Pragati Marketing handles Forest Brand in Jalgaon:Harshad Vinod Zawar
Pragati Marketing is an FMCG firm inJalgaon that handles agency work form several companies. For the first time,the firm has taken up the agency ofan agarbatti brand that is Forest forboth urban and rural areas of Jalgaon.Harshad Vinod Zawar, head of PragatiMarketing, told Sugandh India thatForest is a very high-quality brand.Since Jalgaon has a strong market forincense products, the brand quicklygained traction. He shared that afriend introduced him to Forest, andthis is his very first venture into theincense trade.
In response to a question from SugandhIndia, he said that Zed Black sells very wellhere. Apart from that, BIC, Ullas, Nishan,and Man Mandir also perform strongly.He added that they stock more than 90%of Forest’s product range, which includesincense sticks, wet dhoop, dry sticks, andmany premium products. Among incense sticks, the₹50 zipper pack is the most popular. According tohim, the market here is divided into 75% incense and25% dhoop. Within dhoop, the ratio of wet to dry is60% and 40% respectively. He noted that retail shopsand roadside vendors generally buy more wet dhoop.
Pragati Marketing supplies to around 1,500 counters,including paan shops, medical stores, andgeneral stores, within a 50 km radius of Jalgaon. Heshared that Nishan’s ₹20 dhoop is in good demand,while in wet dhoop, Zed Black and BIC are leading.The impact of Zed Black’s TV advertising is significant,driving high demand. He further said that inthis market, economy products account for 60%,while medium and premium products make up 40%.Dry sticks also enjoy good demand; they are pricedat ₹85 MRP, with retailers selling them at ₹60. In boxpacks, cup dhoop holds 70% of the market share,with products from multiple companies performingwell.
Answering another question, he said that on average,a customer buys incense products worth ₹400–₹500 per month, but only 2–3 out of 10 customerspurchase specifically by brand name. Most of thecompanies in the market run promotional schemesinvolving coupons, tours, and gifts. Forest too offers coupons and free pouches.
