, because most diseases start from the head. Tension, stress, trauma etc cause physical conditions within your body, which then manifest either on your skin, hair or with disease. So the most important thing to me is to take care of yourself, mentally and physically, and to make a conscious effort to do that on a constant basis.
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey building Kama Ayurveda?
Terms like Kumkumadi and Nalpamaradi were unheard of and now they're household words. An entire generation of Indians are familiar with these names. If you google them, you’ll see many different brands selling those products. But what I really feel proud of was that we were the pioneers.
Now that we've done it in India, we’re taking it out to the rest of the world. We've just opened two centers in two stores in the UK in Harrods and Notting Hill. We’ve got an Ayurvedic doctor and a treatment room where we offer premium Ayurvedic experiences like facials and body or head massages.
What have been keys in building a brand that is both luxurious and approachable?
It's a false pretense to think that luxury has to be standoffish or on a pedestal. In our case, the luxury is in the quality of ingredients. It is in knowing that when you're buying Kama oil, you're getting the best Kashmir saffron in it. The approachability is also part of the luxury. When you walk into our stores, you will meet somebody who is considerate and happy to explain the product to you.
It is important to us that our staff are friendly and welcoming. Staff that are multilingual and can speak in local languages, too, help. Because as a customer, you’re being vulnerable when you talk about your problems—whether it is acne, falling hair, pigmentation etc. And you want to share that with somebody that is sympathetic, understands your concerns and is able to help you with it.
Kama has recently undergone a brand refresh. Tell us—what’s new and what was the trigger for the refresh?
After 20 years, I think a slight change is always good. The audiences have changed. Of course, we have our regular clients but there's a whole bunch of new people buying products. So we want to get to the new generation too. And we have a bunch of new products, about 13, that we’re launching with it.
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