INTRODUCTION

Soap is a product that many people might take for granted or consider rather ordinary, but for

some, lathering up can be a treasured part of a morning or nightly routine.

Scented or unscented, in bars, gels, and liquids, soap is a part of our daily lives. In the United

States, soap is a $1.390 million (US$) industry with over 50 mass market brands. But in some

markets the sales potential for soap is only beginning to be realized. At the end 2000, soap was a

$1.032 million (US$) business in India. IFF's marketing experts offer the following overview of

this growing category. India is a vast country with a population of 1,030 million people.

Household penetration of soaps is 98%. People belonging to different income levels use different

brands, which fall under different segments but all income levels use soaps, making it the second

largest category in India (detergents are number one). Rural consumers in India constitute 70%

of the population. Rural demand is growing, with more and more soap brands being launched in

the discount segment targeting the lower socio-economic strata of consumers Toilet soap

industry is one of the oldest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry in India. It is

among the highest penetrated category within FMCG sector reaching an estimated 95% urban

and 87% of the rural households. It is also a sector which is characterized by a high level of

intense competition. The competitors in this sector ranges from MNC’s like Unilever, Henkel,

P&G to local bigwigs like Wipro, Nirma and Godrej. With an array of products in all category of

soap markets HUL is the market leader in all category. They are the leaders in economic

category with Lifebuoy, in popular category with Lux and in premium category with Dove.

There is a paradigm shift taking place in toilet soap industry. The economic category which used

to be the most popular category in the past has been experiencing sluggish growth for the past
few years. The premium category and the popular category are the sectors which are

experiencing high growth rate. The popular and economy segments account for about four-fifths

of the entire market for soaps. The future growth of soap is in the premium category.

To fight competition, major players HUL, GCPL, Dabur India and Wipro consumer care &

lighting are now drawing up fresh game plans. And the accent is clearly on the innovation to gain

mind share as well as market share in this overcrowded category.

Soaps, despite their divergent brands, are not well differentiated by the consumers. It is,

therefore, not clear if it is the brand loyalty or experimentation lured by high volume media

campaign, which sustain them. A consequence is that the market is fragmented. It is obvious that

this must lead to a highly competitive market. soap, once only an urban phenomenon, has now

penetrated practically all areas including remote rural areas. The incremental demand flows from

population increase and rise in usage norm impacted as it is by a greater concern for hygiene.

Increased sales revenues would also expand from up gradation of quality or per unit value.

As the market is constituted now, it can be divided into four price segments: premium, popular,

discount and economy soaps. Premium soaps are estimated to have a market volume of about

80,000 tonnes. This translates into a share of about 14 to 15%. However, by value it is as much

as 30%.Soaps are also categorized into men's soaps, ladies' soaps and common soaps. There are a

few specialty soaps as transparent Glycerine soaps, sandal soaps, specially flavored soaps,

medicated soaps and baby soaps. Specialty soaps are high valued but enjoy only a small share of

the market in value terms.

The market is growing at 7% a year. This means that the incremental demand generation is 5%

over and above the population growth. With increasing awareness of hygienic standards, the

market could grow at a rate higher than 8% annually. Interestingly, 60% of the market is now

sourced from the rural sector. This means that the variance between the two segments is not very

large. Since upper-end market focus is the urban areas, margins come from the urban sector.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1.HARISH B

Savlon was a brand owned by a pharmaceutical MNC ICI ltd. Later ICI's OTC brands was

acquired by Johnson & Johnson . Savlon was relaunched in Indian market in 1993. The brand

was expected to give the market leader Dettol, a run for its money. But even after millions of

rupees spent, Dettol still rules the antiseptic lotion market.This article shows as to why Savlon

was a better antiseptic than Dettol, and then too why Savlon was not able to hold itself in the

market.it also shows the strategy adopted by Dettol which was not expected by J&J to fight the

upcoming antiseptic brand, the decisions took by J&J and its effect on the brand ‘SAVLON’.It

also includes launch of Savlon’s soap, strategies adopted by HUL to compete Dettol soap, and

finally the drop of savlon soap by HUL.

2.The power of contrast S. Ramesh Kumar and B. Shekar

This article says that marketers must use the aspect of contrast creatively so as to lure the

consumers.It also shows that the product attributes of a leader (Dettol) create a perception that

highlights the contrast when there is a follower brand (Savlon). This approach is extremely

useful to fast moving consumer goods where differentiation is difficult to sustain in the long run.

