Rural marketing research

Definition of market research

• The systematic gathering, recording and analysing of
data about problems related to marketing of goods and
services.
Two types of research approach
1. Reactive approach – the organisation do not conduct
research but follow what others do and see it as a
way to keep up with competition.
2. Proactive approach –the organisations anticipate
developments in the market and introduce new ideas
and methods to exploit opportunities or to minimise
problems so as to get ahead of competition.
 Marketing research process
1. Defining a research problem.
2. Finalising a research design
3. Developing a research hypothesis
4. Planning the research methodology
5. Data collection
6. Data analysis
7. Conclusion and recommendations
 Sources of data
• Primary data –original information collected
first hand through field survey, questionnaires,
group discussions, experimenting, etc.
• Secondary data –use of already published data
by government organisations, research
institutes, consultancy organisations, etc.
 Data collection approaches in rural
areas
1. Ensuring the support of rural leader
2. Behaving so as to be liked by rural people
3. Being at the right places – village choupal,
retail outlets, fairs, Haats.
 Data collection tools for rural market
• Pictorial scale
• Coloured wheel
• Coins
• Carom discs
• Playing cards
• Simplified scales
 Research tools for market
• Semiotic analysis
• Customer eQ
• Advanced Tracking Programme (ATP)
• Consumer ID
• Lincompass
• Mapping Software - ARCVIEW
 Limitations and challenges in rural
marketing research
• Nature of rural market
• Paucity of rural marketing research budget
• Lack of uniformity in secondary data
• Accessibility
• Lack of facilities in rural areas
• Comprehension of research tools
• Sensitivity of rural people
 Role of rural marketing consultancy
agencies
• Anugrah Madison (Chennai)
• MART (Delhi)
• Rural Relations (Pune)
• Sampark (Mumbai)