The Global Economic Crisis: The Impact On Consumer Attitudes & Behaviors In India

Table of Contents

OVERVIEW

• Catalyst
• Summary

THE FUTURE DECODED

• INTRODUCTION: Understanding how ' recessionary mindsets' influence Indians' attitudes and consumption is vital
  • The ' recessionary mindset' prevalent among global consumers has not been as significant among Indian citizens
  • Most Indians feel they have remained relatively resistant to the downturn
  • Key takeouts and implications: a ' recessionary mindset' has not yet been fully matched by a recessionary impact on Indians' lifestyles
• TREND: Consumer confidence in India during 2009 is characterized by cautious optimism
  • Indians are generally content with their quality of life despite being more divided about the country' s overall direction
  • Varying attitudes about the state of the nation reflect distinct social disparities in India
  • Key takeouts and implications: Indians' mood regarding the direction of the country has dampened slightly but they remain relatively upbeat about their improving quality of life
• TREND: Indian consumers still have a great deal of confidence in their financial security and the future prospects of the economy
  • Less than half of Indian consumers are satisfied with their financial situation
  • Perceptions about the economy, job security, financial status and the housing market in India have all remained largely positive, and there is broad optimism for the six months ahead
  • Indian consumers are managing their finances more closely with some even struggling to pay the bills
  • The majority of Indian consumers are making greater efforts to save and are increasingly wary of their reliance on credit
  • Key takeouts and implications: Indians became slightly less secure in their financial situation in 2008 - 09, but expect improvements for the remainder of 2009
• INSIGHT: The global economic crisis has had a negative impact on the emotional wellbeing of Indians with increased levels of stress and fatigue
  • Stress levels have been negatively impacted during the financial downturn
  • Work-life balance has been affected by the deepening downturn
  • The happiness levels of some Indian citizens have dropped due to the global economic crisis, but overall the mood keeps improving
  • Key takeouts and implications: aspiring Indian citizens report increased stress and fatigue but are confident that this will not coming towards the end of 2009
• INSIGHT: Indian consumers are inherently price and value conscious, and this mentality has intensified further following the global economic downturn
  • Indian consumers are becoming more value conscious and are therefore looking to save money when buying groceries
  • Price consciousness heavily influences where Indians do their grocery shopping and how they shop, but quality still matters too
  • Key takeouts and implications: the general price consciousness of Indian consumers has intensified and is reflected by how they determine where to shop
  • INSIGHT: Brand loyalties are under increasing threat as Indian shoppers give up brands and increasingly embrace private label
  • Indian consumers, who have developed a penchant for foreign brands, are beginning to give up some of their favorite brands as they make more ' considered' choices
  • Private labels are potentially poised to attract value-conscious Indian shoppers in the downturn
  • Key takeouts and implications: the ingrained value consciousness of Indian consumers, combined with their current reflective consumption patterns, will create an optimal platform for private label growth
• INSIGHT: Indians are embracing money saving tactics when it comes to food and non-alcoholic beverage purchases and preparation, but a penchant for quality is also apparent
  • Indian consumers are opting for higher quality food and beverages but are still highly cost/value conscious
  • Many Indian shoppers consider private label food and non-alcoholic beverages to be identical to famous branded equivalents
  • Key takeouts and implications: a resurging desire to cook more often at home has occurred, while competition between private label and market leading brands in food and non-alcoholic beverages looks set to intensify, local private labelers can capitalize on favorable consumer perceptions
• INSIGHT: The significant majority of Indian consumers' personal care regimes and related product choices have been ' recession resistant'
  • The majority of Indian citizens are committed to looking their best in day-to-day life
  • Price and value conscious personal care/beauty shoppers in India have not made notable changes to their personal care shopping and usage in order to save money
  • Indian consumers are generally aware of private label personal care products but strongly value brand name
  • Key takeouts and implications: Indian consumers' health and beauty regimes are proving to be largely recession resistant
• INSIGHT: Indian consumers' alcohol consumption preferences reflect a reluctance to trade down
  • Indian drinkers are careful about how much they spend on alcohol, yet nearly one-third report they are drinking more
  • Value consciousness has had a similar affect on Indians' at-home alcoholic beverage choices compared to their out-of-home choices
  • Private label alcohol penetration in India is low which results in uncertainty about comparative quality against branded equivalents
  • Habit and brand have more influence on Indians' alcohol purchases than priceWhile price has a high level of influence for nearly one-third of Indian drinkers (32%), habit is more significant, affecting 64% of alcoholic beverage choices (see
  • Key takeouts and implications: there has been little change for the majority of Indian drinkers suggesting that alcohol is largely ' recession resistant'
• INSIGHT: Indian consumers' household care buying preferences are heavily shaped by price consciousness irrespective of an economic downturn
  • Price-led value is still the most influential factor for Indian consumers' household and laundry care purchases but preferences do reflect other important influences
  • The private label household care market in India is small, but Indians do not necessarily perceive a significant compromise in buying store branded products
  • Key takeouts and implications: Indians associate hygiene and cleanliness with wellbeing and this, combined with their inherent dislike of household chores, makes them somewhat quality conscious

