ABSTRACT

To analyse and understand the consumer

perception towards various oral care
products. The research is done to understand
what factors consumers consider while
buying oral care products and how they have
affected in the shift of consumer base of
companies.

GROUP 2:
1. RISHAB SETHI (18F141)

CONSUMER 2.
3.
SIDDHANT KATARIYA
AADISH JAIN
(18F151)
(18F201)

BEHAVIOUR 4.
5.
ANMOL MARWAH
HARSHIT SABOO
(18F212)
(18F223)

PROJECT (MKT 6006) S1

(DRAFT)
SUBMITTED TO: PROF. SRINIVASA REDDY

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Executive Summary
Dental hygiene Or Oral care is the most common form of cleanliness. The Indian Oral care
industry has shown tremendous growth in the past few years by both value and volume,
which could be attributed to higher disposable incomes and changing customer lifestyles.
Increased awareness about oral care is also responsible for the growth in this sector. Under
the oral care products available in the market, the penetration of Toothpastes is the highest in
both urban and rural markets. Recently, there has been an increase in the demand for
toothpastes with Ayurvedic ingredients which includes neem, clove, aloe vera, tulsi, etc. and
non-traditional ingredients like salt and ash. With increased demand for Ayurvedic
toothpastes, the existing players in the market have started launching new products in this
category.

This study aims to assess the behaviour of the customers with respect to the current offerings
and their perception on the existing and on the newly launched product categories like
toothpastes with Ayurvedic ingredients. It also looks at the factors that consumers look for
while selecting a toothpaste. The study has taken insights from both primary and secondary
research. The secondary research provided details on the trends in the existing market. The
primary research was conducted to validate the findings from the secondary research and to
gain a first-hand experience on the ground reality for the toothpaste category in the market.
In-depth interviews were conducted in supermarket stores to gain consumer perception in this
category. Convenience sampling was used to sample the respondents. This data was collected
and analysed to gain insights on the consumer perception.

The interviews revealed that most consumers use the same toothpaste that their family uses
irrespective of the brand. Colgate is the most preferred brand for toothpastes. Consumers
were open towards toothpastes with Ayurvedic ingredients and can be validated with the fact
that Patanjali has the second highest market share after Colgate. The study, however, revealed
that customers were apprehensive about Ayurvedic toothpastes because of its Taste which
provides them with freshness, which is holding them back to switch from the existing
products available. This study could be used to understand the behaviour, perception and the
changing preferences of the consumers, which could eventually lead to creating new products
catering to consumer requirements and position them accordingly.

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Introduction
Oral cleanliness is the act of keeping one's mouth spotless and free of illness and different
issues (for example awful breath) by customary brushing of the teeth (dental cleanliness) and
cleaning between the teeth. It is significant that oral cleanliness be done all the time to
empower counteractive action of dental ailment and awful breath. The most widely
recognized kinds of dental infection are tooth rot (cavities, dental caries) and gum maladies,
including gum disease, and periodontitis.

General rules propose brushing two times per day: after breakfast and before hitting the hay,
however in a perfect world the mouth would be cleaned after each feast. Cleaning between
the teeth is called interdental cleaning and is as significant as tooth brushing. This is on the
grounds that a toothbrush can't reach between the teeth and in this manner just evacuates
about half of plaque off the surface. There are numerous devices to clean between the teeth,
including floss and interdental brushes; it is dependent upon every person to pick which
apparatus the person wants to utilize.
Some of the time white or straight teeth are related with oral cleanliness, however a sterile
mouth may have Stained teeth as well as abnormal teeth. For appearance reasons, individuals
may search out teeth brightening and orthodontics.

Sources of Problems
Plaque
Dental plaque, otherwise called dental biofilm, is a sticky, yellow film comprising of a wide
scope of microorganisms which joins to the tooth surfaces and can be noticeable around the
gum line. It begins to return after the tooth surface has been cleaned, which is the reason
standard brushing is energized. A high-sugar diet supports the arrangement of plaque. Sugar
(fermentable starches), is changed over into corrosive by the plaque. The corrosive at that
point causes the breakdown of the contiguous tooth, in the long run prompting tooth rot.

In the event that plaque is left on a subgingival (under the gum) surface undisturbed, not
exclusively is there an expanded danger of tooth rot, however it will likewise proceed to
disturb the gums and cause them to seem red and swollen. Some draining might be seen
during tooth brushing or flossing. These are the indications of irritation which show poor
gum wellbeing (gum disease).

