New products in health & hygiene spike in last 6 months with 1,897 launches: Nielsen

New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) FMCG companies introduced total 1,897 products in health and hygiene segment in March-August, registering over 18-fold jump as compared to the preceding six months, said a report from data analytics firm Nielsen.

FMCG companies introduced total 1,897 products in the health and hygiene segment in March-August, registering over the 18-fold jump as compared to the preceding six months, said a report from data analytics firm Nielsen. The companies introduced products in categories including liquid toilet soaps, antiseptic liquids, analgesic between March-August 2020, the report 'COVID 19 - Evolving Consumer Trends' noted.

Before the pandemic, between September 2019 to February 2020, only 102 products were introduced in the health & hygiene space. According to Nielsen, the companies are now "modifying their innovation pipeline" and shifting "focus on current market needs".

Besides, the home cooking segment witnessed a 35 percent jump in product launches, like home confinement and shutting down of restaurants and other places due to lockdown spurred rise in consumption. In the home cooking segment, 125 products were introduced during March-August 2020 in categories including ketchup/sauces, jams, cheese, and milk powders. In the preceding six months, only 93 products were launched.

The beauty and impulse segments, which have been hit hard by the pandemic related disruption, saw a significant reduction in product launches. In the beauty segment, which includes skin creams, fragrances, and lipsticks, product launches declined to 160 from 255.

The impulse segment, which includes chocolates, salty snacks, biscuits, and confectionery, saw launches reduced by almost 40 percent to 435 in March-August 2020 from 719 in the preceding six months. Moreover, Nielsen said the average number of FMCG categories stocked per store went down from the combined average of pre-COVID-19 three months -- December 2019 and January and February 2020.

While in traditional trade as Kirana stores, it was down by 3.3 percent and 3.1 percent in the modern trade channels as big retail chains. "Prioritisation of items by both manufacturers and retailers is leading to an optimized store shelf," it said.

A decline of 10-15 percent was witnessed in food items such as salty snacks, biscuits, noodles, and non-food items like chocolate shampoos and toilet soap. Segments as packaged tea, washing powder, and hand wash witnessed a 5-10 percent decline while for blended spices and detergent cakes, it was less than 5 percent.