12 september 2024 : India’s Condom Market Expands Amid Challenges
- Durex targets women in India with new products and ads.
- Smaller condom packs may perform better in rural areas.
- Condom usage is increasing in traditionally conservative India.
By Richa Naidu and Dhwani Pandya
LONDON/MUMBAI, Sept 12 – For years, Reckitt Benckiser, the world’s largest condom maker, focused its Durex brand on Indian male consumers. Now, the company is shifting its strategy to target women and rural consumers to drive growth.
India recently surpassed China as the world’s most populous country, but its contraceptive use remains low. The Indian government estimates that only around 10% of men use condoms, with sterilization being the most common form of contraception for women.
Deep-rooted social stigma around sex — often attributed to Victorian-era norms from British rule — has historically sidelined female pleasure in Indian society.
However, attitudes are evolving, prompting Reckitt to change its marketing approach to capitalize on the rising condom use among Indian women, who have become a key target for Durex. Government statistics show that around 9.5% of married Indian women used condoms by 2021, nearly double the rate five years earlier, while usage among unmarried women more than doubled to 27%.
To attract women consumers, Reckitt is reformulating products like lubricants and launching new marketing campaigns, according to Pankaj Duhan, Reckitt’s Senior Vice President of Intimate Wellness. The updated Durex lubricants have been developed based on clinical studies to address issues faced by women, as 30% of Indian women experience discomfort during sex.
“We want to change this … which is why we are relaunching our lubes portfolio,” Duhan said. “Women tend to be an underserved consumer group.”
India’s condom market is currently led by Mankind Pharma’s Manforce, followed by Reckitt and TTK Healthcare.
CHALLENGES
Reckitt faces significant challenges in capturing a lucrative share of the female and rural condom market, primarily in terms of distribution and pricing — two critical factors for success — and in persuading a still largely conservative rural population to buy its products.
Competitors are also targeting women, with Durex’s main rival, Manforce, launching ads featuring a Bollywood actress encouraging women to “go buy your own” condoms.
“One challenge Reckitt may face is consistency in messaging,” said Devangshu Dutta, head of retail consultancy Third Eyesight, noting that the company needs to clarify whether it is marketing condoms for health, family planning, or pleasure, as each type appeals to different shoppers.
The growth potential is significant: India’s condom market is currently valued at $210 million, compared to China’s $4.1 billion, but is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.4% from 2024 to 2030, according to Indian consulting firm 6Wresearch. The global market is valued at $11.3 billion.
Expanding the market will be challenging, especially given India’s vast size and the need for an extensive distribution network to reach millions of small stores.
Currently, only about 10-15% of Durex’s sales in India come from rural areas, which are much more price-sensitive than urban areas.
“Distribution is a major challenge, even though most consumer goods companies have penetrated all postal codes in the country; the challenge is maintaining availability at retail points,” said Dutta of Third Eyesight.
BREAKING DOWN TABOOS
Sex education in India, a conservative country, lags behind, with a wide gap between awareness and the actual use of contraceptives.
Matt Godfrey, Executive Vice President for Asia Pacific at Monks ad agency (part of S4Capital), said Durex’s marketing efforts are a positive change, but India needs better sex education and greater condom use.
“There are significant societal and cultural barriers that need to be addressed to change the status quo,” he said.
In Odisha, a small medical store run by Sudam Padhan does not prominently display condoms because “people frown upon them.”
In India, it is mostly men who buy condoms, but some women, like Pooja, a marketer in Mumbai, are challenging this norm. She decided to buy condoms herself for the first time this year, saying, “When I ask for a condom over the counter, I am prioritizing my health.” However, the 31-year-old, who is unmarried, declined to provide her last name due to concerns about social disapproval.
An open dialogue encouraging safe and responsible sex in India is progressing but requires ongoing support from brands like Durex, Godfrey said.
Like its competitors, Reckitt has historically targeted Indian men, with ads featuring women in revealing clothing. Rival Manforce Condoms features former pornstar Sunny Leone in videos labeled “EXCLUSIVE UNCENSORED.” Duhan acknowledged that many condom ads “objectified women.”
However, this is changing. Earlier this year, Durex launched a bold “Explorers Wanted” lubricant campaign in India, featuring sensual images of male bodies.
PRICING CHALLENGES
Pricing is another significant hurdle, particularly in small towns and villages, where stores may be reluctant to stock condoms and lubricants. Duhan said products must be “extremely cheap” to sell in rural areas, where many people use free government-provided condoms.
Padhan, the store owner in Odisha, doesn’t stock Durex products “because they are costly and there’s no demand for them in rural areas,” noting that most of his sales come from Ustad “Deluxe Condoms,” a state-run product.
Ustaad condoms cost just 10 rupees for a pack of six, while a pack of 10 Durex condoms starts at around 250 rupees, with some priced above $6. A similar pack of Manforce starts at $1.
However, Durex’s smaller three-condom pack, retailing at around 99 rupees, is expected to perform better in rural India.
“We are starting at the top and planning to move down to rural areas,” Duhan said. “It’s a massive undertaking.”