Calculus
The more drawn out that plaque remains on the tooth surface, the harder and increasingly
appended to the tooth it moves toward becoming. That is the point at which it is alluded to as
calculus and should be evacuated by a dental expert. If this is not treated, the inflammation
will lead to the bone loss and will eventually lead to the affected teeth becoming loose.
Preventive Care Methods

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 • Tooth Brushing • Flossing • Interdental Brushes

• Oral Irrigation • Gum stimulators • Single-tufted Brushes

• Tongue Scrapers

Industry Analysis
Companies are focusing into rural area for penetration of other products to increase sales.
Rise in consciousness of Oral cleanliness has made tremendous interest of Premium and
innovative items in urban territory. Rural buyer has started moving from toothpowder to
toothpaste and toothbrushes. New rising premium items like mouthwash has gain notoriety in
Indian market. Top international players have strong presence in India and globally.
However, per capita consumption of oral care products in India is low compare to U.S and
china etc and penetration level in rural area is low, which poses latent opportunity for top
players for growth of oral care products in India.

India Oral care market is divided in 5 classifications incorporates toothpaste, toothbrushes,

toothpowder, mouthwash and others. Toothpaste is prevailing in oral care market. It is a
primary product in daily oral hygiene has huge presence in urban and rural area. Increasing
health and personal oral hygiene, Indians are now more aware how their diet affecting their
teeth and mouth. Indian is now willing to pay more for prevention attention. This has helped
toothpaste category to grow drastically in oral care market. Herbal toothpaste demand is
increasing in oral care market from last few years. Toothbrushes are second increasing
market in oral care market after toothpaste. Toothbrushes are sub-categories in manual &
Electric. Manual toothbrushes have huge potential in Indian oral care market. Electric
toothbrush is new emerging category and has huge opportunity in urban India; Toothpowder
category is at decline stage due to consumer taste and preference. Consumers are shifting
from toothpowder to toothpaste. Toothpowder has huge presence in rural India. In all 3
categories are dominant by Colgate & Palmolive India.

Major Competitors:

 Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited  GlaxoSmithKline Consumer

Healthcare Limited

 Hindustan Unilever Limited  Patanjali Ayurved Limited

 Procter & Gamble Hygiene and  The Himalaya Drug Company

Health Care Limited

 Dabur India Limited  Elder Pharmaceuticals Private

Limited

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  Johnson & Johnson Private Limited  Anchor Health & Beauty Care Pvt.
Ltd.

Research Objectives:
Oral hygiene products form an important and essential part of a consumer’s purchase of
essential items. It is a category of everyday use. Originally, there was not much innovation in
this category. However, companies have started introducing new variants and have expanded
their product line. With the introduction of Patanjali and Lever Ayush, there has been a
revolution in the oral care segment and there has been a major shift in the consumer base across
segments. Also, products like mouthwash and floss have been gaining importance and many
consumers have shifted to them. Hence, it becomes necessary to understand the consumer
perception towards various changes in this category and to understand how a customer chooses
the product.
1. To assess the behaviour of various customers with respect to the product offerings and
the brands.
2. To identify factors which consumers look for, while selecting a toothpaste.
3. To assess the shift of consumers to ayurvedic and sensitivity-focused products.

Research Methodology
Primary and Secondary research were the basis of the study. Both were conducted to gain
insights on the market and to understand the consumer behaviour towards the product and the
product category.

Secondary research focused on understanding the sector. This provided insights on the
market, the growth of the sector and the competitors in the market. Of all the competitors,
Colgate was found to have the highest market share. Primary research focused on the current
perceptions about the product.
Visits were made to supermarket stores like Big Bazaar and More to interview customers in
store. Interviews were taken only of people above 18 years with the assumption that, they
would make the purchase decision. Interviews were taken to understand the perception with
respect to Oral Hygiene and the preference of the interviewed customers. The interviews
were articulated to ask the preference for Brands, the customers take on the perceived
benefits, the factors affecting the purchase, the perception regarding Ayurvedic toothpastes,
the intention to buy and switch to Ayurvedic toothpastes, the perceived benefit of Ayurvedic
toothpastes and the awareness of Ayurvedic oral care products and brands. Each In-depth
interview lasted for approximately 10 mins.
The following questions were used for conducting the in-depth Interviews –

1. Which brand of Toothpaste do you use?

2. What were the reasons for choosing this toothpaste?
3. What are the attributes you look for in a toothpaste?

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 4. What affects your buying decision?
5. Do all members of your family use the same toothpaste?
6. Do you prefer Ayurvedic toothpaste?
7. What motivates you to buy Ayurvedic Toothpaste?
8. How did you come to know about Ayurvedic toothpaste?
9. What are your views on the current Ayurvedic toothpastes available?
10. What would you like to change about Aurvedic Toothpaste?
11. Would you like Ayurvedic ingredients in other form?
12. Do you intend to switch to Ayurvedic toothpaste?
13. Do you intend to switch brands?
14. How often do you change brands?

