Bengaluru: Myntra is witnessing a heightened interest among shoppers for products in the lingerie and loungewear segment amid the pandemic with higher growth fueled by demand from metros and tier 2 and 3 cities alike. The category, a part of the essential fashion segment, has grown by 300% in the last one year and promises to gather more steam through 2021.
The upcoming edition of Myntra’s flagship event EORS-14, to be held between July 3-8, will have 20000 styles from 180+ brands. The category is expected to see an increased demand during the six-day period, reaching ~1.2 million customers from across the regions.
The concept of ‘work from home’ backed by the comfort of a ‘discrete delivery’ option, has drawn more interest from consumers towards this segment on Myntra, across big cities and small towns, alike, with tier 2 and 3 markets contributing about 40% to the growth of the segment and having a significantly higher growth rate. Myntra has added over 50 new brands in the segment post the first wave of the pandemic with another 15 brands in the offing, giving millions of customers, access to a wide range of selection from leading international and domestic brands.
The category has continued to witness strong growth during the months of April and May this year, despite the severe second wave of the pandemic. The category, regarded as an essential, grew at 200% YoY during this period, reiterating the trends observed during the first phase of the national lockdown in 2020.
Myntra currently houses over 30,000 styles, from about 200 leading brands in the Lingerie and Loungewear category, with leading brands being Enamor, Amante, La Senza, Triumph, Dressberry and Marks & Spencer, among others. Key products in the category include, bras (wireless and bralettes), briefs, lounge sets and lounge dress.
To enhance the shopping experience and to educate customers about their intimate wear needs, Myntra is creating strong and relevant content at multiple ‘In-App’ touch points such as product display page and dedicated innerwear stores. These product-related stories and content initiatives make shopping lingerie an educational and pleasant experience for shoppers and help them cater to their needs.
Data on buying behavior indicates that young shoppers are trendy and experimentative, trying out various designs and silhouettes, as opposed to elder women shoppers who make their choices from a need-based perspective. Currently, lacy lingerie, the babydoll segments and lounge sets are in trend and on demand. Trends in loungewear show that consumers are opting for high-on-comfort wear that can replace the usual ethnic and western wear. ‘Sexy lingerie’, is one of the most searched product attributes on Myntra in the segment.
About 60% of the demand in the segment is presently generated by metro and tier 1 markets, although tier 2 and 3 markets have a significantly higher growth rate. The rising demand for the segment has also prompted brands to innovate and introduce new styles in products, such as, 4-way stretch bra and cooling bra, alongside shapewear, which is witnessing a rising demand for shaping briefs and bodysuits that cater to various body types. Among male consumers, breathable cotton track pants witnessed heightened demand, followed by shorts and innerwear.
Speaking on the strong demand for the segment, Ayyappan Rajagopal, Chief Business Officer Myntra, said, “Lingerie and loungewear is an emerging category with a strong contribution to Myntra’s growth. Our wide range of brands, options and styles, have driven solid momentum during the pandemic, alongside factors such as work from home and an attitudinal change in young women, especially from regions other than metros and tier-1 cities. While loungewear continues to witness growth like the previous year, a pleasant surprise has been the bouncing back of swimwear and shapewear. We are aiming to have more than 250 brands in the lingerie and loungewear segment by the end of the year, with a good mix of domestic and international brands.”