Shoppers Stop reports surge in fragrance sales

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Apr 5, 2019

The multi-brand e-commerce retailer Shoppers Stop has seen a surge in sales of fragrances, its CEO said on Friday, attributing the rise to millennial consumers.

India’s fragrance market has been growing at a rate of 15 percent a year since 2017, said  Shoppers Stop CEO and managing director Rajiv Suri in an interview with ET Retail. Premium perfumes make up 75 percent of the e-commerce site’s total perfume sales referring to perfumes priced between Rs 3,500 ($50.56) and Rs 7,000, Suri said, adding that Shoppers Stop has been converting deodorant and body mist customers into the fragrance category for the past few years which has also contributed to rising sales. 

As the fragrance market grows, products are diversifying. “Travel packs and mini sizes, in 20 ml and 30 ml, are also gaining traction in the impulse category due to value-pricing and pocket-friendly packaging,” said Suri.

Along with products, the market is also diversifying. “The scent trend has, especially, picked up in Tier II and III cities where consumers are open to investing in new formats of fragrances,” said Suri. Young consumers in rural areas are gaining more purchasing power and aspirational products such as fragrances are proving popular. Shoppers Stop aims to continue to harness this growth opportunity amongst India’s millennials as it pursues an increasingly omni-channel business strategy.