Reliance Retail recently launched Tira, an omnichannel beauty store, whose app went live in over 100 cities whereas the first retail store was launched in Jio World Drive mall in Mumbai's BKC area.
The store is about 4,300 square feet large and offers a range of products, but unlike Nykaa or any other beauty story, the Tira store also offers a personalised experience in the form of tech consoles set up to elevate the shopping experience.
It is these tech interventions that help the brand stand apart from its direct competitors. However, Tira's focus on elevating offline shopping experience gives it an edge. The tech interventions in form of consoles like, the beauty vending machine, a machine that allows a user to pick a product sample and collect it upon by simply registering and entering the OTP. The free samples are a sure eyeball catcher.
Another interesting AI-powered console at the Tira beauty store is 'The Fragrance Finder'. It lets a user pick an olfactory note, denoted by Roman numericals and segregated as floral, citrus, fruit etc. Once a user picks the note, it has to be put in a small circle for the machine to identify. The machine then identifies the note and suggests a range of perfumes, their brand and product details that are available in the store. This experience simplifies the process of trying various scents and points a user in the desired direction. The Tira beauty store also allows users to try their makeup in various lights through its 'Smart Mirrors'.
This makeup try on station came with mirrors that have switchable lights. It lets you try on the makeup products in various lights from warm to white. It is further connected to a tablet that analyses the user's skin and rates them on various scales like dullness, UV damage, oiliness and also calculates the skin age. Depending on the results, the skincare regime and make up products can be bought.
Powered by Dyson, there is also a hair station, particularly targeting office girls who want to get a quick blowout before stepping out for an evening. Here a user can simply sign up for a Dyson experience and get their hair done, just like a salon irrespective of having to buy anything in the store
A final tech intervention, located near the billing counter is a gift customisation station that engraves initials, names or messages on a perfume bottle or any product that comes in a glass body. It allows users to add a personal touch.
Though these features make Tira stand out, these can simply be caught up by other brands too.
In its online experience, the app is pretty much similar to Nykaa in terms of prices, delivery rate and time. "The user experience is slightly inferior to Nykaa, with the app lagging in terms of product searches. TIRA provides an average discount of 15-20% in the regular and premium brands vs 10% for Nykaa, although both platforms do not provide any discounts in the luxury brands. On average, prices (final selling of some products) of select luxury products are lower by 15% without mention of a discount in TIRA vs Nykaa. Brands, such as Tresemme, Plum, Maybelline, and Lakme, are the most visible in the app whereas Minimalist, L’Oreal & Mamaearth, and owned brands, such as Nykd, Dot and Key, are more visible on Nykaa, as both platforms seem to have a similar presence on direct-to-consumer (D2C) and premium brands," Elara Capital's Diet report noted.
Is Tira better than Nykaa?
Nykaa started off as an online-only store and it now has over 150 stores across the country. The company has established itself as the market leader. However, Tira has been rolled out in both channels. With the deeper pockets, Tira might just take away Nykaa's market share. The beauty category is on a rise in the country. According to IMARC Group, the beauty and personal care market was at $26.3 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $38 billion by 2028 — a compound annual growth rate of 6.45 per cent between 2023 and 2028.
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