The rise of rural markets has publicized high capacities held by rural areas towards businesses thereby giving rise to rural marketing. Rural marketing is the practice of utilizing marketing strategies of pricing, advertising, and distribution with a desire to meet organizational marketing goals and providing goods and services to rural consumers. Research surveys inform rural marketing by concluding that in some countries such as India, the majority of consumers who contribute immensely to the country’s economy live in villages. Thus, business companies begin focusing on promoting rural marketing due to several goals.
Numerous marketers engage in rural marketing to expand their market. Many rural areas in many countries are homes to more people as compared to urban areas. These individuals have diverse resources such as land, livestock and natural resources that increase the purchasing power of the rural population. Moreover, rural areas have benefited from enhanced development through access to financial support from financial institutions, infrastructure development, education advancement, social capabilities, and communication. Thus, creating a demand for various products. Consequently, businesses have come in to benefit from the vast size of the demand for goods by widening their marketing to these areas and expanding their products’ presence from cities to the countryside.
Rural marketing aims at meeting the needs of the customers. The process of reaching customers in the countryside requires businesses to understand the needs of clients and ensuring their satisfaction. Companies in the past have considered rural markets as an impossible market to reach due to factors such as poor communication, high illiteracy levels, poverty, over-reliance on agriculture, and lack of infrastructure. Nevertheless, governments in these countries have introduced developments that have seen improved communication and technology advancement that has increased income from agriculture among others. Consequently, rural people have adopted modern lifestyles leading to the need for various products and increased disposable income putting rural markets almost at par with urban markets regarding demand for products. Thus, their altered needs and understanding of the world has attracted marketers, thereby enabled businesses to take up opportunities to cater to this market.
Rural marketing has sought to identify potential new markets. Various companies have saturated urban centers with their products and services where the market has consistently been present. The obvious market in these areas has increased marketers, duplication of the provision of goods and services causing stiff competition among them. The competition has strained businesses and created risks of survival for various marketers. Hence, it has led to them contemplating on new markets with the untapped market and an increased customer base able to purchase their products. Rural markets said to be developing at a rapid level than in urban areas has been identified. Consequently, rural areas have become easy targets for marketers.
Rural marketing seeks to understand rural consumers. Both rural and urban consumers are distinct in various ways. Rural customers have different tastes, are skeptical of marketers and may have difficulties understanding various products and services due to the language barrier. Nevertheless, rural marketing enables marketers to tailor-make their products to customers in these areas, publicize and advertise them in languages and design that attracts rural consumers.
In conclusion, rural marketing is a place that facilitates the exchange of goods and services that meet the needs and wants of people residing in rural areas. Rural marketing has in many years suffered setbacks due to developmental and infrastructure deficiencies. However, it benefitted immensely from the onset of rural development thereby enabling it to achieve its purposes of spreading their products across all markets and identify potential markets for goods and services.
