Indian start-up 'Buttalks' is helping men buy better underwear
What's the story
At a time when internet-based companies are changing the way Indians pay bills, buy groceries, and commute, three Chennai-based entrepreneurs (Brijesh Devareddy, Surej Salim, and Manish Kishore) are using an e-commerce platform to help Indian men buy better underwear.
The start-up, called Buttalks, went live in August 2017, and already boasts of 1,400 customers, of whom 30% are annual subscribers.
Information
What are their unique offerings?
India has had other innerwear start-ups like Zivame and Pretty Secrets, both of which preceded Buttalks. However, Buttalks is the first subscription-based, personalized innerwear start-up focusing solely on men's innerwear.
Men's underwear
Habits of Indian men with regard to underwear shopping
Despite the proliferation of e-commerce platforms, underwear shopping habits of Indian men remain backward, for the most part.
Buttalks's initial research found that most men buy underwear in a somewhat mechanical manner without paying attention to what they exactly require.
Indian men also often do not know when it's time to replace their underwear.
Data
The size of the Indian innerwear market
The Indian innerwear market is expected to reach a valuation of Rs. 68,270 crore by 2024. According to consultancy firm Technopak, the men's innerwear segment is currently worth Rs. 7,450 crore.
Health implications
Health implications of underwear habits
Apart from causing discomfort, ill-fitting and old, worn-out underwear has several health implications for men, implications which are often ignored and played down in Indian society.
According to Rajan Bhonsle, a professor and consultant in sexual medicine, wearing right-sized underwear has direct benefits for a man's sexual health, while a proper fit helps reduce issues related to infertility.
Quote
Men's health issues need to be highlighted too
"I see that there is so much ignorance about something as basic as this [choosing the right underwear]. This is something that's never spoken about...women's health issues have their space, but men's issues lag behind. All these have to be highlighted," added Bhonsle.
Packages
The packages offered by Buttalks
Buttalks works through a subscription model wherein subscribers get periodic doorstep deliveries of underwear from the start-up.
The start-up offers three differently priced sampler or annual subscription plans starting at Rs. 999, the prices of which differ based on the brands that are included in a package.
Customers using the annual plan get three pairs of briefs four times a year.
Do you know?
What about Buttalks's funding?
However, owing to the as yet unsuccessful subscription model, Buttalks faces many challenges in terms of funding. Although the start-up is set to close its first funding round soon, it remains boot-strapped so far. The co-founders also declined to share details of investors and revenues.
Personalization
How Buttalks personalizes underwear for a user
Regardless of one's subscription plan, the briefs which go into boxes are personalized as per a user's preferences.
Users have to fill out an exhaustive questionnaire while signing up so that Buttalks knows every customer's preferences.
The questions range from a user's preferred choice of fabric, colors, styles, and brands, to even users' lifestyles.