Baba Ramdev is revolutionising how Indians consume

So, who’s the new kid on the consumer block? It’s none other than yoga guru Baba Ramdev. Having ventured into the various aspects of an Indian aam admi’s daily life, Patanjali has brought about a structural change in the consumer mindset of packaged products.

Now that Patanjali is introducing infant products and sanitation products, market is getting cut throat competitive.

Patanjali's products could also act as a risk to competition in the long term, as they are priced lower than those of other players in the market and should be able to influence the price-sensitive consumer easily and, thus, test customer loyalty.

After companies pointed out a possible slowdown in consumption during the next financial year, the distributors and dealers are also hinting at similar trends, especially in the rural segments. The main reason for the slowdown is low rainfall that the country has had this year. However, dealers continue to be hopeful as the festive season approaches.

The recent price cuts seen across major brands in shampoos have helped in an increase in volumes, especially in shampoo bottles. Dealers do not expect prices to increase any time soon, but do not expect similar cuts in other categories either.

A few days back, Patanjali has overtaken Emami. It has now achieved a yearly turn-over of Rs 2,500 crore. Having ignored the Haridwar based company that have introduced almost everything from soaps and toothpaste to proprietary ayurvedic medicines, it is proven that the players in the consumer sector did a poor market research.