60% of Libas’ festive ad budget is being directed toward Meta platforms:Sidhant Keshwani

Libas is known for offering a trendsetting and up-to-the-minute collection of ready-to-wear ethnic and Indo-western outfits. The brand specializes in suits, sarees, lehengas, and contemporary fusion wear, all accessible through a user-friendly e-commerce platform. What sets Libas apart is its personalized service, where an expert team of tailors guides customers to achieve a customized fit and style.

At the helm of Libas is Sidhant Keshwani, Founder & CEO, Libas, who took over as CEO in 2013, when the company had a turnover of Rs 4 crore. Driven by his vision to explore the e-commerce landscape, Keshwani has successfully transformed Libas into a powerhouse, achieving a revenue of Rs 600 crore within 8 years.

In this interview with Adgully, Sidhant Keshwani shares his observations on market sentiment during this year’s festive season, how Libas is tapping into the rising demand for ethnic and fusion wear, and the brand’s innovative marketing strategies for the festive period. We’ll also explore how Libas is engaging with its target audience through personalized experiences, AI-driven insights, and its latest campaign, #UffTeriAdaa, featuring Kiara Advani.

What are your observations on the overall consumer and market sentiment during the festive season this year?

Consumer sentiment has shown a significant improvement, particularly since late September. We’ve observed a strong intent to buy, both online and offline, which has surpassed our initial expectations. This positive trend indicates a renewed consumer confidence, and we are optimistic about the festive and wedding season ahead. We anticipate robust demand and expect growth of approximately 30-40% over the same period last year. To stay closely aligned with our consumers, we are introducing over 100 new styles each week, catering to the festive spirit and evolving trends. Additionally, we’ve invested in AI-driven tools to track consumer behavior, preferences, and buying patterns. This helps us deliver personalized experiences and enhance our offerings, ensuring that we meet the needs of our diverse customer base effectively.

What forms the core of your festive marketing strategy this year? Could you tell us about your campaign strategy for the festive season?

This year, our festive marketing strategy revolves around creating personalized and immersive experiences for our customers. From personalized recommendations on our website to localized store experiences and targeted promotions, every touchpoint is designed to engage and deeply connect with our audience. We aim to offer a seamless blend of online and offline interactions that cater to our diverse customer base.

We’re also excited to expand our collections just in time for the festive season, with a wide range of new styles that reflect the vibrancy and spirit of celebration. Our latest campaign, #UffTeriAdaa, featuring our brand ambassador Kiara Advani, beautifully showcases the essence of festive elegance and modern Indian fashion.

Additionally, we have rolled out our much-anticipated ‘Big Diwali Sale’, offering up to 70% off and an extra 15% off, ensuring our customers can celebrate in style while enjoying great value. This combination of engaging content, attractive offers, and new collections forms the core of our festive marketing strategy, positioning Libas as the go-to destination for festive wear this season.

How does Libas’s plan to engage with its target audience during the festive season, particularly in terms of marketing channels and campaigns?

For the festive season, our omnichannel strategy remains central to engaging our target audience both online and offline. We’ve integrated our platforms to provide a seamless shopping experience, enabling customers to browse, purchase, and exchange effortlessly – whether they’re shopping online or visiting one of our stores. With the festive surge in footfall, real-time inventory synchronization ensures that stock is managed efficiently, allowing us to meet customer expectations across all touchpoints.

Our marketing efforts have been ramped up on both e-commerce platforms and through our offline stores, reflecting our continued expansion. In fact, we’re planning to open over 200 stores in the next two years, further strengthening our offline presence. On the digital front, we’ve increased our visibility across key platforms like social media, Meta, Google Ads, and influencer collaborations, delivering personalized, targeted content to our audience.

Additionally, we’re leveraging technology and data analytics to accurately predict festive demand. This allows us to optimize stock levels and ensure customers have a smooth, uninterrupted shopping experience throughout the season.

Given the increasing fragmentation of media consumption, how are you allocating festive ad budgets across different platforms?

This season, 60% of our ad budget is being directed toward Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram), given their broad reach and advanced targeting capabilities, especially for engaging younger audiences and driving conversions through visual storytelling. 30% is allocated to Google Ads, focusing on search, display, and YouTube, where we leverage high-intent searches and video content to capture consumer attention. The remaining 10% is spread across other platforms, including emerging short-video apps and collaborations with influencers to diversify our reach.In terms of campaign focus, we’re dividing our overall ad spend between business-as-usual (BAU) ads and festive-specific ads. 60% of our budget is dedicated to BAU ads, ensuring continuous engagement, while 40% is allocated to our festive campaigns, designed to capture the heightened shopping intent during this season.By taking this balanced, data-driven approach, we’re able to maximize the impact of our festive campaigns while ensuring sustained brand visibility across key platforms.

How important are influencer partnerships to your festive marketing strategy, and can you share any collaborations that you’re particularly excited about this season?

Influencer partnerships play a crucial role in our festive marketing strategy. With their ability to connect authentically with diverse audiences, influencers help us amplify our brand’s reach and engagement, particularly during the festive season when consumers are looking for style inspiration.Collaborating with influencers allows us to showcase our latest collections in real-life settings, making it easier for consumers to visualize how they can incorporate our designs into their festive wardrobes. Through storytelling, curated looks, and real-time content, influencers help us highlight the versatility, elegance, and contemporary appeal of Libas’ ethnic wear.

Additionally, these partnerships enable us to tap into niche markets and regional audiences, which are increasingly important during the festive season. Influencers also play a significant role in driving conversions by linking directly to our e-commerce platforms, providing seamless access for their followers to shop the looks they promote.