| From around India The new retail stores bring Ford's dealership total to 164 facilities located in 97 cities across India. In the past two years, the number of cities with Ford outlet has jumped more than 30%. India topped beverage volume growth in the Asia, Mid-East and Africa region, at 32% in the year. In 2009, consumer durable makers were a happy lot. After the finance minister announced excise and customs duty reductions, prices of almost all kinds of televisions (especially flat panels) fell. India's auto makers reported their highest-ever monthly car sales in the local market in January with a 32% rise from a year earlier as an economic recovery, availability of low-cost loans and introduction of new models encouraged more people to buy vehicles The pilot scheme will let people transfer money to another person simply by using the person’s mobile phone number. They’ll also be able to pay utility bills and top up SIM cards. Looking ahead, there will also be the facility to pay for goods and services. Delayed launches, high pricing and a narrow product range have left Japanese firms lagging in the Indian market for years. Organic India which is involved in organic farming in Uttar Pradesh and export of herbal products abroad has now embarked upon setting up its own chain of exclusive retail stores in India. While State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, claims to have overtaken Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd, the largest mortgage firm, and ICICI Bank Ltd (in the case of auto loans), other public sector banks want to take the battle to the backyard of private banks, which have traditionally been chasing retail loan customers. Segment A5 from the These households represent well-to-do urban Indians in the 50+ age group, those who would have a family background that could afford college education, from the era when a “permanent” job, preferably in the government, was the sign of "having arrived". As much as 43% of the chief wage earners work in a government or public sector undertaking. A small segment, comprising less than 1% of urban Indian households, these households would be concentrated in a few major cities that were the hubs of economic activity before or just around the time of liberalization. Essentially well educated, all chief wage earners have completed schooling and 66% are graduates, while 26% hold a postgraduate degree or diploma. At least 80% of the chief wage earners are currently married and their spouses have an interesting mix of educational levels—close to 50% are at least graduates, but there is also a small minority illiterates (3%). The disparity in the education profiles of the chief wage earner and their spouse points to the unequal educational opportunities for women in the past. In the following decade, however, we can expect higher educational qualifications of spouses in this segment. Most spouses are homemakers, and just 15% are employed Entrepreneurship is not the chosen occupation of the majority in this group—less than one-third are self-employed, though even these would represent doctors, chartered accountants, lawyers and other professionals. The sectors preferred by this group are education, government service, manufacturing, banking and health services. While all chief wage earners are above the age of 45, the median age in this segment is 55 years and 11% of the chief wage earners are above the age of 64. These households come mainly from socially higher groups—just a quarter belong to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or other backward classes, groups which traditionally had lower incomes and opportunities of education and employment. Here, too, we can expect significant change in the coming decades, as more initiatives for inclusive education will make an impact on consumer profiles. With a median household income of Rs2.41 lakh, this segment saves 17% of its income, lower than the overall average, in line with the life-stage of older years. These families have already built up their assets over time—68% own their houses and 12% have air conditioners in their homes.   Segment A1 from the Indicus Consumer Spectrum has been designed to help marketers understand the essence of 33 Consumer Segments, which together represent the entire urban spectrum of India. It highlights the key features which make each segment distinctive. Insights from Indicus Various aspects of Jharkhand's economy and the changes therein over time have been tracked to see the extent of progress in different indicators of growth and development This segment, representing young migrants to cities, single and living alone, makes up more than 500,000 households across Indian cities. The successful use of mobile-based transactions in countries like Kenya, the Philippines and South Africa has been one of the factors encouraging RBI to open this sphere in India, albeit cautiously Peeyush Bajpai and Mrutyunjay Mishra discuss with Pankaj Pachouri, the urban consumer spectrum, an Indicus Research Product India's Deciding Decade. The 10 years that start tomorrow can end with India becoming a different country Overall GDP growth will be around 9.6% annually, even if the government does not do anything. Bihar has shown an average gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 11% in the last five years. The trends of the 2000s will continue – but growth will be much faster Payal Malik contrasts the roles played by regulators in the telecom and electricity sectors From around the world Confidence among U.S. consumers unexpectedly fell in February from a two-year high, signaling Americans may not be convinced the job market is turning around. Thailand’s consumer confidence rose to the highest level in 21 months in January on optimism the economy is recovering after a year long recession The roughly 300 million iPods and iPhones sold over the past decade have given rise to a lucrative market for companies peddling a wide variety of accessories, including cases, adapters and docks Australian consumer confidence fell and home lending declined after the central bank raised interest rates a record three times late last year. Proponents of a no-credit-card lifestyle say there's nothing old-fashioned about their choices. And they're convinced that their numbers will grow as consumers become increasingly disenchanted with credit card industry practices. |