Published on Nov 30, 2023
In our country over 70% of the total population live in villages. There are states like U.P, M.P, Bihar, Rajasthan and Orissa where rural population varies form 80 to 90 per cent. Agriculture and agriculture related activities contribute to about 75% of the income in rural areas.
The general impression is that the rural markets have potential only for agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, cattle feed and agricultural machinery. More than 50% of the national income is generated in rural India and there are opportunities to market modern goods and services in rural areas and also market agricultural products in urban areas. Infact it has been estimated that the rural markets are growing at fives times the rate of urban markets.
About 70% of bicycles, mechanical watches and radios and about 60% of batteries, sewing machine and table fans are sold in rural India. At the same time the sales of colour television, washing machines, refrigerators, shampoos, face cream, mosquito repellent and tooth paste are very low and there is tremendous potential for such products in rural markets
While rural markets offer big attractions to the marketers, it is not easy to enter the market and take a sizeable share of the market within a short period. This is due to low literacy, low income, seasonal demand and problems with regards to transportation, communication and distribution channel. Further there are different groups based on religion, caste, education, income and age. There is a need to understand the rural markets in terms of buyer behaviour, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations of people. Characteristics of Rural Markets
According to the 1991 census, the rural population constitutes about 74% of the total population in our country. While the population went from 55 crores (1971) to 85 crores (1991), the rural-urban proportion have remained more or less the same as in 1971. There are states like U.P, M.P, Bihar, Rajasthan and Orissa where rural population varies from 80 to 90 percent. Therefore a large population gives an opportunity for marketing a variety of goods and services. However income and purchasing power play a major role in determining the demand in rural areas.
Agriculture and related activities continue to be the main occupation for majority of the rural population. Land is the major source of income for about 77% of the population. Others are engaged in business (10%), non-agriculture labour (9%), salary earners (2%) and not gainfully employed (2%). It is evident that rural prosperity depends upon growth and development of agriculture.
It has been estimated that the rural literacy level is 36% compared to 62% in urban areas. Literacy is one of the important factors in developing awareness and knowledge about technological changes. As many as 16 major languages are spoken adding to the complexities in rural communication.
Low income, low purchasing power, overall social and economic backwardness lead to low standard of living. In general a rural consumer spends less on non-food items.
The media reach in rural household is low. Statistics indicates that the reach of Print media is 10%, followed by TV 31%, Radio 32% and Cinema 36%. Therefore the marketer has to consider rural specific promotion media and methods to reach the villagers.
About 20% of the six lakh villages are without telephone facility even today. This includes Rajasthan (17600 villages), MP (14200 villages), Maharashtra (12000 villages), Gujarat (7000 villages), and AP, Assam, Orissa about 6000 villages each. (Source: The Indian Express dated 30.3.2003).
About 50% of the markets are not connected by road. Most of the roads are kachha and become unusable during rainy season. Many farmers use bullock cart for transporting their produce from village to the market. This means of transport is time consuming.
The main objective is to provide electricity for agricultural operations and for small industries in rural areas. About 5 lakh villages (77%) have electric supply and this has increased the demand for electric supply and this has increased the demand for electric motors, pumps and agricultural machinery.
Medical facilities are quite inadequate and the villagers have to travel long distances for getting medical treatment.
Village nearer to towns has elements of the urban life. Interior villages are more traditional. Informal/Rural Specific Media
These media with effective reach and personalized communication will help in realizing the promotional objectives. Companies to suit the specific requirements of rural communication are using a variety of such media effectively and some of the more important media and methods are given below.
Rural people prefer face-to-face communication and farm visits facilitate two-way communication. The advantage is that the sales person can understand the needs and wants of the rural customer by directly discussing with him and answer his queries on products and services. Potential customers in the village are identified and the company's/distributor's representative makes farm-to-farm visits and highlight the benefits of the products. The person carries with him literature in local language and also samples of products.
The person does not sell the product but only promotes the use of the product. Very often the local dealer also joins the representative in making farm-to-farm visits. The dealer clarifies the terms and conditions of sale and also makes independent follow up visits for securing orders. Example: This approach has been found to be very effective for agricultural machinery, animal health products and agricultural inputs. Many LIC agents and companies dealing with high value consumer durables have tried this method with success in rich rural areas.
