The CEO behind the reconversion of Natura in Argentina

Verónica Marcelo booked a room in her offices to do the interview. But the talk is by zoom. This is a sign that the world is still living in that mixed system imposed by the pandemic.

Employees of Natura, the direct selling company he has run since August 2020, are starting to return to their desks with a flexible lifestyle, with maximum 8 monthly days of attendance.

“If this regime doesn’t work, we will change it”he says in a conversation with Clarion the number one Brazilian company for beauty and personal care products, which in the world also owns Avon and The Body Shop.

it says without dramatizing. Continuing, there is nothing more difficult than getting a company in the middle of a pandemic on which its sales system is based. a physical catalog (when no one wants to touch anything without bathing it in alcohol) and in interpersonal relationships (when we were all confined).

“Presence is very important to us: showcase products, sell them, deliver them, very face-to-face all”, Marcelo recalls about the times before covid.

The ball needs to stop make a new game. “Changes in trends are outside and inside”, He reviews.

They started with a new 100% digital catalogpowered the company website so that every reseller had a digital space, trained people and had to receive a mess of new sellers to join looking additional income in the midst of economic collapse.

So, Marcelo says, Covid accelerated the “vertiginously” model change that shows. Before the pandemic they had 50,000 digital resellers, and last year they reached 100,000, out of the total 230,000 people make a living from the sale or supplementary income to Natura products.

“Finishing the printed catalog also gave them more flexibility because before it was sent to print three months before,” he said.

This digitalization has done two things: increased productivity by 150% of online resellers and lowered their average age (37 now), that is approach a new audienceyounger, a trend that prompted them, to sponsor Lollapalooza for the first time this year, in looking for clients of that strip.

“We have brands for that public, that we want to approach from culture and not from fashion,” he explains. vegan creamsspare parts to avoid the use of plastics and so on eco-friendly practices that the company has been active for a long time, helped speak to this segment.

Inflation and dollar deficit

To continue, Natura, like other companies, has also adapted to the reality of Argentina, the lack of dollars, ang difficulty in importing, inflation and control of prices.

“In 2020, for example, We do not add hygiene -related products and we adhere to the highest price. Now, in this context, we are always trying to make the necessary adjustments for costs, market and profitability for our partners (resellers) ”, says Marcelo.

Half of what they sell in the country is made in the country, made in third-party laboratories. “We have a quota to import and, according to the releases we have, we adjust our portfolio. We have that kind of flexibility. ”

“The focus is continue to expand our local production, but it takes time. We also export some lines, such as perfume, which we produce the most here, as well as makeup, mainly in Chile. ”

They will also grow together public place, which is now at Unicenter and Paseo Alcorta, in search of the “omnichannel” featured by Marcelo. point to new CABA openings and interior additions.

“Changes in trends are for the outside and for the inside,” he said. “We’re not going to be what we were in 2019.”

growth with swings

So, since he took over, in 2020, and after the first round of layoffs, sales have recovered. Last year, the company grew 10.5%, “there are ups and downs”compared to 2020 in real terms, details.

Thanks for this increase, the Hispanic region represents 52% of Natura’s business and surpassed Brazil for the first time. And Argentina, where they have 850 employees, is half of that region, and second most important market for the brand after your country of birth.