CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

PRODUCT CATEGORY: PERSONAL HYGIENE

(SANITARY NAPKINS)

ABSTRACT:
The following report focuses on the analysis of consumer preferences for
the product category: PERSONAL HYGIENE - SANITARY NAPKINS
based upon different attributes, risks associated, factors affecting
purchase decisions and different alternatives. Consumer’s preferences
are based on their expectations, likes and dislikes and their inclinations
towards the purchase of a particular product.

GROUP MEMBERS:

1. NUPUR BIHANI - 37

2 SHRUTI G - 25

3 SAYONIKA SARAH - 11

4 SIYA DWIVEDI - 55

5 YASHI JAIN - 63
 PRODUCT CATEGORY:
PERSONAL HYGIENE: SANITARY NAPKINS
Menstruation is a process in which woman discharge
blood and other material from the uterus at an interval
of about 28 to 35 days from puberty until menopause.
The functional requirement of a feminine sanitary
napkin product is to absorb and retain the menstrual
fluid so that back tracking of fluid does not happen and
at the same time it should be odour free. Conducted
interviews with women of various generations to reveal
their personal experiences of dealing with menstruation
and compared modern views with those of past
generations, woman used whatever fabric they could
find to make their own pads, which were commonly
hand washed and reused. Women felt that menstruation
was something to be ashamed of, a feeling that is still
prevalent in society and popular culture today. There is a
need to educate and make women aware about the
health hazards and environmental pollution associated
with them.

OBJECTIVES-
• To provide a comprehensive analysis of the Indian
Feminine Hygiene Industry covering sanitary napkins.
• To determine and analyse the Stimulus Approach used
under this product category.
• To find the perceived risks associated with the product
category and a perceptual map based on a survey.
• To relate to the consumer personality traits and self-
concept.

The Indian sanitary napkin market reached a value of US$

550 Million in 2020. It is expected that the market to grow at
a CAGR of 12.2% during 2021-2026.

Sanitary napkins, or sanitary pads, are thin pads made of absorbent

materials. They play a vital role in feminine hygiene as they soak the
menstrual fluid during menstruation. A sanitary napkin contains four
functional components including fluid acquisition layer, distribution
component, absorbent structure and liquid impervious membrane.
These napkins can be found in different sizes and shapes with varying
capacities of absorption. In India, the increasing awareness about
menstrual hygiene is supporting the demand for sanitary napkins.
Moreover, the utilization of high-quality and environment-friendly raw
materials to produce these pads is further providing an impetus to the
growth of the market.

Breakup by Product Type:

• Disposable Menstrual Pads

• Cloth Menstrual Pads
• Biodegradable Menstrual Pads

At present, disposable menstrual pads represent the most popular

product type. The demand for these pads can be primarily attributed to
the awareness campaigns led by the Central and State Governments,
along with various NGOs and multinational companies.

Competitive Landscape:

The nature of the market is concentrated with the presence of few

manufacturers who compete in terms of prices, quality and innovation.
Some of the leading players operating in the market are:

• P&G
• Johnson & Johnson
• Unicharm
• Emami, Ltd.
• Mankind
• Kimberly-Clark
• Edgewell

TOP BRANDS: Whisper , Stayfree , Sofy , Nua , Plush , Paree, etc.

BRAND MARKET SHARE:

In 2021, among the major sanitary napkin brands operating in the

country, Whisper by Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd,
held the largest market share – 54.8%.

Stayfree by Johnson & Johnson – 30.8%

Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd – Kotex : - 3.4%

Sofy by Uni-Charm- 40%

This is because these brands have launched lower priced variants of

intimate hygiene products, making them affordable for different
social strata of the country.
 LEARNING

The sanitary napkin market is expected to be driven by a variety of factors, including

an increase in the number of working women, growing awareness about female
hygiene, and rising health concerns, all of which are expected to contribute to the
global market's growth.

STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION

1. WHISPER- Have a happy period!

• Ultra -Nights Extra Heavy Flow
• Extra long & wider back- best protection with 400mm length and wider back to
prevent leaks throughout the night.

2. SOFY- Better late than never!

• Antibacterial Extra Long Pads.
• Superb Fit Cushion- fits the body and absorbs at the center.

3. STAYFREE- Knows that periods can be difficult!

• Protection with cottony comfort
• Superior dry feel.

The leading brands mentioned above have a unique appearance and there are
barely any similarities between them. All these brands have chosen different paths
and hence have different appearances. The font and caption for each brand is
different from one another. Their packaging colour is different from one another.
Although the logo of Stayfree and Whisper is in middle of the package, Whisper
tends to have a green background and the brand name written on the top of it
whilst, Stayfree has no background, whereas Sofy has its brand name printed on
the top middle of the package. All 3 brands have their own specialities as
mentioned above and hence their own USP.
STIMULUS GENERALISATION-

Certain brands often make use of stimulus generalisation in order to

influence consumer behaviour.

