| From around India
As the economy has grown, so has India's appetite for luxury automobiles, making it an important target for foreign automakers looking away from Western markets mired in global recession
There are some aspects which are positive to the Consumer Confidence Index. We saw an increase in optimism amongst Indian consumers and their perceptions in the overall nation economy as well as their own personal financial conditions.
Sceptics had said that Indians would never buy on the net because they prefer to feel a product with their hands before buying it. But those habits too have changed. Most mass-produced categories offer little variation and have gained acceptance in ecommerce.
Inflation measured in terms of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), experts say, is irrelevant at a time when the retail prices are very high. And there is at present a huge gap between retail and wholesale price inflation indices. The difference is due to the high weightage of food items in consumer price indices than wholesale price index.
Its market share, which was barely 17 per cent a year ago, has increased since to 35 per cent today. “We have more than doubled our market share in a year and would be at our highest level by the end of this quarter,”
We should be selling around 2,500 cars this year. There are plans to launch an array of new models such as the Audi Q7 4.2TDI, which is the most powerful diesel sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the market.
Considering that 2009 was an unusually good year for the industry, companies are hopeful that a better demand would continue to bolster durables sales in the new year too. Segment A1 from the A1: young entrepreneurs
This segment is among the most entrepreneurial. It is a unique segment consisting of people who are all completely self-employed.
The median age of the chief wage earners is 30 years and nearly 40% are unmarried. The segment itself is very small—only 85,000 households (222,000 population) out of the approximately 77 million households in urban India. The chief wage earners tend to be highly educated—as many as 96% are at least graduates. They are also young enough to be adding professional qualifications to their arsenal.
The average household size in this segment is 2.6. In fact, 76% in this segment are two-member households. Only 6% have minors (children) and only 13% have elders living with them. They are also likely to be socializing much more than their older counterparts because they are not hemmed in by demands on time from children or elders. Yet, these are not in general Dink (double income no kids) couples.In almost 75% of the families, the chief wage earner is also the sole wage earner. The savings rate is around 23%.
These two facts indicate that whereas the segment is easy-going, it is not entirely spendthrift and has one eye firmly on savings and investments; perhaps, as a risk cover for its chosen vocation of entrepreneurship. The segment is likely to seriously consider new investment ideas.The age profile is dominated by the 25-34 years group (81%). This is the segment which has high earning capacity, good savings rate and is not burdened with immediate expense commitments
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
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
This paper examines the impact on time spent in learning with specific reference to energy constraint and non-constraint of a household.
This study finds little evidence of any cartelization or joint pricing behaviour on the part of the incumbents. It finds that government intervention, and slow responsiveness to changing conditions has contributed to shortages in the past
From around the world
An overall feeling of job security in the U.S. has consumer confidence at a 16-month high, according to a survey released by the Royal Bank of Canada.
The U.S. economic recovery is making progress but may face stiffer headwinds if consumers' worries about the outlook color their behavior, judging from the latest reading of consumer sentiment released Friday.
The invitation has the headline “Come See Our Latest Creation,” which presumably is the long-awaited tablet
The risk-taking entrepreneur's chief advantage is temperament and the predatory entrepreneur's is analysis
Images of the future of public transportation
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