In this highly developed era, the rural market relatively rules the Indian economy. So, most marketers try to reach the rural market and rural consumers in India. This blog will provide you information about the best rural marketing strategies to target rural consumers.
Rural India is one of the essential and huge markets which is changing fast with time. The rural market in India is not a separate entity in itself and is highly influenced by the social and behavioural factors operating in the country. The rural market encompasses all marketing activities, facilitating demand, product planning, distribution and the entire marketing process aimed at the satisfaction of the rural consumer. A rural market includes all those business activities involved in the flow of goods and services from producers to rural consumers. Rural marketing is also much easier than the pioneers as the means of transport and communication have improved a lot during the last decade. Many ways help marketers to reach the rural market and rural consumers.
What Is Rural Marketing Strategies
Rural marketing is a process of pricing, developing, promoting and distributing rural specific goods and services, leading to desired exchanges with rural customers to meet their needs and wants and achieve organizational objectives.
Opportunities In Rural Marketing
Opportunities In Rural Marketing are as follows:-
1. Broad Base Of Customers: Today, the rural market is a vast area with around 895 million people in over 664,000 villages. It is estimated that this population will increase by 1.7% by 2022.
2. Internet & Mobile Phone Usage Increased – Currently, about 227 million rural people use the Internet, compared to about 205 million people in urban areas. However, this figure is projected to increase by a decent percentage in the coming few years.
3. Employment Opportunities Are Increasing – Rural development has led to financial development in rural areas due to government initiatives over the years. It also has increased the employment opportunities for the rural residents, and thus the income level has increased.
4. Improve Literacy Rate: In this new generation, the rural peoples are more aware of education. They understand the importance of education and try to encourage it. Because of them, older people are also mindful of the importance of education. As of 2015, the literacy rate of rural India is 71%.
Types of Rural Marketing
Following are the different types of rural marketing in India:-
- Periodic Markets
The periodic market is one of the important features of rural marketing in India. Despite urbanization and the growth of retail outlets, periodic markets are also essential for rural people’s rural economy and social life. Periodic marketing work is done by two institutions, fairs and weekly markets. - Mobile Traders
There is another important agency known as mobile traders to meet the limited needs of rural consumers like vegetables, fruits, clothes, utensils, cosmetics, spices, toiletries etc. Mobile traders move from one place to another, from one house to another, to sell items that the rural peoples often need. - Permanent Retail Shops
With the increase in the population of villages, improvement in their income, demand for goods, and daily development of permanent retail outlets take place. Traditional fairs, weekly markets, or peddlers could not satisfy the situation, which led to the rise and development of permanent shops.
Recent Trends & Innovation in Rural Marketing
Following are innovation and recent trends in rural marketing, which give a new dimension to the rural market and rural consumers.
- Huge population
- Green revolution
- Smartphones
- Increased education level
- Increased employability of rural youth
- Enhanced purchasing power
- Government Incentives and policies
- Media
- IT penetration
- Brand conscious
- Objectives of Rural Marketing
Rural market research has many objectives which make reach easy for marketers. Following are the objectives of rural marketing search:-
- Get to know about the Psychographics and Demographics of rural customers.
- To ascertain the impact of promotional efforts.
- To forecast sales
- Find rural customer response for new products.
- Monitor competition moves.
- Investigate “What went wrong”.
Marketing Strategies In Rural Areas
In this modern age, many rural marketing strategies in India are available that help marketers reach rural consumers. Complex planning and an effective rural marketing strategies will help your brand to flourish in rural areas. From hoarding to mobile, many methods are available in the rural market. With time, rural marketing India is getting updated, and now reaching rural markets has become easy. In the below section, we mentioned top rural marketing strategies that help marketers reach rural market in India. Rural marketing is now quite an easy process with these ways.
1. Rural Market Segmentation
- The first and most important strategy of rural marketing is the proper segmentation of the rural market.
- In this process, a potential rural market is segmented into distinct sub-markets of consumers with common needs and characteristics.
- Rural market segmentation is the initial stage of implementing a rural marketing strategy.
- Once the segmentation is done, the marketer targets the identified customer groups with the appropriate marketing mix so that the target segments can perceive the company’s product/brand.
- Market segmentation is a method of obtaining a maximum market response from limited marketing resources by recognizing differences in the response characteristics of different market segments.
To get started, the organization can do the following:
- Focus on selected markets
- Concentrate on selected makes
- Focus on selected villages
2. Competitive Strategy
Marketers looking to enter the rural market can examine their strategy on the conceptual framework of Michael Porter’s Five Forces model for strategy development.
( a) Supplier – In this process, marketers have to focus on supplies. For this, the brands not only produce high-quality products but also sell them reasonably.
( b ) Customer Power – With increased literacy, the advent of television, promotional efforts and increased exposure to urban markets, rural consumers have become more knowledgeable and empowered about products than ever before. Therefore, markets must offer good quality products to meet their needs effectively.
(c ) Potential Entrants – Rural marketing companies in India operating in the rural market should work to remove entry barriers by first living there and build good relationships with retailers so that new entrants are less likely to arrive and survive.
