Back in 2015, men’s grooming was an afterthought.
Shampoo? Borrowed from the women’s aisle.
Face wash? A luxury, not a necessity.
Beard oil? Unheard of.
Serial entrepreneur, Hitesh Dhingra, saw this massive opportunity as a goldmine.
Enter The Man Company—a brand that didn’t just sell grooming products, but redefined the conversation around self-care for men.
Today, The Man Company is a ₹150+ Cr brand, leading the charge in premium male grooming with a 360-degree omnichannel presence and an unshakable brand identity built around modern masculinity.
Let’s break down how they cracked the D2C playbook for men’s grooming 👇
Building A Category, Not Just A Brand
Back then, men weren’t buying grooming products proactively—they were learning how to use them.
So, The Man Company didn’t just push products; they started with educating their audience.
📌 Beard oil launch
Their first breakout product wasn’t just marketed—it was explained. Customers received multi-language leaflets on how to use it, tackling the biggest challenge—awareness.
📌 Content-first approach
Campaigns like #TheManBehindTheBrand and #GroomingGoals weren’t just about sales. They built a community-driven narrative, making grooming an essential, not an afterthought.
📌 Brand storytelling that matters
From tackling toxic masculinity to promoting the modern gentleman, The Man Company shifted the discourse from superficial grooming to confidence and self-care.
This approach built customer loyalty and trust—critical in a category where retention is tough.
The Evolution Into A 360-degree Omnichannel Player
📍 30+ EBOs across India
📍 Modern trade presence in Shoppers Stop, Central, and Lifestyle
📍 35% revenue from offline sales—despite starting online
📍 65% revenue still driven by online channels (website + marketplaces)
Why does this matter?
D2C brands often struggle to scale offline profitably.
The Man Company, with its premium positioning and omnichannel expertise, is solving this with controlled retail expansion.
4X Order Volume Growth Without Operational Breakdowns
Scaling 1,000+ SKUs across 11 warehouses isn’t easy. The Man Company had to rethink its entire supply chain, inventory, and fulfillment strategy.
Today, they are thriving with 👇
💡 99.99% order fulfillment rate—ensuring customer trust stays intact
💡 7M+ live inventory count—with real-time sync across channels
💡 200K+ orders processed monthly—with peak efficiency
How? Automation.
They integrated ERP solutions to:
✔ Track inventory at the batch level for better demand forecasting
✔ Enable personalised gift boxes on Shopify for curated shopping experiences
✔ Offer real-time inventory sync, making bundling and cross-selling easier
Why Emami Went All-In On The Man Company
What happens when an FMCG giant sees a D2C brand absolutely crushing it?
They buy it.
Emami first picked up a 50.4% stake in The Man Company in 2017. The goal? To test the waters in premium men’s grooming.
Six years later, they were convinced.
In 2024, Emami acquired the remaining 49.6% stake, making The Man Company a fully owned subsidiary.
Why?
📈 Men’s grooming is booming—expected to be a $5B market by 2030
🛍️ Omnichannel dominance—TMC cracked both online & offline distribution
🚀 Growth at scale—TMC’s unit economics are profitable and sustainable
Now, with Emami’s manufacturing muscle, distribution network, and deep pockets, The Man Company is set to explode.
How The Man Company Built A Cult Following Of Consumers
Most D2C brands burn millions trying to acquire customers. The Man Company played smarter.
💡 The Power of a Gentleman: Their brand identity wasn’t about hyper-masculine stereotypes. Instead, they positioned themselves around modern-day sophistication—”Bring Out The Gentleman In You.”
🎥 Ayushmann Khurrana as Brand Ambassador & Investor: Instead of generic celeb endorsements, The Man Company made Ayushmann a strategic partner. His relatability made the brand feel real.
📲 Instagram & WhatsApp Commerce Domination: Their social game is 🔥. With over 3X sales growth on WhatsApp through AI-driven conversational commerce, they turned DMs into dollars.
🎁 Gifting & Bundling Mastery: Selling a ₹300 face wash is one thing. Selling a ₹2,500 “Ultimate Grooming Kit” is another. TMC nailed product bundling with custom gift boxes and curated sets.
🔁 UGC & Influencer-Led Growth: From beard oil tutorials to self-care memes, TMC’s audience did the marketing for them.
How The Man Company Is Cracking Retention Through Conversational Commerce
Getting customers is easy. Keeping them? That’s the real challenge.
Here’s how The Man Company drove retention and repeat purchases:
📲 3X uplift in WhatsApp sales by integrating an AI chatbot
📈 12% conversion rate on impulse WhatsApp shoppers—higher than traditional ads
💰 70% lower CPC—driving profitability at scale
By engaging customers directly on WhatsApp, they reduced drop-offs and improved LTV.
The Man Company isn’t just a grooming brand anymore.
It’s an experiential lifestyle brand that’s redefining what it means to be a modern man.
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