“It’s Just Not Your Business” – Appliance & Lighting Manufacturers to Personal Care Majors: Bonafide Research

In India, there is clearly a trend of major appliance and lighting manufacturers entering the personal grooming space, with Havells and Syska being the latest one. Going forward, many such players may enter the industry as they have an upper hand due to their brand presence and strong distribution channels. Indian market is currently been flooded with many domestic and international brands offering a range of personal grooming products.
As per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation – Government of India, 34.8% of the total population was in the age group of 15-34 years in the year 2011. According to various estimates, it is expected that the average age of an Indian will be 29 years by 2020, as compared to 37 years for China and 48 years for Japan. With the growing young population in India and rising disposable income, the focus on outer appearance has augmented a lot in the corporate as well as personal lives. Indian youth, both of urban and rural areas, are now conscious about how they look & feel – a development that has helped to boost the demand for personal care appliance in the last two to three years. Moreover, rising prices for saloon services across the country have made the shift faster as Indian youths prefer self-grooming to save on money.
According to a recently published report of Bonafide Research ‘India Personal Care Appliances Market Outlook, 2021’ the market for personal care/ grooming appliances is dominated by brands like Philips and Panasonic commanding a share of more than 50% altogether. Philips and Panasonic are the major players at the higher-end whereas a host of Chinese brands dominate the price-sensitive lower-end segment. There are very few organized players in the Indian grooming appliance market which clearly showcases a huge opportunity. Personal grooming has the potential to deliver high margins without any specific entry barriers, resulting in an evident opportunity for new entrants. Also, Indian men and women are looking for simple & convenient solutions to cut down their frequent trips to salon and parlors.
HAVELLS – THE LASTEST NEW ENTRANT
Early this year, electrical equipment manufacturer Havells India Limited entered into a personal grooming category with the launch of products like beard trimmers, electric shavers, hair straightener, grooming kit that includes precision nose & ear hair trimmer, dryers, and bikini trimmers among others. The company has also launched baby hair clippers and eyes baby care sector next. All of these products will be imported from countries like Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, etc. and will come in the price range of Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 7,200. The products are now available across different multi-brand retail stores, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics shops, along with 400 exclusive ‘Havells Galaxy’ stores. Apart from this, Havells India would also be selling the entire range through online e-commerce platforms. Brand Havells has a good recall value among Indian consumers due to its electrical and consumer goods sold in the market over the last many years. Havells has tried to use this image for targeting today’s youth; for whom the company did not have any specific products till now. As youngsters are the major drivers for the personal grooming appliances category, the company will be able to connect more with young consumers with these new launches.
SYSKA ENTRY
Syska, which is popular for its LED lighting products, also entered the personal grooming category earlier this year. The company launched 30 beauty and grooming products for both men and women that includes shavers, trimmers, clippers, hair straightener, dryers, epilators, curlers, and electronic exfoliators. This is a diversification strategy for brand Syska; wherein Bollywood celebrities like Sushant Singh Rajput and Tamannaah Bhatia have been roped as the new face for personal care appliances. The company has a plan to spend approximately Rs. 100 crore on marketing and communication. Apart from these aggressive marketing plans, Syska will also leverage its existing distribution channels for sale. As of now, the LED segment accounts for around 70% of the revenue in the company whereas the rest is earned through mobile accessories and mobile insurance. The personal care category is expected to contribute around 20% to its revenue in the near future. The entire product range is currently being imported from Korea and China.