Indian FMCG giants are 'Designing for India' to reach the modern consumer
FMCG companies are shifting focus toward “designing for India,” investing in products that cater to varied local tastes and preferences. This has spurred Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and its counterparts to fine-tune both product development and production processes to meet regional demands.
An example is in HUL’s tea offerings. «In the South, the Red Label tea we sell is a finer blend. In the North, it’s more grainy. The way we process the tea is also quite different,» Vibhav Sanzgiri, HUL’s Executive Director for R&D, told TOI's Asmita Dey. HUL's strategy underscores the complexity of catering to India’s different regional tastes, climates, and lifestyles. Sanzgiri, who leads a team of over 800 scientists across HUL’s three R&D centers, noted that consumer expectations now extend beyond taste to include health benefits, wellness, fragrance, and even packaging.
Beyond HUL, Colgate-Palmolive is also responding to India's unique consumer profile. To cater to consumers’ fondness for snacking, the company introduced arginine-based toothpaste to address oral health concerns. “When designing for Indian consumers, we need to incorporate local taste nuances and focus on the target demographic,” explained Swati Agarwal, Executive Vice-President at Colgate-Palmolive India. The brand has also incorporated localized scents into its shower gel products, recognizing that consumer preference varies across regions.
Marico’s approach is to offer healthier product choices without compromising on flavor. Recently, under its Saffola
