By offering inexpensive hygiene products in small packages, SCA is making everyday life easier for millions of people in high-growth and developing countries.
For many people with low incomes, using hygiene products on a regular basis is too expensive. That’s the case with diapers, which many children use only at night or on special occasions. In Latin America SCA produces individually packaged Pequeñin diapers, each sealed in a thin layer of plastic.
“SCA was the first in Latin America with this innovation,” says Jan Schiavone, division president of SCA in South America. “Business owners often break open packages and sell the diapers individually, which is less hygienic.”
In Asia, too, SCA sells diapers in small packages. Late last year, SCA started a pilot project selling Nosotras feminine care products in single packs in Peru and three-packs in Nicaragua. The project is intended to make feminine care products available to women in low-income groups.
“Here women give priority to buying products that are for the whole family,” says Victor Niembro, SCA’s category portfolio director feminine care, Americas, the Middle East and Asia. “Sanitary protection is seen purely as a women’s product, and therefore not the first choice if resources are limited.”
Embarassing to buy feminine care products
Another problem is that the products have traditionally been hidden in stores. Many women find it embarrassing to have to ask for feminine care products. “Our goal is that it should feel completely natural, so we’re trying to break the trend by making the products more visible in stores with different types of product displays,” Niembro says.
An important aspect of this line of products is the price. With small packages, the price can be kept low. “The packages hold a day’s worth of pads or panty liners and cost no more than a piece of candy, so then it isn’t such a big deal,” Niembro says.
After the project is assessed, small packages of feminine care products are likely to be launched in more Latin American countries. Similar projects are being planned in Africa and the Middle East. “For toilet paper as well, we have product lines that especially target people with low incomes,” Schiavone says. “In general, this means small rolls that are sold individually, usually sealed in simple paper packaging.”
Read the full story in Shape, SCA's magazine on trends, markets and business.
Sara Bergqvist