The Times of India - 2005
In my previous column, I had wondered why the processed food ready to eat / ready to cook market had not blossomed, despite consumer conditions being fertile in terms of changing attitudes and lifestyle. I had concluded that it was due to suppliers not being able to get their product performance – price equations right, so as to create greater value for the consumer compared to existing traditional options and still be financially viable. Thinking about it some more, I am coming to the conclusion that the “in-home convenient eating” market has also happened, only we don’t notice it because it’s format is different from branded packaged retort packs! There are more and more women supplying dabbas of home made food in everyone of them big cities, with Bombay in the lead; their consumers are and not just to bachelors and hostel dwellers but homes as well. The Maharaj or […]
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The Times of India - 2005
Middle and Upper income India, the bulk of which is urban, has grown well above the national average in terms of number of households and the quantum of income growth. With this growth, two of the three of the “roti, kapda and makaan” trinity have happened. The Kapda boom is happening. Clothing expenditure and behaviour of this target group has definitely changed and is vibrant with experimentation. Of course, the old and the new co exist very comfortably, but the rigid structures of traditional clothing have definitely changed, be it at weddings or the work place. The Makaan buying boom has happened and the “where in my life cycle do I buy a house” notions have completely changed. The average age of the home loan taker has dropped by ten years almost, in less than a decade, and we could be in a rolling mortgage, perennial home up gradation cycle, […]
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The Economic Times - 21 July, 2003
There is a slow but definite wave of change happening – one that politicians and marketers would do well to ride on, rather than ignore. Women are on the move in India, inching their way away from being doormats, away from the socially ordained straitjacket that Hindi movies of yesteryear so glorified “yours is not to question why, yours is but to do … and die…in the finest tradition of the adarsh bharatiya nari”. I deliberately chose the words “inching their way away from” rather than “marching determinedly towards breaking free”, because that is the truth of the matter. So, why is this slow burn such a big deal to qualify as a change wave? Because, force = mass x acceleration, and the force of change caused by a large mass of people moving even at a very slow speed is huge enough to qualify as a change wave. Because […]
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The Economic Times - May, 2003
A staggering 45% of our population is below the age of 19. Born after 1984, this is our post liberalization generation. Even the oldest of them would have been a mere 7 years old in 1991, when liberalization happened. 6 out of 10 households have at least one member who is from the liberalization generation. This is the first non-socialist, market economy generation, growing up in the thick of the information revolution, the connectivity boom, coalition politics, IT enabled everything and the rise of the service economy. And as this age cohort wends its way through life, it will be shaping, or rather re shaping markets, and the fortunes of marketers. There are a 100 million 17 to 21 year olds (as of 2003) who, in the next four to eight years, will be hopefully in a position to earn their own money and who will be wielding greater decision […]
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The Economic Times - November 2000
It is now well accepted that there are two answers to the question “what is the market size and the appropriate market strategy for the Indian market” One is the low pain – low gain answer and the other is the high pain – high gain answer. The low pain – low gain answer is to size and target the top of the iceberg (from ‘tip’ of the iceberg many companies have inched their way downwards to the ‘top’ of the ice berg!) comprising well off consumers (still far poorer than consumers in most other parts of the world). The game can then be played with comfortable cost and price structures, using obvious, familiar, proven business models and product designs. The good news is that unlike a decade ago, this game is reasonably sized and has the assurance of sustained growth. However, if you have the stomach for it, there […]
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