How We Built a Market Strategy for Body Care D2C Launch?

Team Members: Shristi Sultania, Shambhavi Mudra, Mayank Agarwal & Palak Dalmia

Project Overview

Body Care LTD is an emerging D2C body-care startup backed by an influencer with 800k+ social media followers. The brand is inspired by global premium self-care retailers (e.g. the U.S.-based Bath & Body Works) and aims to offer aspirational bath-and-body products to Indian youth. Its target audience is Gen Z (age 18–24), who value both quality and affordability. Our engagement was to craft a complete launch plan for BodyCare: defining product positioning, market entry timing, marketing channels, and pricing tailored for a value-conscious, socially-savvy Gen Z customer.

Client background: New D2C body-care line by an influencer brand agency, positioned as a “premium yet accessible” self-care brand for young consumers.

Objective: Develop a Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy, product positioning, and pricing plan that resonates with the 18–24 demographic, leveraging the influencer’s reach.

Client Challenges

• Premium vs. Affordable: Young consumers demand high-quality, “premium” products, but many are price-sensitive. India’s beauty market is indeed shifting premium, reflecting rising incomes and aspirational buying. The key challenge was to set prices low enough for students while maintaining an upscale image.
• Brand Differentiation: The Indian body-care category is crowded from global giants (HUL, L’Oréal) to indie brands (Mamaearth, Plum, Forest Essentials). Creating a unique niche against these well-known brands required clear USPs. We had to ensure BodyCare stood out with unique formulations and branding.
• Influencer-to-Credibility: Having a popular influencer partner boosts visibility, but converting that popularity into product trust is hard. We needed strategies to back the influencer’s endorsement with real product efficacy and storytelling.
• Novel Product Category: The flagship product is a shower oil, which is unconventional in India. Educating customers and overcoming skepticism about a non-traditional format was an added hurdle. We needed to highlight benefits of shower oil through demos, trials, and clear messaging.

Our Approach

• Competitor Benchmarking: We analyzed five major Indian body-care brands across six key product lines (body wash, lotion, scrub, etc.), evaluating features, pricing, and positioning. This revealed gaps in the market (e.g. lack of youth-focused “experience” products) and the going price range for premium vs. mass segments.
• Three-Phase GTM Strategy: We structured the launch into Pre-Launch, Launch, and Post-Launch phases. Pre-launch activities included finalizing branding, teasing through social media, and aligning supply chain. The launch phase centered on digital campaigns and influencer-led demos to generate buzz. Post-launch focused on feedback analysis, inventory scaling, and iterative marketing optimizations.
• Pricing Strategy: We positioned BodyCare’s pricing at the high end of the affordable segment. Prices were set in line with competitors’ premium sub-lines but justified via value messaging (ingredient quality, influencer backing). This balanced the insight that India’s Gen Z is willing to spend on beauty as long as they perceive genuine value.
• Channel Mapping: We identified key distribution channels. Besides standard e-commerce/D2C, we recommended partnerships with salons/spas (for experiential demos) and quick-commerce apps (Grofers, Blinkit) to meet Gen Z’s on-demand expectations. Established players are already expanding into such channels – e.g. HUL reports adding premium beauty outlets and quick commerce to reach young shoppers. We aligned BodyCare’s GTM to leverage these modern channels effectively.
• Consumer Research: We conducted a primary survey of 350+ female consumers (18–24) to test product concepts and price points. This helped us validate fragrance preferences, packaging designs, and willingness-to-pay. The data confirmed strong interest in natural ingredients and influencer-branded products, guiding final product tweaks.

Impact & Outcomes

• 4 Unconventional Channels identified (e.g. salon tie-ups, on-demand delivery) to broaden reach beyond typical retail.
• 6 Product enhancements recommended (packaging redesigns, new scent variants, etc.) to boost perceived quality.
• Data from 350+ target consumers captured, informing feature prioritization.
• 15–20% projected increase in Average Order Value within two quarters through bundling and upsell strategies.
• 2 Strategic partnerships proposed (e.g. a youth fashion brand collaboration and an eco-friendly NGO tie-in) to diversify marketing and distribution.
• 3 Core USPs defined – natural ingredients, socially-driven brand story, and Gen Z-centric design – to set BodyCare apart in marketing materials.

These results show a data-driven plan ready to launch a differentiated brand. By combining influencer momentum with solid strategy and customer insights, we paved the way for BodyCare to establish itself as a premium, yet attainable, lifestyle brand for young Indians.

Note: Since we signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement, fictitious identity (BodyCare LTD.) is utilized instead of actual names of client.