MINOR PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED TOWARDS THE PARTIAL

FULFILLMENT OF
BACHLEOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

MINOR PROJECT REPORT ON

Marketing Mix of Hindustan Unilever Limited
Batch: 2015-2018
Submitted By: Project Guide:
Tamanna Gupta Mrs. Deepika
41124001715 Assistant Professor

Trinity Institute of Professional Studies

Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi

1
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the following documented Project report titled “Marketing
Mix of Hindustan Unilever Limited” is an original and authentic work done by
me for the partial fulfilment of BachelorsofBusinessAdministration degree
program.

I hereby certify that all the Endeavour put in the fulfilment of the task are
genuine and original to the best of my knowledge and I have not submitted it
earlier elsewhere.

Signature:
Tamanna Gupta
BBA(G)/3 semester/2 shift
41124001715

2
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is that I am acknowledging my sincere feeling towards my mentors who

graciously gave me their time and expertise.

They have provided me with the valuable guidance, sustained efforts and friendly
approach. It would have been difficult to achieve the results in such a short span
of time without their help.
I deem it my duty to record my gratitude towards the ProjectSupervisor- Mrs.
Deepika who devoted her precious time to interact, guide and gave me the right
approach to accomplish the task and helped me to enhance my knowledge and
understanding of project.

Signature:
Tamanna Gupta
41124001715
BBA(G)
2 year/3 semester/2 shift

3
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project work “Marketing Mix ofHindustan Unilever
Limited” made by- Tamanna Gupta, BBA(G), 2year, 3semester, 2shift,
enrolmentno.- 41124001715 is an authentic work carried out by her guidance
and supervision of Mrs. Deepika.

The project report submitted has been found satisfactory for the partial fulfilment
of the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration.

Mrs. Deepika
(Project Guide)
-

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE NO.

CHAPTER 1- Introduction 6

CHAPTER 2- Research 29
methodology

CHAPTER 3- Data Analysis and 34

Interpretation

Findings 53

Limitations 54

Conclusion 55

Bibliography 57

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 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

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DEFINATION OF MARKETING MIX

According to CIM, Marketing is the ability of an organisation to provide the right

product, at the right price, via the right outlets (place) and presented in the right
way (promotion). This is also known as the 4Ps. However, in addition to product,
price, place and promotion, services marketing calls for three additional Ps -
people, processes and physical evidence.

14e, Kotler and Armstrong, 2012 - "The Marketing Mix is the set of tactical
marketing tools - Product, Price, Promotion, and Place - that the firm blends to
produce the response it wants in the target market." According to E.J McCarthy,
these 4 elements differ from firm to firm and every firm must determine its own
marketing environment. Marketing mix serves as the linkage between a business
firm and its customers.

According to Principles of Marketing, Kotler and Armstrong, 2012 - "The

Marketing Mix is the set of tactical marketing tools - Product, Price, Promotion,
and Place - that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target
market."

MARKETING MIX

The marketing mix is a business tool used in marketing Products. The

marketing mix is often crucial when determining a product or brand's unique
selling point (the unique quality that differentiates a product from its
competitors), and is often synonymous with the four Ps which are Price,
Product, Place, and Promotion: In recent times, however, the four Ps have
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been Expanded to the 7Ps or replaced by 4Cs. It was proposed by E Jerome
McCarthy in 1960. . All these functions are considered in planning
marketing strategy and any one may be enhanced, deducted, or changed in
some degree in order to create the strategy necessary to efficiently and
effectively sell a product. A planned mix of the controllable elements of a
product's marketing plan commonly termed as 4Ps: product, price, place, and
promotion. These four elements are adjusted until the Right combination is
found that serves the needs of the product's customers while generating
optimum income. The marketing mix is often referred to as the Four Ps
which are as follows:
Product - the product (or service) that the customer obtains
Price - how much the customer pays for the product?
Place - how the product is distributed to the customer
Promotion - how the customer is found and persuaded to buy the product

It is known as a Mix because each ingredient affects the other and the mix
must overall be suitable to the target customer.

Figure – 1.1

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The 1st P of the 4Ps are as follows:
A. PRODUCT - The first thing you need, if you want to start a business, is a
product. Therefore Product is also the first variable in the marketing mix.
Product decisions are the first decisions you need to take before making any
marketing plan. Product mix, also known as product assortment, refers to the
total number of product lines that a company offers to its customers. For
example, a small company may sell multiple lines of products. Sometimes,
these product lines are fairly similar, such as dish washing liquid and bar
soap, which are used for cleaning and use similar technologies. Other times,
the product lines are vastly different, such as diapers and razors. These
features include quality, size, design, brand, name, package, label, etc of a
product. The nature and character of products which constitute product mix
differ from one firm to another. The four dimensions to a company's product
mix include width, length, depth and consistency.

Width:
The width of a company's product mix pertains to the number of product
lines that a company sells. For example, if a company has two product lines,
its product mix width is two. . It is more practical to start with some basic
products and build market share. Later on, a company's technology may
allow the company to diversify into other industries and build the width of
the product mix.

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Length:
Product mix length pertains to the number of total products or items in a
company's product mix. For example, ABC Company may have two product
lines, and five brands within each product line. Thus. ABC's product mix
length would be 10.

