In Conversation With Aarti Gill About The Wellness Care Segment As Of Today
1. Please highlight the journey of OZiva and how has it evolved since its inception in 2016?
OZiva is a clean, plant based holistic wellness brand. The brand’s mission is to empower every seeker to achieve holistic wellness with Clean, Plant-based products that provide the goodness of natural and herbal ingredients, further enhanced by modern science. A few years back when we looked at all the nutrition products available in the market - be it protein, vitamins, minerals, or any other health supplement - we realized that there was nothing that was 100% Clean i.e. without harmful chemicals, additives or preservatives. Hence, we decided to start OZiva to create clean, plant-based nutrition products that people could use daily to improve their holistic health and overall wellbeing. Since our launch in 2016, we have evolved from a clean, plant based nutrition brand to a clean, plant based holistic wellness brand that focuses on providing nourishment from the inside and out.
We have served more than 22,000 pin codes and 5 million+ happy customers over the past few years.
2. How have you been trying to build a strong hold in ever so competitive personal care / wellness segment?
We have always emphasized on solving consumer problems with innovative solutions that combine highly researched products along with continued support to help consumers adopt a clean, holistic lifestyle.
Our products combine the goodness of clean and plant based ingredients that are effective and safe. With more than 3 patents and 20+ scientific studies we are able to offer a diverse range of products to the consumers that are backed by science for efficacy. We have always been very transparent when it comes to our offerings, i.e. what you see is what you get. Be it nutrition or beauty, all our products are 100% clean i.e. devoid of harmful chemicals and derived from plant-based ingredients. While clean labels are big in the global market, in India, it has recently started getting popular. We are the pioneers in clean nutrition in India and is also the first nutrition brand in the country to be certified clean by US CLP. We were awarded Clean Label Certification after being tested in parts per billion (1000 times stricter than the Indian testing methodology of parts per million) and cleared for more than 300+ contaminants.
Additionally, we go beyond just selling a product to the consumer. With innovative programs like OZiva Prime (Post purchase Prime Membership), we provide access to nutritionists’ guidance to help consumers achieve their goals and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
3. How do you foresee the growth of the plant based market in India?
According to IMARC, India's health and wellness market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.45% during 2022-2027. According to Global and Indian Plant based Industry, the Indian plant based market is likely to reach US$ 400-450 Million in the next 5 years. India which already has a huge vegetarian population already consumes plant-based foods in their daily diets. A 2021 study reveals that 63% of Indian consumers are open to purchasing plant-based food items regularly.
Categories like plant-protein, plant-based vitamins and minerals are being highly sought after by consumers. Surveys suggest that the plant protein market in India will reach a volume of around 15,800 tons by 2023 from 11,250 tons in 2020. Increase in demand for protein-rich diets and awareness about the benefits of plant protein are two major reasons contributing to this growth. We have seen a similar increase in demand for our plant-based protein products i.e OZiva Organic Plant Protein and OZiva Superfood Plant Protein and recently launched Bioactive Plant Protein.
Plant-based foods provide a multitude of benefits like better digestion, absorption amongst others. With consumers getting highly health conscious and increased awareness about benefits of plant-based diet are helping its growth in the Indian Market.
4. Have you seen an acceptance from the Tier 2 & 3 markets as well? How difficult or easy is it to convince them in comparison to the metropolitan consumers?
Our focus is to educate consumers that helps in building trust. We strive to provide value and holistic solutions to consumers whether they are in the metros or tier 2 & 3 towns. Being a digital first brand, we have been able to tap into consumers from across the country. And our emphasis is on solving consumer problems with innovative solutions that combine highly researched products along with continued support to help consumers adopt a clean, holistic lifestyle.
5. What are your plans for increasing your offline presence?
We have an offline presence in over 2500+ outlets across the country that include popular chains like Apollo, Apna Chemist, Wellness Forever amongst others. In the next 2-3 years, we aim to be available in 1 lakh+ outlets.
6. Are you planning to raise another round of funding? And what are your future plans for the next 3-4 years in terms of expanding the market size?
In the coming years, we aim to reach more consumers by building our omni-channel presence. As mentioned above, the next 2-3 years will see OZiva being available across 1lakh+ offline outlets in addition to a strong online footprint. We will continue to build our categories and provide innovative products that help consumers lead a clean and holistic lifestyle. We currently have 100+ SKUs to cater to women’s health, men’s health, skin, hair and kids nutrition. While nutrition makes for 90 % of the revenue today, we hope to expand other offerings to contribute to 40 % of the revenue in the next few years.
