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 Pilot Overview

Frontier Markets introduced Whisper Choice Sanitary Napkins (at the MSRP of 28 Rs.) and Volini Gel (at the MSRP of 5 Rs.) to Ujjivan members in Chitradurga, Karnataka.

Targets

• Reach 50% of 750 MFI members: communicate effectively about health and hygiene issues and introduce both products to peri-urban consumers.
• Place products in 10-12 kirana shops·
• Sales: convert 5% of those exposed to marketing into consumers of one or both products
• Conduct 50 Product Feedback Surveys at Center Meetings
• Conduct 50 1:1 Customer Insight Surveys
• Conduct 12 Retailer Surveys

Results

• Reached 734 MFI members + 56 non-MFI members in 43 Center Meetings
• Placed product in 25 kirana shops
• Conducted 40 Product Feedback Surveys at Center Meetings
• Conducted 43 1:1 Customer Insight Surveys
• Conducted 25 Retailer Surveys
• Achieved a 23% conversion rate among  721 members for Volini Gel
• Achieved an 11% conversion rate among  721 members for Whisper Sanitary Napkins

Analysis

1. We proved that the model of peer-to-peer marketing works in a limited pilot.  
2. A microfinance partnership helped us access bop households efficiently and effectively, enabling us to engage consistently with the same potential consumer base for 3 weeks
3. Frontier Markets will build a vast network of Kirana Shops who will be vital to expanding the organized sector of supply chains
4. Year 1 may focus on more FMCG related products to ensure this 1:1 engagement and test the capacity of retailer networks
5. Complicated products like water purifiers, stoves, etc will require knowing the consumer base’s behavioral patterns which FM collects through the current model.

Rangamma's Shop

Kirana Shops are THE supplier of non-medical products for the semi-urban and rural bop. Their products are usually FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) based because they are affordable for their target consumers. The most expensive product is usually rs. 15-20 which is the colgate toothpaste, and least expensive is ps. 10 which is a sachet or candy.

Kirana Shops cater to all types of consumer:

Children: biscuits, candy, pens, notebooks

Women: shampoo, soap, powder, hair oil, agarbattis, some produce, masalas, tea leaves, cooking oil

Men: beedis, cigarettes, matches

Usually, they re-stock their products on a weekly basis; the method simply being visiting their local distributor with a list of products and collecting them. Their sales reporting and inventory management is usually a piece of paper with names of products. When asking them how they keep track of what products they need to refill, a typical response is “When it seems to be less, I go to the shop to get more.” While this may seem to be an irresponsible way to inventory management, they are very well aware of which products need high volume storage, and which products can be kept in small bulks.

A kirana shop, or retailer’s margin ranges from 10-12%. They are advised by the local distributor on price points – selling the products at the assigned MRP. The distibutor takes a 2-5% margin when selling products to retailers. Depending the product, and the company’s preference, a retailer either pays upfront, or has 5-7 days to pay for their stock. This leeway allows for more movement of the product, and naturally, risk for the retailer. This is the number one reason a kirana shop owner does not like to try new products unless there is an obvious demand for that product.

This does not mean that Kirana Shops do not test new products. If there is a solid margin, and they have heard of the product, they will give it a try – as long as they do not have to pay upfront costs. (which usually means, a new type of soap, or hair dye – in line with FMCG products)  Many local distributors recieve new products from their manufacturers who encourage trial sales before they order large volumes of product. If Kirana Shops are successful in selling the product, they will then place larger orders to stock.

KiranaShops also  promote products for companies. For example, when Airtel penetrated rural India, many Kirana Shops kept Airtel boards in their shops. If they like the product, they are willing to promote and advertise on the company’s behalf.

Kirana Shop Owners are trusted in their neighborhoods. Most households have their favorite kirana shop they visit. When asked why customers come to their shop, they usually answer, “I have been here the longest.” or “I let people pay me back later.” or “I carry the products that people want.”

Our website will be running by early next week. Stay tuned for more information and qualitative assessments about our work.

Kirana Shop that adopted FM marketed products

Which Kirana Shop?

The Kirana Shop comes in various sizes – for our purpose, we will focus on the Kirana Shop providing products for the BOP. This Kirana Shop has an owner who is a local member of the peri-urban slum or rural village. Usually, a family business, husband and wife are working together at the Kirana Shop where they stock 10-30 products for local households.

What does the Kirana Shop Stock?