1. STAYFREE-

Even though the colour of their packaging is different from the other , the logo placement ,
the font and the placement of the text also tends to remain the same in all the types of its
products .
The Heading Stayfree remains to be written in white with the picture of the pad being placed
towards its right corner and the specialization of the type is written beside it.

2. SOFY-
The package colour is different to differentiate from one type to another but the brand made
sure to have the same placement of the logo in the center top and the specialization of the
type written right below the logo. The font of the logo remains the same for all the types
under this brand. This is done so as to extend the goodwill of the brand to all its products
under their brand name.
3. WHISPER-

In Spite of having a different package colour for each type it still has the same font of the
brand name, the placement of the brand name and the specialization of the type written below
the brand name. It has a small picture of the pad on the right side of the package for all the
types of sanitary napkins.

//PERCEPTION//
When it comes to personal hygiene as the product category the three

products considered under this category would be Tampons, Menstrual

cup and Sanitary Pad.

SANITARY NAPKINS-
Although ¾ of the population uses sanitary napkins due to their high
availability and marketing. The repetition in the advertisements of
sanitary napkins makes the consumers aware of the types and the brands
of these napkins. But in recent times many people are starting to switch
from the sanitary napkins to other options due to the perceived risks that
come along the way.
PERCEIVED RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SANITARY
NAPKINS:

The consumers are starting to become aware of the fact that use of
sanitary napkins might cause cancer in the future. We all know pads are
made of cotton, like other crops, cotton crops are being sprayed with
pesticides and herbicides, that can definitely cause harm when they
reach your bloodstream. Furan, a potentially dangerous chemical, is
present on the cotton and will stay until it’s harvested. These pads are
not environmental- friendly as they are made of plastic and its hard to be
disposed by adding on the Dioxin chemical which is used to make these
sanitary pads. Pads contain odour neutralizers or deodorants. These
scented napkins contain chemicals that can cause complications on your
baby’s embryonic development. They are prone to bacterial growth and
other infections.

TAMPONS-
Another suitable and affordable alternative under this product category
is a tampon.

PERCEIVED RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH TAMPONS:

There is this perception among most of the women in India that the
tampons are hard to use or there is a fear to use them since it has been
introduced to the market recently and the population is yet to get
accustomed to it and start building trust on this product. The availability
of tampons is also comparatively less hence a lot
of people are not aware about it.

The other risk associated with this product would

be the Toxic Shock Syndrome [TSS] which is a rare
but a life - threatening condition caused by bacteria
getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins.
But, if it’s diagnosed and treated early, most people
make a full recovery.
MENSTRUAL CUP:
The switch to menstrual cups is a part of every sustainable living
discourse, but we do not see even one TV ad about them.

Though menstrual cups are the most economical and sustainable option
still people are unaware about them.

PERCEIVED RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH MENSTRUAL CUPS:

The consumers when introduced to this category are uncertain to

purchase it because of the no. of instructions to be followed. This
uncertainty will directly affect the consumer’s purchase intention.

Then there is the emphasis of Indian culture on a woman’s virginity and

the myth that using the cup would make her loose her virginity, thus
many women are unwilling to use menstrual cups.

CONCLUSION ON PERCEIVED RISK-

All the 3 categories have their own perceived risks but menstrual cups
are the most economical & environment-friendly, but it needs more
emphasis on ads to make people aware about it to make the choice to
switch.
SURVEY AND PERCEPTUAL MAP:
A survey with the help of a google form was
recorded and a perceptual map was made on the
responses towards the top 10 sanitary napkin
brands in India.
Google form link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdF2ztoxJfkPD7HLjqK9cQrObZjJBna4x
0JzJF2DaA84jKntw/viewform?usp=sf_link

NO. OF RESPONSES: 30

TRAITS SURVEYED- QUALITY & PRICE

PERCEPTUAL MAP BASED ON THE

RESPONSES-
Self-concept can be described simply as how one perceives themself and
their behaviour in the market place. It is the attitude one holds towards
himself/herself.

Brand personality plays a vivid role in shaping a consumer’s trust and

loyalty towards a particular brand and also forms his attitude towards
that brand.

Few factors which affect a customer’s personality towards a brand are:

1. Product Features
A product feature is a slice of business functionality that has a
corresponding benefit for the consumer. Product - features are attributes
of your product that describe its components, appearance, capabilities,
dimensions etc. In sanitary napkins the features that a consumer looks for
are: Product variant – Thickness, length, wings.
According to a -research conducted in 2019, it was found that maximum
women preferred thin sanitary napkins, while minimum went for thick
sanitary napkins. It was also discovered that majority of women around
70%were willing to accept sanitary napkins without wings. 90% of women
using sanitary napkins preferred long sanitary napkins.

