SHAMPOO and conditioner have remained a necessity while shoppers have cut back on other items in tough economic times according to Nicola Bradbury of McBride.
The firm’s brand manager said: “People may spend less on a shampoo in order to afford a quality conditioner and our Gentelle shampoo offers a cost effective alternative.
“Hair oils are becoming part of the hair care regime, even though they are premium priced.
“Consumers are continuing to spend more on in-home products and treatments and spend less in the salons.”
She added that celebrity endorsement has a big influence on trends.
She said: “Head & Shoulders is growing year on year and remains the number one brand in the shampoo market.
“It has a strong brand image and uses celebrity endorsements to attract consumers.
“Elvive uses Cheryl Fernandez Versini for endorsement and is a significant brand within the hair care market.
“Recent launches have extended into strengthening and volumising hair with strong claims on the packs – these product benefits are appealing to the consumer.
“It’s still important to have the right range in the right stores, which means stocking the leading brands but also offering a value price point product as well, for example, our Gentelle beauty range.”
Hair and beauty brands giant P&G has introduced price-marked packs on several of its brands including Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Clairol and Silvikrin.
Hair care brand manager at P&G Helen Johnson said: “P&G works hard to provide value to retailers by offering price-marked packs on leading brands across its portfolio.
“Running an offer on these popular hair care SKUs will ensure that both consumers and retailers are getting the best possible value from a high turnover category.”
Claiming that toiletries are worth £6bn in total and £95m in convenience, Unilever gives retailing tips on the category through its Partners for Growth programme.
It says that toiletries shoppers spend on average £8.87 per trip – compared to an overall average of £5.24 – as they tend to use the visit to top up on other grocery items also.
It adds that hair care sales are growing in convenience, up 3.7%, which it reckons is down to increased sales of designer conditioners and treatments.
The Partners for Growth team stresses that prominent positioning of toiletries is very likely to boost sales, saying: “18% of shoppers don’t realise they can buy toiletries at their local store, so place them in an area where they can be easily seen.”
Partners for Growth controller Tom Hazeleden said:
“Top-up purchases form a large part of sales, so simplicity and visibility are key to a successful toiletries fixture, to enable shoppers to find what they want quickly and easily.
“As awareness can be low, and purchase is on impulse, retailers need to make it obvious to their customers that they stock toiletries.
“Try using POS to advertise your range and, if retailers feel it is necessary to keep high-value products behind the counter, then it is critical that empty packs or a simple visual prompt of these products are positioned at the fixture.
“In terms of hair care, the major growth areas are colourants, products which care for hair or repair problems such as split ends, products which are similar to those used in hair salons, and items for hair styling.
“Independents which are able to offer a range which incorporates products from some of these growth areas will capitalise from these trends.
“Keep an eye out for promotional opportunities such as Mothers’ Day.”
Unilever toiletries category manager Paul Milligan added: “The best range for convenience is one which features the top two or three products in the main subsections.”
