Wildcraft casts a wider net for customers

Wildcraft will expand its range of products, build brand awareness and visibility

“People view us through the lens of utility,” says Gaurav Dublish, co-founder of Wildcraft, referring to the perception that customers have about his label, one that he is keen to change. People come to Wildcraft only when they need a trekking jacket or a tent that can weather an Indian monsoon and while that has helped the brand build a band of loyal customers, it is not enough, believe Dublish and his team. The Bengaluru-based company now wants a larger share of the adventure, travel-cum-fitness market and is looking to establish its brand among a wider network of consumers, especially as international brands such as Decathlon step up their focus on India. Wildcraft is working to increase the number of brand-customer touchpoints with more products, greater visibility and continuous and consistent communication.

Wildcraft will release new brand campaigns: Ready to Fly and Ready to Hike in a few months. It wants to reposition the brand as a head-to-toe outfitter for an outdoor lifestyle and not just a supplier of gears and tools. Products such as waterproof shoes, ventilated travel-wear shirts and suspended back-system rucksacks are some of the products the company is pushing out across stores. 

The brand stands for an active lifestyle, says Dublish.  Given the growing affinity for fitness, travel and adventure among the young, he believes the brand has tremendous potential. He is looking at ways to increase the number of times customers experience his products. “Wildcraft will cater to 85 per cent of the wardrobe, 10-15 per cent of your wardrobe will be specific to the activity that you want pursue, of which we are not a part of,” he says. The challenge here is two pronged: the brand not only has to find relevance among new customers in new markets, but it also has to ensure that its appeal extends beyond the niche, even for its loyalists. 

The company believes that it has worked hard over the past few years to establish the brand’s credentials and to convince customers and employees that Wildcraft has grown beyond a hobby store. Built by friends who shared a common love for travel and adventure, the company has  turned more professional with its hiring strategies and supplier networks. “It was in 2007 that we decided to take this passion in the outdoor space and turn the entrepreneurial zeal into a commercial opportunity,” Dublish says. 

Wildcraft has spent time understanding the customer and the climate. Dublish explains that this has helped them create products that meet the specific needs of their clientele and the Indian weather. 

Wildcraft has over 160 exclusive branded outlets, 4000 plus multi-brand stores across 550 cities, including tier two and three towns. It has its footprint across 11 countries across Middle East & South East Asia. The company says that it wants to take the brand, valued at ~400 crore currently, to ~1,000 crore by 2020.

Dublish is enthused by the rapidly growing Indian outdoors market. While the market is growing steadily and the Wildcraft brand has  benefited from being an early starter in the space, he believes that the brand has a significant amount of work to do.

The challenge is creating adequate brand awareness. “People look at us as a utility business. They need to look at us as a brand in totality. I think we have made a start but there are miles to go for us as a firm,” he adds.  Today Wildcraft has its followers and word about the brand spreads through recommendations, but that is not how it can catapult into the big league. 

“There are customers who have heard about us, but do not know what we stand for and there are customers who do not even know what kind of offering we have,” Dublish adds. He wants to change that. 

Wildcraft started with backpacks, tents, and such gear. It has since, built up a clothing and footwear line for outdoor-wear too. The company has also opened up multiple channels for distributing the brand and moved into non-metros. The company believes that when the advertising and communication lines are opened up, accessing the brand will not be a challenge. “We have not communicated enough. In the last decade we have invested in making a platform and we can actually reap that opportunity now,” says Dublish.

The $2 billion sports and outdoor wear industry is split between sportswear and outdoor-wear. These are adjacent industries and so there is a lot movement between the two, say experts. At present there is a mix of players meeting customer demands in the segment—luggage companies that have a small presence in the category, sports retailers and then there is Decathlon which has a sub-brand Quechua aimed at this market. Besides, there are global players like Columbia and Timberland who have a small presence in the Indian market. For Wildcraft, the challenge will be to not only counter the clout of the international brands, but also to create enough brand pull to keep its loyalists from switching sides.