ACTION POINTS

• ACTION: Adopt a relentless approach to delivering and communicating better value than the competition
  • Focus on quality to create and maintain differentiation, and to prove to consumers that quality really matters
  • Invest in brand management because strong brands are even more pertinent indicators of quality in emerging markets
  • Evaluate and adapt cost structures so that it is feasible to offer value-for-money solutions, particularly to those with less discretionary income
• ACTION: Look for opportunities to extend pre-existing products or launch new premium products into India
  • Do not assume that emerging market consumers are a large homogenous group: be highly attentive to regional nuances but also careful not to lose the cache of brand origin
  • Release products in smaller sizes with correspondingly smaller price tags to target the lower incomes apparent in the emerging markets such as India
  • Private label development should reflect the reality that adoption of such products will be incremental
  • Start planning for the longer-term by continually tracking Indian consumers as economic recovery starts to become a reality

APPENDIX

• Methodology
• Further reading and references
• Ask the analyst
• Datamonitor consulting
• Disclaimer

TABLES

• Table: Consumer survey: level of satisfaction with "the general direction of how things are going" and "quality of life", in India (compared with the global average), 2009
• Table: Consumer survey: satisfaction with current financial situation, and importance attached to wealth/income and having finances in good order, in India (compared with the global average), 2009
• Table: Consumer survey: perceptions of whether broader economic conditions, household' s financial situation, job security/confidence and housing market confidence had improved or worsened in the six month previous and how each might change in the proceeding six months, in India, 2009
• Table: Consumer survey: propensity to feel tense and the extent to which perceived levels of stress have changed in the last six months and are expected to change in the next six months, in India, 2008-09
• Table: Consumer survey: propensity to feel very tired and the extent to which perceived work-life balance has changed in the last six months and is expected to change in the next six months, in India, 2008 - 09
• Table: Consumer survey: happiness levels and the extent to which perceived happiness has changed in the last six months and is expected to change in the next six months, in India, 2008 - 09
• Table: Consumer survey: changing value-consciousness and desire to save money when buying groceries among Indian shoppers, 2009
• Table: Consumer survey: changing efforts being made to use coupons, change grocery store choice to save money, embrace more disciplined shopping, and gather and utilize store price information, among Indian shoppers, April 2008 to April 2009
• Table: Consumer survey: the relative cost/value and quality consciousness of Indian and global consumers overall when purchasing food and beverage products in 2008
• Table: Consumer survey: the extent to which Indian consumers are making an effort to save money by adopting various food and drinks consumption and preparation approaches, 2008 - 09
• Table: Consumer survey: perception about the relative superiority or inferiority of private labels versus well known or market leading famous brands in food, soft drinks and hot drinks, in India, 2009
• Table: Total private label food penetration and spend ($ millions) in India, 2002 - 2012
• Table: Total private label non-alcoholic beverages penetration and spend ($ millions) in India, 2002 - 2012
• Table: Consumer survey: the importance attached to looking one' s best in day-to-day life, the pressure to look good and satisfaction with physical attractiveness/appearance, among Indian consumers, 2008 and 2009
• Table: Premium fragrance, make-up, haircare, skincare and personal hygiene markets ($ millions), in India, 2002, 2007, 2012
• Table: Consumer survey: the extent to which consumers are making an effort to save money by using spas or salons less often, in India, 2008 - 09
• Table: Consumer survey: attempts made by Indian consumers to change their personal care/beauty habits in order to save money, by product category, 2008 - 09
• Table: Total private label personal care penetration and spend ($ millions) in India, 2002 - 2012
• Table: Consumer survey: perception about private labels versus well known or market leading famous brands for grooming/beauty products in India, 2009
• Table: Consumer survey: attentiveness towards the amount of money spent on alcohol and the degree to which alcoholic beverage consumers in India have cut down on the overall amount of alcohol bought/consumed in 2008 - 09
• Table: Total private label alcoholic beverage penetration and spend ($ millions) in India, 2002 - 2012
• Table: Consumer survey: the degree to which household and laundry care consumers in India made product choices with value/cost and quality consideration in mind, 2008
• Table: Consumer survey: Indian attitudes towards doing housework, 2008
• Table: Total private label household care penetration and spend ($m) in India, 2002 - 2012
• Table: Consumer survey: perception about the relative superiority or inferiority of private labels versus well known or market leading famous brands for household cleaning/laundry products, and how often such products are purchased to save money, in India, 2009

