Nappies/Diapers/Pants in India

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Convenience is king as disposable pants increase their dominance in 2019

Nappies/diapers/pants continued to benefit from a large and growing population of children aged 0-3 years in India in 2019. According to Euromonitor research, by 2023, two out of every five babies born in the Asia-Pacific region will be born in India, presenting a huge potential target consumer base.

E-commerce booming as platforms offer heavy discounts

While modern grocery retailers and health and beauty specialist retailers continue to account for the bulk of sales when it comes to nappies/diapers/pants, e-commerce remained the most dynamic channel in 2019 with it continuing to win share. When it comes to nappies/diapers/pants, once parents become familiar with a brand they tend to remain loyal to it and thus supermarkets and hypermarkets often use price promotions and bulk discounts to keep consumers engaged.

Procter & Gamble and Unicharm battle it out for the lead in nappies/diapers/pants in 2019

Procter & Gamble continued to lead nappies/diapers/pants in 2019, although it continued to lose share to second-placed Unicharm India Pvt Ltd. Procter & Gamble looked to hold onto its lead by offering a wide range of products, including market specific variants.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

Sales of nappies/diapers/pants are now expected to grow by 6% in 2019 constant value terms in 2020 overall in light of the impact of COVID-19. This compares to a 9% rise forecast in 2019 constant value terms in our 2020 edition of tissue and hygiene published in February 2020 (pre-COVID-19).

Affected products within nappies/diapers/pants

There has been little change in the overall pattern seen in nappies/diapers/pants in India in 2020 with consumers still showing a preference for disposable pants over nappies/diapers. With the former having a lower average unit price, disposable pants is in a stronger position to navigate its way through this crisis, especially as these products have the added benefit of greater convenience.

Recovery and opportunities

Although India’s population aged 0-3 years is projected to decline over the forecast period it will remain extremely large, with there remaining a significant share of the population who do not yet use disposable nappies/diapers/pants. COVID-19 is likely to have a significant negative impact on the Indian economy and this could restrict the expansion of the category beyond the country’s urban areas, but as consumers in urban areas lead increasingly busy and stressful lives they are likely to become increasingly needful of the convenience afforded by products such as disposable pants.

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