Rural Marketing: Indian economy is dominated by the rural market in this highly developed era. As a result, most marketers in India strive to reach the rural market and rural consumers. In this blog, we’ll discuss how to target rural consumers with the best rural marketing strategies.
India’s rural markets are one of the biggest and most important markets changing rapidly with time. Rural markets in India are not separate entities and are highly influenced by social and behavioral factors. Marketing activities aimed at satisfying the rural consumer encompass demand, product planning, distribution, and the entire marketing process. Rural markets include all business activities that flow goods and services from producers to rural consumers. Since transport and communication have improved greatly over the last decade, rural marketing is also much easier than it was for pioneers. Rural markets and rural consumers can be reached in many ways.
How Does Rural Marketing Work?
To meet rural customers’ needs and wants and achieve organizational goals, rural marketing involves pricing, developing, promoting, and distributing rural goods and services.
Opportunities In Rural Marketing
Rural marketing offers the following opportunities:
Broad Base Of Customers : In today’s rural market, there are a total of around 895 million people living in more than 664,000 villages. According to estimates, this population will increase by 1.7% by 2022.
Mobile phone and Internet usage have increased : The number of people using the Internet in rural areas is approximately 227 million, compared to 205 million in urban areas. Nevertheless, this number is expected to increase by a decent percentage in the near future.
Opportunities for employment are increasing : Through government initiatives, rural development has led to financial development. Additionally, it has increased employment opportunities for rural residents, raising their incomes.
Increase the literacy rate: There is an increased awareness of education among the rural population in this new generation. The government understands the importance of education and encourages it. The importance of education is also understood by older people as a result of them. Rural India has a literacy rate of 71% as of 2015.
Types of Rural Marketing
Rural marketing in India can be classified into the following types
The periodic market: Rural marketing in India is characterized by periodic markets. Periodic markets are also vital for rural people’s rural economy and social life despite urbanization and the growth of retail outlets. Fairs and weekly markets are two institutions that do periodic marketing.
The mobile trader: In addition to mobile traders, there are other agencies that provide the limited needs of rural consumers, including vegetables, fruits, clothes, utensils, cosmetics, spices, and toiletries. Rural people often need items that mobile traders sell from one place to another, from one house to another.
Permanent Retail Shops : Increasing population in villages leads to an increase in income, a rise in demand for goods, and a daily development of permanent retail outlets. There was no way for traditional fairs, weekly markets, or peddlers to satisfy the need, so permanent shops began to develop.
The latest trends and innovations in rural marketing
The following are recent trends and innovations in rural marketing that give rural consumers and the rural market a new dimension.
- Population is huge
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Revolution in green
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Mobile phones
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Increasing education level
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Rural youth are more employable
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Powerful purchasing power
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Governing incentives and policies
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The media
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Penetration of IT
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Conscious of brands
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Rural marketing objectives
The objectives of rural market research make it easy for marketers to reach out to rural consumers. Rural marketing search objectives are as follows:
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Learn about the psychographics and demographics of rural customers.
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The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of promotional efforts.
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Forecasting sales
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Test new products with rural customers.
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Keep an eye on the competition.
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Find out “what went wrong”.
Marketing Strategies In Rural Areas
Today, marketers in India can reach rural consumers with many rural marketing strategies. Your brand will flourish in rural areas if you plan and implement an effective rural marketing strategy. The rural market is filled with a variety of methods, from hoarding to mobile. The rural marketing industry in India is evolving, and now it is easier for rural marketers to reach rural markets. In the following section, we discuss top rural marketing strategies for reaching rural markets in India. The use of these methods has made rural marketing a lot easier.
1. Rural Market Segmentation
- It is crucial to segment the rural market properly as the first step in rural marketing.
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The process involves segmenting potential rural markets into distinct sub-markets of consumers with similar needs and characteristics.
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Developing a rural marketing strategy begins with segmenting the rural market.
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As soon as the segmentation is completed, the marketer targets the identified customer segments with the appropriate marketing mix so that they are able to recognize the product/brand of the company.
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By recognizing differences in response characteristics between market segments, market segmentation helps marketers maximize the response from limited marketing resources.
