Moving beyond the comfort zone

RURAL CONSUMPTION IS MOVING FROM ESSENTIALS TOWARDS CHOICE AND CARE

- GEETIKA SRIVASTAVA

IN THE PAST decade, floor cleaner penetration in rural India has surged from just 1% to 17%, while toilet cleaners have jumped from 7% to over 40%, according to Kantar.

Kantar data also shows that as rural consumers adopted new categories like toilet cleaners, floor cleaners, bottled soft drinks, etc., their average consumption of mass categories such as salt, hair oils, detergents declined.

Rural India is now outpacing its urban counterparts in consumption growth across several FMCG categories, including personal hygiene, home cleaning, packaged snacks, bottled soft drinks, insecticides, skin creams, and hair colorants.

The narrative in this ₹5-lakh-crore FMCG sector is beginning to shift. Far from being limited by necessity, rural shoppers are increasingly making aspirational purchases. They're experimenting with new formats, displaying loyalty to brands, and even trading up to premium products.