Rural Marketing in India after the Economic Reforms

The rural marketing of India started showing its potentials in the late 1980¿s with a consumer boom triggered by a combination of economic and social factors such as good agriculture, policy of liberalization and the impact of mass media causing changes in social values. The changes blurred the urban ¿rural divide. While most of the empirical studies are concentrated on the opportunities and challenges of rural marketing in India. Not many of the researchers in the area attempted on the impact of liberalisation on Rural Marketing in India. The present study focusing on the trends and growth of the rural marketing and rural consumer behaviour under the influence of globalisation process. The study is based on both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected on variable such as household consumer durables, household consumer food items, household non food items, agriculture inputs and machinery and services from the consumers and traders. The study shows that Rural Markets are the new markets which are opening up for most of these packaged goods, they are able ward off competition, generate a new demand and in turn, increase their sales or profits.