UNIT 1 -4 Profile of Rural Consumers (1).pdf
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- 2. PROFILE OF RURAL CONSUMERS Literacy: • 23% of rural Indian population is literate and people are getting added to this list year after year • There are still some villages which are underdeveloped • Maximum education is primary school or in some cases high school. To this group the marketing promotional strategy to be adopted is demonstration of product features and advantages. Print media and posters do not make any impact.
- 3. Income • An average rural consumer has a much lower income than his urban counterpart • The disposable income has increased in the recent years to a considerable extent • In spite of this, the common traits of rural consumers are: • Low purchasing power • Low standardof living • Low per capita income and • Low economic and social positions.
- 4. Density • Rural population is scattered across 7 lakh villages. This implies that rural demand is scattered and urban demand is concentrated.
- 5. INFLUENCERS • There are many reference groups in a village. These include teacher, doctor, panchayat members, health workers, bank manager, ex military personnel and co-operative board workers “These influencers need to be kept in mind when a marketer decides on rural marketing”
- 6. …contd • Occupation: The main occupationis agriculture.The size and ownership of land determines the basis for differentiationand consumption patterns • Culture: Rural consumers are traditionalin their outlook. They associate faster with messages that match their culturalbehavior • Language: Englishis not a languageof rural India. Hence a marketer should aim for communication in the local language. • Media Habits: Television, radio, video and theatreare some of the traditionalmedia that a rural consumer identifieswith.
- 7. • Culture: Rural consumers are traditional in their outlook. They associate faster with messages that match their cultural behavior • Language: English is not a language of rural India. Hence a marketer should aim for communication in the local language. • Media Habits: Television, radio, video and theatre are some of the traditional media that a rural consumer identifies with.
- 8. CHANGING PROFILE OF RURAL CONSUMERS • This scenario is slowly changing due to increase in literacy and disposable income • Rural markets today are critical for every marketer - be it for a branded shampoo or a television • Penetration levels of consumer durables in the rural sector have risen dramatically in the last decade or so • Even the rural woman is coming out of the closet and is exercising her choice in selecting categories - the choice of brands may still be with the males of the household. •
- 9. SUMMARIZED • The prerogative of makingthe final purchase decisionsstills rests with the chief male. In other words, the “chief wage earner” syndrome still applies in the rural markets
- 10. • References 1. Kashyap Pradeep (2012). RuralMarketing, Dorling Kindersley ( India) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. 2. Chetan Priti ( 2016). RuralMarketing ( Focus on FMCGs) Jnanada Prakashan 3. https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/rural-marketing/rural-marketing-introduction-concept- and-definitions/48725