Depth:
Depth of a product mix pertains to the total number of variations for each
product. Variations can include size, flavour and any other distinguishing
characteristic. For example, if a company sells three sizes and two flavours
of toothpaste, that particular brand of toothpaste has a depth of six. Just like l
the depth of a specific product line or the depth of a specific product line.
Depth of a specific product line or the depth of a specific product line.

Consistency:
Product mix consistency pertains to how closely related product lines are to
one another—in terms of use, production and distribution. A company's
product mix may be consistent in distribution but vastly different in use. The
relationship may be in terms of consumer group, distribution system, needs
satisfied or production.

Product Market Mix Strategy:

Small companies usually start out with a product mix limited in width, depth
and length; and have a high level of consistency. However, over time, the

10
company may want to differentiate products or acquire new ones to enter
new markets.

B. PRICE - Pricing of a product depends on a lot of different variables and

hence it is constantly updated. Major consideration in pricing is the costing
of the product, the advertising and marketing expenses, any price
fluctuations in the market, distribution costs etc. Many of these factors can
change separately. Thus the pricing has to be such that it can bear the brunt
of changes for a certain period of time. The price is the amount a customer
pays for the product. The price is very important as it determines the
company's profit and hence, survival. Adjusting the price has a profound
impact on the marketing strategy, and depending on the price elasticity of the
product, often; it will affect the demand and sales as well. The marketer
should set a price that complements the other elements of the marketing mix.
When setting a price, the marketer must be aware of the for the product.
Three basic pricing strategies are: price and neutral pricing. The 'reference
value' (where the consumer refers to the prices of competing products) and
the 'differential value' (the consumer's view of this product's attributes versus
the attributes of other products) must be taken into account. Pricing must be
competitive and must entail profit.

C. PLACE -It refers to the distribution channel of a product. If a product is

a consumer product, it needs to be available as far and wide as possible. On
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the other hand, if the product is a Premium Consumer Product it will be
available only in select stores. Similarly, if the product is a business product,
you need a team who interacts with businesses and makes the product
available to them. It refers to providing the product at a place which is
convenient for consumers to access. Place is synonymous with distribution
various strategies such as intensive distribution, selective distribution,
exclusive distribution and franchising can be used by the marketer to
complement the other aspects of the marketing mix. It is also known as
intermediary, distribution. It is the mechanism through which the goods and
or services are moved from the manufacturer or service provider to the user
or consumer.

Warehousing:
A warehouse should be located in such a way that it ensure regular supply of
goods to the consumers at minimum possible cost. The other factors which
should be kept in mind while deciding the location of warehouses are:
1.Number of markets
2.Location of production centres
3.Quality, availability and cost of transportation
4.Quantity to be stored and transported.

Inventory management:
Inventory means the stock of raw materials; semi-finished goods and
finished good held in anticipation of use or sales .Goods meant for sale are

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received from the factory /suppliers at periodic intervals and added to the
stock.

Transportation:
It refers to the physical movement of goods from one place to another.
Roadways, Railways, Shipping, Airline, Containers, pipelines etc. are used
in transportation. The choice of the mode of transport depends upon relative
costs of different modes of transport, their speed, frequency, availability,
capacity, and appropriateness. For example, Coca cola, Pepsi, Nirula's use
their own fleet. D. Promotion- It Represents all of the methods of
communication that a marketer may use to provide information to different
parties about the product. Promotion comprises elements such as:
Advertising, Public Relations and Personal Selling. Promotion also means
the Promotion mix or the Communications mix. It specifies how much
attention to pay for three subcategories and how much money to budget for
each. A promotional Plan can have a wide range of objectives including
Sales increase, new product acceptance or creation of brand equity.
Advertising covers any communication that is paid for, from cinema
commercials, radio and Internet advertisements through print media and
billboards. . Promotions also decide the segmentation targeting and
positioning of the product. Some of the Promotion decisions are as follows:
A. Sales promotion: It includes all the activities, other than the personal
selling, advertising, publicity, that stimulate consumer purchasing and dealer
effectiveness.

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B. Publicity: It is non personal stimulation of demand for a product, service
or a business unit by planting commercially significant news about it in a
published medium or by obtaining favourable presentation of it upon radio,
television or stage that is not paid for by the identified sponsor.

Advertising:
It is also non personal presentation or promotion of goods, services or ideas.
It involves transmission of a standard message to a large number of people.
The message which is transmitted is known as advertisement.

Following are the features of advertising:

1. It is done by an identified sponsor .e.g. producer or trader. The name or
identity is of the advertiser is mentioned in the advertisement.
2. It is a form of mass communication. The advertisement can reach to a
large number of persons simultaneously.
3. Advertising can be done through wide variety of media.
4. It is a non-personal form of presenting information regarding a product,
service or idea because face- to- face contact is involved between the
advertiser and the customers.
Main Objectives of Advertising are as follows:
 To reach people inaccessible to salesman
 To create loyalty for a particular brand
 To fight competition in the market
 To enhance goodwill of the firm

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The above four P's of marketing give you an overall look at the product
marketing mix. According to American Author Philip Kotler Prefers the 4
Cs. He suggests that the 4 Ps are a seller's mix or sales orientated approach
and it therefore be replaced with 4Cs which are more customer orientated or
marketing orientated .The 4Cs stand for :
Product- Customer Benefits
Price- Cost to Customer
Place- Convenience
Promotion- Communication

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

 To study the marketing mix of HUL.

 The main objective of this project is to find, what are the steps
Hindustan Unilever Ltd. is adapting to be market leader and to
differentiate itself from its competitors.

 The main objective of the project is to get the full knowledge of the
products and what are they doing to get the customer loyalty, to
maintain their market.

 To find the market share of the HUL brands and its competitive
brands

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SCOPE OF THE STUDY

 Knowing the marketing policy of HUL.

 Knowing the environment policy of HUL

 Knowing how the company is giving safe products to customers.

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ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION (HISTORY & EVOLUTION)

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest fast moving consumer

goods company, with leadership in Home & Personal Care Products and
Food & Beverages .HUL's brands are spread across 20 distinct consumer
categories and touches the lives of two out of three Indians. They endow the
company with a scale of combined volumes of about 4 million tonnes and
sales of 10,000 crores. It is owned by the British-Dutch company Unilever
which controls 52% majority stake in HUL. Its products include foods,
beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. HUL is the market
leader in Indian consumer products with presence in over 20 consumer
categories such as soaps, tea, detergents and shampoos amongst others with
over 700 million Indian consumers using its products.. The company also
happens to have the highest number of brands in this list, with six brands
featuring in the top 15 list.. The mission that inspires HUL's over 15000
employees is to add life with 35 power brands. HUL meets every day needs
for hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good and
more out of life. HUL is India’s largest consumer product company which
was formed in 1939 as Lever Brothers Limited. In the summer of 1888
visitors to Kolkata harbor noticed of sunlight soap bars, embossed with the
word “Made In England Brothers”. HUL was formed in 1933 as Lever
Brothers India Limited and came into being in 1956 as Hindustan Lever
Limited through a merger of Lever Brothers, Hindustan Vanaspati Mfg. Co.
Ltd. and United Traders Ltd. It is headquartered in Mumbai, India and has
employee strength of over 16,500 employees and contributes to indirect

17
employment of over 65,000 people. Lifebuoy was launched in 1895 and
other famous brand like lux and vim. Vanspati was launched in 1918 and
famous dalda brand came into market in 1937. In 1931 Unilever set up its
first Indian Subsidiary, Vanspati manufacturing company followed by Lever
Brothers India Limited (1933) and United Traders Limited (1935). These 3
Companies merged to form HUL in November 1956; HUL offered 10% of
its Equity to Indian public. Unilever holds 52.10 % equity in the company.
Unilever raises stake in Indian unit HUL to 67%. The company was renamed
in June 2007. Seventeen of HUL's brands featured in the ACNielsen Brand
Equity list of 100 Most Trusted Brands Annual Survey (2011). The company
also happens to have the highest number of brands in this list, with six
brands featuring in the top 15 list. HUL Brands spread Across 20 Distinct
Categories. HUL distribution network comprises about 4.000 redistribution
stockists, covering 6.3 million retail outlets reaching the entire urban
population and about 250 million rural consumers . HLL is one of India's
largest exporters. The company's Turnover is 17,523 crores for the financial
year (2009-2010) and annual sales about 40 billion in financial year. It has
more than 15000 employees in which 1300 are managers. They have more
than 200 highly qualified scientists and technologists. It is also known as
Golden Super Star Trading House. HUL was formed in November 1956.

FORMS OF OWNERSHIP

Hindustan Unilever limited is a public company. Hindustan Unilever (HUL)

is the largest fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, a leader in
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home personal care products and foods& beverages. HUL’s brands are
spread across 20 distinct consumer categories, touching lives of every 2 out
of 3 Indians. A public company, publicly traded company, publicly held
company or the public limited company(in the United Kingdom) is a
limited liability company that offers its securities (stock/shares, bonds/loans,
etc.) for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or
through market makers operating in over the counter markets.
Public companies have inherent advantages over private companies,
including the ability to sell future equity stakes and increased access to the
debt markets. With these advantages, however, comes increased regulatory
scrutiny and less control for majority owners and company founders.

NATURE OF BUSINESS

Our corporate purpose states that to succeed we requires the highest

standards of corporate behaviour towards everyone we work with, the
communities we touch and the environment on which we have an impact.
1. Always work in integrity - Conducting our operations with integrity and
respect for many people, organisations and environments our business
touches has always been at the heart of our corporate responsibility.

2. Positive Impact - We aim to make a positive impact in many ways:

through our brands our commercial operations and relationships, through
voluntary contributions and through other ways in which we engage in
society.
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3. Continuous Commitment - We are also committed to continuously
improving the way we manage our environmental impacts and we are
working towards our longer-term goal of developing a sustainable business.

4. Setting out our Aspirations - Our corporate purpose sets out our
aspiration in running our business. Its underpinned by every code of business
principles which describes the operational standards that everyone at
Unilever follows ,wherever they are in the world. The code also supports our
approach to governance and corporate responsibility.

5. Working with others - We want to work with our suppliers who have
values similar to our own and work to the same standards as we do. Our
business partner code of business principles comprises of ten principles
covering business integrity and responsibilities relating to our employees,
consumers and environment.

PRODUCT AND SERVICE OFFERED

HUL is a much known FMCG company. It deals with FMCG products. It

has large varieties of products in the market.

Food brands:
 Annapurna salt and Atta
 Bru Coffee
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  Brooke Bond (3 Roses, Taj Mahal, Taaza, Red Label) tea
 Kissan squashes, ketchups, juices and jams
 Knorr Soups & meal makers and soupy noodles
 Kwality Wall's ice cream

Homecare Brands:
 Active Wheel detergent
 Cif Cream Cleaner
 Domex disinfectant/toilet cleaner
 Rin detergents and bleach
 Surf Excel detergent and gentle wash
 Vim Dishwash

Personal Care Brands:

 Aviance Beauty Solutions
 Axe deodorant and after shaving lotion
 LEVER Ayush Therapy Ayurvedic health care and personal care
products
 Clear anti-dandruff hair products
 Clinic Plus shampoo and oil
 Dove bar & skin cleansing, hair care range, lotions Creams and anti
perspirant deodorants
 Water Purifier:
 Pureit

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 Lastly, the type of products in which the project is dealing in this
project are based on hygienic and toiletries product. In hygienic and
toiletries section the products which are showed

Lux
Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products
includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and
conditioners. Lux started as “Sunlight Flakes” laundry soap in 1899.

In 1924, it became the first mass market toilet soap in the world. It is
noted as a brand that pioneered female celebrity endorsements.

As of 2005, Lux revenue is estimated at €1 billion, with market shares

spread out to more than 100 countries across the globe.

Today, Lux is the market leader in several countries including

Pakistan, Brazil, India, Thailand and South Africa

Developed by Unilever, Lux (soap) is now headquartered

inSingapore.

The brand was founded by the Lever Brothers (today known as Unilever) in
1899. The name changed from “Sunlight Flakes” to“Lux” in 1900, a Latin
word for “light” and suggestive of “luxury.”

Lux toilet soap was launched in the United States in 1925 and in the United
Kingdom in 1928. Subsequently, Lux soap has been marketed in several
forms, including hand wash, shower gel and cream bath soap..
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Lifebuoy
Lifebuoy is a brand of soap containing phenol marketed originally by Lever
Brothers in England in 1895. Although Lifebuoy is no longer produced in
the US and UK, it is still being mass produced by Unilever in Cyprus for the
UK, EU, US and Brazil markets, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago for the
Caribbean market. Unilever in Cyprus and Trinidad and Tobago is
manufacturing the original Red Lifebuoy Soap with phenol. Lifebuoy, an
undisputed market leader for 117 years, has a compelling vision “to make 5
billion people across the world, feel safe and secure by meeting their
personal care hygiene & health needs” Lifebuoy has journeyed from humble
beginnings of being a chunky red bar of soap to an evolved range of general
and specialized products across formats, offering solutions in the health and
hygiene space. Lifebuoy has a strong social mission, promoted through its
rural hygiene programme, Khushiyon Ki Doli, which propagates the practice
of hand washing with soap to reduce diarrheal deaths. Lifebuoy is available
in bar soaps, liquid hand wash, hand sanitizer and talc.

Key facts
 World’s No. 1 Selling Germ Protection Soap
 Distribution across 50 lakh + stores across the country
 Awarded the Bronze Global Effie for the ‘Superfast Hand wash’
campaign

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 Breeze
Breeze makes use of a new revolutionary global technology which
enhances the impact of world class perfumes in a much larger way,
apart from bringing out the goodness of glycerine.

New Breeze is filled with the goodness of glycerine, which makes

your skin soft and smooth.

Key facts

 Launched in 1988 as a family beauty soap with the promise of a

fresh feeling of nature
 Comes in 3 attractive variants French Rose, Divine Sandal,
Lemon Splash

DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

HUL's products are distributed through a network of 4,000 redistribution

stockists, covering 6.3 million retail outlets reaching the entire urban
population, and about 250 million rural consumers. There are 35 C&FAs in
the country who feed these redistribution stockists regularly. The general
trade comprises grocery stores, chemists, wholesale, kiosks and general
stores. Around 2,000 suppliers and associates serve HUL's 40 manufacturing
plants which are decentralized across 2 million square miles of territory.

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Distribution at the Villages :-The companyhas brought all markets with
populations of below 50,000 under one rural sales organisation. The team
comprises an exclusive sales force and exclusive redistribution stockists. The
team focuses on building superior availability of products. HUL approached
the rural market with two criteria - the accessibility and viability, HUL
appointed a Redistribution stockist who was responsible for all outlets and
all business within his particular town. This sub-stockist distributes the
company's products to outlets in adjacent smaller villages using
transportation suitable to interconnecting roads, like cycles, scooters or the
age-old bullock cart. Thus, Hindustan Unilever is trying to circumvent the
barrier of motorable roads. The company simultaneously uses the wholesale
channel, suitably in centivising them to distribute company product.

Distribution at the Urban centres :-Distribution of goods from the

manufacturing site to C & F agents take place througheither the trucks or rail
roads depending on the time factor for delivery and costof transportation.
Generally the manufacturing site is located such that it covers abigger
geographical segment of India. From the C & F agents, the goods are
transported to RS's by means of trucks and the products finally make the 'last
mile' based on the local popular and cheap mode of transport.

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SWOT ANALYSIS

Strength:
1 .HUL is a part of the Unilever group, hence strong brand equity
2. It has over 15000 employees
3. Reach 6.4 million retail outlets which includes direct reach to over 1.5
Million retail outlets
4. Two R&D centres in India in Mumbai and Bangalore
5. Products with presence in over 20 consumer categories with over 700
Million
Indian consumers using its products

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6. As a part of CSR, HUL has initiatives like project Shakti, plastic
recycling,
Women empowerment etc.

Weakness:
1 Market share is limited due to presence of other strong FMCG brands
2. HUL products has stiff competition from big domestic players and
International brands.

Opportunities:
1. Tap rural markets and increase penetration in urban areas
2. Mergers and acquisitions to strengthen the brand
3. Increasing purchasing power of people thereby increasing demand.

Threats:
1. Intense and increasing competition amongst other FMCG companies
2. FDI in retail thereby allowing international brands
3. Competition from unbranded and local products.

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Market Share and Growth of HUL:

60.0% Market share of hul

40.0%
52.7% 46.5% 53.4% 46.9%
20.0% 38.3%
30% 23.2% Market share of hul
0.0%

60 52.7 53.4
50 46.5 46.9
38.3
40
30
30 23.2
HUL market share
20
Nearest competitor share
10
0

Company- HUL
Industry- FMCG
Face Value- Rs 1
Average Daily Volume- 431633
Market Share: Rs (in cr) 67,858

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 CHAPTER 2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

29
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A research methodology is the arrangement of condition for collection and

analysis of data in a manner that to, combine relevance to research
purpose with economy in procedure.
Research Design:
Research Design is conceptual structure within which research is
conducted. It constitutes the blue print of collection, measurement and
analysis of data. Research design is needed because it facilitates the
smooth sailing of various research operations, thereby making research as
efficient as possible yielding maximum information with minimum time,
effort and money. Research Design stands for advance planning of
methods to be used for collecting relevant data and techniques to be used
in the analysis. The design helps researcher to organize his ideas whereby
it will be possible for him to look for flaws and inadequacies. Research
design is purely and simply the framework plans for study that guides the
collection and analysis of data. There are three major types of research design,
i.e., exploratory research design, descriptive research design and experimental
research design. This study is basically exploratory analysis type.

EXPLAINATORY REPORT

The idea gets deeper insight into competition in the bath soap market and to get
buying behavior of consumers. In order to address above-mentioned objectives
(I) study of secondary sources was carried out from internet, books, and
Magazines (II) structured questionnaire was designed to seek consumer
responses.

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DESCRIPTIVE REPORTS

The data is analyzed, which was collected.

TARGETED POPULATION

The target population for “A Comprehensive Study of Bath Soap Market and
Analysis of Buyer Behavior to Purchase the Bath Soap Product – With Special
Reference to Hindustan Unilever Ltd.” is - Consumers, from different
economical & demographical background, which are purchasing & using bath
soaps.

COLLECTION OF DATA

The data has collected from primary & secondary sources.

SECONDARY DATA

The main aim of the project is to analyze the competition in occupying

market shares of various bath soap brands as compare to the brand of the
HUL and the consumer’s buying behavior of bath soap products.
Therefore it is necessary to get considerable information about the
competing brands. For this I have gone through a lot of secondary data. A
lot of issues of Business Today, Economic Times were consulted. Books,
magazines, internet, news papers, journals, company information both internal
and external by company magazines, data and bulletins related to the project
topic.

PRIMARY DATA

A survey was conducted through structured questionnaire. The study was done
among consumers who are using bath soap and conducted personal interview for
collecting the required information. It is original data, first hand and for the

31
specific purpose of the research project. For this project, I have used the
following common research instruments.

Interview:

It is the most common method for contacting consumers and collecting primary
data. For this project I have used following type of interview

1.Personal interview:

It is the most extensively used method. It enables better control of the sample
and ensures answers from the respondents. It also provides for a tactful approach
to the respondent since it is based on a person-to-person talk. But this method is
generally more expensive and time consuming.
I have used this technique to get the information of other competitor’s brands of
bath soap from retailers such as their availability in the shop and their market
share in Delhi
For this project each interview was taking 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Interview was also delayed due to un-availability of respondent in shops.

2.Telephonic Interview

Telephonic interview is conducted for collecting the company’s information from

the company’s Sales Executive who is handling the sales of Wardha city or who
has known about the bath soap brands of HUL of the wardha city. Company
person was always on tour so it was not possible to conduct the personal
interview with them. So all the information related to the company and bath soap
brands is collected by the telephonic interview

SAMPLING

Sample unit

Consumers using the bath soap.

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Sample plan

The selection of the samples is done following the two sampling

techniques, which are:
- Simple random sampling
- Convenience sampling

Sample Location:

Consumers of bath soap in Delhi

Sample size

Customers-100 (Both male & female)

Retailers – 20 (All type of retail stores)

33
 CHAPTER 3
DATA ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETTION

34
BATHING BRAND AND ANALYSIS OF COMPETITION

LUX

The name Lux means ‘light’ in Latin; however the name was chosen for its play
on the word ‘luxury’. Lux stands for the promise of beauty and glamour as one of
India's most trusted personal care brands. Lux continues to be a favourite with
generations of users for the experience of a sensuous and luxurious bath.

Lux is available in seven different variants – white glow, orchid, chocolate, aqua
sparkle, almond delight, cool wave, international. All these seven different variants
are available in 75g, 100g & 125g pack.

Lux was first introduced as toilet soap in 1925. Produced by Lever Brothers, it
arrived in the UK in 1928, offering people a chance to pamper themselves for a
modest price. From the 1930s right through to the 1970s, Lux soap colours and
packaging were altered several times to reflect fashion trends.

In 1958 five colours made up the range: pink, white, blue, green and yellow.
People enjoyed matching their soap with their bathroom colours. Lux available in
the size: 45 gm, 75 gm, 100 gm, 150 gm, such as the International Lux is available
in the size: 75 gm and 125 gm.

35
 Major Competitors
Bath Soap Market Share
HUL Brand Company
Brand
Godrej Consumer Godrej No 1 17%
product Ltd. Soap
Wipro Consumer 30%
Santoor Soap
Ltd
Nirma Beauty 4%
LUX
Nirma soap
24%
Neema Soap 1%
ITC Vivel Soap 5%
Anchor Health & 8%
Dayna Soap
Beauty Care
VVF JO Soap 11%

Market Share
Godrej No 1

17% Santoor
24%
Nirma
Neema
11%
30% Vivel
8%
Dayna

5% 1% Jo
4%

Interpretation:
Lux has the 2nd highest market share of 24% presided by the Santoor having the
highest market share of 30% and followed by the Godrej No 1 having 3 rd highest
market share in Delhi’s Market.

36
LIFEBUOY
Making a billion Indians feel safe and secure by meeting their health and hygiene
needs is the mission of Lifebuoy. The world’s largest selling soap offers a
compelling health benefit to the entire family. Launched in 1895, Lifebuoy, for
over 100 years, has been synonymous with health and value. Lifebuoy is now
milled bath soap with a new health fragrance and a contemporary shape. The new
milled formulation offers a significantly superior bathing experience and skin feel.
Life-buoy comes in new curved shape after 109 years. Lab-tested new formulation
offers 100% better germ protection than other ordinary soaps. Brick shape, to offer
an easy grip and a modern look. The new curved shape is the second major change
in Lifebuoy's history, after the re-launch of 2002. In 2002, after 107 years of its
existence as a carbolic soap, Lifebuoy was re-launched as a milled toilet soap
offering better germ protection.
Lifebuoy soap is available in five variants total, gold care, nature, and multani
mitti & orange. All the five variants are available in the new curved Shape and in
new formulation. The new Lifebuoy is targeted at today's sharp housewife with a
more inclusive "family health protection for my family and me" positioning.

Major Competitors
Bath Soap
HU Brand Company Market Share
Brand
Rackitt
Benckiser
Dettol Soap 37%
Lifebuoy (India) ltd.
49%
Jonson &
Savlon Soap 14%
Jonson

37
 Market Share

37%
Dettol
49%
Savlon
Lifebuoy

14%

Interpretation:

In the carbolic range of bath soap market the Lifebuoy plays leading role with the
highest market share of 49% followed by the Dettol with 37% market share.

38
HAMAM

Hamam brings alive the wisdom behind time-less skincare rituals in convenient
and contemporary formats. Launched in 1931 as a ‘mild, family soap’, Hamam
soon drew a large natural following long before it was trendy or fashionable.
Perhaps the only Indian-made natural soap at the time, Hamam was embraced by
mothers and doctors alike, for its purity and safety on skin.

Only Hamam brings alive ancient time tested skincare ritual that has been
perfected over generation in convenient and contemporary formats.

Hamam can best leverage this due to its heritage and natural ingredient
legitimacy to claim purification of the body and spirit.

Major Competitors
HUL Brand Company Bath Soap Brand Market Share
Dorcas Market
MedimixAyurvedic
Makers 44%
Soap
Hamam
43% Hankel Margo Soap 9%
Wipro
Chandrika Soap 4%
Consumer Ltd.

39
 Market share

Medimix
43% 44% Margo
Chandrika
Hamam
9%
4%

Interpretation:

Hamam is playing the second highest market leader with the market share of
43%, presided by the Medimix Ayurvedic Soap with the market share of 44%
and followed by the Margo Neem with the market share of 9%.

40
BREEZE

Breeze is the product of Hindustan Unilever Limited. Breeze was launched in

India By keeping in mind the middle class family of India. This soap was
launched in different shapes and size to attract all the segments of the consumers.

Hindustan Unilever offers Breeze. Breeze scent magic is the soap that fulfils de
aspirations of women of rural India. Breeze has offered them ‘Beauty at an
affordable price’, make them look and feel beautiful. Breeze comes in four
fragrances – rose, sandal, lime and Rajnigandha. All this at a very affordable
price for the masses.

Major Competitors
Bath Soap Market
HUL Brand Company
Brand Share
Godrej 19%
Godrej No 1
Consumer
Soap
product Ltd.
Wipro 33%
Santoor Soap
Consumer Ltd
Breeze Nirma Beauty 5%
16% Nirma soap
Neema Soap 1%
ITC Vivel Soap 5%
Anchor Health 9%
Dayna Soap
& Beauty Care
VVF JO Soap 12%

41
 Market Share
Godrej No 1
16% 19% Santoor
Nirma

12% Neema
Vivel
9% Dayna
33%
Jo
5%
5% Breeze
1%

Interpretation:

In the discount range of bath soap Breeze has achieved the 3 rd highest market
leading position with the market share of 16%, presided by the Santoor and
Godrej No 1 having market share of 33% and 19% respectively

42
LIRIL

Over time, Liril has come to be synonymous with the freshness of limes, active
energy and freedom of expression by its symbolic display of the uninhibited
female form.

Through history now, Liril has been the choice of many for the most
invigorating and energizing experience in bath. Liril was launched in 1977. Its 30
years old. Liril has been a trendsetter over times. The soap & its advertising have
been considered to be revolutionary. The first TV ad dates back to 1985. The
Liril expressions, associations & the Liril ads are recalled even till now.

Major Competitors
Bath Soap
HUL Brand Company Market Share
Brand
Godrej
Consumer
Cinthol Soap 43%
products Ltd.
Liril
35% Rackitt
Benckiser Dettol Cool
22%
(India) ltd. Soap

43
 Market Share

35% Cinthol
43%
Dettol Cool
Liril

22%

Interpretation:
In the freshness segment of bath soaps, Liril is playing 2 nd highest market leader
role with the market share of 35% presided by the Cinthol having 43% market
share and followed by the Dettol Cool with the market share of 22%.

44
PEARS

Pears launched in India in 1902, exuberates a long heritage of purity and has a
pristine quality. With the goodness of glycerin & natural oils, Pears is gentle
enough, even for a baby’s skin and hence recommended by doctors and
pediatricians worldwide. It is so pure that you can actually see through it.

Pears is available in three variants - the traditional Pure & Gentle variant, a green
variant for oil control and a blue variant for germ protection. The story of this
popular soap was first created in 1789 by a young man called Andrew Pears. This
is from whom it derived its name.

Major Competitors

HUL Brand Company Bath Soap Brand Market Share

Dorcas market
MedimixGlycerin
Makers 14%
Soap
Pears
75% Wipro
Santoor Glycerin
Consumer Ltd. 11%
Soap

45
 Market Share

14%

11% Medimix GL
Santoor GL
Pears

75%

Interpretation:
In the glycerin soap segment Pears is the market leader with the market
share of 75% followed by the Medimix Glycerin and the Santoor Glycerin with
the market share 14% and 11% respectively.

46
MOTI

Moti is India’s premium brand of soaps during the seventies. Now there is no
trace of this brand. Moti originally was a brand of Tata Oil Mills Company
(TOMCO). In 1993, TOMCO merged with HLL.

Moti is special soap which has certain differentiation. The first differentiation
point is shape. Unlike over soaps which come in cake form, Moti is round soap.
Moti is vernacular term for pearl. So the soap is also in the shape of pearl.

Uniqueness is the size of the soap. Moti is a big soap. Often one get bored of the
soap and it never quit finish fast.

Moti comes in popular fragrances like Rose (Gulab), Sandal (Chandan). Moti is
promoted as premium soap. The soap is expensive and during the eighties, the
soap is priced around Rs 25.

Major Competitors
Bath Soap
HUL Brand Company Market Share
Brand
Mysore Sandal Mysore Sandal
25%
Soap
Moti
Dorcas Market
58% Medimix Sandal
Makers 17%
Soap

47
 Market Share

25%
Mysore Sandal Soap
Medimix Sandal Soap
58% Moti
17%

Interpretation:

In the market segment of premium soaps the Moti Soap is playing the role of
market leader with the market share of 58% presided by the Mysore Sandal Soap
with the market share of 25% having the good quality of bath Soap in premium
range.

48
DOVE

Since 1993, Indian women have relied on Dove for beautiful skin. Dove is
known to be a keeper of promises and has given real products to women world
over. To help you enjoy your own brand of beauty. Dove is growing very rapidly
year after year. This yr, we took a vow to make women experience the ‘real’
Dove difference. The face test campaign demonstrates the real proof of its
superiority by using face as the torture test. Thousands of women from around
the country put their soap, and dove to the test. And they all ended with the same
answer – dove made their skin soft.

Major Competitors
Bath Soap
HUL Brand Company Market Share
Brand
Dove ITC Fiama De Will
16%
84% Soap

49
 Market share

16%

Fiama De Will
Dove

84%

Interpretation:
In the segment of milk soap Dove has achieved the highest market share i.e.
84% followed by the new entrance in the market i.e. Fiama De Will having the
market share of 16%.

50
Market Share of HUL’s Bath Soap Products in Delhi:

Company Market Share

Hindustan Unilever 45%
Ltd.
Godrej Consumer 11%
product Ltd.
Wipro Consumer 13%
Ltd
Nirma 3%
Rackitt Benckiser 6%
(India) ltd.
ITC 3%
Anchor Health & 3%
Beauty Care
Hankel India Ltd 1%
Jonson and Jonson’s 2%
VVF 5%
Dorcas Market 7%
Makers
Mhaysor Sandal 1%
Soap

51
 HUL's Market Share of Bath Soap Products In
Delhi
Hindustan Unilever Ltd
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.
Wipro Consumer Ltd.
Nirma
Rackitt Benchiser India Ltd.
ITC
Anchor Health & Beauty Care Ltd.
Hankel India Ltd.
Jonson & Jonson
VVF
Dorcas Market Makers 1%
Maysor Sandal soap
7%
2% 5%
1%

3%
3%
45%

6%

3%

13%

11%

Hindustan Unilever Ltd is the highly penetrated company in the bath soap market
having the highest market share i.e. 45%, followed by the Wipro Consumers Ltd
and the Godrage consumer Product Ltd having market share of 13% and 11%
respectively.

52
 FINDINGS

Following are the findings of the above analysis.

1. Psychological factor is highly affected to the consumers buying behavior

2. Form this survey based project it has found that consumers preferring the
quality as well as fragrance at the time of purchasing the bath soap.

3. HUL having the highest market share in bath soap because it is working in
all segments of bath soaps.

4. In a family the consumption of a combo pack of bath soap is 55% as

compare to the single pack i.e. 44%, the average consumption of a family in
a combo pack is 2 sets per month.

5. Consumers prefer the combo pack as compare to the single pack of the bath
soap because of the discount factor.

6. The performance of Santoor soap is as good as HUL’s LUX because of the

continuous promotional activities.

7. The soaps like Godrej No1, Nirma, and Dayna having fewer sales as
compare to the HUL, but they are providing the cheapest soaps in the
market with better quality, having 76% TFM and lies in the grade I Soap
category.
53
 LIMITATIONS

1. It is a hard fact that each study suffer from some limitations. One of the
limitations of the study is, as the information is collected from the
retailers, the monthly sales figure given by them is based entirely on
their own judgment. So a few of them might have given the wrong
figures related to their monthly sales. Another limitation was that some
of the retailers were busy and could not give appropriate information.
And also very few retailers did not want to share any information.

2. Another limitation of the study was the customers who were personally
interviewed did not want to share the actual data as few of them were
giving fake data.

3. The Sales Executive of the company was always on tour so it is not

possible to conduct the personal interview with them. So all the
information related to the company is collected by the telephonic
interview. Because of their busy schedule sometimes they were unable
to give me the information at right time.

4. The sample size being very small, i.e. only 100 consumers and 20
retailers, limited the scope of research

5. Time constraints put boundaries to sample area and hence limited the
extent of the study

6. Taking convenience sampling might have led to some bias as people

with different age groups have different perceptions

54
 CONCLUSION

The most important skill I feel are needed in the project work include: research
skills, systematic organizational skills, accuracy and attention to detail, basic
computer skills, the ability to communicate effectively the ability to develop and
maintain relationship, initiative and the ability to work independently on a
project but also be an integral part of the research.
Study on the buying behavior towards bathing soap of the respondents of
Wardha city gave me a lot of knowledge, information and confidence. And on
that basis I can say that the consumption of these brands would be increased
through more awareness about the brand, through easy availability at the shop.
Following are the conclusions of the study on the basis of data analysis and
findings of the study.
1. The customers are highly motivated by the quality of the product i.e. the
psychological factors are affecting highly the buying behavior of
customers.
2. Advertisement and the sales promotional activity is affected very much the
purchasing behavior of the customers. Hence it is conclude that customers
prefer the bath soap product on the basis of the advertisement and the
promotional activities of the companies.

3. According to the highest market share of the bath soaps of HUL it is

concluded that the HUL is highly penetrated company in the bath soap
segment.

4. The soaps under the popular range (> Rs.13 &< Rs.20) and economy range
(<Rs. 13) are used by the income group from less than 1 lakh to 3 lakh and
the premium range (>Rs. 20) soaps are mostly used by income group of
above 4 lakh and the respondents lies in the dependent category such as
55
students and house wives choose mostly the premium brands such as dove
and Pears, so it is conclude that the buyers choose the brands on the basis of
their income and choice.

56
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.naukrihub.com/india/fmcg/consumer-class/age/ Journals:
1. Indian Journal of Marketing, August 2009. Ref. – “Factor Responsible for
Choice of FMCG Products: A Case Study of Consumer Dental Care
Product.”(Page No. – 24, 25 & 26)
-Dr.PinakiRanjan Bhattacharyya
-Dr.SainathMazumdar
2. Indian Journal of Marketing, September 2009. Ref – “A Study of
Consumer’s Buying Pattern of Cosmetic products in South Hariyana.”
(Page No. – 29, 30, 31 & 33.)
-Dr.Neeraj Kaushik
-Deepak Gupta
Books:
1) Business Research – Berry.
2) Kotler Phillip, Marketing Management, Millennium edition. (Prentice hall
of India).

3) Research Methodology, Khothri C R

4)

Websites:
www.hul.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_moving_consumer_goods
http://www.naukrihub.com/india/fmcg/overview/

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