The products range from soaps, to sache shampoos, hair oil, agarbatti, beedis, cigarettes, matches, biscuits, washing powder soap, tea, sugar, to some fresh produce. They have been stocking similar products for as long as they started their business because they respond to their neighbors’ demand, as well as assess their capacity to stock a product for a period of time.

The Kirana Shop Owner is not like your typical supplier or retailer. While they too believe in margins, and try to understand trends, they are always willing to try new products if they feel their neighborhood demands it. They know their consumers inside and out. They are also extremely risk averse because of their capacity to invest in new products. So the question is, how to break their aversion?

By showing them the demand potential…

By marketing to women in MFI centers, we are able to introduce them to products that they have not directly encountered. (Direct = in person, in their daily life, as compared to an advertisement on tv). If they like the product, they want the product… we introduce them to their retailers who will provide them with that product.

Frontier Markets’ target was to approach 10-12 kirana shops to place products for MFI members to purchase. We placed at 25 kirana shops who were happy to try a new product in their store knowing the demand was apparent since MFI members approached their stores asking for specific products.

Results to follow…

1. Ajaita Shah, Client Liaison, is the Founder of Frontier Markets. She has 4 years of microfinance experience as a Credit Plus Manager at Ujjivan Financial Services, and Director for Swayam Krishi Sangam (SKS). She has consulted with leading  MFI organizations, foundations, and universities about microfinance in Latin America and South Asia. She has her B.A. in International Relations and International Development from Tufts University.

2. Caren Rabbino, Senior Analyst, is a seasoned entrepreneur and principal of her own consulting practice in New York City.  She has brought her extensive experience in strategic planning and managing operations to more than fifty businesses and non-profit institutions in the U.S. and Latin America. Ms. Rabbino received an M.P.S. degree from New York University (in 2000); both an M.A. (in 1984) and a B.A. (in 1982) from the University of Pennsylvania.

3. Manu Sharma, Project Manager, is a researcher and field practitioner in the arena of finance and international development.   She has two years of experience working as a hedge-fund analyst in New York as well as two years of microfinance experience in India working with Intellecap and ACCESS Development Services.  Ms. Sharma holds a B.A. in Economics and English from Barnard College, Columbia University.      

4. Firdush and Salma – Field Staff – local trained marketers who are enthusiastic and well trained in Frontier Markets principles and strategy. Originally from Devangere, Karnataka are commited to social engagement and speak Hindi, English, and Kannada.

Our Partner

Ujjivan Financial Services Pvt Ltd. is a microfinance company based out of Bangalore, India. Founded in 2001 by Samit Ghosh, Ujjivan is one of the fastest growing and innovative Non-Banking Financial Companies in India. Ujjivan is present in 12 states in India including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand, New Delhi, Maharashtra, and Chennai. To date, Ujjivan has disbursed over Rs. 4,754 million to over 400,000 customers with 202 branches across India and plans to expand nationally to serve 2,000,000 customers in 500 branches by 2010.

Samit Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, pioneered consumer banking in India with Ravindra Bahl and Jaitirth Rao at Citibank in 1985. He subsequently led the launch of retail banking for Standard Chartered in the Middle East and South Asia and for HDFC Bank in India. His last commercial assignment was Chief Executive, India of Bank Muscat. He has had international banking experience for over thirty years. He is an alumnus of Jadavpur University and the Wharton School.

Frontier Markets Team

Frontier Markets has been in Chitradurga, Karnataka for the past 3 weeks conducting our first pilot.

The purpose of the pilot is to test our theory of connectivity and market penetration. We believe there is a new market potential out there – the rural and urban bop are capable of spending and are demanding products to improve their standard of living, however because of lack of infrastructure and awareness, companies are not responding. It is time to break the barriers of communication and penetrate this gap.

Companies like HUL, ITC, Godrej, Coca Cola, and others all understood, so why not J&J, P&G, Ranbaxy, and others? Why not break the norm of the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) market and start delivering products that are more complicated and significantly more useful to this sector?

The approach is through Microfinance Institutions. Til date, the CEO (Ajaita Shah) believes she has not encountereed a better infrastructure/system that reaches these households in a direct and efficient way – MFIs today have been able to penetrate vast households and deliver products. Why not use that infrastructure for more products and services?

Using the MFI infrastructure, we can better engage these households and understand their needs… We believe that low touch point marketing is not reaching the bop. We need to understand the barriers and strategically message and reach the bop in a more high touch point, or a peer-to-peer interaction to help educate and explain concepts and lifestyles.

