The Role of Packing on Buying Behaviour of Rural Consumers with Special Reference to FMCG

Abstract

Indian rural market with its enormous size and demand base offers great opportunities to marketers. However, there are many serious challenges that FMCG manufactures face in tackling rural markets, viz., the scattered nature of rural markets, their small size, remoteness, poor connectivity and tremendous heterogeneity, low level of literacy, too many languages and dialects, cultural diversities, inadequate banking facilities, acute dependence on the monsoon; seasonal demand, and media darkness are some serious limitations.  However, the issue of packing is very crucial when it comes to marketing of brands in rural areas as the brand recognition in rural areas generally through its colours, logos, shape and size.  Therefore, the current study has been undertaken with an intention to understand the role of packing in rural markets. In order to realize the stated objectives the researcher constructed a structured questionnaire has been constructed and pre tested and administered on 1,600 rural respondents spread across 200 villages in the state of Karnataka.   The study revealed that packing make a significant role while buying FMCG. There is a significant difference in the opinion of rural consumer respondents on importance attributed to packing while purchasing FMCG as perceived by rural consumer respondents. There is a significant influence of annual house hold income of the rural consumer respondents on the level of importance attributed to packing while buying FMCG. Majority of the rural consumer respondents preferred sachets while buying FMCG. There is a significant difference in the packing size preference of the rural consumer respondents while purchasing products. There is a significant influence of the annual house hold income of the rural consumers on kind of packing preference. Majority of the rural respondents recognize brands through reading, colours, scanning of logos/pictures/trademarks and through packing style of the products. Based on the analysis of the study a brief summary of findings have been made and a meaningful conclusion has been drawn. Finally the results have been compared with the possible evidence.