Research Report on Market Leader in Toothpaste Brands (North Bengaluru area)

DEFINING THE PROBLEM The basic problem associated with this study is the high level of competition among various toothpaste brands due to globalization. These days even selecting toothpaste is not an easy decision to make. Take the case of Colgate-Palmolive, one of the leading players in the oral care segment in India. Theyve toothpaste for complete 12 hour gem protection Colgate Total-12, tooth paste to clean and whiten teeth Colgate advanced whitening, one with cooling crystals Colgate Max Fresh, one with herbal ingredients Colgate Herbal, one that contains salt Colgate Active salt, a toothpaste for long lasting fresh breadth Colgate Fresh Energy gel, one that is 100% vegetarian Colgate Dental cream, one with fruity bubble gum flavour for kids Colgate Kids toothpaste. Selecting one from this list is not that easy. But, wait all these different choices are from just one company. So when you consider other leading brands like Close-up, Pepsodent, Dabur, youll be spoilt for choice.

The Indian toothpaste market is estimated at around Rs 14 bn with Hindustan Lever (HLL) having a market share of 32.8%. Close-Up (15.6%) and Pepsodent (17.2%) are the major brands for the company (ACNielsen-ORG Marg 2003). Close-Up was launched in 1975 and was the first gel toothpaste brand of HLL. Since the late 1990s the brand has witnessed a decline in market share, mainly due to the stagnation in the toothpaste gel market since 1998. Increased competition from Colgate and low-end players like Anchor and Ajanta was another reason for the brands poor showing. Besides, the oral care category itself declined, with toothpastes witnessing a 12.5 percent drop and toothpowders, an 8 percent fall (ACNielsen Retail Audit 2003). The domestic toothpaste industry has long been dominated by several well -known brands produced by Unilever. The industry began to grow at a faster rate in the 1980s with various brands at various prices, including those produced by small producers or home industries. The growth of the industry has been supported by increases in the people's purchasing power and the

growing awareness of the importance of dental health, especially among people in the urban areas with rapid economic growth. However, as a result of Unilever's domination of the market, a number of brands have disappeared from the market. So, in this condition, the competition among various toothpaste brands is the problem associated with this research. OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY The different objectives of this study are: To study the marketing environment which affects the companys performance. To understand various toothpaste brands available in the market. To study the competition among various toothpaste brands. To analyze Customers taste and preference towards various brands. To identify the market leader in toothpaste brands. To identify features of the product which appeal customers most To understand the market, market share, and competitors of various toothpaste brands. STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS The statement of hypothesis of this research is Colgate is the market leader in toothpaste brands. COLLECTION OF DATA The methodology adopted in collection of data plays a very important role in research.There are various methods of collection of data Basically those are Primary and Secondary data. The various methods of primary data collection are Census Method, Sampling Method, Experiment Method and Investigation Method. Besides these, some other methods are: Direct Personal investigation Method, Indirect Oral Method, Questionnaire send through mail, Shedule sent through Enumerator and Information Received through Local Agencies. In this research the method adopted was sampling method. A sample of 58 customers of various toothpaste brands and 18 retailers were investigated. It was direct personal invvestigation, where two different questionnaires were prepared for customers and retailers each.The researcher group Directly went to the customers and retailers with questionnaire. The researchers asked them questions face to face and filled up the questionnaire by themselves. Sometimes the customers filled up the questionnaire. Some customers informetion were collected by direct telephonic conversation.

The sources of data used in this researc are primary in nature. Rarely some secondary data are used which were collected from internet. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION During this research a sample of 56 customers and 18 retailers were studied in various grounds about their response towards different toothpaste brands. From this research it is very much clear that most of the people are using colgate strong teeth and colgate salt, and most of the customers prefer to buy 50 and 100 grams size of colgate. according to the customers as it is a old established reputed brand, they have faith in its quality. The following table shows the number of customers of different toothpaste brands. Name of the brands No of customers Percentage of customers

COLGATE 24 43%

CLOSE UP 13 23%

PEPSODENT 9

16%

AMWAY 3 5%

NEEM 1 2%

HIMALAYA 1 2%

MESWAK 1 2%

PATANJALI DANT KANTI 2 3%

CIBACA

1 2%

BABOOL 1 2%

TOTAL 56 2%

TABLE 1 Colgate is holding 43% of market share, followed by Close up, Pepsodent, Amway etc. The following table shows the number of satisfied and unsatisfied customer about the price of the product they are using. BRAND NAME SATISFIED CUSTOMER UNSATISFIED COLGATE 22 2 PEPSODENT 8 1 CUSTOMER

CLOSE UP 9 4 AMWAY 2 1 MESWAK 1 0 NEEM 1 0

PATANJALI DANT KANTI 2 0 CIBAKA 1 0 BABOOL 1

0 HIMALAYA 1 0 TOTAL 48 8 TABLE 2 From the above table it can be said that 89% customers are satisfied and 11% customers are not satisfied with the price. The number of customers satisfied and unsatisfied are analyzed individually for different brands below: COLGATE From the analysis of the data, it has been observed that 85% customers of Colgate are happy with the price and 15% customers are not happy with the price. According to this 15% customers, the price of Colgate is high. Close Up From the study of customers comment about the different varieties of toothpaste produced by Close Up it has been found that 69% customers are happy with price while 31% customers are not happy with price. PEPSODENT In case of Pepsodent, 89% customers are satisfied, while 11% customers are not satisfied. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ABOUT THE PRICE Customer satisfaction about the price is high in case of Pepsodent, followed by Colgate, Close up etc. CONSUMERS BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS PRICE PRICE

NO. OF CUSTOMER 10 to 20 3 20 to 30 6 30 to 40 13 40 to 50 2 50 to 60 14 60 to 70 8 70 to 80 3 80 to 90 0 90 to 100 o 100 to 110 3 TABLE 3 With the help of the above table the following bar diagram can be drawn:

Maximum number of customers prefers to go for a tube of toothpaste which costs between Rs 50 to 60. But it vries with the Income of the customers. RESPONSE OF RETAILER ABOUT THE HIGHEST SELLING BRAND BRANDS NO. OF RESONSE RECIEVED AS HIGHEST SELLING BRAND % COLGATE 12 67% PEPSODENT 2 11% CLOSE UP 1 6% SENSODYNE 1 6% HIMALAYA 1 5% ANCHOR 1 5%

TOTAL 18 100% TABLE 4 According to the response of the retailer the highest selling brand is colgate followed by pepsodent. on the basis of the sales of different toothpaste brands pie diagram is shown below

To sum up, from the data received, above analysis have been done from which conclusion has been derrived below. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS From the above analysis conclusion can be derrived as Colgate is the market leader among various toothpaste brands. On the basis of this researc we suggest that The packaging of the Colgate should be attractive. It is observed that some of the Colgate users moved to other brands. Colgate should implement certain steps to hold the customers. Colgate should advertise all varieties of toothpastes they are having.