Make some noise
Although the roughly $3 billion feminine hygiene category continually progresses, with new product launches and packaging, it is being adversely impacted by a still-fragile economy and a changing customer base – fewer women in need of the categorys products, that is.
\"The market of feminine hygiene is sensitive to the economic situation, but also to the fact that aging women are leaving the category,\" says Martine Henault, marketing director for FemPro Inc., Drummondville, Quebec. \"Its interesting to note that the younger women are becoming more likely to take oral contraceptives without stopping, and thats modifying their menstruation.\"
Private label products, meanwhile, often are less of a focus in the sanitary protection segment than they are in other categories because many consumers still perceive them as being of lower quality than the national brands.
\"And since these products are directly worn on the body, consumers dont want to risk anything and would rather spend some more money on branded products,\" says Tamara Bartels, home care, tissue and hygiene analyst for Chicago-based Euromonitor International.
In addition, women tend to be brand loyal when it comes to sanitary protection.
\"If they are satisfied with a brand, they tend not to switch to other brands,\" she says.
Target younger women
To convert consumers to store brand feminine hygiene offerings, therefore, it is important for marketers to target young consumers early, something that both Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark (KCC) have done on the national brand side.
\"U by Kotex, for example, was launched by KCC in 2010, and was able to halt the downward fall in shares the company had experienced before,\" Bartels says.
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target women while they are young.
Dont
discount the importance of comfort in product development.
As baby boomers enter menopause, millennials are the next population boom for retailers to target.
\"Millennials are seeking authenticity in their brands, something the feminine hygiene category has struggled with in the past,\" says Tracey Saenz, vice president and general manager, consumer products for Evofem LLC, based in San Diego.
They also want products that fit their active lifestyle.
\"Sanitary napkins sales are decreasing, and tampons – especially sport tampons – and menstrual cups are increasing,\" she says. \"Women are out of the home more than ever and are looking for comfortable products that provide a longer wear time and dont impede their activities.\"
Women also are more conscious than ever about questionable ingredients going on and into their bodies, including bleach residues and cotton and rayon fibers. They are concerned about the waste impact of disposable products, too, Saenz says.
\"While women want more green products, they are not willing to sacrifice comfort,\" she says. \"Cardboard tampon sales have slumped, possibly because they may feel more irritating to insert.\"
Keep up with new products
National brands frequently are adding new premium brands to the shelf (consider Infinity, Radiant Infinity and U by Kotex), as well as changing products already on the market through shapes, colors, packaging and more, Bartels says.
\"These products are more expensive and complex to produce, and its a big challenge for the private label companies,\" Henault adds.
Still, to win sales, she advises retailers to be the first to market with new product ideas.
\"It is important to keep up with innovative product lines and to be able to quickly adapt,\" Henault says.
Some global feminine hygiene manufacturers are expanding into the underdeveloped North American private label market, giving retailers another way to get an edge.
\"While private label products and selections have improved over the past several years, the key difference in private label feminine hygiene in North America relative to Europe is product differentiation and branding,\" notes Heike Reid, vice president of sales and marketing for North America, Ontex International, based in Boston.
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make sure packaging is current and boasts strong branding elements.
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overlook innovations available from global private label manufacturers entering North America.
She notes that the store brand focus in North America has been on providing national brand equivalent (NBE) products and custom packing.
\"Whereas the focus for retailers in Europe takes private label to the next level by offering NBE product with stronger branding elements and differentiation, thus creating much stronger loyalty for their brand,\" she says.
Rethink the look
The product itself isnt the only factor to consider. The feminine hygiene aisle can be both a low-interest and bewildering aisle at times, Saenz notes.
\"It can often be a confusing experience for shoppers: They are choosing between products with little differentiation, and most of the product packaging in this category is bright, saturated and loud,\" she says. \"In other words, there is no place for the eye to rest and little consumer education in the aisle.\"
Retailers such as Walmart and CVS are trying to copy famous brands in their packaging design, Bartels says.
\"U.S. consumers are clearly brand driven, so the only way to gain a significant share would be by increasing brand equity of their store brands,\" Bartels says. \"A product that is sold at a lower price than leading brands but comes in a fancy packaging design has its own marketing campaign.\"
Frequently, retailers want to standardize the packaging of all their private label products. But \"using the same packaging for private label across the board is negative to a category such as feminine hygiene and doesnt give good results,\" Henault says.
Reid also advises retailers to highlight \"compare to\" or \"compare and save\" statements on private brand products, and make sure packaging is current and boasts strong branding elements such as logos on pouches to build penetration.
Focus on merchandising
A little merchandising and promotion magic also helps add interest and reduce category confusion. Dont just put a product on the shelf and think that the consumer will buy it, Henault advises.
\"You have to work the merchandising [and] use secondary locations and POS off-shelf,\" she says.
One effective tactic is to combine the feminine hygiene and incontinence categories, Henault says.
\"Merchandising side by side allows the aging consumers to be transferred from one category to another, and that is profitable in dollars sales,\" she says.
Women use different products during their period, Henault adds, so thinking of creative ways to promote pads and pantiliners can optimize sales.
Retailers also are price shielding – promoting private label products at the same time the national brand is on promotion – as a tactic, she says.
\"Then they can promote comparable products within the same category,\" Henault says.
She also suggests that retailers use loyalty card data to offer targeted promotions in the category.
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