Taneira was launched in 2017, the word Taneirs is derived from the word ‘tan’ meaning body and ‘Eira’, the Sanskrit name for Goddess Saraswati (Patron God of art, music, craft, and knowledge) and meaning ‘Earth’ in Greek, Taneira aims to provide the rooted yet progressive Indian woman with exclusive design, diverse workmanship, the authenticity of handcraft, pure and natural fibers: the best of India under one roof.
Capturing the beauty of the seven yards in an effortless manner, Taneira recently launched its latest offering – Essentials by Taneira – a collection featuring gorgeous silk, tussar, and cotton sarees, for women who love to wear sarees. Available in a wide range of fabrics, these pieces are a perfect fit whether you are on a day out with friends, heading for an important meeting, or looking for the perfect gift for a dear one.
In an exclusive chat with mediaNews4u Raghuvar Seth, Marketing Head, Taneira – A Tata Product talks about the new exclusive range, product innovation and services, and much more…
Taneira Sarees are known for their exclusiveness, how do you source your sarees?
We at Taneira, take pride in representing the authentic crafts and weaves from more than 28 regions across the country. We closely work with an extensive network of weavers, aggregators, cooperative societies, NGOs, and designers to create differentiated products for our customers. We follow seven PROMISES as part of our brand philosophy – Trust, Authenticity, Natural & Pure Products, Exceptional Quality, India under one roof, Responsibility with pride & purpose, and a brand like no other. These promises are deeply woven with each of the facets of the brand, and we are committed to upholding these promises to enhance and enrich our customer’s experiences.
Being a handcrafted textile brand from the house of TATA, we ensure that we source authentically from the clusters, and design the sarees at their place of origin. For instance, our exclusive Banarasi collection is produced by the skilled weavers in Banaras and Kanjeevaram sarees, by the weavers in Kanchipuram, PatanPatola sarees are crafted at Patan in North Gujarat, and each of these pieces showcases our Indian heritage in its full glory. Earlier this year, we introduced our exclusive collection of sarees – Parichay: Song of the Forest, inspired by the flora and fauna of the forests. This limited edition is comprised of 50 exquisitely handcrafted sarees, crafted using natural and sustainable fabrics, and created with the intention of responsible use before they return safely to the biosphere. At Taneira, we aim to build a transparent design process with our customers. In our silk and khadirange, each sari comes with the silk and khadimark respectively.
The new range “Essentials by Taneira’, how different is this range from your existing collection?
We delightfully refer to our brand as “India under one roof” as we host some of the finest and rarest of weaves from different parts of the country, in a variety of silhouettes like sarees, lehengas, ready-to-wear range –Eira: by Taneira, dupattas, masks among others. We are a one-stop destination for customers who seek a well-curated line of offerings with exquisite designs catering to all kinds of occasions like festivals, weddings, and special occasions.
‘Essentials by Taneira’ is a line that we recently introduced for the saree lovers and enthusiasts who love adorning this gorgeous outfit effortlessly in every sphere of life. The campaign titled ‘Bring out the best in you’ comprises a range of soft and free-flowing fabrics like silk cotton, tussar, silk, and cotton that are perfect for bringing a break to the monotony of daily routine. High on comfort and light to wear, the pieces from Essentials can be the perfect #OOTD (Outfit Of The Day) on any day of the week, as well as an impeccable choice for a WFH look to a party or a dinner or a brunch with friends, or just another day at home.
Today we are seeing an increase in women wearing saree, but we need to see more women wearing sarees, how are you in your own way trying to encourage and promote more women to wear sarees?
Sarees are one the most quintessentially Indian outfits, and the image of a woman in a saree is instantly relatable with our generations of culture and heritage. Over the decades sarees have evolved beyond being just a traditional outfit and have transformed with changing times and styles while retaining its true essence. Sarees have the unique ability to adapt itself to the occasion which is fully evident in the way it is used today. No longer a garment reserved for special occasions only, today we have dancers opting to practice and perform in sarees, yoga practitioners choosing saree as their attire thanks to the room and flexibility it offers, young women preferring to receive their certificates at graduation ceremonies in a saree, and ladies practicing hula hoops in saree. These are just a few examples of how sarees have become an integral part of our lives.
Tanier has been at the forefront of inspiring more and more women to embrace this beautiful ensemble. In the past, we have organized events in association with Pinkathon and actor MilindSoman to encourage women to drape sarees and participate in a 3-kilometer run. Taneira’s team assisted the participants with comfortable saree drapes for the event, allowing them to run with ease. We also organize several in-store and digital-led initiatives to showcase sarees as an essential component of our daily lives. For instance, we conducted master classes as well as saree styling sessions at TaneiraIndiranagar store, Bangalore, and TaneiraBanjara Hills store, Hyderabad with renowned celebrity stylists and influencers to discuss creative styling ideas for sarees and also took them through the elaborate design process. Additionally, these sessions play an important role in familiarising our consumers as well as saree lovers about the different ways in which they can pair up their favorite sarees – in a classic style, in a fusion way with an Indo western blouse, or easy to drape ways or pairing the ideal jewelry suitable for different drapes and material.