Marketers through advertisements, alongwith conveying the positioning of the brand, should

create a contrast that consumers will be able to accept and incorporate over a period of time. The

contrast would have to be relevant to the positioning of the brand.

3.Allison E. Aiello, Elaine L. Larson, and Stuart B. Levy

In this article Much has been written recently about the potential hazards versus benefits

of antibacterial (biocide)-containing soaps. The purpose of this review was to assess the studies

that have examined the efficacy of products containing triclosan, compared with that of plain

soap, in the community setting, as well as to evaluate findings that address potential hazards of

this use—namely, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

4.Soap makers oppose excise duty move

Handmade soap manufacturers in Tamil Nadu have opposed the proposal in the Union Budget

to reintroduce excise duty on their produce, saying it would force the small enterprises in the

sector to close down.

It would be very difficult for them to survive in the industry as they would not be able to face the

onslaught by the mechanised soap making units, run by multinationals, Tamil Nadu Small Scale

and Tiny Soap and Detergent Manufacturers Association President V S Krishnan told reporters

here last night.He said for manufacturing 1,000 kgs of handmade soap 30 workers were needed

while in the mechanised sector five persons could do the job.

5.Janice L. Fuls*, Nancy D. Rodgers, George E. Fischler,

Antimicrobial hand soaps provide a greater bacterial reduction than nonantimicrobial

soaps. However, the link between greater bacterial reduction and a reduction of disease has not

been definitively demonstrated. Confounding factors, such as compliance, soap volume, and

wash time, may all influence the outcomes of studies. The aim of this work was to examine the

effects of wash time and soap volume on the relative activities and the subsequent transfer of

bacteria to inanimate objects for antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial soaps.

6.How rural Indian shoppers are changing,Amit Bapna,

In this article rural awareness is shown which has been changed significantly . The study

is a global consumer research study conducted in 52 countries to understand shopper attitudes

and behavior, and the agency has released the Indian study that was done across 14 cities. The

study shows that the companies that win in rural markets are more adept at ensuring the right

promotion and better distribution growth than their competitive set. The rural audience no longer

wants to be seen as poor second cousins of their urban counterparts. They have the money and

they are willing to experiment

7. H. C. Borghetty and C. A. Bergman

It is the opinion of the authors that much can be done to improve the efficiency of soap in

hard water by building it on a ternary system, which will make it more competitive against built

synthetic detergents in areas of low and medium hard water. This appears to be particularly

advantageous because of the present low prices of fat and greases and the large stocks that are

available today

8.alt.france

It has been ascertained by numerous reports that the soap industry in France

is losing money at an alarming rate. Considering the average Frenchman

showers less than once a month, the French government has declared the 15th

of each month "shower day." This act was also bolstered by the horrible

smell of the stinking Frenchman in the French rail system. Many tourists

have been forced to where masks to protect themselves from this horrible

stench. It is also mandatory that a Frenchman uses deodorant at least once

a week and brushes his teeth twice per month. Such laws may, however, be

impossible to enforce as the average Frenchman enjoys his own stench

9.Juliet F. Birda

Many areas of intertidal vegetation in eastern Australia which today are relatively free from

human interference were once subject to extensive exploitation as a source of alkaline ash or

barilla for use in the manufacture of soap. The production of ash, which involved cutting and

burning several different plant species, took place at many sites along the eastern and southern

mainland coast, as well as in Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands. While it is difficult to

determine the legacy of this activity in the landscape today, it is nevertheless clear that

biogeographers should consider it as a possible ecological factor in determining patterns of

coastal vegetation.

10.Soaps and detergents: North American trends, Theodore E. Brenner

North America, the U.S. and Canada, produces nearly one third of the world supply of soaps,

detergents, and cleaners, primarily for household consumption. The U.S. contributes 95% of

North American production. Cleaning product demand is steady and expected to remain so, but

new demographic trends affecting households and living arrangements will probably stimulate

consumer needs for more convenience-oriented products. Environmental considerations and

government actions in recent years have caused drastic changes in detergent composition,

especially affecting laundry detergents. Government involvement in business decision-making

has expanded enormously with no prospects of reduction because legislators perceive

government regulation of industry to be necessary for the attainment of broad social goals.
 11.Davies, Jean,Babb, J. R.,Ayliffe, G. A. J.,Ellis, S. H.

The effect on the skin flora of bathing with three different detergent antiseptic preparations

(chlorhexidine, povidone-iodine and hexachlorophane) was assessed in staff and patients.