To get started, the organization can do the following:
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Selected markets should be targeted
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Focus on a few brands
Select villages for focus
2. Competitive Strategy
The Five Forces model by Michael Porter for developing strategies can be used by marketers looking to enter the rural market.
The supplier : A marketer’s focus must be on supplies in this process. This is accomplished by not only producing high-quality products but also selling them at a reasonable price.
Power of the customer : Rural consumers have become more empowered and knowledgeable about products than ever before as a result of increased literacy, television, advertising, and increased exposure to urban markets. To meet the needs of consumers, markets must offer quality products.
Power of the customer : To reduce the likelihood of new entrants arriving and surviving, rural marketing companies in India should build good relationships with retailers by living in the rural market themselves.
The potential entrants: Rural areas have high levels of illiteracy, low awareness, and a high dependence on retailers, which lead to counterfeiting and alternative products flourishing. This menace must be countered so that millions spent on brand building are not wasted. By packaging, promoting, and recognizing brands, companies can ensure rural consumers are educated.
Product alternatives: Market competition in rural areas differs greatly from that in urban areas. Rural market competitive strategies differ on almost all five forces, indicating that the rural market’s strategic approach differs significantly from the urban market’s approach.
3.Strategy for Products
Rural marketing requires a good product strategy. Below are some points to consider in this regard:-
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Understand product value
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Packaging
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Branding
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Logos & Symbols
4. Pricing Strategy
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There is a need for companies to price their products competitively in rural areas and to provide maximum value for the money spent there.
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A cost structure that is aggressive can help Indian companies achieve this. In order to maintain a low cost of products, rural market products need to be redesigned.
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A good example of this would be refill packs.
5. Hoardings and wall paintings for advertising
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The use of hoardings as an advertising medium is quite ancient and still very effective. It seems odd that rural marketing is best achieved through this method.
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Marketers or advisers place hoardings on the side of the road during this process.
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Rural areas are the best places for branding, besides hoarding.
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Wall painting designs are determined by markets and advertisers. The layout artwork is then completed by a local artist.
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There is a preference for simplicity and traditional values in the rural areas of India.
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A village’s wall painting is a surefire way to attract the attention of its residents.
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The best way to brand your product in rural markets is to use this method.
6. The mobile van
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A video or audio creates a more impactful impression than any other type of media. In rural areas, these mediums also negatively affect brand perceptions. Mobile vans can be an effective marketing tool for rural areas.
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A mobile van can also be used to spread the brand’s image and message across several villages in a single day.
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The mobile van will be stocked with leaflets, flyers, and product samples in order to further enhance the brand’s visibility in the area.
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.
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You can also use shop branding to increase your brand’s popularity in rural areas.
8. Shop Branding
Shop Branding -
You can also use shop branding to increase your brand’s popularity in rural areas.
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Your brand will create an immediate response among rural consumers when you advertise in and around the village shop.
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Advertising in malls is the same in rural marketing as it is in urban marketing.
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Customers are induced to buy a product by seeing an advertisement near a retail outlet.
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In this way, rural marketing is very impactful.
9.Events & Fairs (Melas)
Fairs (Melas) & Events -
A village fair is one of the most anticipated events of the year.
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It is common for locals to hold village fairs or events during festivals.
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Fairs like these draw crowds from the surrounding villages and almost the entire village.
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Thus, stalling at these fairs is a great way to attract the attention of a village to your brand
Brands can reach rural markets efficiently with these rural marketing strategies. It is not surprising that there are many brands in India that want to capture the rural market, as it is a vast and developed market. Today, almost every marketer, whether old or new, wants a piece of this pie. As a result, you should follow these rural marketing strategies and methods if you are one of them.
Aarug Agro: Farmer Friendly Platform
Similarly, Aarug Agro 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 Aarug, farm implements and agriculture news. Apart from information, Aarug Agro 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, Aarug Agro is easily available in their native language so they can understand the platform and its service. Also, for farmers or rural peoples convenience, Aarug Agro provides proper customer support to guide them. With time, Aarug Agro has made a good reach to the rural peoples. That’s why today, approx 40-50 lakh users visit the site per month.
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