Oral healthcare is a growing side of the convenience industry with gum brands expanding into a more dental-focused area, and a number of healthcare products in demand.
Retailers may think that oral care is a category best left to the chemists, but in fact there is a huge profit opportunity there for retailers who can provide a solid offering in this area. That begins with an everyday product that every retailer already sells. Chewing gum has evolved into more than just a product purchased for taste.
It has become functional thanks to products like Wrigley’s Extra White and Extra Ice ranges. Sue Cobbledick, Oral Care Marketing Manager, Wrigley UK, says: “The trend towards sugerfree gum is growing and we expect this to continue well into 2014 as chewers seek out a healthy addition to their day-to-day oral care routine. This is why over 90% of our gum brands are sugarfree and accredited by the British Dental Health Foundation.” She adds that Wrigley’s ‘Eat, Drink, Chew’ strategy aims to encourage consumers to chew sugarfree gum whenever they eat or drink to help remove lingering food and keep teeth clean. “There are so many eating and drinking occasions not yet followed by chewing Extra sugarfree gum, which is why it is important retailers understand that gum is a healthy option to stock at the tillpoint. Gum isn’t just good for your teeth; it’s good for impulse sales too,” she says. The most recent addition to the range is Extra Ice Citrus, which was designed to drive volume and increase category penetration through a fresh tasting product with strong oral care credentials.
Another aspect of the economic downturn is that people are going to the dentist less frequently. Therefore, the dental health category has become even more important to retailers as consumers seek to prevent expensive problems occurring. While not a traditional category of focus for the convenience channel, as shoppers use their local stores more frequently it is one which can add significant value to a retailer. Andrew Freestone, Commercial Director, SHS Sales & Marketing, which looks after the Listerine brand, says: “If shoppers are popping in to their local store for a pint of milk on the way home and need toothpaste or mouthwash they want the convenience of being able to get it in the same store, rather than having to go to the pharmacy or supermarket.” Recent research has shown that poor availability is the number one reason for shoppers not purchasing in the convenience channel.
Therefore, a good range of leading national brands within the oral care category ensures that shoppers can quickly and easily purchase the product they are looking for. On average, UK adults spend only 46 seconds brushing their teeth and less than 10% floss regularly, therefore complimentary products such as mouthwash can help to overcome problems such as plaque, decay and bad breath that brushing alone cannot resolve.
Within the convenience channel mouthwash is delivering 7% value growth in the last year demonstrating the growing shopper mission to purchase oral care products in the channel. Listerine is the nation’s favourite mouthwash brand with a 49% share of the total category delivering over £72m in sales annually. Within the convenience market it is even more important for retailers to stock the Listerine brand as it holds over 69% value share of the category and outperforms the market delivering over 12% value growth in the last 12 months. Within the mouthwash sub-category the number one must stock from Johnson & Johnson’s is the Listerine brand with over 69% value share of sales. Within the sub-category the must stock SKUs for larger retailers are Listerine 500ml Total Care and Listerine 500ml Cool Mint. Once these are in the range retailers should seek to add value by adding more premium products to encourage shoppers to trade up. For smaller retailers the Listerine 250ml SKU size is well positioned to appeal directly to shoppers.
