Localization strategy is a key to be successful in rural markets

Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India, unravels the strategic imperatives needed to succeed in rural India.

We asked Arijeet to share his thoughts on how companies can continue to be innovative in the complex, high-value and geographically diverse market that is rural India. Here’s what he had to say:

The Indian rural market is very unique and distinctive. Today, rural India constitutes around 66% of the total country’s population. Over the past few years’ rural market has witnessed an increment in the buying power of consumers, fueled by their aspirations to upgrade their standard of living. The segment has a strong desire to improve their economic status, particularly in the case of the rural millennials. This populace has higher aspirations, increasing purchasing power, evolving consumption pattern and internet led access to the world are few influential elements that are driving purchases across these regions. Over this, the difference of language, culture, and values after every 15 miles makes this market a complex, fast-evolving and hyper-competitive in nature.

Realizing these facts, for a success story, it’s significant for a brand to adopt a localized communication and customized marketing strategy that helps integrate experiences of their everyday life while building personal and emotional quotient. Further, the product must have factors such as style, design, quality, futuristic features, sturdiness and most importantly affordability. With this, the brand must also focus on developing a robust distribution strength by nurturing deeper penetration into offline channels.