
The global footwear and clothing brand Woodland is all set for a change and has adopted online retail in post-Covid era.
Notably, the brand is expanding its omnichannel presence and online sales now contribute over a third of its overall sales versus 10 per cent during pre-Covid times.
Pavandeep Singh, Vice President (growth strategy), Woodland, said “The change is in line with the shift that the company is observing in the consumer behaviour post-Covid.”
He also said “In the last two years, our repeat customers are willing to buy Woodland’s bread-and-butter products online. So, now when they go to retail stores, they are looking for exciting and trendy products, which is why we have created the differentiation between both sales channels as a strategy.”
He further added “We have crossed pre-Covid levels in terms of sales and the biggest contributor to that in terms of change has been our online sales, across various channels, including e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, as well as our own website. Those used to contribute less than 10 per cent of our sales pre-Covid, but they jumped to 30-35 per cent of our overall sales.”
At present, Woodland has 500 exclusive showrooms across India and shelf space in over 5,500 multi-brand outlets.
However, like all consumer sectors, the footwear industry also bore the brunt of the pandemic, due to which it had to shut down 100 showrooms in the last two years.
Pavandeep added that while the company is looking at bringing back those stores in a phased manner, it is in no rush as with online presence, the dependency on retail stores is reducing.
It plans to open 25-30 stores by March 2023.
Given the shift towards health and active lifestyle during Covid, the company is also experimenting with athleisure and sports category.
Pavandeep concluded “With the festive season and winters approaching, the company is aiming for a good sales season for the next 3-4 months. Boots and jackets form 60 per cent of the company’s sales in these four months, and we are hoping a 20-25 per cent increase in business compared to last year and year before.”