Group meetings of rural customers as well as prospects are an important part of interpersonal media. The company is able to pass on the message regarding benefits of the products to a large number of customers through such meetings. Group meeting of key customers are conducted by banks, agricultural inputs and machinery companies in rural areas. The bankers visit an identified village, get the village people in a common place and explain the various schemes to the villagers. Such meetings could be organized in prosperous villages for promoting consumer durables and two wheelers also. Example: MRF Tyres conduct tractor owners meet in villages to discuss repairs and maintenance of tractors.
Villagers place more emphasis on the experience of others who have used a product/brand to make purchase decision. Opinion leader is a person who is considered to be knowledgeable and is consulted by others and his advice is normally followed. Such opinion leaders could be big landlords, bank official, panchayath-president, teachers, extension workers etc. Examples: a) Mahindra Tractors use bankers as opinion leaders for their product. b) Asian Paints promoted its Utsav brand of paint by painting the village Sarpanch's house a few months prior to the launch if the branch to demonstrate that the paint does not peel off.
Melas are of different types i.e. commodity fairs, cattle fairs and religious fairs and may be held only for a day or may extend over a week. Many companies have come out with creative ideas for participating in such melas. Examples: a) Britannia promotes Tiger Brand Biscuits through melas. b) The mahakumbh at Allahabad is the biggest mela in India. HLL has put up 14 stalls in the mela grounds for promoting Lifebuoy. Handcarts have been deployed for increasing access.
Traditionally on certain days of week, both the sellers and buyers meet in the village to buy and sell goods and services. These are the haats that are being held regularly in all rural areas. The sellers arrive in the morning in the haat and remain till late in the evening. Next day they move to another haat. The reason being that in villages the wages are paid on weekly basis and haat is conducted on the day when the villages get their wages. For the marketer, the haat can be an ideal platform for advertising and selling of goods. By participating in haats and melas, the company can not only promote and sell the products but also understand the shared values, beliefs and perceptions of rural customers that influence his buying behaviour.
These are well-appreciated form of entertainment available to the village people. The folk dance "Kuravan Kurathi" is popular in Tamil Nadu. The troupe consists of dancers, drummers and musicians and they move in a well-decorated van from one village to another village singing and dancing. In a day the troupe covers about 8-10 villages. As soon as the van reaches a village, film songs are played to attract the attention of the villages. This is followed by folk dances. Mike announcement is made about the company's products and leaflets are distributed. After the dance programme, queries, if any, about the products are answered by the sales person. Folk dance programme costs about Rs.5000 per day and therefore these programmes are conducted during the peak season in selected villages. Examples: Fertilizer and pesticide companies organize folk dance programmes during peak season in selected markets. Thumps Up has sponsored Lavnis, the folk dance programme of Maharashtra and over 30 programmes have been arranged in selected rural markets.
AV unit is one of the effective tools for rural communication. The van is a mobile promotion station having facilities for screening films slides and mike publicity. The sales person makes a brief talk about situation in the village, the products and the benefits. The ad film is screened along with some popular film shots and this continues for about 30 minutes. At the end of the film show, he distributes handbills and answers queries of the customers. The whole operation takes about 1-2 hours depending upon the products under promotion, number of participants in the meeting and time taken for question and answers. The vans move to the next village for the second show. The cost of running a fully equipped AVP unit is about Rs.4000 per day and AVP van operation has to be considered as an investment for business development in rural areas. Example: Companies such as HLL, Colgate, and Phillips have made effective use of AVP vans for popularizing their products in rural areas.
Package is an integral part of the product. Its main purpose is to protect the product during transit, to preserve the quality and to avoid any loss in quality and quantity. The main purpose of this contest is to remind the customer to buy the product as soon as he enters the shop. Another objective is to influence the dealer to stock the product and support the company in increasing the sales. The display contest has to be announced well in advance and promotional materials to be distributed to all the selected dealers in a geographical area. Prizes for best displays are announced to motivate the dealers; the contest lasts for about a month. A well-planned product display contest not only increases the involvement of dealers in the company's products but also increases the sales during the contest period. This is used for promoting consumer goods such as shampoos, soaps and toothpaste.
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