Group: 10

INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT ANAND

PGDRM-42 Term II
MMT

Pre-Midterm Group Project

Study of consumer behavior and market assessment for sanitary pads

INTRODUCTION

Feminine hygiene product has always been associated with societal stigma & lack of awareness in India &
therefore we see that out of the total population of menstruating women in India which stands around
approximately 365 million, less than 20% of them uses sanitary products & approximately 18% of them use
sanitary pads. With the current increase in the awareness regarding intimate hygiene among females,
advancements in technology, and various programs of the government including implementation of schemes such
as Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) by The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare there is a growing market
share for the Sanitary Pads in the Indian Market. This growth is also because of the increase in the disposable
income, lifestyle changes, and unique marketing strategies including affordable sanitary pads which companies
are offering to boost the sales.

As per the India's Feminine Hygiene Products Industry, Forecast to 2024- “The market was valued at INR 25.02
billion in 2018 and is expected to reach INR 58.62 billion by 2024, expanding at a compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) of ~14.92%, during the 2019-2024 period.”

Globally China has the largest consumer base for sanitary pads followed by the US in this product segment. India
possesses a huge potential for growth in the sanitary pad segment as currently it is still at primary stage.

The aim of this research is to deeply understand the consumer behavior & current market scenario so as to analyze
the future growth & attractiveness of the sanitary pad market.

This study is to understand the consumer buying behavior for sanitary napkins in rural, urban and semi urban set-
up. With growing awareness and changing lifestyle of today’s women in contribution to it influences the buying
behavior of the consumer. With several new brands coming up in the market and selling the same products,
consumers are having an abundant number of choices to choose from. Consumers are individuals and households
that buy the firm's product for personal consumption (Kotler, 2001). And to study their buying behavior includes
knowing answers to the questions how people buy, what they buy when they buy and why they buy. When a
consumer buys anything or wants to make a purchase decision for any product, they pass through recognition,
search information, evaluation and purchase feedback and after this they choose a particular product. The different
factors affects buying behavior of consumers vary due to diverse environmental factors and individual
determinants

The major categories of individual factors affecting consumer behavior are demographics, geographical location,
consumer knowledge, and perception, learning motivation, personality, beliefs and lifestyles. The other category
of factors is environmental factors which include items outside of the individual that affect the consumers’
decision making process. These factors include cultural, social class, reference group, family and household. The
above factors are the major determinants behind the decision of consumers to opt for a given good or service.
(Blackwell, Minirad and Engel, 2006)
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METHODOLOGY

For the purpose of understanding consumer behavior, the primary data collection is done through in-depth
telephonic interviews of 30 women from different age groups, socio-economic status and geography.

Main sources of secondary data include reports & articles from online sources such as government statistics, news
articles, company websites, blogs, journals etc.

FINDING AND ANALYSIS

Out of the total females interviewed from different age groups, ~75% use sanitary pads & in the sample no women
from the urban area use clothes.
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The most preferred brand among women is Whisper and Sofy with 27% share, 17% of women preferred Stayfree,
6% showed preference towards Nua, while 23% showed no preference towards any brand. Therefore, among the
total respondents the major brands of pad they use are Whisper, Stayfree & sofy. Also though in the urban market
females purchase sanitary pads, in the rural market the product has not yet penetrated enough.

As per the data collected 43% of the respondents buy pads from local stores followed by 29% buying from
pharmacies and 14% buying from supermarkets. In rural areas, 8% of respondents also take pads from ASHA
workers. The consumers purchase decision majorly lies on the product quality aspect along with comfort & price.

As per the data collected from advertisements on television and newspapers contributes 36%, recommendations
from family members especially mother and sister, friends and peers come out to be the main influencer in the
buying decision contributes to 36%. While self-preferences contributes 25% and internet usages contribute only
3% in influencing the buyers and in their buying behavior.

Most customers in the age bracket of under 25 years are influenced by commercials with features such as
antibacterial, gel lock, good absorbing capacity for heavy flow days, and extra-long for overnight. They are quite
picky about which things they choose. While the young generation respondents also reported buying pads that
are able to satisfy them and provide them with the value proposition that they are seeking from the product. The
most important values that respondents seek are fragrance, ultra-thin, softness, gel lock to prevent leakage and
wetness to feel dry and comfortable all day long, pads that are easily available at every store and come up in a
variety of ranges with good absorbing capacity for different amounts of flows and length. While in rural areas
 Group: 10
where the sanitary napkins market is expanding and penetration is not so high with increasing awareness about
MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) practices the women and girls have started using pads but preferences
have been observed to be more towards price and availability. In rural settings the young girls are seen to be more
inclined and feel comfortable in using pads, while those who are in the older age group respond to be comfortable
with using clothes.

