Magazine: In the hands of the weather

Gergely Bajomi
sales manager
Bábolna Bio

According to data from Nielsen, both value and volume sales decreased in the category of insecticides and insect repellents in 2017. Gergely Bajomi, sales manager of Bábolna Bio Kft. spoke to our magazine about the 5.3-percent value sales drop in the insecticide segment and the 6.7-percent decrease in volume sales. As for insect repellents, value sales plummeted by 14.7 percent in value and fell 13.7 percent in volume. Still, Bábolna Bio managed to increase sales and market share alike, becoming the market leading manufacturer in 2017. 

Patrik Rajcsits
brand manager
Henkel Magyarország

 We learned from Patrik Rajcsits, brand manager of Henkel Magyarország Kft. that the main reasons behind the general sales decrease in the market were the state-financed mosquito control programme and the fact that there was no major flood in 2017. 

Nóra Tremmel
managing director
Brands & More

Nóra Tremmel, managing director of Brands and More Hungary Kft. added that much less on-body products were sold because of these reasons.

Sales results show that aerosol products are the main driver of sales: they make up for 50 percent of the total market. The share of electronic devices is around 23-25 percent, these are followed by traps at 21-22 percent and powder products’ share is 3 percent. 

Orsolya Szeles
marketing and product manager
Caola

According to Orsolya Szeles, marketing and product manager of Caola Zrt., consumers are primarily looking for products which are simple to use and work rapidly. Electronic insect repellents are best to prevent the appearance of insects, but once they are there aerosol can help get rid of them the fastest.

Mr Bajomi told Trade magazin that the season starts in March when crawling insects appear, in May flying insects show up, and in June-July mosquitoes need to be repelled, together with wasps and hornets, until September-October. From the autumn until spring the focus is on killing rodents. It must be emphasised that the seasons can greatly overlap. Ms Tremmel added that April and May are the high season for moth repellents. The company’s experience is that flying insects cause much more problems than crawling ones. Mr Bajomi explained that due to ecological reasons new segments appear in the market. The company experiences a growth in the number of wasps and hornets, and they say there are more crawling insects too. Bábolna Bio developed a colour- and odourless, very strong insect repellent spray, Protect Insecticide Extra Spray, which also works against new ‘enemies’ such as stink bugs and harlequin ladybirds. Mr Rajcsits revealed to us that most manufacturers start supplying partners with products around March. His company is hopeful that 2018 is going to be a good year.

Sales data reveal that the popularity of products isn’t really affected by price promotions. Sales of Bábolna Bio’s poison-free Biostop umbrella brand are growing year after year. People like to use pesticide-free products more in the rooms, kitchen and wardrobe. Basically it isn’t price but the insect problem’s appearance, seasonality and consumer experience that have the biggest impact on sales. Mr Rajcsits revealed that the majority of Vape sales are realised by electronic products and repellents applied to the skin. Vape was a market leader in both categories in January-September 2017 – reported Nielsen. Ms Tremmel talked to our magazine about the importance of seasonality in sales. Recently they have put the Zig Zag range on the market: the products are characterised by high active ingredient content and quality packaging. Based on sales data, Caola Zrt.’s most popular product is Rovatoxx Extra 100g powder – we were informed by Ms Szeles – which guarantees efficient protection against crawling insects that hide. Rovatoxx 200ml and 400ml aerosol are it the perfect solutions against flies and mosquitoes. Sales of the company’s Biorep mosquito- and tick-repellent were growing the fastest last year.

What about new product launches? Bábolna Bio will come out with an Anti-mole Bulbs this year, they are going to put the Protect Anti-marten Spray on the market and an anti-wasp foam aerosol product will also be launched. New innovations from Henkel include the Vape odour-free, electronic mosquito-repellent and at the end of April they will also launch an insect repellent product targeting users with sensitive skin. Brands and More Hungary Kft. keeps expanding its portfolio with a full electronic insect repellent, ant and moth killing assortment. EU-compatible French-Polish anti-rodent product AROX was also launched this year.

Bábolna Bio strongly uses secondary placement to increase sales. This year they focus on educating consumers, in both social media (blog, Facebook) and traditional media. In 2018 Henkel Magyarország Kft. concentrates on those consumers who belong to Generation Y, who are the easiest to reach via digital means. It is interesting that people will come across the brand on riverbanks and at lakesides too. Caola Zrt. also believes in supporting products with secondary placement, plus in communicating with consumers in print media and online. Brands and More Hungary Kft. uses in-store activities and secondary placement to sell more Zig Zag products. //