Segmentation in Soaps
Consumer Trends | | Inside the Soap Category in India | | Soap is a product that many people might take for granted or consider rather ordinary, but for some, lathering up can be a treasured part of a morning or nightly routine.
Scented or unscented, in bars, gels, and liquids, soap is a part of our daily lives. In the United States, soap is a $1.390 million (US$)* industry with over 50 mass market brands. But in some markets the sales potential for soap is only beginning to be realized. At the end 2000, soap was a $1.032 million (US$)* business in India. IFF's marketing experts offer the following overview of this growing category.
*Source: Information Resources Inc. 2001 data for Year-End 2000 | | Overview of the Indian Soap Category
India is a vast country with a population of 1,030 million people. Household penetration of soaps is 98%. People belonging to different income levels use different brands, which fall under different segments (see table below), but all income levels use soaps, making it the second largest category in India (detergents are number one). Rural consumers in India constitute 70% of the population. Rural demand is growing, with more and more soap brands being launched in the discount segment targeting the lower socio-economic strata of consumers. | Soap Price (per 75 gram cake) | | Segment | in rupees | in US$ | | Carbolic* | 5.00 | 10 cents | | Discount | 7.00 | 15 cents | | Popular | 11.00 | 23 cents | | Premium | 17.00 | 36 cents | | Super Premium | 35.00 | 75 cents | | | | * The carbolic segment consists of soap that has crysellic acid (e.g. carbolic acid) as an active ingredient to remove body odor. These soaps have a strong medicated/germ killing connotation. | | | History of Soap in India
During the British rule in India, Lever Brothers England introduced modern soaps by importing and marketing them in India. However, North West Soap Company created the first soap
Scented or unscented, in bars, gels, and liquids, soap is a part of our daily lives. In the United States, soap is a $1.390 million (US$)* industry with over 50 mass market brands. But in some markets the sales potential for soap is only beginning to be realized. At the end 2000, soap was a $1.032 million (US$)* business in India. IFF's marketing experts offer the following overview of this growing category.
*Source: Information Resources Inc. 2001 data for Year-End 2000 | | Overview of the Indian Soap Category
India is a vast country with a population of 1,030 million people. Household penetration of soaps is 98%. People belonging to different income levels use different brands, which fall under different segments (see table below), but all income levels use soaps, making it the second largest category in India (detergents are number one). Rural consumers in India constitute 70% of the population. Rural demand is growing, with more and more soap brands being launched in the discount segment targeting the lower socio-economic strata of consumers. | Soap Price (per 75 gram cake) | | Segment | in rupees | in US$ | | Carbolic* | 5.00 | 10 cents | | Discount | 7.00 | 15 cents | | Popular | 11.00 | 23 cents | | Premium | 17.00 | 36 cents | | Super Premium | 35.00 | 75 cents | | | | * The carbolic segment consists of soap that has crysellic acid (e.g. carbolic acid) as an active ingredient to remove body odor. These soaps have a strong medicated/germ killing connotation. | | | History of Soap in India
During the British rule in India, Lever Brothers England introduced modern soaps by importing and marketing them in India. However, North West Soap Company created the first soap