HYDERABAD: A MAJOR MARKET FOR PREMIUM INCENSE STICKS

Hyderabad being a metropolitan city has a very strong market for premium incense sticks and dhoop products, whereas economy products sell more in the rural areas of Telangana. Speaking to  Sugandh India, Manav Jain of the wellknown Hyderabad-based Raj Agency said that premium products have higher demand in urban areas of Hyderabad, while economy products are preferred in rural Telangana. In rural markets, consumers look for packs of 20 incense sticks priced at ₹2. On the other hand, in premium-quality incense, dhoop, and other fragrant products, the highest sales on regular days are for packs priced at ₹70 MRP for 100 grams. During festivals and special occasions, people buy premium products priced at ₹140 MRP. This is why, on average, a customer spends ₹400–₹500 per month on incense sticks and dhoop products. In addition, when it comes to purchasing all pooja-related materials, the spending goes up to around ₹1,000.

Raj Agency was established in 2003 by Manav Jain’s father, Mr  Gautam Chand. Speaking to Sugandh India, Manav Jain saidthat the main reason for entering the incense trade was that his father’s brother-in-law runs Satyam Agency in Hubli and handles the agency of AS Firm of Bengaluru. Inspired by him, they too started the business and took the agency of AS.

After that, they acquired agencies of several brands including Lohana from Ahmedabad; Jayant, Shesh Mohan, and Anand of Mumbai; Vinayak and Bindu from Bijapur; BIC; Balaji; Chintamani’s sambrani powder; Electroma camphor burners; Oswal Miracle; Utsav and PAW from Rajkot; Nirali, and around 15 branded companies in total. Responding to another question, he said that they supply across Telangana. Nearly 1,000 large counters and wholesalers from districts such as Mahbubnagar, Wanaparthy, Zahirabad, and others purchase goods from them.

Manav Jain informed Sugandh India that many companies appoint multiple distributors in the same district or area, which negatively affects the market. Customers and retailers bargain more to buy cheaper products, saying that another distributor is offering the same item at alower price. This affects the market and leads to price wars. He said that Hyderabad has a strong incense market and people here prefer premium-quality products, whereas people in rural areas prefer much cheaper options. He added that the dhoop market has grown to 30%, while incense sticks account for about 70%. In incense sticks, the 100-gram pack priced at ₹70 is the most preferred. Box packs priced between ₹85 and ₹140 MRP are also selling well, and their demand is increasing. The market for 400- gram pouches is growing, mainly among consumers who use incense sticks in large quantities on a daily basis.

In response to a question from Sugandh India, Manoj Jain said that the top-selling brands in Hyderabad include Balaji, Jayant, Zed Black, Cycle, ITC’s Mangaldeep, Forest, and Misbah. He said that wet dhoop does not have a very large market and sells areawise, especially in areas with a higher North Indian population. In wet dhoop, Utsav’s perfume and masala dhoop sell well. AS brand’s ₹75 pack, along with Balaji, BIC, and Hari Darshan, also perform well. In dry sticks, BIC sells well, and Balaji’s thick dhoop priced at ₹125 has very high demand. Premium products priced at ₹140 also see strong demand. AS brand has introduced an 80-gram pack priced at ₹90, which consumers are liking. In cup dhoop, he sells only AS brand, and it has the highest sales. He also mentioned that Hyderabad’s MN Products sell well. Apart from this, Cycle’s Naivedya, Misbah, and Forest are also popular. Bakhoor and loban fragrance products sell in good volumes. Shahi Loban and Rudra from Bengaluru also sell well. Javadu powder is rapidly gaining popularity, and customers who use loban are shifting towards it.

Answering a question about the chandan tika market in Hyderabad, he said that he sells Bhawani Shankar of Varanasi, Manohar of Pune, and Tulsi Ashtagandh of Telangana. Tulsi Ashtagandh falls in a slightly economic range. In attar and roll-ons, products from Kanchipuram and GM Fragrance sell well. Javadu also sells well in both attar and powder forms. In camphor, Swastik performs well. Answering another question, he said that in Hyderabad, out of 10 customers, 3 buy by brand name, while the remaining 7 look for the newest and best products available in the market. He concluded by saying that Hyderabad has always been a premium market and continues to be so, which is why their firm focuses more on premium products.