Marketers have been looking at innovative ways and strategies to expand their business. Demographic segmentation has been one of them, especially in case of health supplements. But this strategy is yet to see success in its true sense, especially in case of women-related needs. It is time to unravel the mystery box called ‘women’.
The fact that the women population is emerging as a force to reckon with – shaping not just their family’s future but the world economy at large, reveals their unconventional side. In the marketing context, it translates to opportunities that women present as ‘consumers’ and as ‘brand advocates’, rather than being mere influencers or decision makers. Marketing to women is a process, which continues even after the purchase, as she becomes an invisible brand ambassador and it is time to take note of this dual power of women.
In the healthcare domain, these opportunities are evidently yet to be leveraged as a fraction of the Indian OTC market caters to women’s needs. On the other hand, globally, marketers have tapped into the spectrum of women’s healthcare needs, ranging from head to toe, from cradle to grave, offering products like PMS and fertility-enhancing supplements to customised offerings for their daily wellness needs.
CubeX has demystified the Indian woman to understand her as a person – her approach to life, her health concerns and needs in its latest report, ‘Decoding the Better Half of India: Mapping the Health and Wellness Opportunity among Indian Women’.
Broadly, the report covers the following aspects:
- Women as consumers – The potential: The woman population in urban and rural India has been sliced across three age groups (12-19, 20+ and 40+ years) and at SEC level to highlight the size of the consumer base.
- Defining the new age woman: Women across three age groups – teens, 20+ and 40+ years have been profiled to understand them as a person and specifically their health needs.
- Understanding women’s health concerns and needs: The health and wellness needs of women have been broadly classified as: General health and well-being; Reproductive health; Feminine intimate care; Aches and pain relief; Beauty and wellness.
- Understanding market dynamics related to women’s health and wellness: The Indian OTC market has been mapped to identify the white spaces that can provide opportunities to cater to women’s unmet needs.
- Women as consumers – marketing trends: Marketing cues to engage women have been highlighted in this section.
The opportunity areas for Indian marketers have been detailed, with illustration of global case studies, in this report.
EP News Bureau – Mumbai