Marketing research. Baby food market

Market baby food increases positively. Even despite the overall slowdown in consumption and the crisis in 2015 and early 2016, sales of baby food are increasing. Growth is driven by supply and demand drivers. This category of the food industry is considered essential products, therefore, baby food is absolutely well supplied with sales through all retail and wholesale channels.

The baby food market is divided by the type of product and by the age of the child.

The production of baby food is divided into several segments:

· Puree.
· Porridge.
· Dairy and fermented milk products.
· Milk mixtures.
· Children's juices.
· Tea.
· Water, etc.

The popular segments are puree (27.1%) and mixtures of 20%, children's fermented milk products and fruit juices are in third place in popularity with shares of 17.2% and 16.2%. In fact, formula and fermented milk products for children are specialized clinical nutrition that is most in demand on the market.

Breast milk substitutes are the largest segment in monetary terms. But only because of the high price. As you can see, in physical terms, this is not the largest segment. But this segment is also the leader in terms of growth rates of + 9.4% in 2015 in physical terms.

The segment of baby water is growing very actively - 11.3% in physical terms and by 18.2% in monetary terms. And it has comparatively less competition than other segments of baby food.

Market growth, as before, is provided to a greater extent (72%) due to imported products. The growth of Russian consumption in 2015 amounted to about 10-12%.

“... Considering that the embargo in 2014 still did not affect baby food from Europe, then, undoubtedly, the leaders remained in the same composition:

Switzerland is in first place (up to 40% of all imports).

The second is the Netherlands (up to 25%).

In third place is Germany (up to 10%).

In 2014, the three leaders in the exporting countries of Russian baby food were held by: Kazakhstan - 50%, Ukraine - about 25%. Kyrgyzstan -15% ".

The competitive situation on the baby food market can be called quite tense. Several domestic companies and importers are in the lead here. The market is consolidating, gradually adopting the Western model, when there are only a few large players on a national scale in the industry.

There are 41 enterprises from 26 regions of Russia on the market. (tab. 3.1).

Tab. 3.1. Enterprises focused on the production of baby food

Manufacturer		Range
OJSC "Baby food" Istra - Nutricia "(Moscow region) Netherlands, Holland	Frutapura Nutricia, Nutrilon, Baby Boy, Ton-Ton	Adapted milk formulas for baby food on a milk and soy basis of the following brands: "Babilak", "Babilak 2", "Babilak soya", "Baby with improved recipe", "Baby from 6 months", "Baby", "Baby Istra" (instant). Enriched dairy and dairy-free cereals "Nutricia-Malysh" (instant).
CJSC "Company" Nutritek "(Moscow region)	"Nutrilak", "Vinnie", "Baby"	Formulas - breast milk substitutes, baby water, mashed potatoes, cereals.
LLC "Nestlé Russia" (Moscow region) Poland, USA, Switzerland, Netherlands	Nestle, Nestogen, Gerber, Nan	Dairy-free cereals, milk porridges, mixtures, mixtures with prebiotics, fruit and vegetable purees, meat purees and vegetables with meat.
Russia - Kaliningrad, Germany, Austria		Porridge, mixes, tea, mashed potatoes

Germany		Basic and medicinal milk formulas, herbal teas for babies and mothers, milk and dairy-free cereals, vegetable fruit and meat purees, children's drinking water
FrieslandCampina Netherlands		Milk mixtures, milk.

The 4 largest brands are market drivers:
- Danone - dairy and fermented milk products,
- Nestlé - mixes, cereals,
- PepsiCo - juices,
- · Progress.

They produce 70% of baby food products.

Importers occupied the niche of breast milk substitutes by 90%, since there are practically no domestic producers in Russia. The primary reason for this is that Russian raw materials are not enough for these products, and customs duties for imported raw materials, the fees for finished products are higher.

New organizations for the production of baby food in 2014 were:

“… September 2014 - Danone bought and reconstructed a dairy plant in Yekaterinburg. Lines for the production of baby food were supplied. The investment level is over 800 million rubles.

OJSC "Modest" in the Altai Territory. Serves demand Altai Territory, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions... In 2014, the company increased its production capacity by 22.2%. The modernization of the lines cost over 25 million rubles.

Nestle, the city of Vologda. Launch of new lines - 20 types of children's cereals. Investments 2.5 billion rubles.

Enterprise "Leader-A", the city of Gudermes in Chechnya. In 2015, it was planned to open a workshop for the production of baby food. The planned production capacity is 15 thousand cans per hour. "

New factories are opening, and global brands also invested in Russia in 2015, despite the political problems in the country. There is a course towards full import substitution in the country, and for imported products, Russian production will slightly reduce the cost of its products. After all, the price influence forces readers to reconsider their tastes and choose by no means the products of the market leaders.

This can be clearly seen, as at the beginning of 2015 in the ratings of the Internet the TOP-5 consumer preferences showed:

1. Humana.
2. Topic.
3. Friso.
4. Heinz.
5. Grandmother's Lukoshko.
6. Nanny (Bibicol).

Products Russian manufacturers it costs one and a half to two times cheaper than that of importers, so now the reader increasingly trusts domestic manufacturers that meet the price-quality criteria.

In the baby food market, the segment of products with an average price has an advantage.

In 2015, sales of mid-segment brands in the baby food market accounted for about 50%. The entire middle segment mostly consists of Russian products.

The analysis of average wholesale prices for baby food products in 2015, in general, showed an increase in prices by 6-10%. According to the employees of the Union of Consumers of the Russian Federation, one must be prepared that food prices will still rise by at least 1.5-2 times.

The baby food market in Russia, even in times of crisis, is growing dynamically. The main directions of development is import substitution. New production of baby food was opened, lines at existing enterprises were modernized and expanded.

Market growth will also be driven by an increase in demand due to a rise in fertility and an increase in the number of children under 4 years of age. In addition, in Lately employment of women and men is growing, and, consequently, the material well-being of parents is improving. And this trend is changing the attitude of readers to baby food. mass production... Today it is easier for a young family to buy ready-made food for the baby and to save time on preparing it on their own.

The key problem in the Russian baby food market is still an acute raw material issue. According to Rosstat and the Federal Customs Service, in Russia, due to the depreciation of the ruble in 2015, prices for fish, fruits and vegetables supplied from abroad increased by 24%. Inflation has affected not only imported food products, but also domestic products that are made from imported raw materials.

If, nevertheless, the embargo in 2016 affects the receipt of baby food from Europe, then the growth of domestic performance indicators will have to grow. First, foreign suppliers will acquire a Russian location and build factories in Russia in order not to lose market share. Second, small local businesses will be able to provide narrow niches market.

As of the beginning of 2015, the well-developed segments were fruit purees, cereals, juices, dairy and fermented milk products. There is room for development in the following segments: dry mixes, vegetable purees and baby water.

The dry mix business is a market niche with high barriers to entry, not for small businesses - expensive equipment, and large competitors in the market that have built their factories in the Russian Federation, etc.

In the niche of children's waters, there are a large number of substitutes - producers of ordinary drinking water.

A merchandising analysis of the range of baby food sold through the pharmacy chain in Pyatigorsk was carried out. The preferred demand for infant formula was studied and the most popular brands of baby food were identified, consumer preferences affecting the formation of the assortment of pharmacies were also studied: component composition (in particular, the absence of preservatives and artificial additives), hypoallergenicity, enrichment of the product with vitamins, minerals and live cultures, manufacturer, price and taste preferences of the child. It was revealed that the majority of consumers prefer to purchase baby food from a domestic manufacturer, of which the largest specific gravity falls on the sale of milk mixtures. An analysis of the completeness and depth of the assortment showed that there are pharmacies in which some assortment groups(of various shapes and packaging). The analysis of the renewal index is quite high and ranges from 60% to 80%, which indicates a constant replacement with new types of baby food.

baby food products.

range

commodity analysis

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Introduction. V last years baby food takes an increasing place in the range of pharmacies. There is a wide range of baby care products at the service of buyers - for feeding and changing, hygiene procedures, ensuring a comfortable sleep, as well as a wide variety of food products for children. Pharmacies are becoming one of the most common places for purchasing baby food, which is primarily due to the high level of trust they inspire among customers. Therefore, these studies can be used in their work by the heads of pharmacies, who set the task of expanding the range and attracting customers.

According to the results of the literature review, it was found that this particular segment of the children's goods market is the most promising, since the country is experiencing an increase in the birth rate, an increase in the income of the population, the desire of parents to give the best to their child remains unchanged. Experts also note that in the coming years, the high-price segment of goods with additional characteristics and convenience for consumption will actively develop. Today, there are several dozen companies in the world that produce food products, care and hygiene items, and baby cosmetics. In Russian pharmacies, you can purchase products from Avent (England), Canpol (Poland), Johnson & Johnson (USA), Bubchen (Germany), Mustela (France), Nuby (USA), Hipp (Austria), Nutricia (Netherlands), Nestle (Switzerland) ), Humana (Germany).

In the production of goods for newborns, the companies use environmentally friendly, hypoallergenic materials, use their own patented developments. Products for newborns and children of 1 year old cannot be called a new category for Russian pharmacies, however, in recent years, the range of children in them has increased significantly. Today, pharmacy chains offer, in addition to food, other related products for children - from pacifiers to toys. This point must be taken into account when forming an assortment and attracting buyers to a pharmacy.

The aim of the study was the commodity analysis of baby food sold through the pharmacy chain in Pyatigorsk. For the study, the following methods were used: content analysis, polling, questionnaires, identifying preferences when choosing baby food.

The research tasks included:

1) analysis of factors influencing the choice of baby food by the consumer;

2) research of commodity and pricing policy baby food;

3) analysis of the range of baby food products in the surveyed pharmacies.

The object of the study was baby food products, in particular, types, varieties and names, sold in retail trade pharmacies in Pyatigorsk. We analyzed 10 pharmacies located in different districts of the city.

In Russia, the age of children who are fed special baby food has greatly increased. Previously, special cereals and canned baby food were included mainly in the diet of children under the age of 1 year. Currently, baby food industrial production is increasingly used in feeding children under 3 years of age and older.

This trend is due to a number of factors. First of all, the growing demand of the population for a high-quality and useful product against the backdrop of a deteriorating environmental situation. An important role is also played by the healthy lifestyle promoted by experts and advertising.

The survey data showed that the consumer, when choosing baby food, is increasingly giving preference to the reputation of the manufacturer of baby food. The modern consumer pays attention to the name, market position, marketing policy of the manufacturer. The role of brands is growing. A high level of awareness is placed on the safety and quality of baby food, as well as the child's taste preferences.

Research results

Consumer research allows you to determine and investigate the whole range of factors that guide consumers when choosing products (gender and age characteristics, social status, income, education). Individual consumers act as objects. The subject of the research is the motivation of consumer behavior in the market and the factors that determine it; the structure of consumption, the provision of goods, trends in consumer demand are studied. At the same time, it becomes possible to develop ways of providing consumers with a choice of a certain product.

Of the 150 people we interviewed (visitors to pharmacies), 93.2% were women and only 6.8% were men.

Segmentation by age of the respondents identified 4 groups: up to 25 years old, 25-40 years old, 40-55 years old, over 55 years old. It turned out that the bulk of consumers between the ages of 25 and 40 accounted for 61.3% and 30.7% of respondents under the age of 25. The respondents aged 40 to 55 years - 7.3%, and over 55 years old - 0.7%. It follows from this that almost all buyers are young parents.

We also carried out a segmentation of the average income per family member. It turned out that 47.3% of the respondents have an income of 5 to 10 thousand rubles. per family member, 50% of respondents have incomes per family member from 10 to 15 thousand rubles. And only 2% of respondents have an income of up to 5 thousand rubles and 0.7% - over 15 thousand rubles. This analysis contributes to the formation of the range of baby food depending on the family income. We also found that only 2% of the respondents buy baby food every day, 65.3% of the respondents buy baby food once a week, the rest buy it as needed.

The next stage of our study was to establish the dynamics of calls to the pharmacy in time. The peak of requests for baby food falls on the time from 14.00 to 17.00 when the pharmacy is open from 8.00 to 20.00 ( average in two working weeks).

During the day, different types of food are in different demand. The frequency of purchases of various baby food products per hour is as follows:

more than three times: cereals, milk mixtures;
2 - 3 times: vegetable, fruit, curd puree;
1-2 times: fruit juices, puree;
1 time: meat puree, compotes, baby water.

In the process of work, the pharmacist maintains a constant dialogue with the visitors of the pharmacy. So, the most frequently asked questions to the pharmacist were highlighted:

How to use baby food;

What types of baby food are presented by different manufacturers;

Side effects of baby food;

Dependence of quality on the price of the product;

At what age can one or another baby food be used;

How to store baby food after opening at home.

To provide qualified advice, a pharmacist needs to constantly improve, study the market for new products, take an active part in trainings and additional classes.

The baby food market is characterized by a fairly large variety and a significant number of producing countries. It was revealed that the majority of consumers prefer to buy baby food from a domestic manufacturer - 62.7%, and 37.3% of buyers - from a foreign one. Analysis of food products different types for children in 10 pharmacies in Pyatigorsk showed that the largest share falls on the sale of milk mixtures (36%) and vegetable purees (21%), the lowest indicator is baby water (4%). The research results are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Shares of various types of baby food sold through the pharmacy chain

We also studied consumer preferences as one of the factors influencing the formation of the range of pharmacies.

The choice of baby food products is influenced by the following factors(picture 2):

Figure 2. Analysis of the factors influencing the formation of the assortment of the pharmacy

When choosing baby food, 79% of buyers are guided by the composition (in particular, by the absence of preservatives and artificial additives), 82% - by hypoallergenicity, 76% of buyers are concerned about the enrichment of the product with vitamins, minerals and live cultures, 69% of consumers proceed from the child's taste preferences. The highest indicator remains product quality (93%).

Genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) are of particular concern to buyers. The first side effect of infant formula containing GMI is food allergies. Genetically modified soy enzymes have the ability to inhibit the enzymes in the baby's digestive tract. As a result, food is not completely digested. Undigested proteins become allergenic, increasing the child's risk of chronic diseases such as eczema, acne, and irritable bowel syndrome.

According to the results of the study, more than 70% of respondents consider transgenes to be harmful to health (although less than 45% of respondents do not know what it is). At the same time, only 41% of respondents are aware that some products contain genetically modified additives.

Price research is aimed at determining the level and ratio of prices that would allow you to get the greatest profit at the lowest cost.
Baby food is in a wide price range. The analysis of baby food for the study period was carried out according to the following criteria:

baby food worth up to 100 rubles; from 100 to 250 rubles; from 250 to 500 rubles; from 500 to 1000 rubles; from 1000 rub. and higher. The ratio of sales value is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. The ratio of sales of baby food products depending on the cost

During the study period, the largest share was found in baby food products costing up to 100 rubles. In second place were baby food products worth from 250 to 500 rubles, in third place - baby food products worth from 100 to 250 rubles. This data can also be used in the formation of the range of baby food.

Analysis of the assortment structure. The study of the assortment structure of sales provides information on the state of consumer preferences and the basis for the formation of assortment policy. For a more detailed analysis of the assortment of baby food in Pyatigorsk, we will consider the completeness, depth and index of the assortment renewal. The completeness of the assortment is the number of types and names of goods of homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. The wider the range, the more varied needs can be met. On the other hand, with the super-high completeness of the assortment, it is difficult for the consumer to navigate this variety, which makes it difficult to choose the right product. Additional advice from a pharmacist is required.

An analysis of the completeness of the assortment in the surveyed pharmacies showed that the average coefficient of completeness was 0.8. This indicator indicates that not all pharmacies and not all types of baby food are present (only milk formulas, cereals, juices and purees), other types are absent.

The depth of the assortment is the number of varieties and names of goods in a group of homogeneous products. The greater the depth of the assortment, the higher the likelihood that consumer demand for goods will be fully satisfied.

An analysis of the depth of the assortment showed that there are pharmacies in which some varieties (of various shapes and packaging), such as cereals, mixtures and teas, are completely absent. The average coefficient of assortment depth was 0.7.

We also analyzed the replaceability of baby food products for new types for the current year. As the results showed, the renewal index is quite high and ranges from 60 to 80%, which indicates a constant replacement with new types of baby food, which contributes to the satisfaction of fundamentally new needs of the younger generation of buyers.

Conclusion. Currently, there is a so-called individualization of consumers, when each person from the variety of all goods and services in the retail trading network, chooses only what he needs. Everyone has their own preferences and desires. And only after studying the current or real demand of buyers for goods, as well as their preferences, it is possible to successfully form the assortment of the pharmacy.

On the pharmaceutical market Pyatigorsk has a sufficient assortment of food products for children, which can satisfy the needs of any customer. The study of consumer motivations made it possible to determine the socio-demographic portrait of the consumer, to identify the main factors affecting the purchase of baby food, taking into account the safety of their use. A review of the baby food market sold through the pharmacy chain in Pyatigorsk indicates the possibility of expanding the range with new species and varieties.

Reviewers:

Gatsan Vladimir Vladimirovich, Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor of the Department of EP of the Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute - a branch of the Volgograd State Medical University, Pyatigorsk.

Stepanova Eleonora Fedorovna, Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Drug Technology at the Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute - a branch of the Volgograd State Medical University, Pyatigorsk.

Bibliographic reference

Prokopenko I.P., Olifer L.D. COMMODITY ANALYSIS OF THE RANGE OF BABY FOOD SALES THROUGH THE PHARMACY CHAIN // Contemporary problems science and education. - 2013. - No. 2 .;
URL: http://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=8822 (date of access: 20.04.2019). We bring to your attention the journals published by the "Academy of Natural Sciences"