07-01-2013, 04:46 PM
Rural Consumer Behavior with Regard to Selected FMCGs Consumption Patterns and Brand Usage: A Study
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Introduction
With the increase in purchasing power and the demand for a wide varietyof products
by the rural consumers, the rural markets offer new and greater opportunities to manufacturers
of several consumer and industrial products in India. To tap this vast and expanding
market, companies are developing effective marketing and advertising strategies based
on their study and understanding of the rural consumer behavior. There are certainly
significant differences in the buying behavior of the rural consumers from the stand
point of product development, pricing policies, distribution, and after-sales service,
which create differences in requirements for marketing strategies in rural India.
In this article, an attempt is made to analyze the characteristics of rural respondents
in terms of demographic, political, economic and sociocultural background.
Objectives of the Study
Against the backdrop, an attempt is made in this study to undertake an in-depth
enquiry into the buying behavior of rural consumers with regard to select packaged
consumer non-durables, in terms of the consumption patterns, buying motives,
factors influencing the buying behavior and brand preferences, and suggest measures
for effective and efficient rural marketing practices in the light of the findings.
The sub-objectives of the study include:
• To study the socio-economic profile of the sample respondents;
• To analyze their consumption patterns with regard to select FMCGs in the
sample area;
• To investigate the motives of rural consumers, their brand preferences and
shop patronage with regard to select FMCGs; and
• To suggest measures for effective marketing practices to be adopted in the rural
areas to suit the rural consumers, in the light of the findings of the study
Database and Methodology
The data on the consumer behavior, both in the urban and rural areas, is scant.
A major portion of the data is generated from primary sources through field study.
Samples of 500 consumer households were selected from five districts—Warangal,
Karimnagar, Khammam, Adilabad and Nalgonda. Stratified random sampling method
is adopted in each district and a sample size of 100 was taken to represent Andhra
Pradesh. For the purpose of empirical analysis, the respondents were classified into two
categories of villages:
a) rural consumers of less than 5,000 population, and
b) consumers of more than 5,000 population. For the purpose of collecting relevant
primary data, a structured questionnaire (see Appendix) was prepared and administered
to the sample respondents who were also interviewed.