INFERENCES

The majority of women buy sanitary napkins from local stores, followed by pharmacies and supermarkets, in both
rural and urban settings. Discounts were found to have a significant impact on the purchasing behavior of urban
and semi-urban women. When people get discounts on these items, they prefer to buy more. This is most
noticeable in supermarkets and when window shopping. These things are purchased in surplus by the customer.

The females who use sanitary pads of a particular brand are the consumers with high satisfaction level & therefore
continue to purchase the same brand for years since they began using it. They were highly driven by the product
quality and value proposition of it.

Social Factors: A girl's surroundings, such as her family and social group, have a direct impact on her purchasing
decisions. According to the interviews taken, almost every girl's first napkin is purchased by her mother, which
makes their behavior similar. Purchase of sanitary pads is affected by the primary reference group - family,
friends, and close group of people.

Personal factors: Married women of age above 30 have different buying behavior in terms of economic
circumstances, lifestyle etc. They were more into large & extra-large pads & preferred to buy any one between
whisper and stay free which are readily available nearby. Whereas unmarried females from the urban area have a
liking towards a particular brand and they also indulge into shopping online from amazon, flipkart etc. and are
also willing to give a try to newly launched brands with appealing value propositions to satisfy them.

Purchase decision: Below mentioned risk affected the decision making of females.

Functional risk- Many women did not like some pads because they did not do well so now they avoid buying it.
Leakage and feeling of wetness in a short period of time was the main issue that prevented them from buying a
particular brand.

Physical risk- Sanitary pads that caused irritation, itching and uneasiness were disliked by many women in the
sample and this was the main reason that once they get adapted to a particular brand, they continue to use it even
today.

Financial risk- When we talk about the disposal of pads which causes pollution and their opinion on eco-friendly
pads, the main concern was that eco-friendly pads are too costly.

Time risk- In emergency situations if one is not available they take products of similar category in other brands.
For e.g. if Whisper Ultrathin is not available they opt for Stayfree Ultrathin.

Post-Purchase: The respondents belonging to the rural segment were more inclined towards price and availability
whereas in the Urban towards comfort and product quality, but in both the cases respondents seem to be satisfied
with the product they are currently using. Many even have been using the same brand for more than 15 years,
which shows the high satisfaction level. And also when data is analyzed as per age group, the younger generation
seems to be more concerned about the different value proposition and quality and go for trying new brands
 Group: 10
launched while those who in older age group seems to be satisfied with the product and generally don’t go for
trying new brands launched in market.

Consumer involvement during the purchase of sanitary pads- Consumer purchased the sanitary pads of the same
brand for a very long period of time & kept on purchasing them. Usually brand loyalty is seen in sanitary pads as
females’ preferred one brand over the other even though there is not so significant variation in price and quality
of the same product segment.

Variety seeking behavior- Though aware of the variety of different products/brands in the market they hardly
switch to different products and brands. However consumers tend to show inclination and satisfaction towards
one or more brands and they go for buying another one when one is not in stock and is not available.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS/ MARKET SHARE

In 2018, Whisper by P&G Hygiene & Health Care Held the Largest Market Share (51.42%), followed by Stayfree
and Kotex. There are many brands that have come up with new value propositions to offer but Whisper is the
oldest & largest of all since 1993. This was the first time Whisper came up with commercial ad highlighting
periods & use of sanitary pads. After that there are brands like Sofy which focused on offering highly absorbent
cotton pads with bacterial control, and some recent brands like Pee Safe, Nua, Carmesi etc that are targeting new-
age customers by focusing on environmental aspect & offering eco-friendly pads made up of bamboo fiber &
cotton no harmful chemicals.

CONCLUSION

The Sanitary Pad market in India is currently at a very early stage & there is scope for market penetration. With
the 2nd largest population in the world India has a greater consumer base for Sanitary Pad. Though there are
Sanitary products other than pads such as tampons & menstrual cups but at this stage when pads have still not
captured a huge chunk of menstruating women it will take a long time for women to adopt these products.

REFERENCES

 Indian Sanitary Napkin Market Size, Share, Price, Growth and Forecast 2022-2027

 https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+sanitary+pads+come+in+india&source=lmns&bih=62
5&biw=1366&rlz=1C1YTUH_enIN968IN968&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQxNintsz1AhWOg2MG
HXVdB7YQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA

 Whisper's History

 Menstrual Hygiene Scheme(MHS) :: National Health Mission

 Feminine hygiene market - Statistics & Facts- Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 12, 2022
 https://www.statista.com/topics/4889/feminine-hygiene-market/#dossierKeyfigures