Women personal care products and rural market penetration

Abstract

The market penetration of female-hygiene-products Indian rural women market is one of the lowest in the world. The National Family Health Survey 2015-16 report shows that the usage of feminine hygiene products among Indian women is 48.5% in rural India and 77.5% in urban India. In their 2016 survey conducted on adolescent girls in the rural parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, Nielson found that though 46% of the respondents had heard about feminine hygiene products, only 28% were using them regularly. Evidence suggests that there is a lack of resources, education, and awareness about personal hygiene in rural areas of the country, as well as personal inhibitions and social taboos associated with the purchase and use of hygiene products on the market. Hence, the need for the study was felt to understand the consumer behaviour of rural women towards feminine hygiene products. The independent variables measuring the behaviour are consumer awareness, attitude, and social influence, and the dependent variable is purchase intentions.