How a Shiny Cookware Brand Lost Its Heat in Small Towns

CASE STUDY: PRODUCT BRAND OF A D2C COOKWARE COMPANY

FOCUS: BRAND RELEVANCE LOSS | AUDIENCE: STEWARDS OF PLATEAUED BRANDS

I helped a cookware brand switch momentum from sleek urban kitchens to the habits of Tier 2 and Tier 3 homes.

The Brand Challenge

This brand had made a name for itself among urban, online-first buyers with modular ceramic pans, stackable saucepans, and glossy digital campaigns starring lifestyle influencers. It positioned itself as the modern Indian’s cookware of choice—refined, elegant, aspirational. The packaging, the palette, and even the product demos were crafted to echo minimalism and sophistication. And it worked… for a while.

The problem began when growth stalled. New customer acquisition costs began climbing. Repeat purchases slowed. And Tier 1 metros had been saturated. But instead of looking at Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns with fresh eyes, the brand assumed its premium tone would carry over. It didn’t. Buyers in smaller cities didn’t respond to the ceramic aesthetic or the messaging around modularity. What they wanted was heat resistance, steel strength, and reliability. And the brand had never thought to speak their language—literally or visually.

The Brand Insight

While the brand team initially believed the issue was affordability, what we uncovered was a deeper problem of relevance. Buyers in smaller cities weren’t necessarily resistant to the price—they were unconvinced by the product. Ceramic cookware didn’t fit their cooking styles, storage habits, or kitchen ecosystems. They found the handles awkward, the shapes unfamiliar, and the cooking behaviour mismatched with high-flame or coal-based stoves.

But the demand was still there. In fact, competitors were thriving by embracing vernacular content, stainless-steel-based products, and festival-led discounting cycles. This brand had simply failed to notice that aspiration in Tier 2/3 markets didn’t look like minimalism—it looked like strength, durability, and tradition with a modern edge.

The Big Brand Idea

My breakthrough idea wasn’t to repackage the ceramic line or drop prices. It was to expand the product line with a premium stainless steel range—engineered for tradition but delivered with innovation. This wasn’t a regression. It was an advancement into a product category that Tier 2/3 buyers already respected and used daily—but with subtle design upgrades.

The new line offered spill-resistant rims, faster-cool handles, stackable lids, and thicker induction bases—but looked like what home cooks were used to. Instead of pushing unfamiliar aesthetics, I leaned into familiar forms with better function. That small reframe—“build for them, not educate them”—was enough to restart momentum.

The Brand New Strategy

I repositioned the brand for dual-market relevance. While ceramic continued in Tier 1 metros, the new stainless steel range was launched as “built for the Indian kitchen”—backed by local-language video testimonials, family-centric ad campaigns, and e-commerce listings tailored for regional buyers. We created product pages on Amazon and Flipkart with Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali bullets and captions.

On Instagram, the aesthetic shifted. Instead of polished granite countertops, we featured busy kitchens with steam, sizzle, and family chaos. We ran cooking demos with real mothers, not influencers. And we launched festival bundles for Pongal and Diwali—with “trusted steel” as the hero message, not “chef-inspired design.” It was a respectful pivot—one that saw results almost immediately.

10 New Content Directions

Here are 10 strategic ideas developed (and several executed) to support the new brand direction:

Regional Festival Promo Videos – Shot cooking demos during Diwali and Pongal in Tier 2 homes, featuring local families using the stainless steel range.
Vernacular Voiceovers for Amazon Listings – Added Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali content for all new SKUs with simplified benefit-driven language.
Flipkart “Bestseller Comparison” Ads – Highlighted key benefits like “cooler handles” and “non-stick steel” vs traditional competitors.
YouTube Shorts Featuring Street-Style Cooking – Captured high-flame, large-quantity dishes made in the new cookware to demonstrate strength.
Whatsapp Forward Campaign for Recipe + Product Bundles – Distributed recipe cards with embedded product QR codes through local cooking groups.
Local Creator Collaborations – Partnered with Tier 2 food bloggers and Facebook community chefs for real-time unboxing and reviews.
Instagram Reels of Real Kitchens – Shot unstyled, authentic home kitchens showing the new cookware in messy, relatable use.
Microsite with Region-Wise Testimonials – Created a showcase page with short clips of customers across cities sharing what they liked.
Post-Purchase Video Series – Sent follow-up content to buyers showing five unexpected ways to use the same steel pot (milk, bhindi, pressure, etc.)
“From Amma’s Kitchen” Blog Series – A content hub sharing traditional cooking tips, hosted by older home cooks, featuring new stainless items subtly.

Results Within 6 Months

The new stainless steel line contributed 38% of monthly sales within 4 months.
Regional buyers accounted for 52% of new acquisitions in the quarter post-launch.
Return rates dropped to 1.2% for the new line, compared to 5.7% for ceramic products.
Flipkart’s algorithm ranked the line among the Top 10 cookware sets in Tier 2 cities.

CONFIDENTIALITY CAVEAT: This case study represents a confidential engagement. For privacy, specific brand identifiers, campaign names, and project phases have been withheld. It has been shared with permission while preserving client discretion.

Extra Tip for Broader Perspective

If you’re an investor seeking momentum for your portfolio brands, here is one of my case studies that could interest you: “How a Hair Oil Brand Promised Growth But Never Grew Itself.“

And if you’re a solo expert looking to sharpen traction, this case study I worked on may resonate: “She Treated Hidden Trauma—Until SEO Helped Her To Be Seen.“

Take your brand from stuck to full throttle − with one bold strategic shift

"One BIG IDEA can turn brand stagnation into unstoppable movement. Spots are limited each week—book your breakthrough session now."

Shobha Ponnappa

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