Title: An empirical analysis of consumer's attitude towards OTC health supplements in India

Authors: Sanjeev Verma

Addresses: National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Vihar lake, Powai, Mumbai 400087, Maharashtra, India

Abstract: In recent past, an upsurge has been observed in India towards healthy and stress-free life. People are getting more inclined towards Over-The-Counter (OTC) purchase of health supplements. The segment is growing at the rate of 15%, which is twice the rate of growth for the entire pharmaceutical sector. Herein lays the greatest benefit for companies, since OTC promotion allows for free play in marketing and brand building, as in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, with three times more consumer reach. But still the segmentation for health supplements is blurred. In this paper, an analysis has been made to identify the effect of demographics and pricing on the purchase of health supplements. This paper also highlights some of the important reasons for the purchase of OTC health supplements in India and satisfying factors for consumers.

Keywords: over-the-counter supplements; health supplements; OTC market consumers; satisfaction levels; consumer preception; India; demographics; pricing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2009.021594

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2009 Vol.2 No.1, pp.1 - 10

Published online: 30 Nov 2008 *

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