Nishan forays into the premium agarbatti market: Sandip Patel

Nishan is among the top five in the economy segment in the Ahmedabad and Gujarat agarbatti market but the business priority is about to change. Sandip Patel, who owns Nishan informed Sugandh India that their business will now also focus on the premium incense market. The company launched a wide range of dhoop, agarbatti and dry dhoop sticks for the premium market. Nishan is cashing on the value for money that customers don’t get buying a premium incense product from competing brands. The value customers ought to get is premium quality and a signature fragrance. Moreover, being 25 years into the incense business, it was high time… push the boundaries and deliver something incomparable in changing customer buying preferences. Talking more about his business Sandip said, they began by supplying raw materials and by 2009, they started making agarbattis. They have over 350 different; agarbatti, dry dhoop sticks, puja items, sambrani cups, and camphor products. He informed Sugandh India that their products sell the most in; Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab and Telangana.

Nishan Products launched dhoop and agarbatti products for the upcoming festive season. The company that serves lower and middle-income groups has begun targeting upper-income customers with premium incense products. Sandip informed Sugandh India that Nishan will divert their business to the premium incense market. They recently launched masala agarbatti. He said a 50g agarbatti costs 110₹. Traditional wet dhoop costs 70₹ a packet containing ten sticks.

Discussing their premium quality, Sandip informed Sugandh India that Nishan launched four masala agarbatti and six specially curated dhoop for premium customers. Premium masala agarbatti launched priced at 110₹ in 50g packaging. Sandip claims its premium products are better than competitors. “Our customers are getting value for money. We enjoy repeat orders,” said Sandip. Saffron, Sandalwood, Magnet, Woods, The Fern and Ambrosia are traditional wet dhoop launched by Nishan for premium customers. Tathastu, Amritam and Tatvam. Nishan’s premium masala agarbatti is specially curated in traditional fragrances. Their 300g products are available in a zipper pouch. The company has a wide range of bamboo-laced agarbattis for retail. They come in three and five-inch jar packing. Dry dhoop sticks are available in a 50g zipper pouch and 250g in box packing. They also launched attractive masala sambrani dhoop cups. These colourful dhoop cups are available in sandalwood and rose fragrances. Remarking on their premium range of products, Sandip said that while competitors sell similar cups for 100₹, our’s is half the price with much better value for money.

Exploring the market competition, Sandip said Agarbatti brands that deliver innovative quality will survive. Yes, their products should be readily available in stores whenever customers demand. Talking about his Nishan (brand) he said, Our’s is one of the most in-demand brands in Gujarat. We have ensured our products are always available to customers. Significantly, Nishan’s price over quality juxtaposes competitor’s products in the premium range. The quality of incense we deliver for 100₹… our competitors can’t. What we do is a demonstration of years of insightful research and span the raw material market for the best we can get. Our custom-built methods gained through years of experience make us stand out in the market.

Keeping the upcoming festive season, the company has implemented target schemes from August to December. The distributor will receive the same profit if they meet the target. In Gujarat, branded products are in higher demand compared to locally produced loose products in the past. These products today are sold under brand names.

When discussing the challenges of being a producer, he explained that raw material acquisition isn’t an issue. However, due to high demand and a lack of producers, dhoop stick production is decreasing. To keep up, we must outsource production since our capacity is limited. Shortage of labour is the main obstacle, preventing us from expanding production.

Pratik Patel, brother of Sandip Patel, who is looking after Nishant’s business, said that we are trying to give better products to the consumers. We are also working on new fragrances. So that our brand stands out from other products in the market. Many products have also been launched in fine fragrances. On new fragrances trends in the industry, he said that traditional fragrances like rose, mogra, sandalwood, champa, jasmine have been in trend for centuries and are equally liked even today. We add something new to traditional fragrances to stand out from other brands. Therefore, the company has used the fragrance of perfume and air freshener in incense sticks and it has been liked a lot. Discussing an issue where people criticize other brands and praise their own, Patel warns against this. Praising your own brand is good but criticizing and pushing back other brands is not.