PILOT PROJECT: JULY – NOVEMBER 2009

Frontier Markets is studying various models in which a strategic partnership between public and private companies, MFIs, government and NGOs create the infrastructure necessary to introduce goods and services to the rural poor in India. The field is changing so fast that new opportunities and new questions are emerging all of the time. Our team will work in North Karnataka from August through November to gather quantitative and anecdotal information to shore up our business intelligence and refine the tools we have developed for successful market entry.

During this pilot, we will introduce femine hygiene and other health-related products that would make a demonstrable improvement to the quality of life of bottom of the pyramid households.

Frontier Markets will:
• Clarify the expectations and goals with each partner;
• Develop survey instruments, metrics and reporting tools to ensure that we capture meaningful data to inform future product development, marketing and distribution strategies;
• Cultivate individual relationships to gain consumer insight throughout the pilot;
• Develop marketing materials that are intended to raise health awareness and financial literacy;
• Introduce four products and ask consumers to respond using evaluative criteria;
• Place product with reliable central distributors and village retailers;
• Build retailer capacity by offering training, materials and support;
• Report on sales volume and product integrity through the life of the project;
• Share findings and facilitate a post-flight analysis with the participating partners.

The MNC will:
• Endorse the pilot;
• Supply quantities of products and relevant marketing materials for testing and getting feedback on the product
• Share information about pricing strategy, messaging, current distribution and adoption rate; and, sales goals for rural market;
• Share the current cost structure so we can forecast what it would cost to scale the marketing, sales and distribution and where cost savings might occur to preserve and increase the profit margin.

The Micro-finance institution and Healthcare Partner and will:
• Provide feedback to the scenario for the pilot project;
• Endorse the pilot;
• Share demographic research about one branch in North Karnataka (1500 households, covering one town: Chitradurga, Karnataka);
• Introduce us to 1500 credit customers (included kirana shop retailers) at bank center meetings;
• Provide limited field coordination to execute the pilot project.
• Provide feedback to the evaluative criteria we use to vet products;
• Help us define the benefits and liabilities of various product options;
• Provide feedback on the final product selection and pricing;
• Provide feedback to health awareness and product marketing materials;
• Dedicate a healthcare clinician to join us in the field to educate consumers about the problem and to introduce the product-solution;
• Train the Frontier Markets field staff to communicate effectively about health and hygiene issues to rural consumers. Our goal is to inform consumers about various product options and how they will reduce or eliminate common health and hygiene problems.

Targets
1. Reach 750 MFI members·
2. Place Products in 10-12 kirana shops·
3. 5% conversion of 750 members·
4. Sell 35 units of each product

We will be updating our progress shortly.

Founded by microfinance professionals, Frontier Markets’ mission is to develop and promote goods and services for the BOP.  We focus on innovations in health and hygiene, clean water and energy alternatives that will make the greatest impact on the lives of peri-urban and rural women and children in India.  Our core values reflect what is most important to us as an organization.  These are not values that change over time; rather, they frame every relationship with clients, partners, rural consumers, investors and employees. 

Frontier Markets is committed to:

• promoting the health and well-being of BOP households through basic education
• getting to know rural villagers and peri-urban households through a two-way interaction
• satisfying rural and peri-urban consumers by offering a choice of quality products
• aligning our goals with microfinance institutional partners to extend their reach
• working with manufacturers that care about the environment
• supporting professional development and excellence among our employees
• creating wealth through profitability and growth
• engaging in long-term relationships that bind our success to the success of our clients and partners

About the BOP landscape 

Approximately 70% of India’s 1.1 billion population lives outside of major urban areas, in villages scattered throughout the country.  In the last decade, government and philanthropic organizations as well as private and public companies have attempted to bring goods and services to the rural poor.  Although there have been impressive success stories, some efforts have been thwarted because of a lack of infrastructure; regional and cultural differences; inappropriate product or pricing; and, lack of quality assurance.

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) have proven to be the only service providers able to reach the poor on a very large scale, catering to 20+ million households throughout India.  Their in-depth research as well as ongoing, personal relationships with credit customers has yielded incomparable insight into the BOP.  Frontier Markets has partnered with Tier 1 MFIs, to leverage their existing distribution channel to bring other, non-financial products to the field. 

We believe that improving the quality of life for the BOP is a matter of educating consumers about healthcare, water and energy options and making affordable products available even in the most remote regions.