High Spending, Strong Brand Loyalty and Premium Preferences Define Hyderabad Market – Pawan Sankla

Answering a question, he said that products from Bengaluru sell the most here. This is followed by products from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and then Maharashtra. Around 25% of the market is also occupied by local manufacturers. He also has his own products under the Sankla brand, which earlier operated under the name RPS. Now, products are being introduced under the Sankla name, including dhoop cups and a three-in-one variant.

Pawan Sankla told Sugandh India that he has been working in the agarbatti trade for nearly 16 years. He holds agencies for several companies and is a major supplier in Hyderabad and Telangana. He said that the top-selling brands in Hyderabad include Balaji, BIC, Jayant, Real, First Choice, Shri Trading, AS Bengaluru, Forest, AR Industries, Cycle, Shridhan, Charbhuja, Shah Loban, Ashika Incense, Big Bell, Sai Flora, Amrutha, Satya, Parnami, Utsav, TPRG’s Janhvi, and Bengaluru-based Garima Fragrance, among other premium brands. Replying to another question, he said that locally manufactured brands also account for about 25% of the market. Apart from Sankla, this includes brands such as AG Agarbatti (Manvi Kewda) . He added that premium agarbatti sells very well here, and there is also strong demand for long dry sticks. In the 5-foot agarbatti range, products like Balaji’s Bela, Chandan, Rose, and BIC’s Musk perform well. Because of this, brand loyalty is very high in Hyderabad. At his retail counter, 6 out of 10 customers purchase by brand name, while the remaining customers ask for newly launched premium products.

Speaking about new and trending brands in Hyderabad, Pawan Sankla said that Binndi Incense has a strong market presence. A new product named Kumbh Mela has been launched and is selling very well. Balaji’s Bela Phool and Chandan Phool are also new products with excellent demand. He said that customers are increasingly demanding more sticks in 400-gram jumbo zipper packs, which is why this segment is growing. Balaji has also launched products in the 400-gram range. Additionally, First Choice has introduced a high-quality Five-in-One Flower product in a 400-gram pack, selling at ₹100.

He said that in the family pack category, premium products in the 250-gram range sell reasonably well. There are also customers who want a pack of just 20 sticks priced at ₹200–250, but the quality must be exceptional. Binndi has launched 27 products, including dry sticks in 100-gram packs, which are performing well. Binndi brand offers a complete range of agarbatti and bamboo-less products. BIC’s Red Velvet and Gajra wet dhoop are also performing very well. He added that among new brands, they have taken up agency for Mumbaibased Rajpal Agarbatti, whose Exotica Oudh, Exotica Bakhoor, and Exotica Velvet are selling very well and receiving many repeat orders. Balaji’s Deluxe Sandal is another good product, available as boxed dhoop. He also handles Anubhav Incense, whose products are performing well.

Pawan Sankla told Sugandh India that the bamboo-less agarbatti market in Hyderabad is growing very rapidly. As a result, many companies have introduced their best-selling fragrances in bamboo-less formats. About three to four months ago, he launched dhoop cups under the Sankla name and is also introducing a 3-inOne variant. They manufacture other products under the RPS brand.

Answering a question about quality products, he mentioned that Amrutha’s French Mimosa and Pal Sambhrani have been launched and are of good quality. Garima Fragrance from Bengaluru is also performing well, especially its Tijori range, along with Amber Sutraand Kesar Chandan. First Choice’s Jawaduagarbatti and Indian Attarful have also been recently launched. Balaji’s bamboo-less thin-stick agarbatti is selling very well. He said that he also handles products from Rajpal, Binndi, Shri Rathnam, TPRG, Utsav, and Shri Trading. There is very strong demand for bamboo-less products in Hyderabad. Top brands in this segment include Balaji, BIC, Shah Fragrance, Parnami, Amrutha, Shri Trading, Anubhav Incense, Maratha Kewda, Golden Cobra, Amravati’s Singapore Sambhrani Cup, and Good Luck.

He further said that customers in Hyderabad prefer family packs in agarbatti. However, quality-conscious customers still prefer 20-stick packs, provided they are high-quality premium products. Good Luck’s Chintan also sells very well. In dhoop sticks, AS, Jayant, and DhoopChhaon are popular. Srinivas Sugandhalaya’s Satya and Jatinbhai’s Vienna Loban also perform well. In zipper packs, BIC, Balaji, and Amrutha see very high demand. Shri Trading’s Sambhrani Cup Kasturi sells at ₹85. Anubhav Incense, Shri Rathnam’s Saraswati Cup, and locally made Sankla cups also sell well.

Regarding the wet dhoop market, he said that Balaji’s premium range performs strongly, along with BIC and Bindi. In zipper packs, brands such as Zed Black, Bansi, and Dev Darshan also have a market. He added that the Jain community in Hyderabad prefers wet dhoop the most.

Answering a question about other pooja materials in Hyderabad, he said that in camphor, brands like Swastik, Ambika, Hari Om, Charminar Kapoor, and Jyoti sell well, with Swastik dominating nearly 99% of the market. In pooja items, pooja oil, ghee, and hawan materials are in demand. In hawan products, Anubhav Incense performs well, while in ashtagandh, Jai Bhavani and Manohar sell well. In chandan tika, Hari Darshan and Dev Darshan are popular. Locally, Tulja Bhavani kumkum sells very well.

In pooja oil, Veeana has launched multiple fragrances, and Pitambari oil is also available. Locally, Anurag oil sells well. He said that while most oils release fragrance when burned, many customers prefer plain oil, in which Parth performs well. In attar, products from Anubhav Incense, First Choice, BIC, Balaji, AR, Shah and Shri Ratnam sell well. In sambhrani cups, Parnami performs very well, along with its agarbatti products, and Shri Rathnam also has cups in this segment. Many other companies’ sambhrani cups are also sold.

Finally, answering a question, he said that there is a strong market for mosquito repellent agarbatti in Hyderabad. Brands such as Black Dragon, DhoopChhaon, Comfort, Balaji Freedom, and Action Replay sell well. Locally, products like Boss and Sandal are also popular.