Imported Products & Youth Distributors of imported cosmetics and fragrances that have nearly 70-80% of their portfolio comprising of extremely trendy international fragrance brands and the rest of prestige skincare feel equally upbeat about the catering to the increasingly young consumer in India. Baccarose, the largest with brands that span skincare, colours and fragrances and counters at all leading department stores has 60% of it’s turnover coming from the youth from brands that include . Britney Spears, So…?, FCUK (French connection United Kingdom) and others like Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Nina that cater to the youth with specific lines addressed to them. Shares Hemansu Kotecha, President, Baccarose Perfumes & Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd. “we run innovative programs and activities mostly associated with the youth like cinema advertising, tie up with gymnasiums / night clubs and actively participate in college festivals. Apart from advertising in magazines that are primarily targeted to the youth, promotions at departmental stores prove to be very efficacious in targeting the new generation.“ According to Tony Chin, CEO, Beauty Concepts Pvt. Ltd (BCPL) “we track sales of various age group so that we can tailor our marketing programs to reach out to them in a more effective way. For example, the youth are mostly internet savvy and some of our marketing efforts are done through this medium to connect with them. Also, we look at the type of gift with purchases that appeals to the youth eg. with Adidas, we have used some of the sports accessories like caps, pouches & even water bottles as gift with purchases”. BCPL carries a range of brands from the mid-mass to premium fragrances that appeal to the youth in a variety of ways. For instance “the normal focus of brands like Adidas and Benetton is on teens to the late 30s age group. This forms at least 60- 70% of the buyers. Both brands do not just target the youth. But they do have specific product lines or products that caters for the youth both in terms of pricing and in terms of aesthetics or product attributes” says Chin. With nearly 40% of their business coming from youth , they have personality inspired fragrances like J.Lo (Coty) and others that constantly launch products with youthful themes – most recent one being Davidoff (Cool Water Game). This is an area that is beginning to wake up with fresh possibilities of erchandising, increasing retail space and an eager audience. Youth Push the Branded Salon market A trend that may not be ignored is the rise of the branded salon market. This is perhaps a result of smartening up of both the barber and the beautician owing to the Gen Next taking over from the previous generation and modernizing salons & services to meet the demands of the urban professional for whom looking good not only amounts to feeling good but brings better prospects of career breaks & promotions. Shares Werner Robert, CEO, Wella India “the youth today are increasingly experimental and would love to carry various hues in their hair”. Informs Lata Khanchandani of Lata’s Salon, Mumbai, “average spend of youngster is Rs.1000 per month that goes up to Rs. 5000- 10000 every six months when they might opt for a makeover”. Another interesting observation from most salon owners including Khanchandani “there are as many queries and treatments being taken by young men as by women whether they are facials, skin treatments and hair coloring and cuts”. The market is increasingly witnessing launches by Professional brands that attract the younger customer. L’Oreal Professional’s launch of a range of styling products with bright and trendy packaging and images – Play Ball specifically targeted at the needs of this segment. Decades Dedicated to the Demanding Youth Indeed the decades starting from 2007, will definitely belong to the Youth as they turn all established norms on their head and the brands need to be prepared to face the pressures from both the urban and increasingly enthusiastic rural youth. The need for the established brands would be to continuously innovate, improve their packaging and display. In this regard, the change in positioning to ‘Fresh Fashion’ by Indian retailer Pantaloons can be regarded as forward looking and timely as also an earlier step, in a similar direction by Lifestyle, the Dubai based retailer. The international brands will have to deeply understand the Indian psyche and speak an Indian lingo although there will always be cake walks for certain universally recognized brands.