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Advertising and discounts can attract customers, but getting them to return takes more than marketing. At TechSparks 2026 in Bengaluru, Natasha Tuli, Founder, CEO and Chief Formulator of Soulflower, spoke about the importance of building customer trust during a session titled ‘Everyone can build a brand. How many can build a belief?’ Tuli discussed how Soulflower has used product innovation, transparency, and direct conversations with customers to build loyalty. Attention is the easy part Meta ads and discounts can help brands attract attention, Tuli said, but a first purchase only shows that the marketing has worked. A repeat purchase indicates that the product has delivered on its promise. She also spoke about the tendency of brands to copy one another rather than develop products that stand out. “You can come up with something really innovative and different… and you can stick with it. People will soon believe in it,” she said. Citing Google Trends data, Tuli said searches for rosemary rose nearly sevenfold between 2021 and 2026. Interest in rosemary oil increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, when Soulflower began selling larger quantities and educating customers about how to use it. Soap was another example. At a time when shower gels were popular, Tuli chose to make oil-based soap priced at Rs 400. She recalled a meeting with Wipro, where she was asked how Soulflower could sell sandalwood soap at that price when Wipro’s product was considerably cheaper. Instead of simply defending the price, Tuli decided to show customers how the soap was made. She began filming the production process despite warnings that she was revealing trade secrets. “Everybody in India making their own soap? It’s not going to happen,” she said. “I don’t think anybody started a soap business after this, but I definitely increased a lot of my sales.” For Tuli, showing customers how products are made helps build confidence in the brand. “Customers enjoy knowing how you are making this thing, or who the people behind it are. It gives them a sneak peek inside the soul of your brand, which is so important,” she said. Choose the customer first Tuli said Soulflower photographs customers' shopping carts to understand what else they buy alongside its products. She studies these purchases to learn more about their preferences. “Everything sells,” she said. “You can sell anything. The question is, to whom do you want to sell, and at what price, and what is the promise that you’re going to give to that customer.” This approach led Soulflower to develop a non-oily rosemary hair serum. Tuli said many customers in North India disliked applying oil to their hair. However, her co-founder was initially reluctant to introduce the serum because oils had long been central to the brand. It took her two years to convince him. “I was thinking not of myself. I was thinking of my customer,” she said. Staying accessible to customers Tuli also spoke about the importance of being available to customers and responding to their questions. She said she personally holds the passwords to Soulflower's social media accounts and often responds to customer messages late at night, after midnight, when other team members are unavailable. “If anybody messages or DMs me, there will be an answer,” she said, adding that customers often do not realise they are speaking directly to her. However, she acknowledged that responding personally to every message is not sustainable as the business grows. “Is Natasha going to be answering all these people every night? No, I can’t do it,” she said. To address this, Tuli developed ‘Ask Natasha’, a bot built using technology and her past conversations with customers. The bot responds to late-night messages in the way she would, allowing the brand to continue answering questions when she is unavailable. Tuli ended the session by asking founders to consider three questions: why customers choose their brand, why they return, and how the brand can retain their trust as it grows. She also invited founders to reach out to her, but asked them not to pitch their products. “Go talk to your customer,” she said. “Don’t talk at them. Talk to them and listen to them.” Edited by Teja Lele
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