Products of 30,000 small brands cater to 80 pc of population: Report

Household products of over 30,000 brands operating at small and medium scale cater to a majority of the country’s population, while only 20 percent use such items sold by big corporate houses, a survey said.

Products of Fast Moving Consumers Goods (FMCG), consumer durables, and cosmetics from over 30,000 small and medium brands are catering to the demand of 80 percent of India’s population, according to the survey by traders’ body CAIT.

The survey was conducted on the basis of the use of items including food grains, oil, grocery, personal cosmetics, innerwear, ready-made garments, beauty and body care, footwear, toys, educational games, and healthcare.

”It’s a myth that about 3,000 big brands of corporate houses, particularly in the FMCG sector, consumer durables, and cosmetics, etc, are catering to the needs of the people of the country. In fact, more than 30,000 small and medium but regional level brands are the largest contributor in meeting the demand of the people of India,” CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) said.

The survey said the demand of a vast majority is fulfilled by the products of small and tiny manufacturers sold in loose quantity.

Big brands are in demand among people of the higher and upper middle class due to extensive media and outdoor publicity and endorsements by celebrities, CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said.

On the other hand, brands of small manufacturers are sold through one-to-one contact between customers and shopkeepers, also through word-of-mouth among people of medium, lower-medium income groups and those belonging to economically weaker sections, he added.