2. Personal and Social Factors:

A blue-collar worker will prefer to buy a sanitary napkin which is long in
length, has wings and has a good soak-up capacity. Along with occupation,
economic circumstances like spendable income, attitude towards spending
and saving also impacts product preference. Along with occupation,
economic circumstances like spendable income, attitude towards
spending and saving also impacts product preference.

3. Social Factors:
A consumer is also influenced by their reference group, which may have
a direct or an indirect influence on their attitude or behaviour and thus
affects their purchasing decisions.
Reference group influence members in at least three ways.
1. They expose an individual to new behaviours and lifestyles.
2. They influence attitude and self-concept.
3. They create pressure for conformity that may affect product and brand
choices.

SELF-CONCEPT:

As a woman, I believe The Whisper ultra- pads is a trusted branded

product known for women hygiene in difficult time when it needs.
The product gives the coverage that is needed and works for 3-4 hours
without changing. As a college woman, this sire does the job. The price is
a little too high but worth the result. They are comfortable and are
available in all size which makes it easier for women. It also has this neat
packaging which also makes it easy for one to carry it while travelling.
It is a good product for the girls who have busy and longer days as it
leaves very little scope for stains to be seen. It also has a germ-lock
technology which locks up to 100% wetness, odour & germs. Its nearly
40% Longer for a longer lasting coverage so that you can be worry free
during your periods.
They are easily available at many stores, chemist shops, or online.

The preference of sanitary protection material is based on personal

choice, cultural acceptability, economic status, and availability in local
market. Along with basic sanitation facilities, one should be also
provided with soap and menstrual absorbents to manage menstruation
hygiene. The choice of absorbents varies among rural and urban women
and girls.
Even in the current ads, Whisper encourages young girls like athletes or
sport players to not let periods being a hindrance on their way to success.
Still Whisper positions its brand for teenage and young girls. However, a
campaign works better if it is created for different age groups.
But with its unique marketing strategy of focusing on the social issues,
Whisper has attained a premium brand status because of its high-
quality sophisticated packaging, surpassing the market position higher
than Stayfree. The initial Whisper ads featured sensitive ads on mothers
educating daughters about sanitary napkins, thus positioning itself as
informative and depicting how Whisper is recommended by mothers too
who have been using sanitary pads for years.
 CONCLUSION

While it may seem uncomfortable and painful, Menstruation is a

natural and healthy part of a women’s life. The opinion of every
woman will be different from the other because each woman has
a different body: short, tall, big pelvis, small pelvis, age, puberty,
mother of three or progressing to menopause, on birth
control and… a different period! Preference on a sanitary napkin
is based on how comfortable you are with it. Some may be willing
to experiment with new products and find out which suits them
best where as some may not want to leave their comfort zone. The
product features and advertisement, personal and social factors
will attract the crowd that is willing to experiment, while women
who are loyalty and brand knowledge focused may change the
type of sanitary napkin but not the brand. Having a sanitary
napkin that fits you properly provides you with the protection
and freedom you need. No matter what factor decides your
sanitary napkin preference your priority should be to forbid your
natural and healthy cycle from getting in the way of your
exercising, having fun and enjoying life.

Along with fulfilling personal interests, a consumer should also

care about the environment. Have you ever given a thought to
what happens to your menstrual waste after you dispose it off?
While most of a concentrated more on how we felt during those
days we forgot to address how during all this we were damaging
our surroundings. The sanitary pads are made of plastic and we
all are aware of the fact that plastic takes years to decompose.
Pads along with their packaging and individual wrapping
generate more than 9000 tonnes of waste, in India every year

After you hand over the sanitary waste your garbage

collector,the waste is segregated manually by the waste pickers.
The sanitary waste is then driven out of the city and buried in a
landfill, since it is non- biodegradable waste, this ends up
staying in landfills for up to 800 years, yes sanitary pads take
700-800 years to decompose.
The end result - Overflowing landfills causing endless harm to
the environment. a woman uses a minimum of 10000 pads in
her lifetime! now imagine the amount of waste and its
consequences.
We now know the adverse effects, however, the challenge which
still persists is awareness and availability.

There are products available like cloth pads (reusable),

tampons and menstrual cups. menstrual cups are gaining a lot
of popularity and is a great way to address this issue as it can be
used up to 2-5 years!!
These are not only eco- friendly but pocket friendly too.
When you decide to make the switch from synthetic to natural,
you start contributing significantly to various environmental
measures that can eventually help in increasing the earth's
lifespan.

“CARE FOR TWO, EARTH & YOU.”