As the entire world moved to digital, we also initiated several social media campaigns led by key influencers for special occasions and festivals like Yoga Day, Women’s Day, GudiPadwa, and Ugadi among others,to seamlessly integrate sarees as a day-to-day wear outfit.
What are innovations when it comes to product range have you adapted post the lockdown and the pandemic?
With lockdown and the subsequent WFH situation for a majority of consumers, more and more people started seeking breathable separates that can be effortlessly worn from day tonight. Catering to the evolving consumer needs, we launched the Ready-to-wear line, Eira: by Taneira that features comfortable suit sets handcrafted in Linens, Tussars, and soft Silk Ikats.
We launched the collection titled ‘The Fusion Edit’ that amalgamated different crafts from across the country and was showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI show. With this collection, the brand works towards reviving some of the languishing crafts of our country like Farad print from Bagru, Rajasthan and Boparipallu which is an ancient technique of Ajrakh print on both sides of a pallu. This collection is thoughtfully designed using natural and sustainable fabrics birthing from the idea of circular fashion.In line with our efforts towards sustainability, we have also introduced silk Tencel sarees by Taneira. These are sustainably sourced, responsibly produced, and offer superior comfort along with premium aesthetics.
Marketing strategies for the new collection?
Our current marketing strategy is to strengthen the omnichannel presence and transform it into a one-stop-shop to cope up with the Covid-19 impact. While the pandemic and the lockdowns led to a significant impact, we are in process of opening stores in new cities and increasing our product portfolio to expand the customer base.
We will continue engaging continuously with our customers to stay relevant and connected in times like these. The strategy would be to streamline the marketing spends and drive it by focused targeting, geographical targeting along interest-based targeting. We are also looking at over-indexing on digital marketing. Our main focus remains social media as we are in a social category and also keep engaging with digital influencer marketing campaigns.
What are the SOPs you are following when it comes to shopping at the Taneira stores?
As the customer reaches the Taneira store, our team carries temperature & pulse checks at the security point, whose record is maintained on an individual basis. The customers, who enter without masks, are provided with disposable masks, as well as Taneira masks which are available for purchase, once they enter the store. Our team is following the sanitization of fixtures & furniture on an hourly basis. Restroom sanitization is duly practiced after every usage. We ensure the consumer is updated on the safety measures through the in-store audio announcement system.
We have also placed store safety communications tent cards at every customer touchpoint across the store. For in-store beverages, we are only providing bottled mineral water & avoiding beverages at the moment. We also regularly check our store team’s temperature, maintain social distancing, and monitor team health as well. We have facilitated vaccine drives for all our team members, and currently, every member of the Taneira family has had their first shot of the vaccine, while many have received both doses.
Adding yet another layer of safety to the shopping experience, we encourage customers to touch and feel their favorite weaves after sanitizing their hands. And after every trial, the teams sanitize the sarees immediately. Most importantly, we are encouraging cashless transactions with all modes being displayed at the cash point across all Taneira stores.
You have recently launched a tailoring service, how does one avail of it online as many are still not comfortable buying sarees or fabrics online as they need to touch and feel, how are you addressing this issue?
Considering the current circumstances and the need for utmost safety and precautions, Taneira has introduced a tailoring service for sarees to ensure that our customers receive the best even during tough times. Customers who purchase Taneira sarees from the store or online can access the tailoring service, which also includes a complimentary finishing service for fall and pico.
These services are available in the cities where Taneira is currently functional. In each of the regions, we have a dedicated stylist who is an expert in offering guidance with regards to sarees that will suit the occasion and the corresponding details such as drapes, blouse material and style, neckline, and other important details. The store team as well as the stylist has an existing catalog to cater to each of these needs. In order to ensure a seamless experience, the customer is requested to share a blouse that fits them well, for measurement purposes, or the stylist visits the customer’s house to gather the updated measurement. This is followed by virtual video consultations to finalize the design of the blouse. One of Taneira’s main UCP in its tailoring portfolio is that upon finalizing the design, and before initiating work on the final product, we provide a sample muslin stitched blouse for the customer to finalize and approve. Once the final product is ready, it is couriered to the customer’s address.
It has been 4+ years how has the business grown and what have been the challenges as you are competing with some very established brands?
This year, we celebrate our 5-years’ anniversary, and we are immensely proud and privileged to be working with a brand that works with the weaver community at the root level. The business has grown multifold over the last 5 years. We employed trunk show format across the Tier-I and Tier-II markets to assess consumer receptivity towards the brand’s products. This model was very well received and has contributed immensely towards the business growth. We continue to drive it across the newer towns and cities where there is a strong affinity for sarees. The employment of the Omni-channel network has also enabled us to connect with our customers seamlessly, leading to greater brand presence and traction across the channels.
Taneira is a relatively newer brand in a category that has a legacy that is over a thousand years old. While we are working towards increasing brand awareness among the consumers, our exclusive offerings, a wide range of collections, and design differentiation had helped us carve a niche in the minds of consumers and grow as a brand. Consumers have a certain level of trust towards the House of TATA, and we are ever mindful of maintaining the same and being fully committed to our seven promises. We have not only built a discerning loyal customer base, owing to the design differentiated portfolio and pure authentic weaves but have also rekindled love and desire for sarees among women across generations.
