MUMBAI, 5th OCTOBER, 2023 (GPN): Global apparel retailer UNIQLO opened its long-anticipated first store in Mumbai today on Thursday, October 5 at Phoenix Marketcity Kurla, Mumbai. The new store will offer customers in Mumbai a new shopping experience that showcases LifeWear – the company’s commitment to creating perfect clothing that meets the requirements of everyone’s daily lifestyle. Japan’s most loved apparel brand LifeWear is all set to take Mumbai in it’s stride. The Store Opens it’s doors to the public from 6th October, 2023.

Commenting on the launch, Tomohiko
Sei, Chief Executive Officer, UNIQLO India, said “We are thrilled to be opening our much-awaited first Mumbai store. From seeing a strong demand on our e-commerce channel
to now launching brick-and-mortar
stores in Mumbai. We are delighted to bring our LifeWear to Mumbaikars, and look forward to supporting their daily lives.”

After four years in India, Uniqlo, the Japanese lifestyle brand entered Mumbai. Uniqlo aims to become India’s No. 1 brand. UNIQLO Phoenix Marketcity Kurla will be UNIQLO’s 11th brick-and-mortar store in India, and its first ever in Mumbai.

With this expansion in Mumbai, the brand has certain goals it aims to fulfill…

• Build the LifeWear concept:

  • LifeWear is a Japanese value of simplicity, quality, and longevity

  • Apparel that is adapted to Mumbaikars’ needs

  • A brand that suits every taste

• Expansion

  • Evaluate more locations in the city

  • Tap into different geographies within the city

  • Replicate the Delhi NCR journey in Mumbai

Mumbai is an important market for Uniqlo. From a marketing perspective, Nidhi Rastogi, Marketing Director at Uniqlo India told GPN the thought behind expansion.

“Our brand has already been established, but as we expand our storefront, we also need to expand our audience. And to reach a larger audience base, we felt that this was the right time to step into new markets.”

Simultaneously, the Japanese lifestyle brand has roped in its first-ever Indian brand ambassador – Katrina Kaif. With this, Uniqlo is amping up its marketing activities.

Apart from that, in its first ad film with Kaif, Uniqlo spoke about offering warmth and comfort to their consumers while revealing its jacket collection.

On choosing the Bollywood actor, Rastogi said, “Katrina fits right into our LifeWear commitment. Just like the brand, her personal style is minimalistic and simple and she herself is a fan of the brand, hence she was the perfect choice [for the brand].”

Kaif also brings a social presence to the table. She has over 76.8 million followers on Instagram, making her the sixth most followed Indian celebrity on the platform. On X, she has accumulated over 1.8 million followers.

Role of festive Season 
The festive season is an important time for the Indian market as brands across genres expand their spends. Nearly 140 million shoppers are expected to make purchases during the festive season sale this year, research firm Redseer said in a report.

Uniqlo’s expansion plans also happen to align with festive. Similar to other brands, Uniqlo has also increased its spends by 20% during this season. Rastogi said, “Festive is a time when the shopping sentiment is high. Overall retail does well. With our new stores opening during this time, everything synergized perfectly.”

To boost its presence during the festive, the brand has rolled out its fall collection in the country.

How the brand markets

In the past few years, the East Asian wave has taken over the Indian market. Be it the K-beauty hype, Asian cuisine or the love for Japanese lifestyle brands, Indians have actively adapted to this newfound market. 

Rastogi thinks that the audience has realised the quality these markets offer and has found a liking for it. With its products, the brand aims to offer the audience the basics they need with the added benefits of comfort. Rastogi said, “Our differentiator is comfortable and functional clothing.” 

Banking on this differentiator, the brand’s communication heavily focuses on product display. Using its social media platforms, the brand builds on its LifeWear philosophy and elaborates on product specifications.

Rastogi said, “We find the right products and communicate the value of the product which is best suited for the Indian consumers, highlighting its comfort factor.”

The brand occasionally hosts events and installs local activations at its stores to further its reach and visibility.

And for the markets that can’t access its physical stores, the brand uses its online presence to enhance communication. 

The Live station shopping, an occasional live stream conducted by the brand, lets users shop in real-time, providing them with an interactive experience, and allowing them to ask questions and buy products during the live stream.

Influencers also play an important role in the brand’s social media communication. Apart from that, the brand also engages in community building by featuring customers on their social media pages.

In the past, Uniqlo has also dabbled in movie marketing by collaborating with production houses. Most recently, to promote the release of The Super Mario Bros Movie, the brand partnered with Nintendo to add ‘The Mario Movie Short Sleeve’ in its UT collection (A line of graphic T-shirt collection).

Within digital, the brand also focuses on audio marketing on a large scale.

With the two new stores opening in the city, Uniqlo’s total number of stores in the country will reach 12. This new step in the brand’s journey comes after a 69% increase in sales while net profit tripling for its Indian unit during the fiscal year that ended March 2023.

To celebrate the opening, UNIQLO is offering a series of special promotions such as limited offers on its popular core items like Ultra Light Down Jackets, Soft Brushed Shirts, Flannel Shirts, U AIRism Oversized T Shirts, EZY Jeans, and more. The first hundred customers will receive a free Round Mini Shoulder Bag with every purchase. Further, they will also receive a discount of INR 1,000/- on purchases of INR 6,000/- and above.Ends