How to penetrate into rural market?

Penetration into the rural market is what big retailers have to concentrate on for growth. Attracting rural markets will be different from that of the urban market. For example detergent cakes are preferred to powder and coconut oil in bottle to sachets in the rural areas. The rural consumer are different from the urban consumers as they are more price sensitive and their quantity of consumption would be less as their share of wallet for shopping along with entertainment is delineated. Food and agricultural inputs dominate the rural consumers list and whatever is left would be used to fulfill aspirational needs. Customers in the rural area are not urbanites without money. He has a distinct identity and value system. One more challenge in the rural market is that shopping habits vary according to seasons. During harvest time, the spending of a rural consumer increases compares to other times. However, penetration of television, increasing literacy levels, mobility between rural and urban areas and telecommunication (STD Services) have increased their awareness towards branded products and entertainment. Customized retail shops would be a big success in the rural areas too if the right strategies are adopted.