The demographics of the respondents: A total of 20 In-depth Interviews were taken as a part
of primary research

Sampling Technique
To conduct a survey for the primary research, Exploratory research was used as the Sampling
technique. Convenience Sampling was used to sample the respondents. The respondents were
selected based on the judgement of the researcher in a non-random fashion. A sampling plan
was created to identify who could be the potential interviews be directed to. The motive was
to understand hidden motivation behind choosing a particular brand or category depending on
the customer demographics. The interview was kept informal and unstructured to understand
the underlying attitude behind the purchase decision for a toothpaste brand and the
perceptions towards the growing Ayurvedic segment. The interviews were conducted such
that the validity and reliability of the data is maintained. The questions were asked from a
neutral standpoint so that biases could be avoided. The interviews would give insights on the
qualitative data that could be used to evaluate the existing trends, capture the change in
consumer preferences and making a position strategy or creating a new product accordingly.

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Key Findings

Count of Which brand of Toothpaste do you use?

3%
5% 7% Colgate
Patanjali

9% Close Up
Sensodyne
9% 53%
Himalaya
Pepsodent
14%
Others

 More than 52% of the consumers

prefer Colgate as a brand over
other toothpastes followed by
Patanjali which is preferred by
13.5% of the consumers
 When it comes to reasons for
choosing a particular toothpaste,
58% of the consumers stated
family use as the reason of using
a particular toothpaste brand whereas 23% people felt that form factor and package
size played an important role in choosing a toothpaste for oral hygiene

 More than 81% of the consumers

interviewed said that fresh breath
is the most important attribute
while deciding a toothpaste brand,
while white teeth and Gum
Protection also stood out as the
deciding factor for 63.5% and
41.9% consumers respectively

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  When it comes to making a
buying decision, 78.4% of the
consumers prefer to go with a
reputed brand whereas price and
size of the toothpaste take the
second and third spot with 43%
and 32% respectively as a factor
of making toothpaste purchase

 When asked about the reasons of

either buying or motivated to buy
an ayurvedic toothpaste, 52,7%
consumers said that the traditional
ingredients present in the
toothpaste provokes them to make
an informed decision while taste
and availability of ayurvedic
toothpastes is a factor for 17.6%
and 16.2% of the interviewed
consumers

 When the consumers were asked

about what changes would they
like to be done to ayurvedic
toothpaste, more than 62% people
chose taste to be changed, though
17.6% people had also said that
they like the taste of ayurvedic
toothpastes

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Recommendations
For ayurvedic products to be successful and gain market share, they need to focus on the
families in order to attract the users as one single brand of toothpaste is used in a household
and people are reluctant to have different brands of toothpaste at home. Also, the word of
mouth has played an active role in spreading awareness about the products and switching to
it. Many people got convinced on switching toothpaste or stay with a particular brand of
toothpaste whenever it was recommended by an expert (dentist). So ayurvedic brands like
Patanjali should collaborate with dentists to persuade people that the quality of ayurvedic
products have been better than the other brands.

Also, even though people like ayurvedic products, they are not continuing with it or switch
back to their previous brands since they don’t like its taste. Hence, the ayurvedic products
need to focus on changing its taste which is a major reason behind people not accepting the
product. The key attributes what consumers look for in a toothpaste is the freshness it brings
to their mouth early morning and the taste of it. Quality and health are also considered but
that isn’t the major driver of purchase as most of the kinds of toothpaste have focused on
health. But freshness and tastes are the major drivers for them to buy toothpaste.

Conclusion
People initially tried ayurvedic products and that resulted in a major shift in the industry. This
happened because of the natural ingredients ayurvedic products used in it that attracted
people. There was a disruption in the industry expected by the major FMCG companies, but
later they were able to recover some of its market share as people discontinued the usage of
the product. So, in order to drive growth in the industry, toothpaste brands should focus on
the freshness the toothpaste brings to the mouth of consumers when they get up in the
morning and the taste it contains. Toothpaste brands shouldn’t be focusing upon tooth
whitening as people feel that is not an important factor for them while purchasing a
toothpaste. Also, instead of spending much on the advertisements, toothpaste brands should
tie-up with dentists and local chemist shops who should push the products to consumers
praising the product and telling how better it is compared to other products. For that, they
should target elderly people who generally decide what toothpaste brand should be bought
and the whole family uses the same toothpaste brand.

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