Ustraa sharpens focus on profitability

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Men’s grooming brand Ustraa is eyeing a revenue of Rs 300 crore by financial 2025 said co-founder Rajat Tuli

Men’s grooming brand Ustraa is sharpening its focus on profit and value creation. The brand plans to expand product offerings, almost quadruple its offline retail presence and ramp up its profitability.

“Our sharp focus will be on increasing our customer base by 2X on websites and 3X on marketplaces,” said Rajat Tuli, co-founder of Ustraa that was launched in 2015.

Among the first D2C brands in the men’s grooming industry, Ustraa targets men in the age group of 18 to 35 and hence is heavily uses digital marketing strategies.

Offline to omni-channel

In addition to its website, Ustraa is present in over 45 marketplaces, as it primarily focuses on a direct-to-consumer model. The brand is also available in general trade, which most brands tend to avoid, focusing more on modern trade and lifestyle stores.

“We have over 10000 general trade touchpoints and are a leading brand in some regional modern retail chains. We are exporting and selling in six countries and Indonesia is currently the largest of them all,” Tuli said.

The omnichannel retail strategy has helped the brand drive sales and create a cohesive customer experience. Although “The Ustraa website continues to be our largest source of online revenue,” he added.

Marketing strategy

Since its target audience is young, most of its marketing strategies are based on a digital narrative, social media, and influencers with Facebook being its mainstream broadcasting tool.

“Most of the marketing is based on a digital narrative, social media, and influencers. We have targeted marketing techniques that are leading to strong brand recall and helping us increase traffic on our website,” said Tuli.

It also has a strong presence in print media which has aided the brand in creating awareness. OOH, branding and various offline events have also led to creating awareness.

The brand’s 360-degree marketing strategy is helping it gain the necessary attention.

Growth plans

Ustraa recently raised funding of Rs 16.8 crore. “Most of the funding will go toward creating more retail touchpoints, building brand awareness through advertising, and expanding our offline sales team presence,” explained Tuli.

Currently, the brand’s aim is value creation and profitability. The brand plans to increase its offline touch points from 10,000 stores to 40,000 stores by the end of 2023. It also hopes to achieve Rs 300 crore revenue by financial 2025.

Several efforts are being made to achieve the targets. For instance, the brand is planning to venture into the skincare and fragrance category along with men’s grooming products. Some other launches are also planned for 2023.