The rise of the 'mini' consumer

The other day, our freshly white-washed home required some extra hours of elbow grease. Krishna attacked the mess with broom and mop and emerged triumphant hours later. “It’s satisfying to see the place sparkling and dust-free,” she said. “But you owe me a sachet!” I was stumped. “I can’t afford expensive large bottles of shampoo,” she explained. “But every now and then, I treat myself to a sachet of my favourite shampoo for Rs 3.” The bottle worked out cheaper than the sachet, I pointed out. She laughed: “Even without doing the maths, I can say that sachets work out better for people like me.” 

Suchitra who was overhearing our conversation, piped in. “I buy everything in small sizes not just because they’re cheap, but also because they control how much I use.” For example, she told us that her five-year-old loves chocolate. “So as a treat once in a while, I buy her a single serving of Kellogg’s Chocos or a small Kitkat bar for Rs 10,” she said. “If I bought larger packets, she’d probably eat them all in one go which would be neither good for her, nor for our pockets.”

As someone who consciously shops for larger packs and refills to minimise costs and reduce my plastic waste, I hadn’t even thought that in the world of fast moving consumer goods, small could be this desirable. So I asked the two of them what other products they bought in small sizes and was surprised by their answers. It turned out that they bought mini sizes of everything from instant noodles and butter to detergents and soap bars. 

Suchitra said that television has raised her little daughter’s aspiration levels considerably. “Thankfully, almost every new product in the market also comes out in tiny trial packs,” she said. “Which is why we can afford to try them.” Krishna’s children, both working, have even higher aspirations and expectations. “My daughter uses the best brands of shampoo, hair oil and face washes in the market,” she said. “For me the best thing is that none of them cost more than Rs 10.” Both agreed that there was a certain joy in going to the local grocery store, buying everything from shampoo and toothpaste to breakfast cereal and ketchup — and running up a bill of just Rs 150, sometimes even less. 

Later, I did some quick digging online to realise that Krishna and Suchitra represent one of the fastest growing consumer segments for FMCG products. Over 30 years ago, when CavinKare launched 10-ml shampoo sachets under the Chik brand, the company probably didn’t realise it would make history. From the 10 per cent of consumers who bought shampoo then, the percentage of shampoo users has grown to over 90 per cent now. And this growth has been driven by women like Krishna and Suchitra who prefer single-serve sachets and perceive them to be affordable. 

“Come to think of it, earlier I never even thought of using a gentler detergent to wash my woolens,” commented Krishna. “Ever since I used a Rs 5 sachet of Ezee, I haven’t used anything else.” Suchitra sighed: “I’ve been addicted ever since I first bought a pouch of Nivea moisturiser for Rs 15.” As they left, making plans to meet for grocery shopping later, I realised that perhaps the best things in life did indeed come in small sizes.