Read Between the Ps

FMCG Industry in India is witnessing a change – a change in the pattern in which it is growing – needless to say, with the changing demographics, the pattern of marketing would also change. As rural penetration increases, the rural markets would command more and more share of the overall FMCG space. Though the urban markets are growing too, the incremental addition in consumers / households is much more in rural space as compared to urban markets. According to an article in Mint, posted a couple of months back , not only have the media investments by FMCG companies moved towards rural India, but also a larger piece of the cake has started coming from the rural belt itself. Rural India, mostly termed as “ high opportunity ” market, is no longer just an opportunitiy, but is now yielding results. As the article mentions, “ 180 million rural and semi-urban people’s attention has already been diverted towards FMCG products, according to latest estimates released by industry chamber, Asso...

China is there in almost every 2nd line of news pieces when it comes to global businesses. Rightly so, with a growing middle class, rising income levels, low costs of production and more than 10% annual growth – the package would lure any investor today. Lately, this attention is being focused on the emerging China, where more than three-quarters of a billion people reside. A recent article published at Mckinsey Quarterly recommends an innovative way of leveraging the hard infrastructure of China’s booming telecom market. The article, titled “ Developing a new rural payments system in China ”, by Jan Bellens, Chris Ip, and Anna Yip , highlights the importance of accessible payment system for the rural regions of China, where more than 750 million Chinese reside currently. Lack of payment gateways , high costs involved in setting up additional ATMs and lack of awareness of cashless payment systems limit the current spending patterns of the consumers, and the entire value chain foll...