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Apparently in terms of the number of people, the Indian rural market is almost twice as large as the entire market of USA or Russia. This market is not only large, but very much scattered geographically . Let is also as diverse as it is scattered. It exhibits linguistic, regional and cultural diversities and economic disparities, and hence, it an easily be considered as more complex than the market of a continent as a whole . The rural market scene has undergone a steady and encouraging change over the last three decades.
In spite of several barriers to faster growth, the growth has not only been quantitative, but also qualitative. This change has been possible because of new employment opportunities and new sources of income made available through rural development programs which have resulted in green and white revolutions and a revolution in rising expectations of rural masses . The rural buyers in India provide a tremendous range of . Introductions and paradoxes which baffles the urban- based marketing people and, even more so, the foreign observers.
Erlenmeyer’s are far less homogeneous than their urban counterparts and differ from region to region. The rural market is made up of two broad components I. E. , the market for consumption goods and the market for agricultural inputs. The rural markets are by and large less exploited. Another important feature of the rural market is that at least in the present context, it is largely agriculture oriented. Green revolution and the resultant prosperity is confined to a few select areas in the country. As a result, the effective demand for consumer items has not spread all over rural India . Income generated from the money sent by the members of their families employed in towns and abroad also helped the rural people to spend more on consumer goods . Len spite of the increasing rate of growth in urban population through migration and other channels and the consequent increase in their purchasing power, the rural market still offers opportunities which are vast and yet rural market vibrant. At the current rate of growth it will soon outstrip urban market. Surveys and audits for a number f consumer products and services have, over the years, clearly highlighted the emmer gin importance of this sector.
The rural market is not sleeping any longer. ‘Go Rural’ seems to be the latest slogan. Rural consumption of all products is growing by leaps and bounds, since the urban market has reached near saturation levels in a number of categories. PROBLEMS OF RURAL MARKETING In the context of India, marketing in rural areas is a complex subject. For any business serialization, rural marketing comes with a number of problems. The cost of rural marketing is large and poses many problems due to the large size of the country.
A few other problems that stem from the under developed rural markets and illiterate people in rural India, constitute the major segment of the markets. More purchasing power for the rural population is not enough. The activation of buying by the rural consumers on a wider scale is a prerequisite for the exploitation of the Indian rural market. It is now collectively accepted that the rural salesmanship in India has been insufficient and inadequate and out of proportion to the agriculture revolution. This calls for strong bias in favor of raising the rural demand as against the urban demand.