Marketing study into hygienic products market
One of the leading manufacturers of hygiene products in Poland wanted to improve the effectiveness of their marketing operations and marketing communications. The company chose PMR Consulting & Research on account of our extensive experience in the FMCG market. They asked us to conduct a marketing study into hygienic products market.
Objectives of project
Our client was keenly aware of the fact that a better understanding of the consumer should always precede any changes in the marketing strategy. An in-depth diagnosis of different groups of consumers – their behaviour, needs and common challenges – thus became our priority.
The research pertained to a range of products with many different purchasing paths. It was therefore necessary to separate research into several types of customers and stakeholders:
- end users who are also the decision makers,
- end users who are not decision makers (for example elderly patients),
- decision makers (caregivers) who purchase products for persons under their care,
- professionals who use hygiene products in their daily work with patients (they do not make the purchase decisions, but they do recommend products),
- sellers (e.g. pharmacists) who recommend products to their customers.
Project details
To answer our client’s detailed questions, meet all the project requirements and provide a comprehensive analysis of the market, we used a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. To better understand the consumer in their natural place of life and work, most of the interviews were conducted in respondents’ homes and businesses.
Our marketing study consisted of several stages:
- a short omnibus survey on a representative nationwide sample of Poles, which allowed for a general overview of situation in the hygienic products segment,
- in-depth interviews with three main groups of respondents (hygiene products users, pharmacists, and professional and private caregivers), which allowed us to find out exactly how consumers learn about products, how the purchasing process takes place, and how the products are used in practice,
- a quantitative study among pharmacists, which provided knowledge about their role in the process of recommendation and advice.
Project results
The combination of data collected during all three stages of market research allowed us to construct a detailed analysis of the structure of the hygiene products market. The adopted approach made it possible to obtain a 360-degree view of the behaviour and preferences of the surveyed users and decision makers.
A tangible result of this project is primarily a sales and marketing strategy adapted to the real market situation. But we also achieved the following objectives:
- better understanding of the process of making purchase decisions,
- discovering the actual role of each of the participants in the purchasing process,
- identifying of problems and needs at every stage of the process, which should be addressed in marketing materials, sales messages and training,
- identifying all relevant elements of marketing communication which have to be included in the final strategy,
- a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our client’s offer compared to their competitors’ offer,
- recommendations and suggestions on the communication strategy for each researched product category.
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Market Analysis Director