FMCG major Godrej says preference for hygiene products, online sales to rise

New Delhi: Godrej Consumers Product Ltd (GCPL) expects a shift in consumer habits and preferences impacted by the coronavirus pandemic with a greater focus on health, hygiene and protection, according to a top company official.

With a view to address the changing requirements of consumers, the FMCG major plans to introduce new products in the sanitiser category, extending its offering.

Besides, the Godrej Group firm sees a greater role by online sales channels, which it believes will emerge stronger post the ongoing health crisis as people would tend to avoid stores. For this, it is gearing up its plans to be more aggressive on e-commerce platforms.

"What is likely to happen is consumer habits and preferences will change quite a bit. What we see now is a greater focus on health, hygiene and protection, GCPL Managing Director and CEO Vivek Gambhir said.

Keeping this change in mind, the company is launching some new products in the sanitiser category, he said.

Commenting on online sales, which have witnessed an upswing due to the pandemic, Gambhir said,"There would probably be a larger focus on online sales. So we are developing plans to become more aggressive online. We are also evaluating to launch new products in hygiene and health."

Gambhir also expects a "polarisation" in consumer buying patterns due to the 21-day lockdown as those avoiding store visits will buy bigger packs for convenience, while those looking to cut their discretionary spends post crisis will buy small units and sachets.

He further said,"In urban centres, large packs would become more important as well, because people would want to reduce the frequency of their visits to stores and some consumers fearing shortages, may want to stock more in reserve. We would see both sachets and large packs gaining prominence."

At this stage, the bottleneck is around logistics and transportation. Once there are adequate supplies available, we can ramp up production gradually, he said.

According to Gambhir, the real challenge is "to get the products in retail outlets. That is the big problem.