Kerala - Kozhikode   

`Rural market not tapped'

By Our Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE, FEB. 12. Though the Indian rural market has been showing great opportunities for consumer product manufacturers, the tapping of this market was being constrained by the lack of expertise, said V. Mukunda Das, director, School of Communication and Management Studies (SCMS), Kochi, here today.

Dr. Das was speaking at a programme organised by Bodhananda Research Foundation Limited. He said the urban market expertise was neither fully applicable nor fully conforming to rural marketing realities. The rural market is three to four times bigger than the urban market in the country. "But reaching out to rural consumers is more difficult because of low density of retail shops in rural areas and low per capita consumption. The efforts to reach out to the rural market need to be innovative and not a replication of urban approaches," he said.

Dr. Das said the country's rural market comprised several "cultural continents" unlike urban markets. Many consumer products that were successful in the urban market failed in rural areas because the essential benefits and features of these products were not compatible with rural lifestyles, social values and consumer perceptions.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Innovative research programme draws acclaim
`Rural market not tapped'

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu