If you have travelled to developing countries like Nepal, you will come across or see a series of colourful samples of sachets suspended in mini stores. If you haven't, these sachets are mini shampoos, mini detergents and mini stuffs that are cheaper and affordable for the majority of the population in Nepal.
In Nepal, according to Asian Development Bank, " 25.2% of the population lives below the national poverty line in 2010." Figures such as the above may vary according to the economic status of different countries.
For someone earning Rs. 100 per day, a bottle of shampoo that costs almost equal to his/her wage maybe be far from affordable but a sachet that costs Rs. 5-10 is definitely within his/her means.
Take an example from one of Unilever brands - Sunsilk. A bottle of sunsilk costs almost Rs. 100-150 whereas a sachet of sunsilk costs Rs. 5-10.
Growing up, my first encounter with this mini sachet was with, you guessed it right; it was with sunsilk sachets.
There may have been several think tanks involved in the profit and loss analysis before they decided to bring this product into the market. In doing so, they not only catered to the often ignored consumer groups but also made these basic necessities accessible to large masses of public.
I have no solid evidences to show that Unilever was the pioneer in this innovative and INCLUSIVE design but there are several written pieces that claim that Unilever was indeed behind offering these kind of products first in the market.
Companies can and should ensure that their services and products cater not only to the high-end or premium buyers but also the disadvantaged communities.
Designing products for the poor should hence, become a core of Corporate Social Responsibility for all companies. The bigger the company, the greater the responsilibity to ensure that everyone is included.
Unilever introduction of sachets proves that it is possible to serve these disadvantaged communities through innovative design while raking in profits at the same time. Although a preacher of non-violence, it is like killing two birds with a stone. Unilever experienced revenue gains but also enhanced its corporate image. Hence, someone like me wished to write about this.
Cheers for a successful post!
Gratitude 20: I am grateful that I have the preserverance to keep on moving.
