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Marketing of FMCGs (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) plays a
pivotal role in the growth and development of a country
irrespective of the size, population and the concepts which
are so interlinked that, in the absence of one, the other
virtually cannot survive. It is a fact that the development
of FMCG marketing has always kept pace with the economic
growth of the country. Both have experienced evolutionary
changes rather than revolutionary changes. The objective
of modern marketing is to make profits by delighting the
consumers by satisfying their needs and wants. Hence, the
marketers of FMCGs have to understand the real needs, wants,
beliefs and attitudes of the consumers towards their products
and services. Today, network marketing is a multi-billion
dollar business. A number of companies have adopted this
business model. It is one of the main driving forces of
the 21st century economy. This article highlights the characteristics
of rural respondents in terms of demographic, political,
economic and sociocultural background. Finally, before concluding,
it also analyzes the consumption patterns, brand usage and
brand shifting of different FMCGs.
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.
Consumer behavior research takes place at every phase of
the consumption process. It starts before the purchase and
continues till the purchase is completed. Although research
on consumer behavior is in its infancy, a good number of
researchers have conducted various studies on consumer behavior
to gain a greater understanding of the consumers. A review
of some of the important research studies conducted earlier
on consumer behavior are as follows:Bonfield (1974) conducted a study to measure the interactions
among the four independent variables—attitude, social
influence, personal norm and intention—as related to
brand purchase behavior among the 301 active members of
a dairy panel. The results of the study provided empirical
evidence that the importance of social and psychological
influences in relation to consumer behavior vary according
to the situation which is strongly supported. It is felt
that the study of these variables enables one to understand
the individual brand choice process.
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