( d ) Alternative Products – Due to high levels of illiteracy, low awareness and dependence on retailers in rural areas, counterfeiting is prevalent, and alternatives flourish. Hence the company should have an adequate strategy to counter this menace so that millions spent in the brand building are not wasted. Companies have to ensure the education of rural consumers through packaging, promotion, and brand recognition to get exactly what they want.
( e ) Competitor – The nature of rural marketing competition is very different from that in the urban market. Thus, the competitive strategy concerning the rural market differs on almost all five forces, which suggests that the strategic approach required for the rural market is very different from the approach adopted in the urban market.
3. Product Strategy
Product strategy in rural marketing is an essential step for good marketing. So, for this, check out the points mentioned below:-
- Understand product value
- Packaging
- Branding
- Logos & Symbols
4. Pricing Strategy
- Companies must price their products competitively and provide maximum value for money spent in their rural areas.
- Indian companies can do this by creating an aggressive cost structure. Redesigning of products for the rural market should be done to maintain a low cost of products.
- Refill packs are an excellent example in this case.
5. Advertisement Via Hoardings & Wall Paintings
- Advertisement through hoarding is quite an old and effective way of branding. And it sounds strange that it is the best option for rural marketing.
- In this process, the marketer or adviser put hoardings on the side of the road.
- Apart from hoarding, wall painting is most effective in rural areas for branding.
- Markets and advertisers decide the design of wall painting. Then, it is handed over to a local artist to complete the artwork of the layout.
- The rural area of India prefers to live in simplicity and traditional values.
- Thus, wall painting is a sure way of attracting the attention of the people of the village.
- So, if you want good product branding in rural markets, then this method is best for you.
6. Mobile VAN
- Videos and audios create a more impactful impression for anything. Similarly, these mediums create highly affected impressions of brands in rural areas. So, for rural marketing, mobile vans must be a good option.
- Mobile vans also work to spread the brand’s image and message across multiple locations in a single day in a single village or even in several villages.
- Placing leaflets, custom flyers and product samples in the mobile van will further enhance the brand’s image among the local people.
7. Kiosk Setup
- When branders want one-on-one interaction with rural people, then kiosk setup is one the best ways or rural marketing strategies.
- For this, you have to set up the kiosk in the popular areas of the village like a post office, the marketplace, near a high school, etc., to attract them. Then, as a result, they will be influenced to reach the kiosk out of their curiosity.
- Kiosk setup also helps you to have a detailed conversation with potential consumers about the brand. This, in turn, helps in building a solid image of the brand among the villagers.
- Distribution of leaflets and flyers, product/service display and sampling, goes a long way in strengthening the brand’s reach.
8. Shop Branding
- Shop branding is another best strategy to make your brand popular among rural people.
- In this process, you have to advertise your brand in and around the village shop, which will create an immediate response between the rural consumers.
- Shop branding in rural marketing is the same as mall advertising in cities.
- Advertisement of a brand near a retail outlet induces the customer to buy the product out of curiosity.
- Thus, it is a very impactful way of rural marketing.
9. Fairs (Melas) & Events
- Melas or village fairs are the most anticipated events in the village.
- These village fairs or events are held in the various festivals that locals observe.
- Almost the entire village and the crowds of the surrounding villages participate in these fairs.
- Hence, putting up a stall in these fairs is a prudent way to draw the attention of a village towards a brand.
These rural marketing strategies help the brands to reach rural markets efficiently. Many brands are available in India that want to take a position in the rural market because this market is vast and now a developed market. Nowadays, most marketers, whether old or new, want to enter this market. So, if you are one of them, you have to follow these rural marketing strategies and ways mentioned above.
Tractor Junction – Farmer Friendly Platform
Similarly, Tractor Junction has made a special place among the rural peoples by following some of these methods. It is a farmer-friendly platform from where farmers can easily get all the agriculture-related information like tractors, farm implements and agriculture news. Apart from information, Tractor Junction also helps sell and buy tractors, farm implements and harvesters , farmland and animals/livestock. And much more you will find things and information related to agriculture here. For rural peoples, Tractor Junction is easily available in their native language so they can understand the platform and its service. Also, for farmers or rural peoples convenience, Tractor Junction provides proper customer support to guide them. With time, Tractor Junction has made a good reach to the rural peoples. That’s why today, approx 40-50 lakh users visit the site per month.
Along with this, over 3 lakh* users download the Tractor Junction app. The best thing about Tractor Junction is that it provides information in the most convenient way, in video. Yes, you heard right, Tractor Junction has its own youtube channel in which you can get all the essential information related to tractors and agriculture via video. The channel has 370K subscribers. So, we can say that Tractor Junction is the platform of real rural India. By following these rural marketing Strategies, Tractor Junction becomes a very important part of rural peoples. Tractor Junction used mobile and internet to reach rural people and is successful in it.
Difference Between Rural And Urban Marketing
These are some essential information about Rural Marketing Strategies which help you to understand the rural market and reach it. We hope you enjoy the blog and are happy with it. For more such knowledgeable blogs, stay tuned with Tractor Junction.
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