Contact plate samples from the skin showed an increase in the numbers of bacterial colonies

after bathing with soap and either a decrease or less often a smaller increase after bathing with

an antiseptic. Although significant differences between soap and antiseptic baths were found in

samples from individual sites on staff no overall difference between soap and other preparations

was obtained. A reduction occurred more frequently with chlorhexidine, particularly 4 h after

bathing, and the low counts from the bath water after three baths with chlorhexidine showed

some residual effect.

12.Arjun chaudhary

Discusses and contrasts the theories of double jeopardy and brand equity. A model of attitudes,

habit, brand loyalty and brand equity outcomes is proposed in order to reconcile the two theories.

Results of a study designed to test the model are presented. Results indicate support for both

theories of brand equity and double jeopardy since both direct and indirect relationships were

found between attitudes/habit and brand equity outcomes. The indirect relationships were

mediated by the concept of brand loyalty. Implications for managers are discussed.

Perceived risk: A cross-cultural phenomenon?

13.Bronislaw J. Verhage
The existence of a positive relationship between perceived risk and brand loyalty has been

accepted in the United States since the 1960s. Recognizing this, marketers frequently give out

free samples or coupons and provide reassurances through warranties to induce trial and

subsequent acceptance of their brand by the consumer. However, validity of the concept of

perceived risk with respect to international markets has been lacking.

This paper responds to the call for cross-national research of behavioral concepts and tests the

applicability of perceived risk in a cross-national setting. While the limited scope of the study

(four countries and two products) does not permit definitive statements, results indicate that

perceived risk can be used to analyze consumer behavior patterns in different cultures. The

findings also suggest that the risk reduction strategy of brand loyalty may not be widely

employed by consumers outside the U.S.A.

14.What Will Consumers Pay for Social Product Features?

Pat Auger, Paul Burke, Timothy M. Devinney and Jordan J. Louviere

The importance of ethical consumerism to many companies worldwide has increased

dramatically in recent years. Ethical consumerism encompasses the importance of non-traditional

and social components of a company''s products and business process to strategic success – such

as environmental protectionism, child labor practices and so on. The present paper utilizes a

random utility theoretic experimental design to provide estimates of the relative value selected

consumers place on the social features of products.

 15.Organization, Market and Community as Strategies for Change: What Works Best for

Deep Changes in Schools

Thomas J. Sergiovanni

How one approaches changing a school or an educational system depends, fundamentally, on

one’s views about what kinds of places schools really are or should be. In this chapter, Tom

Sergiovanni describes three dominant perspectives on schooling and the change strategies that

spring from them — schools as bureaucratic organizations, schools as market systems, and

schools as communities.

In each of these models, Sergiovanni describes how different forces of change can be used to

leverage change in schools — bureaucratic forces of rules, requirements, procedures and

outcomes; personal forces of leadership and personality; market forces of choice and

competition; professional forces of self-set standards, codes of conduct and norms of service;

cultural forces of values and relationships; and democratic forces of contracts and commitments

to the common good.

Sergiovanni then charts how these forms and forces of schooling play themselves out in different

patterns of reform — evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each. In the end, he argues,

“deep changes in schools, may well require that the basic metaphor for the school itself be

changed from formal organization or market to community

 16.Effects of superfatting agents on cracking phenomena in toilet soap

Ainie Kuntom, Iftikhar Ahmad, Hamirin Kifli and Zainon Mat Shariff

Palm stearin (POs) is one of the cheapest sources of C16–C18 fatty acids for use in soap making.

Toilet-soap formulations containing a high content of POs, however, would result in

hard soaps with a tendency to form cracks on the surface. This phenomenon can be overcome by

addition of superfatting agents to increase plasticity of the finished product. In this study, two

different blends of soap made from distilled POs, palm oil (PO), and palm kernel oil (PKO) fatty

acids in the ratio of 40POs/40PO/20PKO and 70POs/30PKO were evaluated. The soaps were

superfatted with glycerin, palm kernel olein, coconut oil, olive oil and canola oil. The levels of

incorporation of each superfatting material were 1, 2, 4, and 6%, respectively. The samples were

subsequently tested for both wet and dry crackings using the Hewitt Soap Company methods

(numbers 78 and 79, respectively). The superfatted soaps had a total fatty matter of 73–83% and

an average moisture content of 10%. The penetration value which indicates hardness increased

with increasing amount of superfatting agents. Foaming or lathering property was good with the

exception of the formulation using palm kernel olein and canola oil as superfatting agents. At all

the above levels of superfatting agents added, no cracks were observed during both wet and dry

cracking tests. A sample of soap superfatted with 2% canola oil, however, developed cracks

during the wet cracking test. This resulted in a test score of 7. Superfatting soaps with 1–2%

neutral oils or glycerin resulted in better quality soaps that were free of cracks.
 17.The new toilet soaps

A. B. Herrick and Eric Jungermann

Toilet soap bars have undergone few major technical changes in the last century. Noteworthy

improvements were floating soap, the development of effective deodorant and

antibacterial soaps, the so-called “hard water” bars, and advances in packaging technology. The

trends in these areas toward product and process improvement will accelerate in the 1970’s. New

raw materials are becoming available which will give greater formulation flexibility, with

emphasis towards greater mildness and effectiveness. Among these products are the synthetic

fatty acids which could partially replace coconut acids, more effective broad spectrum

antibacterial agents for better control of skin microorganisms, and mild detergent additives with

good physical properties and less defatting tendency. In processing, the move is toward

continuous soap-making equipment in place of the old kettle processes which are still widely

used. More powerful and specialized plodders are available; these will facilitate the development

of new product types.

18.A new approach to continuous soap making-constant composition control

Fredrik T. E. Palmqvist and Frank E. Sullivan

A new continuous process for the manufacture of soap is described, detailing the three main

operations in soapmaking, that is, saponification, washing, and fitting.

In the new process all operations involved in the production of soap are carried out in a

hermetically closed system. The amounts of lye necessary for the saponification as well as of

brine for the washing and fitting operations are regulated by the automatic constant-composition

control system, which eliminates the older method of control of the soapmaking process by

cumbersome chemical analyses.

The process is based on the use of the Hermetic separator, a centrifuge of special design which

allows the regulation of the separation efficiency during operation and which prevents any

admixture or contact of the soap with air and consequently any oxidation of the product during

processing.

All type of soap, high grade toilet soap as well as laundry soap and industrial soaps, can be

produced by this process, which is characterized by high flexibility, low operation-costs, and a

high quality of the finished product.

19.Advances in bar soap technology

E. Jungermann

This paper reviews recent trends in bar soap technology. Toilet soap markets are highly

competitive and the supporting technology is changing rapidly. New equipment and processing

techniques have been developed, such as high caustic-high solids saponification, high speed

finishing equipment, and more efficient dryers with better pollution controls. Multicolored,

marbleized soaps have become important in the marketplace and new plodder designs have been

developed for their manufacture. A large number of new ingredients for use in soap-synthetic

combination bars have been reported. Also, the antimicrobial/deodorant soap segment,
representing over 50% of U.S. market, has undergone considerable shifts due to governmental

actions which has resulted in restrictions on hexachlorophene. Future regulatory actions on other

antimicrobial agents are probable.

20.Kara Chan

Market segmentation is one of the useful tools for marketers to define target markets. An

intercept sample survey of 704 shoppers in Hong Kong was conducted to segment

the marketbased on the past purchase of environmentally friendly as well as not-so-friendly

products. Chi-square analysis and stepwise discriminant analysis were conducted to differentiate

heavy and light green consumers using demographics and other environmental variables

including green consumerism knowledge and perception about environmentally friendly

products. It was found that heavy green consumers were more likely to have a higher education

and a higher household income. They perceived that environmentally friendly products were

good for their health and helped to save resources. Heavy green consumers were more likely to

report that they perceived influence from other persons, the government and the green groups.

They had a strong self-identity and think of themselves as green consumers and as someone who

was concerned with environmental issues. They possessed a better knowledge about green

consumerism and more frequently used the mass media for environmental news. Light

Green consumers found environmentally friendly products difficult to access. Implications for

green marketers and manufacturers are discussed.

 21.The effect of advertising on sales and brand shares

J.M. Samuels,

Tests a new series of models which attempt to describe the relationship between advertising and

sales. Describes an attempt to obtain information of this kind by investigating the effect of

advertising on sales and brand shares. States that a number of researchers are now attempting to

develop models to explain the workings of the market for a particular product. Emphasises that

the prime area of interest of the study is the effect of advertising on sales and brand shares. States

the study does not have the objective of constructing a complete marketing model involving all

the variables that are thought to influence a brand's share of a product. Concludes that many

results herein are disappointing, but it is perhaps too optimistic to expect the models dealt with

earlier to be successful.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The task of data collection begins after a problem has been defined and research design/plan

chalked out. While deciding about the method data collection, the research should keep in mind

two types of data viz, primary and secondary.

