History of Soap in India Essay Example

However, soap positionings are moving towards skin care as a value-added benefit.

Consumer Use Today Toilet soaps are always used in the bar form—there is no other form in the Indian market—and they are used in the bath. Showers are a distant dream for 70% of India’s population, who live in the villages where there is not even a regular supply of drinking water. In the urban areas, people bathe by using a bucket of water, mug, and a bar of soap. In villages, they usually bathe by the river bank or village ponds. Although most of the urban houses have a shower facility, showers are seldom used because of the scarcity of water.

Consumer Preferences Consumer preferences are varied and are more regionally specific. India is divided into four regions: North, East, West, and South. * Consumers in the North prefer pink colored soaps, which have floral profiles. Here the fragrance preference is for more sophisticated profiles reflecting their lifestyles. Freshness soaps with lime and citrus notes are also popular preferences as the climate in the North is very hot and citrus/lime scented soaps are seen to be refreshing.

* The East is not a big soap market; hence no particular preference skews. * Consumers in the West exhibit preferences for strong, impactful fragrances and somewhat harsher profiles compared to the North. Preferences are more for the pink soaps with floral fragrances, primarily rose, which are positioned on the beauty platform. * In the South, the skew is towards specific soap segments like the Herbal/Ayurvedic profiles and also the Sandal profiles. Consumers here do not exhibit high brand loyalty and are ready to experiment and try out

new brands. Hence, most fast moving consumer goods companies tend to launch their new brands in these markets, which they call test launch markets.