Girl Power

As long as women are shopping in the supermarket, there will always be opportunities to drive sales in the feminine care section. 

Although the category is faced with an aging population and growing competition from other channels, grocery retailers can still benefit by keeping up-to-date with innovations in feminine care. Manufacturers say they are developing products that respond to demands from not just Millennial women but women of all ages, and are also making sure they get the word out about the new items on social media and other outlets.  

The feminine care category has seen some ups and downs lately in dollar sales and volume. According to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, for the 52 weeks ended Nov. 27, sales of sanitary napkins and tampons in U.S. multi-outlet stores totaled about $2.8 billion. That was an increase of 0.9 percent compared to the previous year. Volume was down one percent to just under 589 million units, and the price of each item averaged $4.72, up 9-cents. 

Sales of tampons were flat, down 0.2 percent to more than $1 billion. Volume was down 2.1 percent to 182.8 million units, at an average of $5.84 per item. Sales of sanitary napkins and liners topped $1.7 billion, up 1.5 percent, while unit sales were down 0.5 percent to 406.1 million. 

Industry observers point to demographics as the reason for the flat or decreased sales, but say new products can help revitalize the feminine care aisle.

“While the category as a whole is on the decline due to aging population, there is greater awareness and a growing demand for true product innovation,” says Daniela Masaro, brand marketing manager for Diva International, based in Kitchener, Ont., Canada. “I think the category is overdue for change and innovation.” 

Diva International offers the reusable silicone DivaCup and the pH balanced, plant-based cleanser DivaWash. The DivaCup is environmentally friendly and usable for up to a year, benefits that many consumers find appealing, says Masaro. “In today’s world of disposable products, customers are looking for products that will not have a detrimental effect on their health or the environment,” she adds. “The category of feminine hygiene is no exception. Women are looking, first and foremost, for leakage protection, as well as products that are better for their bodies and the environment, while also meeting the demands of their busy lifestyles.”

Masaro says the challenge Diva International faces is convincing retailers that there is an urgent need and demand for The DivaCup. The company launched a campaign with a marketing spend of more than $7 million in 2016. The marketing mix included print and digital advertising, commercials on mainstream and digital television, social media, public relations, promotional and educational materials and resources, and the company participated in trade shows and conferences. 

Diva International also included retailer-specific geo-targeted advertising on its website to drive customers to participating retailers. “Because we have consumers from all around the globe, we adjust the code on our home page so that if you are coming from a specific Canadian province, U.S. state or another country, you see a featured retailer we have partnered with,” says Masaro. “It’s a way of us featuring specific retailers to help support sales.”

Aging Up 

The aging population is not helping. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in April 2010, 13 percent of persons in the U.S. were 65 years and over. In July 2015, that figure increased to 14.9 percent. The number of people aged 18 and under has decreased, from 24 percent in 2010 to 22.9 percent in 2015. Meanwhile, the percentage of women in the U.S. has remained the same, at 50.8 percent. 

While that shift seems to be making it difficult for the category, another phenomenon is helping. Online shopping is an important consumer trend, says Theresa White, senior executive officer of Natracare, based in Greeley, Colo. “With the double-digit growth of e-commerce sales, more and more big box stores are catering to the trend by offering online shopping options and services,” she says. “But this is not the only trend traditional retailers are facing.” 

The other important consumer trend, says White, is that the largest group of online shoppers is well-informed Millennials, a group that is eager to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. “They are the largest consumers of organic and natural products,” she says. White notes the Organic Trade Association’s U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs 2016 Tracking Study, a survey of more than 1,800 households that found that 82 percent of U.S. families say they buy organic sometimes, one of the highest levels in the survey’s seven-year history. 

Additionally, the OTA’s study finds that Millennials are likely to view themselves as very knowledgeable about organic products, with nearly 77 percent reporting that they are “well informed” or “know quite a bit.” 

Natracare has long answered this demand, says White, as the brand launched in 1989. “We have been diligent and consistent in our messaging, education and product development, growing into the world’s top ethical organic and natural feminine hygiene brand and category captain,” she says. “We absolutely understand the philosophy of modern change makers because we have been living it for the last 28 years.” The products are manufactured using only natural and organic materials from sustainable and renewable resources that are compostable and biodegradable. 

