Whether it was adding the cool quotient with trendy spectacles, adding spunk to a college goer's accessories or crafting exquisite jewellery for the modern Indian woman, Titan as a company has evolved over the years to connect with the consumer at various levels through its brands.

Now adding another feather to its cap, the company has this time around introduced Fastrack Helmets, to widen its footprint in the youth segment. H.G. Raghunath, COO - Titan Company Ltd. shares more details on how the company plans to capture this widely unorganised market and its potential in a country that loves its two-wheeler.


What made Titan introduce helmets as a category within the Fastrack brand?

Being in the business of youth fashion accessories, helmets were an extension to our other product categories. We noticed that most helmets available today in the Indian market were uncomfortable, heavy or not adhering to safety standards. With Fastrack, we wanted to offer value through design, comfort, safety and pricing. The shopper will not be buying just a helmet but a Fastrack.
Currently, the category is largely unorganised and under-served and with our superior quality product, we aim to ensure safety and comfort for two-wheeler riders.

How do you plan to tap this highly unorganised market?

Offering edgy designs and vibrant colours, Fastrack helmets come in 24 variants for guys and girls, making them a style essential. The ISI approved product has been has been designed for the youth of today, which is also attractively priced between Rs 1495 - Rs 3495.  We will offer comfort, safety, style, differentiation and helmets which have been specially made to suit Indian head size.
We feel that these helmets will be so attractive that people might buy a two-wheeler just for that.

Who is your TG and how do you plan to bring this to your shopper?

Fastrack Helmets are targeted at the youth, 18 years old and above, who are eligible to ride a two-wheeler. The helmets will be sold through exclusive Fastrack stores across the country and e-commerce portals. We also plan to introduce the helmets in MBOs and large format stores in the near future.

What would be the USP of Fastrack helmets?

Fastrack's products are known to be edgy and bold, and so even our helmets will add a dash of irreverence to the riding gear. Besides its vibrant colours and designs, the helmets come in sizes to comfortably fit the average Indian head sizes (for girls and boys). Having a control on manufacture, design and safety standards, we aim to provide the best to our customers. We have also partnered with renowned helmet maker AGV - Italy, to provide best protection to the riders.

What is the potential for this product category and as a category within Fastrack what growth do you see?

India has the highest number of two-wheelers in the world. With unorganised players currently driving the helmet business, the category has a large potential in the market. The organised market is estimated at approximately Rs 400 crore, accounting for 45 percent of the retail market. In five years we plan to capture about 30% of the market share.

How do you see this category contributing to the Fastrack's turnover?

We see that by the end of this fiscal, the helmets business will contribute to less than Rs 10 crore, with a sale of 50- 60,000 pieces. Given the large two-wheeler population in India, we see that helmets as a product category will see tremendous growth. As for now, it will contribute about 5% to the brand's turnover.