Laiqa, a premium menstrual care brand, has created a niche for itself through its exceptional product quality, period and wellness tracker app called ‘Period Pal’, and bold social media campaigns that provide a platform for women to voice their opinion against the stigmas of society. It is also a brand that stays in close touch with customers, listens to them and understands their requirements.
New Delhi: Laiqa was founded in 2019 by Monica Bindra to provide women with premium menstrual care products that are also eco-friendly, sustainable and comfortable. “Like most women, I had quietly accepted the terrible quality of commercial sanitary pads. However, when my menstruating daughter started experiencing rashes due to the high chlorine and plastic content of these pads, I could not bear to see it, and the entrepreneur in me sprang into action,” shares Bindra. She did R&D for two years and after many ups and downs, brought out a product that she was proud of, and that she knew many daughters just like hers had been longing for.
From the start, Bindra ensured that her brand was bold in its social media campaigns. “We would often discuss topics around sexuality and female wellness. These were harshly critiqued by conservative audiences but at the same time made us a favourite of those people who resonated with our messaging. Our high conversion rates show that after a woman first tries our product, she usually sticks around as a loyal repeat customer,” says Bindra.
Innovation at the core
As one of the earliest proponents of ‘femtech’ (a term for software, diagnostics, products or services that use technology often to focus on women’s health), Laiqa believes in the confluence of technology and superior menstrual care. “Through our app, Period Pal, we leverage emerging technologies like AI [artificial intelligence] to accurately predict a woman’s period cycle while also creating online communities to embolden women and move away from a world where menstruation used to be a lonely struggle,” adds Bindra. Also, Laiqa’s pads vastly differ from their plastic-laden counterparts to provide a soft-skin feel that naturally protects a woman from rashes and itches while being less harsh on the environment. “At inception, Laiqa also adopted a social mission in the form of its ‘Buy One Donate One’ programme whereby for each box sold, a pad is donated to a less fortunate woman,” conveys Bindra.
Being customer ready
Laiqa provides personalised care to customers through its Period Pal app. The app serves as a one-stop shop for a variety of women’s healthcare needs, and connects customers to the relevant stakeholder in its network, from gynaecologists to psychologists to nutritionists. “Going forward, we are also planning on massively expanding our C2C operations by creating communities for our customers to interact with each other. We want women to share their stories and concerns with others on our app in times when they need advice or just a space to vent,” explains Bindra.
Bindra believes that any femtech and D2C brand especially in the feminine hygiene and technology segment like Laiqa requires investments in developing new-age technology, doing research, creating new products and marketing. “Brands like us require investments in the initial stage of the business life cycle. The growth opportunity in our segment is very high and we are confident that in the next three-five years we can become the leading company in the segment and look for further investments through IPO [initial public offering],” says Bindra.
Bindra wants Laiqa’s products to reach as many women as possible. “Indian women today are highly aspirational. They want the best products to take care of their periods and hygiene. Hence, we want to reach the tier-2 and tier-3 cities in India,” conveys Bindra. The brand’s growth plans include bringing in new products in the next six months and exporting some of its unique products to other countries. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the brand also plans to scale up its technology roadmap and bring in over a million subscribers on its Period Pal app in 2023, the end goal being to integrate women’s holistic wellness requirements.
BROWNIE POINTS
- Laiqa was founded in 2019. A year later, film actress Taapsee Pannu joined the brand as a shareholder.
- In 2021, Laiqa launched its Period Pal app to allow users to track their menstrual cycle, shop for menstrual products and talk to experts.
- The brand has always been bold in its social media campaigns, often discussing topics around sexuality and female wellness.
- Laiqa has a ‘Buy One Donate One’ programme whereby for each box sold, a pad is donated to a less fortunate woman.