The primary data are those which are collected fresh and for the first time and thus happen to be

original in character. The secondary data are those which have already been collected by

someone else and which have already been passed through the statistical process. The methods

of collecting are to be originally collected, while in case of secondary data the nature of data

collection work is merely of compilation

PRIMARY SOURCE- A structured questionnaire to be prepared and data will collected from

respondents. The sampling technique used in this survey is convenience sampling.

SECONDARY SOURCE- Secondary data means the data already available, which has already

been collected and analyzed by someone else. It includes the published data available in the form

of:

 Various publications

 Journals

 Books, magazines, Newspapers

 Internet
SAMPLE SIZE

The sample size of respondents will be 120. Convenience sampling method will used.

Tools used for data collection:

Data was collected by using a self-constructed questionnaire from 30 respondents.

TOOLS USED IN SURVEY

The various tools used in conducting the survey are as follow:

 Questionnaire

 Personal Interview

 INTERVIEW METHOD: The interview method of collecting data involves presentation

of oral verbal stimuli and reply in terms of oral verbal responses. Personal interview method

is the face to face contact to the other preson.This method is particularly suitable for

intensive investigation.

 QUESTIONNAIRE METHOD: This method of data collection is quite popular in case of

big queries. In this method a questionnaire is presented to a concerned person with a request

to give answers of the questions. The general form of questionnaire can be either structured

or unstructured. Structured questionnaires are those in which there are definite, concrete and

predetermined questions. When these characteristics are not present in the questionnaires, it

is termed as unstructured. The questions included can be in the form of closed ended which

involves choice of answers or it can be open ended questions which asks for the respondents

personal opinions and views.

Overview:

Research Type: Objective

Data collection: Primary source of data (questionnaire), Secondary

Data (internet, books, newspaper and various journals)

Research approach: Survey method

Research instrument: Questionnaire

Research: Semi-Structured

Size: 120

Research Sampling: Convenient sampling

Tools of data analysis: Microsoft Excel

Objectives

Objectives of the study

 To find out brand preference of customers in a particular town.

 To find out category preference.

 To find out brand loyalty of customers.

 To find out the source of influence of customer purchase.

 To rank the various attributes while selecting a brand

 To find out the attitudes, needs, tastes and preferences of consumers towards Soaps
PERSONAL INFORMATION

1.NAME

A. Gender
B. male
C. female

2.MARTIAL STATUS
A. Married
B. Unmarried

3.Age Group
A. 15-25
B. 25-35
C. 35-45
D. Above 45

4.Occupation
A. Employed
B. Self-Employed
C. Professional
D. Student
E. Other

About the soaps

5.How often do you buy bath soaps?

A. Once in 15 days
B. Once in month
C. Once in 2 months

6.Do you use a specific soap brand?

A. yes
B. no

7.Which category of soap do you generally use?

A. Economic
B. Premium
C. Popular
8.What is your brand preference?
A. Lux
B. Lifebuoy
C. Dettol
D. chintol
E. pears
F. Johnson and Johnson
G. Other:

9.What is the Preferred Packet size you purchase?

A. 75gm
B. 100gm
C. 125gm
D. others

10.If you do not get your brand in a shop then will you?

A. Go to another shop
B. Try the same type of brand
C. Try another brand

11.Who influence/suggest you to make the purchasing decision of the brand?

A. Children
B. Friends
C. Yourself
D. Husband
E. Presenter/Sales Person Other

12.From where you like to buy the soap?

A. Super Markets
B. Premium Groceries
C. Retails Pharmacy
D. Fancy Shops
13.Rank the following attributes you consider while buying?
1 2 3 4 5
Product Characteristics (Quality, Packaging,
Fragrance, Ingredients, Dirt removal, etc)
Price
Convenience of place of purchase (Super Market,
Retail Shop, Groceries etc)
Promotional Activities(TV/Radio advertisement,
Free Issues, Money-Offs, Discount, etc)
Influence/Suggestion of a person(Family Member,
Friend, etc)
Suitability to the skin type

14.What are the factors to be considered in soaps for purchasing?

A. Attractive packaging
B. Fragrance/Odor /Smell
C. Size/Weight
D. Ingredients
E. Moisturizing effect
F. Lathering/Foaming effect
G. Softness
H. Dirt removal /Cleansing
I. Skin protection

15.What are the top 3 most influenced promotional activities to soap?

A. TV Advertisement
B. Radio Advertisement
C. POSM (Posters, Danglers, etc
D. Hoardings
E. Newspaper/Magazine
F. Discounts
G. Free Banded issues (ex: Buy 2 get 1 free, etc)