Customising its way to the rider's heart: Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield, the brand that rode its way from Redditch in 1953, has completed 120 years of its existence. Right from hilly terrains to country roads, the brand has made for itself a global name with its ability to be customised as per the rider’s requirements. Over the years, the Enfield has grown its last mile connectivity and extended its physical accessibility. With its MiY (Make it Yours) initiative and launch of its new product – the Meteor 350 – the brand has taken its customisation ability to new heights. It also happens to be the oldest brand of continuously manufactured motorcycles, which have lasted across generations. 

 

We caught up with Shubhranshu Singh, global head, marketing, Royal Enfield who tells us about the rising customisation culture in the company, the kinds of customers he has encountered, its competition and more... 

 

(Edited excerpts)

 

What was the genesis behind the MiY initiative and how has it worked for you? 

 

MiY began with a helmet endeavour and has now been extended to the entire apparel range. The response has been absolutely stupendous, and we have put numbers out in the public domain from time to time. The initiative began with the launch of the Twins motorcycle in August, followed by the launch of Meteor in November, which also garnered a great response. Consumers are loving the flexibility, accessibility and the ability to personalise, while we enjoy the intended outcome.

 

 

How has customisation worked for brand Enfield? 

 

Customisation basically means giving the power of personalisation to consumers. Today, you can choose the combination that works for you. You are not only seeing a lot of options, but also getting them very easily for yourself. This is why people have rewarded us with their interest. We play in the mid-segment and our mission is to nudge people to enter the world of pure motorcycling. We want to increase participation in the motorcycling pursuit. However, customers also have to be interested in the aspects of cruising. Our purpose is to get them to do more. Once they evolve, they also begin to go beyond the essentials. 

 

 

 

What according to you is the future of customisation in India?

 

Customisation means different things to different people. We look at it as a global phenomenon, since we are a global brand. Since our purpose is to catalyse the global motorcycle market toward the mid-sized motorcycle segment, we have to make awesome and aspirational motorcycles that are also very accessible. In the fullness of time, factory customs would be an ideal scenario where you could customise your bike in every dimension from the plant itself. 

 

What are the kind of consumers you've seen over the years? How do you maintain the love for the brand? 

 

We want to create the desire for the brand Royal Enfield. There might be people who simply come in because they feel that the brand gives them a badge value. There are also some who feel that their status is enhanced. Some also come in because they just want to be part of a community, whereas some feel that it's the best that their money can buy. For many, it's just for the experience.

 

However, we believe that once you start to involve yourself in motorcycling, you also evolve. What matters is to invoke the love for motorcycling and that is our purpose. Even if someone wants in because of a status boost or because it looks great in a selfie, so be it. We are certain that once they are in it, they will fall in love. 

 

Who do you see as your biggest competition and what is your target market-share?

 

There might be hundreds of other competition brands which might be great in their own ways, but what we bring to the table is the lifestyle. The fact is that these are uncomplicated motorcycles and the consumer gets what he sees. People come to us because we are PURE: pedigreed, uncomplicated, resilient and engaging. As far as business is concerned, everybody who operates in the same market is competition. We are in our unique space and are not worried about a one-on-one competitor in that sense. We have to welcome competition if we want this category to grow, and we have single-handedly grown that market. A target market-share would mean restricting your growth. To us, market creation should be the focus. A share is a mere consequence to my mind.