Marketing in India

In India marketing today has become exciting and challenging to marketers. Marketing activities first started with self-sufficiency to satisfy their wants for food, clothing and shelter The system of simple barter evolved where people bartered goods which they do not produce themselves Marketing activities were considered only as a peripheral because of subsistence economies. The introduction of money, industrial revolution etc., have brought along with them the acctivities ofproduction, distribution. specialisation, etc.

The modern marketing activity was started only at the end of 20th century iMarketing ofagricultural produce has become primary activity and the subject of marketing of agricultural produced has been introduced in colleges and universities. After 1940s marketing experts emerged and developed a body of marketing thought. Attention has been devoted to the study of consumer behaviour. Advertising agents began to rebuild the discipline in what that came close to the modern concept of marketing.

People benefited much from a great surge in demand for consumer goods. Rapid industrialisation, expansion of production capabilities and increase in competition took place. As a result India became the cradle of marketing thinking. All these developments encouraged the modem marketing in its modern fashion. Efforts were also diverted on extensive use of market research to know the needs and wants of the customers. By 1970s the emphasis on marketing further substantiated with quantitative research and arrival of professionals.

Marketing thus received as a common activity as a service sector and became an important function
of management. Later the dawn of strategic concept has brought a revolutionary change in the history of marketing thought. Marketers in India began to shift emphasis from old concept of product and production to external environment.

Knowing about the demands of the customers is not top important but knowing the strategies of the competitors and designing counter strategies have received priority The limitations of traditional marketing techniques have been well recognised, changes are witnessed in application concept of marketing. Marketers in India became more responsive to new social demands and realities. Marketers have been increasingly recognised as a key change agent to improve the quality oflife, standard ofproduct and customer satisfaction. For instance, one can observe at the current trends of transformation of the changing markets; one can look at the many new changes confronting the marketers.

In the area of social responsibility, ethical values, Government of India has enacted a number of legislations the marketing front. The marketing managers are necessarily rules and touching New laws intended to be at the forefront of provisions various Acts. social transformation. The problems have become ever more complex for the marketers when they are confronting with many special provisions like the customer MRTP etc.

India is a land characterised by multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-lingual features and the marketers are facing the problem of multi-cultural and cross culture communication environment with differing multi-legal systems. Other problems associated with marketing are intellectual property rights, objectionable advertisements, trade marks, patent laws etc. In addition the fast marketing is characterised by fast changes in tastes and habits and new expectations of customers. Every marketer today in India has become sensitive and dynamic. The modern marketing management professionals are implementing new gospels to meet the competition and to survive.

The arrival of information technology has transformed the marketing restructuring of strategies and the ways of business. teleshopping, e- commerce, EDI etc., have affected the entire marketing strategy framework and relationship between customers and marketers requires a new look. The internal organisation and customer relationship management are demanding re-engineering the process of the whole marketing structure. Never before has it been so easy for customers world wide to establish a direct contact with the marketers. Never before has it become possible to establish contacts with the customers to negotiate and settle so quickly and accurately as today.

Marketers are just entering the new era in terms of application of new technology. The e-marketing today helps the firms to gather, track, cross reference and dissemination of information. It is predicted that internet based marketing has been increasing many fold. Indian marketers are speeding up the process of adoption of new technological innovations in marketing which has direct bearing on efficiency, effectiveness, profitability, competitiveness and cost effectiveness of marketing activities. It is opening new horizons in marketing field.