Dial: Larger Caps Mean More Purex Sales

Flavor, scent and price are all variables that consumer product makers juggle to sell their wares, and now there’s another one–the size of the cap on a bottle of laundry detergent.

Over the next two years, Dial Corp., Scottsdale, AZ, said it plans to increase the size of the caps on its Purex bottles to 5.5-oz., hoping to encourage consumers who measure detergent by the capful to use more, according to Greg Tipsford, senior vice president, laundry care. The company currently has 3.5-oz. and 4.5-oz. caps and nine different types of caps in all. The change will also reduce the number of cap sizes to one, he said.

“If you have a smaller cap, customers will use less of your product,” Mr. Tipsford said. Purex currently has smaller caps than Procter & Gamble Co. and Unilever Plc detergent products. Despite the smaller cap size, Purex was still a key growth driver for the company in 2002. The brand is priced at the “value” or lower-priced segment in the market and is the No.2 overall brand in terms of volume and No.3 in terms of dollar sales, Dial said.

Aside from the cap size, Dial is looking at more obvious ways to grow Purex sales–including working with retailers to get more shelf space to match its growing sales–and is looking to roll out new products. The company is currently testing a new formula to help prevent fading.