"More Than MRP, The E-Commerce Shopper Looks For Discounts," Sachin Joseph, Paragon Footwear

When Paragon scaled operations nationally in the 1980s and 1990s, it quickly became a household name—synonymous with affordable, durable footwear. In markets where consumers owned just one pair of footwear for every occasion—be it work or weddings—Paragon rose to become the number one player by volume, thanks to its iconic rubber ‘Hawai chappals’.

The pillars of durability, affordability, and legacy that once made the brand a market leader now often take a backseat to variety, design, and “good deals rather than low MRP”—which increasingly shape consumer choices.

Now, in its 50th year of business, the brand is closely tracking shifts in consumer behaviour to plan its next strides. Sachin Joseph, Executive Vice President – Marketing & IT at Paragon Footwear, gives us a deep dive into these evolving dynamics.

Legacy vs Relevance

While Paragon once dominated markets with its flagship rubber chappals, today about 40–45% of its turnover comes from PU (Polyurethane)-based footwear. And though disposable incomes have risen across the country, a significant chunk of Paragon’s consumer base remains extremely price-sensitive. “For the Paragon consumer, even a five-rupee increase in MRP can impact a purchase decision,” Joseph explains.

At the same time, there’s a growing segment of consumers who are experimental, design-conscious, and driven by global fashion trends. Women, in particular, are now leading purchase decisions—looking not just for affordability, but variety, style, and choice.

In such a landscape, leaning solely on durability and quality no longer suffices. Paragon has responded by rolling out over 50 new designs each month, strategically deploying them across different regions using AI-powered insights.

Playing On Emotions, Not Just Features 

Instead of focusing on features in its communication, Paragon leans into emotional storytelling—as seen in its recent ‘Zid, Chalte Rehne Ki’ campaign. “Paragon has been part of Indian families for generations. Consumers tell us their fathers and grandfathers wore the brand. And even if they themselves didn’t, they probably had it thrown at them by their parents at some point!” laughs Joseph.

While comfort and quality remain R&D priorities, the brand rarely highlights them overtly. Instead, brand salience is maintained through emotional resonance, shelf presence, and in-store visibility.

Appealing To Every Buyer 

For the Paragon brand, a majority of their marketing spend continues to be on traditional media and television. “About 15-20% of our spend is on digital but for our brands like Eeken and Stimulus that speak to the youth, it is a larger percentage.” 

For the most part, digital spend is about creating awareness, and conversions prove difficult to track due to a large presence in offline distribution. “We take up prime properties for TVCs and focus on performance marketing on digital marketplaces.”

Joseph notes that the shopper on e-commerce is largely different from one in a Multi-Brand Outlet (MBO) or an Exclusive Brand Outlet (EBO). In e-commerce, consumers are interested in seeing variety and bagging deals in the form of high discounts, rather than low MRPs. In MBOs, affordable price and brand trust wins. While for EBOs, a variety in design, colours and more premium offerings come into play.  

Today, a lot of shopping is also happening on Q-commerce. “Gone are the days when consumers would go to the same shop year-after-year and only stick to trusted brands.” With additional disposable incomes, consumers are willing to take chances. And if it doesn’t work out, they won't buy that brand the next time. 

When Digital Becomes The Backbone Of Retail 

Joseph reveals that the company has made investments in software that tell them about tastes and preferences and how they change from state to state. “It's not just about South vs East. The kind of colours, size of the footwear, and types of designs that each state likes is different.”

These tools, combined with Paragon’s vast historical data, help the brand fine-tune predictive design cycles, reduce sampling costs, and optimise inventory placement—ensuring on-time order collection and retail visibility. 

Paragon will also be expanding their exclusive retail store presence through franchisee networks. “We’re launching a new store format in the next month, with a completely revamped design.” The idea is to continue to provide for the original, price-sensitive customer, while adding on layers for the experimentative, digitally savvy and design-first consumer. 

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