FIGURES

• Figure: Datamonitor' s Recession and Recovery portal will allow industry players to continually identify emerging opportunities and track what is happening in the Indian economy as it develops
• Figure: In late April 2009, over half of Indian consumers agreed that the country is in recession
• Figure: Over one-quarter of Indian consumers have felt the impact of recession
• Figure: Indian consumers are divided about the direction their country is taking but this has not significantly impacted their perceptions on quality of life
• Figure: Indians' views about the country' s general direction have been similar over the last few years
• Figure: Economic/financial concerns top the list of personal concerns held by Indian and Chinese citizens despite the growing confidence in their rising prosperity
• Figure: Over the course of 2008 and 2009, Indians have expressed considerably higher positivity about the economic situation in their country compared to US citizens
• Figure: Indians welcome a free market economy having seen prosperity rise since the country' s economic liberalization in the early 1990s
• Figure: Indian and Chinese citizens are extremely optimistic about the future prospects of citizens in the respective countries
• Figure: Less than one-quarter of Indians are currently dissatisfied with their financial situation
• Figure: Indians' negativity about the economy at large is greater than that shown towards their personal situation
• Figure: Consistent with much future focused research in the last decade or so, Indians generally anticipate significant improvements looking forward towards the latter stages of 2009
• Figure: The future focused economic confidence of Indians looking forward to 2010 is very strong
• Figure: Three-quarters of Indian consumers are managing their finances more closely while nearly a third of individuals report difficulties in paying all the bills
• Figure: Indians' stated reluctance to use credit more than doubled between August 2008 and April 2009
• Figure: Work-related stress in India reflects a life philosophy for many as they aspire for prosperity
• Figure: Indian society has become more materialistic amid growing prosperity in the country
• Figure: The economic downturn has also been accompanied by additional stress levels among Indians, but less so than elsewhere
• Figure: Indians are prone to fatigue while one-in-five experienced a worsening work-life balance in the period October 2008 to April 2009
• Figure: Fewer Indian citizens than elsewhere became less happy during October 2008 to April 2009
• Figure: Nearly two-thirds of Indian consumers are more value conscious following the downturn
• Figure: Quality of products sold has more influence than lower prices or habit over where Indians do their grocery shopping
• Figure: Price and value consciousness is influencing where Indian consumers do their grocery shopping and how they shop
• Figure: One-in-four Indian consumers are sacrificing their favorite brands to save money
• Figure: Being seen with the right brand is an important part of the developing consumer cultures characterizing the emerging Asia markets
• Figure: Nearly one in five Indian shoppers are routinely buying private label/store branded products in an effort to save money but this is well below the global average
• Figure: The private label market is impacted by a broad range of drivers and inhibitors
• Figure: Indian consumers were increasingly value conscious in their food and beverage choices in 2008, yet they were unwilling to compromise on quality
• Figure: Indians attach high importance to a considerable range of food and beverage features/attributes when making product selections
• Figure: Indian consumers are adopting various responses to cut back on food and beverage spend
• Figure: Indian consumers made more effort to cook an evening meal at home from scratch between August 2008 and April 2009
• Figure: There has been a marked decrease in the proportion of Indian consumers eating a takeaway meal at home in 2009 compared to 2008
• Figure: Indian consumers are divided in their perceptions of famous branded food products, soft drinks and hot drinks compared to private label equivalents
• Figure: The majority of Indians are appearance conscious and this makes them less willing to trade down when making personal care choices
• Figure: In a mentality that conforms to the ideology of ' self branding' and the modernization of the country more generally, Indians believe that physical attractiveness will ultimately be advantageous to securing more opportunities in life
• Figure: Two-thirds of Indian personal care/beauty shoppers became more price and value conscious in 2008 but they showed little desire to sacrifice on quality
• Figure: Personal care/beauty shoppers in India are more inclined to purchase products based on routine and brand image
• Figure: A smaller proportion of Indian consumers consider private label beauty products to be good alternatives to well known or market leading brands than those who think otherwise
• Figure: Indian consumers are careful about how much they spend on alcohol, but do not perceive that they have been making significant cut backs in the amount they consume
• Figure: The majority of Indian drinkers made no more or less effort to be value conscious in their alcoholic beverage purchases
• Figure: Indian drinkers, perhaps influenced by a growing sense of entitlement, are reluctant to opt for cheaper brands and formats of alcoholic beverages
• Figure: Six out of 10 Indian drinkers are highly influenced by alcoholic beverage promotional offers which is higher than consumers elsewhere
• Figure: Just over one-fifth of Indian drinkers believe that private label alcoholic drinks are good alternatives to market leading or famous brands
• Figure: Indians are largely unfamiliar with or inexperienced drinkers of private label alcoholic beverages
• Figure: Habit and brand name are more important to Indian drinkers than price
• Figure: Price is the most influential factor in Indian consumers' household and laundry care purchases
• Figure: Indian household and laundry care choices were largely unchanged in 2008, but purchasing orientations did once again reflect a quality and value/cost focus
• Figure: Indians value cleanliness, inherently dislike household tasks and seek to minimize the amount of time they spend on such tasks
• Figure: Seven out of 10 Indian consumers regularly purchase household care products on the basis of value-for-money which is higher than consumers across 17 countries
• Figure: A relatively small proportion of Indian consumers regularly purchases private label household care products to save money
• Figure: A small proportion of Indian shoppers consider private label household and laundry products to be superior to branded equivalents
• Figure: Manufacturers and retailers looking to deliver value-for-money must in the provision of factors associated with the PPI, but while also offering consumers lower than expected prices
• Figure: Datamonitor' s Recession and Recovery portal will facilitate forward thinking planning for those leading companies that start planning for the longer-term