India Circus’ Marketing Playbook: From Sets to Second Homes

For a home décor brand, being featured in one of India’s most recognisable homes can be a milestone—especially when the products are bought off the shelf rather than placed through a paid collaboration.

India Circus recently appeared in the Hindi edition of Bigg Boss. Founder and executive director Krsnaa Mehta says the brand’s contemporary take on Indian design has also led to organic placements in shows and productions such as The Kapil Sharma Show, Rise & Fall Season 2, Dabba Cartel and Resort. According to Mehta, set designers often discover the products and purchase them for use on screen.

Founded in Mumbai in 2011, India Circus is a pan-India home décor and lifestyle brand. Godrej & Boyce acquired a 51% stake in the company in 2018 as part of its expansion into lifestyle and retail. The brand’s aesthetic combines traditional Indian motifs—including Mughal arches, peacocks, lotuses, block prints and regional flora and fauna—with contemporary designs across tableware, décor, furnishings, storage and furniture.

Building a mass-premium brand

Mehta describes India Circus as “mass premium”: affordable enough to appeal to a broad audience, while positioned above discount-led retail. Its products range from cushion cover sets priced at Rs 499 to furniture offerings of up to Rs 19,999.

Dinnerware and home décor are among its strongest categories, while textiles also perform well. The brand attracts customers across age groups and spending levels. Internal data indicates that smaller products are particularly popular among consumers aged 25 to 40, while more sophisticated offerings appeal to those between 35 and 60.

Mehta says purchasing patterns vary: some older customers may spend Rs 50,000–60,000 in one visit, while younger couples may spend Rs 15,000–20,000. The brand, he says, appeals to aspirational shoppers across these groups.

A festive sales surge

Festive occasions have become a major driver for India Circus, particularly as the brand grows its gifting business. Mehta says the company has seen a 300–400% rise in festive sales, partly fuelled by corporate and individual bulk purchases for Diwali gifting.

The brand has a shop-in-shop presence within Shoppers Stop outlets across Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Chennai, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. It is also looking at Tier-2 cities such as Raipur, Amritsar and Ludhiana, where Mehta sees a sizeable spending audience. India Circus has around 20 stores, with future locations under consideration including Goa, Kochi, Coimbatore, Ooty, Coonoor, Mussoorie, Dehradun and Jaipur.

Finding opportunity in second-home destinations

Alongside its presence in malls, India Circus has been exploring retail in destinations popular for second homes. Online sales data pointed the brand towards this opportunity, and its Alibaug store helped validate the idea.

Mehta says people often visit friends’ homes in Alibaug for dinners and bring gifts for their hosts. He estimates that 60–70% of guests at such gatherings carry India Circus bags, making the destination a promising market for gifting. The brand is now considering similar leisure hubs, including Coonoor and Goa.

Offline retail remains the larger part of the business, contributing 60% of sales, while online accounts for 40%. Mehta says shoppers tend to purchase more items in-store than online.

Advertising beyond organic visibility

Despite its product appearances in entertainment content, India Circus continues to invest in paid advertising, allocating around 25% of its annual revenue to the activity.

Its media mix reflects its varied customer base: Meta advertising helps reach younger consumers, while print is used to connect with older audiences and business customers, who Mehta says often make higher-value purchases.

For India Circus, organic visibility, festive gifting and a mix of conventional retail and second-home destinations are all part of a strategy to grow its presence across India