ANALYSING  CONSUMER  MARKET :

The consumer is the heart or the core of any business, and its preferences and choices determine the success and survival of any business.

Consumers buying behavior determines the ROI, market share and the profit of the business.

Consumer behavior is determined by various factors/stimuli :

1.      Market Stimuli :

               Consists of products and services.

               Price.

               Distribution and communications.

2.      Other Stimuli :

               Economic

               Technological

               Political

               Cultural

3.      Consumer Psychology :

               Motivation

               Perception

               Learning

               Memory

4.      Consumer characteristics :

               Cultural

               Social

               Personal

5.      Buying Decision Process :

              Problem recognition

              Search for proper solutions

              Selecting best possible solution

              Purchase Decision

              Post purchase decision

6.       Purchase decision :

              Product choice

              Brand choice

              Dealer choice

              Purchase amount

              Purchase timing

              Payment method

Therefore for a Himalaya consumer the decision to make a purchase is determined or influenced by various factors:

Its market position , the way Himalaya establishes itself as a herbal ayurvedic brand which uses the age old methods to cure skin problems. Purchase of the product also depends upon its accessibility and affordability, Himalaya places itself as a mass consumer good with prices of its variance ranging from as low as Rs.15 to Rs. 250.

Consumer behavior of a Himalaya neem face wash also depends upon his/her motivation and loyalty to use the product again once hi/she is statisfied with the value it offers.

Himalaya today has a market share of around 40% , and has a share of its loyal customers who keep making those post purchase decisions to buy the product again and again after use.

HOLISTIC  OR  SUSTAINABLE  MARKETING :

             

Holistic or sustainable marketing is an idea that talks about sustainability of the business as a whole. Where the producers, the company and the owners have a responsibility towards the environment and the society as a whole. It talks about creating better business, better relationship and better environment. The sensitizing of everyone towards a greener future and a promise to give a same if not a better society with better and healthy environment to the next generations to come.

To find a mid way to lessen the damage that is being made every day, by the producers who come up with new and improved products.

Himalaya has established itself as herbal brand with ayurvedic ingredients that are being used which pose no harm to the society.

CORPORATE  SOCIAL  RESPONSIBILITY.

                   

Therefore, Himalaya uses ingredients from the nature and also helps sustain the nature, which inturn helps in a sustainable development. hence the balance is maintained. 

ANALYSING  BUSINESS  MARKET :

Business market comprises of two major components:

·      1)   B2B marketing.

·      2)      B2C marketing.

B2B – Business to business marketing, where the final finished product or at least a part of the finished product is given to the other business to either carry the production forward or distribure the finished good in the market. For example a car manufacturing business is a B2B business, where one different parts of the car are manufactured at different places and final assembling is done somewhere else.

Some characteristics are of B2B marketing are:

·                              Focus on problem solving

·                              Need to support customer professional

·                              Caters different customer segments

·                              One customer but at the end serves many consumers

·                               Long step by step process

Whereas,

B2C – Business to consumer, where the final finished product directly reaches the consumer through the retailers and other distribution channels. For example FMCG goods like soaps, shampoos which are produced in one factory all together.

Characteristics of B2C marketing are :

·                       Bigger unit purchases

·                       More technically complex products

·                       High buyer risk

·                       Longer buy times

·                       More complex decision making process

·                      Closer buyer-seller relationship/ more personal relationship

·                       Derived demand

Himalaya follows a B2C marketing strategy, Himalaya neem face wash has greater accessibility as it reaches maximum target audience. The product directly reaches the consumers without any middle business involved in it. There are various Himalaya outlets which delivers all the variance and all the products Himalaya has to offer. Therefore himalaya shares a more upclose and personal relation with its customers. Its based more on the love marriage notion where the decisions are mostly influenced by personal choices and preferences.  

BRANDING

                  

The brand is an identity, a sense of belonging for the people who are loyal to it and use it. It distinguishes one seller with the other. Brand can a logo, sign, tagline etc. It is associated with the promises the company offers to make. Brand is the face of the company which has close association with its customers.

Himalaya logo is a visual identity of the brand Himalaya.

1. The leaf that forms the crossbar of letter 'H' evokes companies focus on herbal healthcare.
2. The vibrant orange colour of the leaf signifies warmth, vibrancy and commitment to caring.
3. The teal green colour represents proximity to nature.

Hence Himalaya associates itself with every thing it promises to give.


BRAND  EQUITY :

                   

Himalaya associates itself with:

1. Availability
2. Preference
3. Loyalty
4. Awareness
5. Familiarity
6. Image and personality
7. Associations.

Himalaya is a 1000 crore brand growing at a CAGR of 26% in India and 35% internationally. Its skin care division grows at a rate of 30-35% every year. That is power of the brand Himalaya today.

SALES  MANAGEMENT :

       Any activity that is aimed to promote customer purchase is known as sales. Sales is directly related to the profit a company makes which is directly related to converting demand into revenue. Sales include features like accessing customer needs, presenting product features and benefits to the customers etc.

Sales  management :

        Sales management is a business strategy to focuss on the practical application og the sales techniques and the management of other sales operations.

Sales  planning :

         Sales planning involves setting up a strategy to increase profit based sales target, sales                 forcasting, demand management and execution of the sales plan formulated.

            

Sales  funnel :

·                  Awareness – relates to brand recall, where the message of the brand is communicated by the company and captured by the consumer

Himalaya has a very high brand recall or awareness among its consumers because the easy and chemical free way of getting rid of pimples and acne is Himalaya neem face wash.

·             Leads – A lead is a prospect that meets specified criteria as determined by the sales and marketing team.

Himalaya neem face wash establishes itself as mass product where a teenagers suffering from pimples and acne can use it and an adult can also use it for its ayurvedic benefits.

·             Prospects – Prospects are the specific target groups that are motivated and influenced to purchase the product.

Himalaya currently focuses on college going young girls who suffer from pimple and acne problems.

SEGMENTING  TARGETING  AND  POSITIONING.

SEGMENTING :
                                           Segmenting refers to the dividing of the customers into various segments. And categorizing them in various different divisions that caters to various needs and preferences of various consumers. Each divisions of the customer is applied with different marketing strategies and different selling approach. Segmentation is carried out at different levels like geographical, psycho-graphics, gender and various other factors.

Himalaya neem face wash  segments its customers as:

·         Young people who suffer from various skin problems like acne and pimples.

·         Middle income and higher middle income gropus

·         People between the age of 15 to 25.

Targeting :

   Targeting refers to focusing on different segments and to establish and communicate distinctive benefits of the companies market offering.

Himalaya neem face wash targets :

·          Key focus is on people who suffer from skin problems.

·         People who still have faith in the age old ayurvedic methods.

·         Major focus on young teens who face problems of pimples die to the hormonal changes.

Positioning :

  Positioning refers to the the place the company decides to achieve in the market, the position that  it wants to set in the eyes of the customer in terms of the value, quality and promise that it offers. Positioning itself either as a luxury brand or a mass consumer good.

Himalaya positions itself :

·         As an ayurvedic, chemical free brand which provides solution to the skin problems of the masses.

·         It positions itself as a consumer good.

·         It ensures it reach and affordability to the middle and upper middle class groups.

SWOT ANALYSIS : 

Strength :
       Strong image and global presence.
       Recognised world over as pioner in ayurvedic brand.

Weakness :
      Not fully integrated with main stream.
      Low level of entrepreneurial agressiveness.

Oppurtunities :
      More expanding oppurtunities.
      More preference of customers towards ayurvedic brands.

Threats :
     Competition from ayurvedic brand such as safi.