Q] The D2C skincare and makeup market is quite overcrowded. What is Plum’s strategy to stay ahead of its competitors?
For us, it’s two things. Number one is the amount of detailing, hard work, and specificity that goes into designing our products, one example being the Niacinamide range you’re seeing here. The second is our tagline, We Have Chemistry. It’s not just a tagline; it’s something we truly believe in. When we first saw it, we fell in love because it represents what the brand aims to be: a meaningful relationship with the Plumsters, as we call our consumers. The specialness of the product combined with the specialness of that relationship is what keeps us relevant in a crowded and competitive space. It’s never going to be less crowded, but we try to find our own rhythm and connection with the customer.
Q] What does your marketing mix look like right now? Are you more digital or traditional?
There’s a convergence happening. Even before stepping into traditional media, you see connectedness, for instance, CTV is the way forward for TV. We use CTV, and of course, digital platforms like Meta and Google. Traditional media like print, outdoor, and radio are not something we’re exploring yet. We need to expand distribution more before we enter that space.
Q] Among online channels, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook—which medium delivers the most ROI?
The easiest answer is: it depends. It depends on the product lifecycle. For very new, discovery-led products, social media works better. If it’s search-driven, then Google performs best. For pure awareness, you need lower-CPM platforms. For mid-funnel, on-platform advertising and DSPs work well. We spend a lot of time optimising this mix every month or quarter.
Q] You’ve been in this space for a long time. Do you think Indian consumers are becoming more ingredient-conscious?
They always have been. The difference now is the depth, people ask ‘what grade of Vitamin C or Niacinamide are you using? What percentage? What it’s combined with?’ The level of detail they want is fascinating.
Q] Influencer marketing is becoming big. What’s your take on it, and how does Plum collaborate with influencers?
I’m personally fascinated by how influencer marketing has evolved. People depend on influencers for authenticity, expertise, and relatability. They want to know if something works for an everyday person, not just a star. Authenticity and expertise are the most important. As a brand, we prefer creators who bring those attributes.
Q] Ingredients and formulas are well understood in urban and tier 1–2 markets. What about rural markets?
Right now, rural areas are out of bounds for us. We have a long way to go before we enter that space. There’s so much left to do in the top markets, and going rural now would stretch us too thin.
Q] Demographically, which are your strongest markets?
Metros are strong, especially the South East followed by the West and North. Wherever we’ve invested in distribution, presence, and consumer connect, we’ve seen strong results. Under-indexed markets are where we’re focusing now.
Q] What is the outlook for the company over the next two years?
There’s a lot to do in our core categories. We’ve seen excellent traction in skincare, our main category, so we’ll double down on innovation, improvement, and reaching more people—digitally and physically. There’s a lot on our plate, and we’re focusing on executing the few things we can do exceptionally well to build a strong foundation for the years ahead.
