This third-generation cosmetics family business has opted for dtac business E-Care solutions to shorten transaction times and focus on its future innovation.
Supaporn Herb originated from a small salon in Bangkok’s Talad Phlu district 53 years ago. From curcumin facial scrubs sold in plastic bags, the family business has grown into a global exporter with a foothold in the Middle East, China, and the ASEAN. Its “small-town strategy” rests on product quality and affordable prices, making the products popular in rural markets.
Matoom Akares Suktarodsheep, the third-generation heir and chief executive of Supaporn Group, now operates three brands – “Supaporn” the big sister, “Pathumad” the second sister, and “Isika” the little sister.
“We deliver quality and honesty at an affordable price, between 25-60 baht. We can survive no matter how tough the crisis is, and we have never laid off employees or even cut their salaries during the Covid-19. Moreover, we have been growing in the OEM business,” said Mr. Akares.
Beating the 10-billion-baht market
The 10-billion-baht cosmetic herb market has highly intense competition but the company is confident to earn some 10% market share within three years through its network of over 9,000 dealers and more than 10,000 branches of 7-Eleven.
In addition to investing in online commerce, the company needs to build two factories costing hundreds of millions of baht within 2022. It also plans to expand in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Oman.
"For the countries without business dealers, we will sell the products online, via trusted e-marketplaces, streamlining the import and export process for fast delivery, and developing cross border e-commerce of Thai products to the global market," said Mr. Akares.
Leverage the power of innovation to boost quality
“We keep on performing quality development through R&D for both Thai and imported herbs, along with the products expansion and differentiation catering to diverse customer groups,” Mr. Akares said.
Those new products cover whitening, facial masks, chamomile, nanoQ10, and collagen, paving the way for being a more premium product brand over the next few years. The company has also expanded into new product lines for hair and oral care.
These premium products will generate some 20 percent of revenue to the company, compared to 80 percent from the mass products.
“The ultimate goal is to capitalize on opportunities, having a stable foundation to be passed on from generation to generation and making a Thai herb brand globally recognized for personal care, hair care, and oral care,” said Mr. Akares.
Business survival technology
Digital transformation is equally important: remote work, sales support, and online meetings all require reliable wireless communications. Upgrading the backend support system to the cloud allows employees to access data to analyze the distribution channels, online marketing, and marketing budget plans on both online and offline platforms. Data analysis also enables the company to efficiently run the production forecast and inventory control.
Mr. Akares said the company has been a dtac customer for decades and started using dtac business E-Care during the Covid-19 pandemic. The online service allows the company to simply run a communication cost management of employees including data usage, changing data plan, billing payments and self-print receipt, and tax invoice.
“We are impressed with dtac employees who help and train our senior employees who work with us for decades to be able to fluently operate a call center and privileges for customers," he said.
Mr. Akares added, “We put significant efforts into our digital transformation so that we can be more agile, read the game precisely, and keep an open mind for new things without depending on our old success.”
Standard quality products, good partnership, honesty and caring, and agility are the wind beneath the wings of Supaporn Herb – strengthening the Thai herb brand’s footprint in the global market. This is a story of the Thai product brand journey, from a grandmother’s wisdom to a player in the global market.
Find out more about dtac business E-Care at https://www.dtac.co.th/business/services/e-care