``A large part of the market is still untapped. We're targeting a growth of about 70 per cent by next year and it's just the beginning of the success story,'' says ISPL's regional business manager Mr Vivek Govil. The company claims to have sold double the number of shaving systems in the first six months of the year 2000 itself than it did all of last year. Last year, the company claims to have sold about 50,000 units.

Largely unorganised, the branded female shaving market is dominated by just one brand-Gillette-in the country. Ajay products, which had entered this market in collaboration with a US-based company Persona about two years ago, is said to have withdrawn from the market.

Gillette's success-in creating an almost non-existent female wet shaving market and thereby establishing itself as the leader in the category-has come through because of its sustained strategy towards removing certain perceptions in the mind of consumers. ``As against international trends shaving was and still is perceived as a male stronghold and is not a habit associated with women,'' says ISPL's product manager Ms Sujatha Viswanath.

So what did ISPL do to fuel a sudden growth in the market? The company, says Mr Govil, lined up several initiatives to grow the market from a very small base.

New products and price points
To grow its customer base, ISPL introduced new products at low price points. For instance, against its Sensor Excel razor priced at Rs 225 launched in 1998, ISPL early this year introduced the concept of fashion razors priced at Rs 149 each. In addition, the company also launched a new three-pack cartridge for Rs 115 in May 2000 against the five-pack cartridge priced at Rs 190, launched earlier. Further, Gillette also launched disposable razors priced at Rs 30. The company is currently in the process of an aggressive relaunch of its disposable razors and sprucing up their display units. ``It has caught the imagination of the target audience and the retail trade as well,'' says Mr Govil. ISPL has also used advertising-largely print-to effectively put across its message and also used endorsements from doctors to convince the potential target audience about the `unharmfulness' of shaving. The company spends about 40 per cent of the female grooming business revenues on advertising alone. ``We are still in theinvestment mode for this business; we're not looking at making profits for still a couple of years,'' says Mr Govil.

The company has also as part of its strategy positioned its wet shaving systems as a fashion accessory and not just as a boring fuddy duddy functional/personal hygiene product. This was initiated with the launch of its Fashion razor series in May this year launched at a fashion show.

The company plans to continue to link up with fashion. ``Each year we will refresh the product as per the latest fashion trends, '' says Ms Viswanath.

Now in a bid to further its growth, ISPL is looking at association with some other brands in certain categories -- sanpro market, for instance-which will have synergies with female grooming.

Also, in a bid to catch its core target audience-15-years-onwards -- the company is planning to have roadshows in colleges and schools.