We Build Emotional Trust: Zivame CEO

When Zivame was born, buying lingerie without any inhibition among the crowded aisle of a store was rare. The founders, Richa Kar and Kapil Ravindra Karekar, bridged this gap by launching Zivame in 2011. Richa Kar left the company in 2017 and thereafter, Zivame witnessed many leadership shuffles. In 2020, Reliance Retail acquired Zivame for $160 million. Fast forward to 2025, Zivame is now in the able hands of its CEO Lavanya Pachisia, who directed its way to a successful omnichannel play. In a recent conversation, Lavanya speaks at length and breadth of lingerie retailing and the changing market dynamics.

What major retail trends do you see in the market?

Retail is about trust, relevance, and emotional connection. Over the past few years, we have seen a fundamental shift in what consumers expect from retail brands: today, they are looking for brands that understand their life stages, body changes, and daily realities. One of the most powerful trends shaping retail right now is the move towards hyper-personalised, solution-first shopping especially in intimate wear, where the need for comfort, privacy, and fit is so deeply personal.

The second big trend is the blurring of digital and physical: customers expect seamlessness. Whether she walks into a Zivame store or browses on our app, she wants the experience to feel consistent, intuitive, and respectful of her time and preferences.

Lastly, we are seeing a rise in value-driven consumption not just in terms of price, but purpose. Women today are drawn to brands that reflect their own values, around inclusivity, body positivity, and innovation. For us at Zivame, these aren’t just trends to follow, rather they are principles we have always designed around.

What changes have you noticed in consumer buying behaviour over the years?

There has been a significant shift from function-first buying to experience-first shopping. Earlier, lingerie was treated as a necessity purchase, often done discreetly or even hesitantly. Today’s consumer is far more informed, confident, and expressive. We see growing interest in style, fabric, fit, and performance features, alongside a deep desire for comfort and self-expression. Digital literacy has also brought more experimentation, with customers exploring new silhouettes, functional innovations, and solutions tailored to their body types.

There’s also been a marked rise in repeat and intentional purchases. Women now come back looking for a second colour in the same bra, or a different version of something they loved. That kind of brand trust and product loyalty wasn’t visible a decade ago in the category. 

How does Zivame define its brand identity in the Indian innerwear market, and what key messages differentiate it from competitors like Clovia, Jockey, or Enamor?

Zivame’s brand identity is rooted in being India’s most trusted partner in intimate wear, one that understands and celebrates women’s needs, beyond what’s visible. We have always stood for fit-first, solution-based design, paired with a warm, inclusive tone.

What sets us apart is our commitment to innovation-led comfort, be it India’s first non-wired strapless bra, our Flexi Wire solution, or our Fitcode algorithm that personalizes the experience. While other brands may focus on price or aesthetic, Zivame stands for thoughtful design and emotional resonance, intimate wear that supports women in every sense of the word.

What customer segments does Zivame primarily target, and how does it tailor its marketing campaigns to resonate with these demographics?

Our primary audience spans urban women between 21–40, including working professionals, young mothers, and digitally savvy shoppers. However, Zivame’s reach extends into Tier-II and Tier-III towns where women are seeking trusted guidance for their lingerie needs.

We craft campaigns that speak to real needs and real moments whether it’s the need for wire-free support during pregnancy, fuss-free dressing at home, or confidence at work. We don’t just market products, we build emotional trust. Whether it’s through campaigns like Museum of Boobs that is an industry first and breaks taboos, or innovations like Fitcode that make the experience feel personal, we are always centering the conversation around the woman and her needs, and not just the product alone.

How does Zivame integrate its physical stores (Fit Studios) with its digital channels to create a seamless omnichannel shopping experience?

At Zivame, our offline stores serve as experience hubs-designed to help women understand their size and fit better with the support of our trained fit experts. For many women, especially first-time buyers or those navigating body changes, walking into a store and having a private, informed conversation about fit can be a game-changer. Our trial rooms allow women to physically try on products, explore different styles, and get real-time guidance on what suits their body best. However, we also understand that our online platform offers a much wider assortment, what we call the “endless aisle”, with access to the full range of sizes, colours, and styles. So, for many customers, the store becomes a place to discover and feel confident about their fit, while the final purchase might happen online where the variety is larger.

This fluidity of being able to get a professional fit offline, and then shop with confidence online is what makes our omnichannel strategy effective. It puts the power of choice in the hands of the consumer, while ensuring she always feels supported, informed, and comfortable throughout her journey.

How is Zivame leveraging technologies such as Fitcode, AI-driven recommendations, and MoEngage for personalized customer experiences?

At Zivame, technology plays a foundational role in helping us build deeply personalised and high-trust shopping journeys for our consumers especially in a category such as intimatewear, where size, fit, and comfort is so individual.

Our proprietary tool, Fitcode, is a key differentiator. It helps users discover their ideal bra size and recommends styles based on their unique body profile. What’s exciting is the level of adoption.  We have seen close to 50% of all new users engage with Fitcode, contributing to a significant number of user acquisition. Beyond just discovery, it has a direct business impact:

• Customers who shop using Fitcode experience 42% lower return rates compared to those who don’t.

• Products that qualify through Fitcode consistently emerge as top sellers, showing that personalised fit is not just preferred, it's decisive.

We also leverage platforms such as MoEngage to further enhance customer experience through advanced behavioural analytics, contextual engagement, and retention campaigns. With event-triggered communication and real-time targeting, we’ve seen a 3X uplift in user conversions, reinforcing that the right message at the right time really matters.

Together, these tools help us ensure that every customer journey feels thoughtful, relevant, and completely hers, whether it begins online, in-store, or somewhere in between.

What are Zivame’s upcoming plans for product innovation, geographic expansion, or digital engagement over the next 12–24 months?

At Zivame, product innovation is not a one-off, it's a continuous process of listening, learning, and improving. Over the next year, we are focused on refining what we already do best: creating styles that are seamless, comfort-first, and constantly evolving with women’s changing needs. Whether that’s designing for sensitive skin, better solutions for different breast profiles, or silhouettes that support mobility and ease, every new launch is guided by real-life insights.

On the geographic expansion front, we have now launched our FOFO (Franchise-Owned Franchise-Operated) model, which will allow us to deepen our presence in India’s grassroots. This unlocks access to markets we may not have reached otherwise, and ensures that even more women especially in Tier-II and III towns have access to fit guidance and choice through our physical stores.

In terms of digital engagement, we are on a constant learning curve. The landscape is changing week by week and with that, so are our strategies. We are focusing on AI-led personalisation, smarter journey mapping, and building experiences that aren’t just reactive but intuitive. Tools like Fitcode will continue to evolve, and platforms like MoEngage will help us refine how and when we talk to our customers. At the heart of it, the goal remains the same: to make every interaction online or offline feel personal, relevant, and respectful of each woman’s journey.