"People are looking for products and brands that specialise in 'the outdoors'": Harkirat Singh, Woodland

Harkirat Singh has seen Woodland - a Canada-headquartered outdoor wear brand from Aero Group - evolve from "a cool shoe brand" to "a technically sound outdoor gear brand," in this market.

Of Woodland's total sales, almost 35 per cent comes from its apparel range, including products like cargoes, jackets and the like. The lion's share - around 50 per cent - comes from shoes, of course. The rest comes from other accessories like backpacks, outdoor umbrellas, sleeping bags, walking sticks, climbing equipment, etc.

Usually, Woodland spends about five to six per cent of its total turnover on marketing. Last year, Woodland's turnover was around Rs 1,200 crore.

Nationally, Woodland has crossed the 500 store mark.

We spoke to Harkirat Singh, MD, Woodland, who has spent over two decades with the company.

Edited Excerpts.

Edited Excerpts

Woodland, since its inception, has always stood for the outdoors and adventure. But we do try to show new kinds of adventure. The recent ad does the job, as we have never used stunt bikers before, nor have we shown an urban, outdoor location.

Being an outdoor brand is always an advantage; it always excites the youth. We target youngsters because they use our products for the purpose they are meant for. The relevance is there. We see our sales growing year on year.

A lot of people who weren't into adventure sports previously, have started venturing out now, with friends and adventure groups. People are looking for products and brands that specialise in 'the outdoors'.

We provide products that have 'technical inputs' like water-proofing in the lining, skid-proof soles, etc. Our in-store staff is very well trained - they're trained to inform the customer about the need to use these shoes and the problems they may face if they use shoes that are not made for the outdoors. Training our staff is vital because they are our brand ambassadors... they speak to the customer. They are the face of the brand.

We do a lot of events where we let people try out shoes. We're present at a lot of colleges, schools, and fests like Sunburn - wherever our TG, the youth, is present. We put up something like an 'adventure wall' and ask them to try out the shoes, to feel the difference.

We provide information on the technology used in our shoes on social media.

We also have 'adventure ambassadors', and we are trying to grow this family. From our stores, we get a lot of information about people who are interested in the product. We try and propagate the outdoors. We give people information about where they can go, etc. It's a community we are trying to form.

We also take suggestions from our customers based on their experiences in the outdoors.

When we started, around 20 years back, we were present mainly in the metros; people would buy our shoes less for adventure sports and more for the rugged looks. Gradually, that changed.

Today, a lot of our customers are youngsters who go out trekking. They know what they want to buy, they know what technology should be used in the products, they are aware of all the international and Indian brands. This technology costs a lot, but today, the customer does not mind paying a premium for it.

The psychology of the customer is not the only thing that has changed. Demographically speaking, the customer base has expanded: Earlier we used to think our TG is the 17-25 year-old, but today, we see 13 year-olds wanting to go out for treks and adventure sports. Similarly, even 40-50 year olds - including those who're not really fit to go outdoors to trek - buy our products, because it adds a bit to their style!

Even in tier two and three towns, people are looking for sturdy products. Typically, are sales are very good in the North-Eastern states, and in Kashmir and Himachal, because these terrains require sturdy shoes. But today, a lot of youngsters down South, in places like Bengaluru, for instance, are aware of, and interested in, outdoor activities.

It's always easier to sell in metros and cosmopolitan towns, because you do not have to educate the customer too much.

But when you go into the interiors, you have to first create a demand and then grow it. There are limitations because of which you cannot expand too fast in these regions.

But it is very important to be present in these places. The effort is worth it. The rentals are much cheaper and there is a future here.