White says retailers can benefit from adding shelf space for organic and natural brands. “We know increased consumer knowledge and awareness leads to informed consumer choices and the demand for ethical and sustainable products such as Natracare,” she says. Natracare offers tampons, pads and liners made with organic cotton and no perfume, and intimate wipes made with organic cotton and organic rose calendula and chamomile.  

Other manufacturers are innovating in features such as absorbency. Lauren Kren, brand manager of U by Kotex for Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark, says some examples of U by Kotex innovations include a product change to U by Kotex Ultra Thin pads with the introduction of 3D Capture Core. Company officials say the 3D Capture Core is a one-of-a-kind center that locks away wetness to help stop leaks. The company also recently launched Xpress DRI, a cover with “crazy-fast absorption” for U by Kotex Cleanwear pads. 

Also new are drawer packs to help women easily store and organize their products at home, and thong pantiliners to provide options that work with popular underwear styles. U by Kotex Security Ultra Thin Overnight Pads feature a 40 percent wider back compared to Security Ultra Thin pads and an extra absorbent zone in the back to help stop leaks. U by Kotex Security Ultra Thin Pads Long are breathable with a cottony Soft Touch cover for comfortable protection and a wing shape for a secure fit.

The company has been working on other initiatives too. “As a brand, U by Kotex remains focused on evolving the category not just through innovation, but also by positively advancing the way women think about and experience feminine care,” says Kren. “That intention is at the core of U by Kotex product innovation and marketing communication, including the most recent U by Kotex Period Projects.” Period Projects are a series of efforts that encourage women to share their passions and ideas for creating change regarding periods, period experiences and the feminine category. For example one project, boosted by social media, was the Power to the Period Donation Drive, in which women were encouraged to buy an extra box of pads, tampons and other items, and donate it to be distributed to women in homeless shelters. 

The social media efforts put a fun spin on a topic that is still uncomfortable for some women. According to the SCA Hygiene Matters Survey 2016/2017, in the U.S., 35 percent of women and girls said they feel very uncomfortable in social situations when on their period, and 24 percent said they feel uncomfortable. Also, 23 percent of women say they feel discomfort buying menstrual hygiene items. Only 24 percent of women say they talked to their daughter about menstruation. 

Sales of all other feminine care items, a category that includes wipes, washes, creams and incontinence products, increased 9.5 percent to more than $289.5 million, according to IRI. Unit sales increased 6.1 percent to nearly 79 million. The average price for these items was $3.68, up 11-cents. 

Kimberly-Clark’s brand in the light incontinence category, Poise, is also innovating. Last year, the company launched Poise Impressa Bladder Supports, which company officials say is the first over-the-counter, internal product that helps stop leaks, pad-free. Poise Impressa Bladder Supports can be worn for up to 12 hours every day, officials add.  The soft and flexible product design also comes in three sizes, giving women a personalized and comfortable fit.  

“For more than 20 years Poise has been committed to understanding women’s evolving feminine needs and introducing her to innovative, category-changing solutions that empower and give her confidence,” says Stacey Pomeroy, Poise brand manager. “Our No. 1 priority is to help women with bladder leakage find a comfortable, discreet and most importantly, effective solution that they can depend on.”

Observers say it can be difficult to drive traffic into the section and get women to put the items on their shopping list before they enter the store. Kren and Pomeroy say it helps to offer deals through loyalty cards, and also to use out-of-aisle incremental displays such as floorstands, sidekicks and endcaps. 

Private Private Label 

Sales of private label sanitary napkins and liners totaled more than $311.9 million, up 0.2 percent compared to the previous year, according to IRI. Unit sales were down one percent, to approximately 97.7 million, at an average price of $3.19. Private label had a share of 18.2 percent of dollar sales in the segment, down 0.3 percent. Sales of private label tampons were down nearly 2.0 percent, to $109.5 million, and they had a 10.3 share. 

In general, a challenge for private label in grocery in the health and beauty categories is the growth of drugstores, says Greg Fries, vice president marketing for Fredonia, Wis.-based Guy & O’Neill, a contract private label manufacturer that includes feminine hygiene products, medicated feminine wipes and personal lubricant. “Health and beauty categories in the drug channel tend to have bigger sections sizes with broader assortment than traditional grocery stores. Shoppers go to drugstores to buy health and beauty items whereas in grocery, health and beauty is not top of mind. Grocers can grow these categories by stocking the top selling SKUs, pricing competitively and promoting and displaying these categories to drive incremental impulse sales.”