Ikonic Professional Launches Retail Range at Shoppers Stop, Hyderabad. On this occasion, Priyanka Parshurami spoke with Rayed Merchant, Director, SSIZ, for an exclusive interview. He explored the brand’s B2C expansion, the Ikonic Me launch, and the plan to bring grooming expertise to consumers.
Ikonic Professional has built its foundation in the professional beauty industry. As consumers become more informed about beauty technology, they increasingly seek professional-looking results at home. The brand is now taking its expertise closer to the end consumer. Its latest move is the launch of Ikonic Me, a consumer-focused sub-brand. This marks the first step toward the initiative, via Shoppers Stop in Hyderabad.
Below are the excerpts from his interview. He shares the thinking behind the move, and why the brand sees professional and consumer markets as complementary. He explains how offline retail could shape Ikonic Professional’s next phase of growth.
From professional expertise to everyday grooming
According to Rayed the move into consumer grooming emerged from a growing opportunity among consumers looking for professional-quality grooming tools for their everyday routines at home.
“Ikonic Professional has always had a strong foundation in the professional beauty industry, and that continues to be at the core of the brand,” he says. Over time, however, the brand identified an opportunity to bring its expertise in professional beauty technology to consumers through products that are “accessible, intuitive and relevant for home use.”
This led to the creation of Ikonic Me, the consumer-focused sub-brand developed specifically around the needs of the end consumer.
The Shoppers Stop launch, therefore, is an extension of this vision. For Ikonic Professional, the premium retail environment provides an opportunity for consumers to discover and experience the products first-hand, while bringing the brand’s professional expertise into their everyday grooming journey.
Why the move from B2B to B2C?
For Rayed this is not a shift away from Ikonic Professional’s B2B foundation. Instead, it is an evolution of the brand.
“We don’t see B2B and B2C as two separate worlds; rather, they strengthen each other,” he explains.
The professional business gives Ikonic credibility, expertise and a deep understanding of what works for hair and grooming professionals. The next step is to translate that expertise into products and experiences that consumers can access themselves.
This is where high-street retail and malls become important. While digital platforms offer convenience and reach, Rayed believes physical retail provides something different: discovery.
“Beauty and grooming are categories where consumers often want to see, touch and understand a product before purchasing it,” he says.
Being present at Shoppers Stop allows Ikonic to become more visible and approachable while reaching a wider consumer audience.
Expos or malls? It is not an either-or
The move into retail also raises an interesting question for a traditionally professional brand: where should the focus lie B2B beauty expos or high-footfall consumer environments?
Rayed does not see them as competing channels.
“Professional expos allow us to engage deeply with the people who shape the beauty industry hairstylists, salon owners, educators and professionals,” he says.
He further continuous, “They remain critical to Ikonic’s credibility while also providing insights into where the industry is headed”.
Retail, on the other hand, creates a direct conversation with the person ultimately using the product. It allows the brand to understand what consumers are looking for, the problems they want solved and how they are approaching grooming today.
For Rayed, the combination is particularly valuable: the professional ecosystem continues to inform product development, while consumer presence helps the brand understand the next generation of grooming needs.
Building a stronger consumer-facing brand
If there is one clear priority, it is strengthening Ikonic’s consumer-facing presence without compromising its professional DNA.
“A B2B expo gives you depth. A high-footfall retail environment gives you scale,” Rayed says.
Shoppers Stop, therefore, helps Ikonic bridge the two. The brand can take the trust it has built within the professional community and translate it into a more accessible consumer experience.
The opportunity ahead is significant. As consumers increasingly seek professional-looking results without always visiting a salon, Rayed sees considerable potential in the home-grooming category.
For Ikonic Professional, offline retail will allow consumers to experience its technology, while digital platforms can build education, awareness and convenience around that experience.
The Hyderabad launch, then, is not simply another retail touchpoint. It represents a step towards building Ikonic into a brand that can accompany the consumer across the entire grooming journey from professional salons to their own homes.
