InvYramid | Impact | Business Model Design for Synthetic Fibre Manufacturer

GURGAON, India - Dec. 27, 2014 - PRLog -- Impact (http://www.invyramid.com/impact) |   New Market Expansion

Consulting Assignment for a Synthetic Fibre Manufacturer

Hair Wigs adorn the heads of millions of ladies & gents across the world. This fashion & sometimes necessary accessory has become one of the most booming industries in the US. When our Japan based client - human hair & synthetic fibre wigs manufacturer- wanted to assess the US Wigs market in order to expand their business portfolio to a country they have never been before, we not just provided them with in-depth market insights, we helped them build a strategic & innovative market entry road map, paving way for them to scaling up & diversifying their product ranges according to the tastes of the millions of American consumers.

During the eight months project, the InvYramid team spent #10 weeks in-field research in the US & #3 weeks in-field research in India. Our #10 teams of #4 researchers each undertook extensive journeys travelling across the US & #3 teams of #2 researchers each travelling to locations in South India to understand on-the-ground dynamics of this hair-raising industry.

Actionable insights from extensive in-field research

We spent time with the leading #25 Wigs Manufacturing Companies & Wigs Importing Companies in the US. These Wigs Makers/Wigs Importer make/provide Wigs, Weaves, Bulk & Regular Braids, Hair Extension, Hairpieces, Fashion wigs for African Americans, Wigs for Caucasians, Wigs & Weaves for elderly people, Wigs & Weaves for thinning hair, Medical Wigs, Cutting practice wigs for Hairdressers, Doll hair wigs etc. Based on the end use application and/or preference by the customers, Wigs in the US are made of Human Hair and/or Synthetic Hair, with compositions broadly as follows-

a. 100% Human Hair

b. Human Hair + Heat-Resistant Synthetic Fibre

c. 100% Heat-Resistant Synthetic Fibre

d. 100% Non-Heat Resistant Synthetic Fibre

We spent time at the Hair Processing Plants, Hair Weaving Facilities, Wigs Styling/Designing and Packaging divisions of the Wigs Manufacturing/Wigs Importing companies discussing with the company experts their insights on the Performance Benchmarking parameters they set for Human Hair & Synthetic Hair used in their wigs & the reasons behind the same.

From our research, the key performance parameters turned out to be- Heat Resistance (ability to resist heat/heat proof), Lustre, Texture, Propensity of becoming Tangled (Tangle-Free hair is always preferred), Curl retention (ability to be styled, curled using various hair styling tools & the time duration that the wigs can retain their style/curl), Curling Iron conditions and their needs, Hydrophilic Property (impression of the Wig when it gets wet), Product Life, Dryer conditions (standard temperature the wigs can sustain), Colour (hair dye) conditions and their needs, Perm conditions and their needs & Product Price.

We spent time with trainee Hair Dressers at more than #10 Unisex Salons & company managers of #5 leading Doll Manufacturing companies, to understand their wigs requirements.

As an important part of our in-field research, our teams visited more than #20 Wigs Stores in the US & spent time with the Shop Owners/Managers & the Customers that walked in to buy Wigs for themselves. We saw exuberant girls trying colourful fancy wigs for occasional party wear, men & ladies looking for wigs to cover their thinning scalp (medical condition called Alopecia), some elderly people on chemotherapy trying to find wigs that suits their scalp & is easy to maintain - such as the double monofilament synthetic hair wigs, some looking for short length wigs, some looking for medium length, while many looking for long hair wigs- each one of them had a unique set of requirements.

We could then sense a burgeoning demand of quality wigs in the US.

Synthetic Hair Fibre used by the US Wigs makers includes-

a. Non-Heat Resistant Synthetic Fibre, e.g. Polyvinyl Chloride Fibre (PVC), Modacrylic, Polypropylene Fibre, Protein Fibre etc.

b. Heat Resistant Synthetic Fibre, e.g. Polyester Fibre, PVDF Fibre etc.

We observed that the Wigs makers in the US have predominantly begun using Heat Resistant Synthetic Fibres that can tolerate heat/high temperature up to a certain level. Such fibres can take heat up to 320 degrees Fahrenheit & can be curled / ironed. However, Synthetic Wigs cannot be curled by the users unless they are professionally trained to do so. Such wigs come pre-styled / ready-to-wear. Synthetic wigs cannot be Coloured/Hair dyed, Human hair wigs (apart from the Virgin Remy Hair) have already been acid washed so cannot be taken from a darker shade to a lighter shade, the reverse can be done, however, it is always recommended to take professional help in doing that.


We observed that Human hair is costlier than Synthetic fibre, one of the key reasons why companies deal with Synthetic wigs more than Human hair wigs. However, longevity of Human Hair Wigs is more than that of Synthetic Fibre Wigs, one of the key reasons why younger generation & people with thinning hair (alopecia) prefer Human Hair Wigs because it lasts longer & looks more natural. Interestingly, we found that high quality Synthetic Fibre manufactured by companies looks almost like Human Hair & costs lesser, but again, Synthetic Fibre still cannot beat the Texture & Lustre that Human Hair has.

Apart from 100% Human Hair & 100% Synthetic Fibre Wigs, we saw Wig Makers also make Human-Synthetic blend Wigs, with the percentage of Synthetic Fibre used in them more than that of the Human Hair - key reasons being reduced cost with overall better texture & lustre to the wigs. In case of a 50-50 Human - Synthetic Hair blend, the wigs are not able to tolerate heat levels that human hair can and the wig melts, therefore, such wigs always have more percentage of Synthetic Fibre that “act” & “behave” like a Synthetic Fibre, but “look” & “feel” more like a Human Hair.

Our research revealed that Indian hair is considered the best quality hair in the US Hair Wigs market. According to best estimates 65%-70% of human hair used in the US Hair Wigs market is imported from India. We observed more than 60% of Wigs Makers that we met use Indian Human Hair in their wigs. This research insight led us to our next phase of research in which we went in to witness one of the major sources of Indian Hair used in the US Wigs Market.

Source of best quality Human Hair - India

We visited The Lord Venkateswara Tirumala Temple, a 2000 years old religious site in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. This religious site is the world’s most visited religious sites in the world, with nearly 20 million pilgrims visiting the temple in a year, three times the number visiting the Vatican.


Read More : http://www.invyramid.com/impacts/new-market-expansion