Detergents double crossing

Like in other categories, specialisation is the trend among detergents. Effectiveness, extra strength and the ability to be used on sensitive surfaces, like stainless steel are the key words today. – Hyper markets play a special role in POS activities for detergents. Their market share was 39 per cent in the May 2006 – April 2007 period. This is partly because detergents are among the products purchased in a planned manner and also because large store space allows products to be displayed in a spectacular way – says Eszter Melisek, client relations director of Nielsen. Retail chains regularly provide occasions for suppliers to display their products in substantial quantities in the main streets of stores. The winner of the spring clean-up season is usually the manufacturer which is the first to start a price promotion . Brands which can be supported by cross-promotions enjoy an advantage over others during display in the main street. Cross-promotions are not only held for 2-3 brands. Unilever Magyarország Kft. for example began a major multi-brand promotion in response to the restrictive government measures to cut consumer expenditure. Instead of the substantial decline we expected in sales, we saw dynamic growth in several categories, which still have growth for potential. Large segments however, are expected to continue showing stagnation – says Péter Balázs from Unilever Magyarország Kft. Kitchen detergents offer several opportunities for co-operation between their distributors and the manufacturers of kitchen equipment. The most frequently used form of promotion is packaging 1+1 products of different manufacturers together. When EVM ZRt. renewed its Ultra product line of detergents, the idea of “fighting stains” was used to send Ultra Woman into battle. The intention was to get consumers to link the dark blue colour to Ultra by using this colour for cardboard displays and the uniforms of hostesses. EVM has also made an innovative web site where players could “shoot” at stains appearing in different rooms of an apartment. Detergents have become extremely colourful, which makes getting the attention of customers quite difficult. LCD displays which can even play advertising spots might be the answer to this problem. Denk Mit, the brand of the drogerie markt chain is present in even specialised segments, with the “Charter” logo on the packaging of an increasing number of Denk Mit products. This is for use on products made by companies committed to the objectives of the Trans-European “Charter for Sustainable Tidiness”. Denk mit is also safer to use near children, as it contains Bitrex®, an extremely bitter substance which can prevent detergents from being swallowed by children.