The "potion soap" familiar to Shanghai people is not simple!
Because of consumer suggestions, a piece of "China first" was born
Author: Ren Chong
"Shanghai sulphur soap is suitable for bathing, it can also wash face and hair, acne is gone, and dandruff is gone" "Will it be too dry to wash face and hair with soap?"...Consumer evaluations and suggestions have become Inspiration for time-honored innovation.
Recently, "Shanghai Medicated Soap", affectionately known as "Potion Soap" by Shanghai people, has been transformed again: it not only adds a series of liquid soaps with different fragrances and functions, but also launches China's first shampoo soap through formula upgrades.
Find inspiration from consumer advice
"Many people ask, where is the inspiration for the innovation of time-honored brands? How can the market pay for the innovative results? The answer comes from consumers' comments and suggestions." said Wang Zhenming, general manager of Soap Group.
"Shanghai Medicated Soap" and "Shanghai Sulfur Soap" are the star products of the Soap Group. Both are classic antibacterial and mite-removing soaps with affordable prices, only around 2 yuan per piece.
However, consumer feedback has provided inspiration for time-honored innovations, driving a spate of new products, new features and higher added value.
According to consumers' requirements that the skin should be "moisturized" and "smooth" after use, the R&D personnel have formulated a liquid soap base that matches the efficacy of the product, which can not only allow the active ingredients to fully act on the skin, but also solve the problems of traditional soap bathing. The problem of dry skin also avoids the "false slippery" body feeling produced by ordinary shower gels.
In response to consumers' opinions that the original functional ingredients such as sulfur are more "pungent", the R&D personnel used molecular wrapping technology to turn sulfur into colloidal sulfur, which became small molecules in liquid soap, and added other scented natural essential oils.
In this way, the liquid soap no longer smells of sulfur, but increases the fragrance retention effect; while in use, the outer layer of colloidal sulfur is ruptured, releasing sulfur components, which continue to play a role in removing mites and inhibiting bacteria.
So far, it has a new form with the classic "Shanghai Medicated Soap" and "Shanghai Sulphur Soap".
When the new product was launched last year, it was the end of summer, but it still became a star on social platforms.
Many consumers took the initiative to share their experience and praised "Light of Domestic Products" one after another.
After tasting the sweetness of innovation, before the summer of this year, Soap Group continued to innovate according to the suggestions of consumers.
First, the liquid soap family was expanded, adding hyaluronic acid blue mud liquid soap, white peach fruit acid soaked liquid soap, and Jingui elastic amino acid liquid soap for dry, itchy and sensitive skin.
The research and development staff said that the new products pay more attention to the segmentation of people and functions. "Many people do not know where the market segment is, and it is often in the comments and discussions of consumers."
For example, hyaluronic acid blue mud mainly responds to the feedback of some male consumers, sweating a lot in summer, body odor is heavy, and the skin is prone to oil, so by adding natural blue mud, tea tree essential oil, etc., it can absorb excess skin oil, sterilize and remove mites, and resist Acne and anti-inflammatory; Jingui Elastic Amino Acid Liquid Soap uses amino acids that are less irritating to the skin and have good cleansing power to gently cleanse the skin, in response to the needs of consumers with sensitive skin.
Followed by "China's first shampoo soap."
In big cities, "washing your hair with soap" seems to be a thing of the past. The Soap Group found from consumer reviews that some elderly consumers still prefer to wash their hair with soap; It has acne-removing function, but shampooing feels a little dry. After analyzing the industry, it is found that the price of functional shampoo soaps in imported brands is not low, and there are many supporters.
"As a time-honored soap-making company in China, we are not short of technology and functional products. Why can't we make shampoo soap?" The R&D staff said that innovation is not as difficult as imagined, because the time-honored brand has accumulated technology and needs good products. inspiration.
In response, they developed a soap-free shampoo bar enriched with plant extracts.
During the trial period of the new product, many consumers said that the new product was surprising, "even if the hair is long, it is fluffy and not dry after washing"; and the feedback from consumers surprised Soap Group, "In addition to consumers' recognition of the quality, there are more of consumers suggested that shampoo soap is more portable than liquid shampoo, and the packaging is simple, which is in line with the current consumption concept of environmental protection, which makes us find that the shampoo soap market has great potential."
Is the new product priced higher than the classic product, does it sell well?
It has been suggested that the brand "Shanghai Medicated Soap" is also used, but the price of liquid soap and shampoo soap is dozens of times that of the classic "Medicated Soap" and "Shanghai Sulphur Soap".
Will the market buy it?
Wang Zhenming did not shy away from this question: "The Chinese market is big enough, as long as the products are good enough, no one is afraid that no one will pay. It's just that different products are aimed at different consumer groups, so the marketing methods are different."
Therefore, in terms of production and sales, Soap Group insists on "walking on two legs" for classic products and innovative products.
On the one hand, classic products are constantly available.
In the market, "Shanghai Medicated Soap" and "Shanghai Sulfur Soap" are always in sufficient supply at around 2 yuan each, and they can be found in supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores.
Among all product categories of Soap Group, classic products always account for about 80%, which is convenient for old customers to buy their favorite products.
On the other hand, new products emphasize cost performance, and they are rolled out through new channels to accumulate word of mouth.
The pricing of new products has an advantage over similar products.
For example, the quality of liquid soaps and shampoo soaps are aimed at mid-to-high-end products in the industry, especially imported brands that many consumers are willing to spend a lot of money on "sea shopping", but the price is only half of theirs, which is still regarded as cost-effective high.
At the same time, they are the first to appear on e-commerce platforms and e-commerce live broadcast rooms, because these platforms are aimed at young consumer groups who are more willing to try new things.
A good product speaks for itself.
Taking liquid soap as an example, the price of 158 yuan a bottle once made some consumers incomprehensible: this is dozens of times that of traditional soap, can it be sold?
The sales performance shows the problem: this year, the sales of Shanghai medicated soap series liquid soap in the first 5 months have been the same as last year.
Wang Zhenming also noticed an interesting phenomenon: as online sales increased and word of mouth spread, many offline channels took the initiative to throw olive branches to the soap-making group, hoping to purchase goods, "The offline promotion fee is very high, but now it has become offline. Taking the initiative to ask for the goods, the saved marketing costs are ultimately reflected in the cost-effectiveness of the products and give back to consumers.”
In late June, the time-honored brand found that due to the impact of the epidemic, this year has some regrets, but it is more of a surprise: unfortunately, the epidemic has delayed the launch cycle of new products and missed the marketing peak of e-commerce "618"; but the surprise is that the classic Products and innovative products work together to make Soap Group's sales in June exceed 80 million yuan, a record high. "This shows that the market has resilience and space, and time-honored brands have great potential." (Shangguan News)