| From around India GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is planning to expand its Horlicks brand into new product segments in India KC Chakrabarty takes charge as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Mr Chakrabarty strongly advocates that banks do away with sub-PLR lending, pass on the benefits of softer rates to old customers and not restrict them to new customers alone. Indian Consumer has changed and so has their mindset. Ok, not to generalise it but yes, there has been a drastic change in how the Indian Consumer behaviour has gone through a radical makeover. The focus has shifted from Price to Quality to a large extent. While IKEA alone may not be important enough to jolt Indian policy makers out of their slumber, nor would its decision make much difference to FDI inflows into the country, it does count as a loss in some ways. “For the first time in 12 years, I am more confident of India than China because India has made good macro improvements,” said Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, while in Mumbai The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic should start shipping in the third quarter of 2009 at around €199 or Rs. 15000/- in India, retail, before taxes and subsidies Nokia N97 is based on the Nokia S60 platform; it uses the Symbian Operating System 9.4 with Nokia S60 Fifth Edition UI. Consumer durables firms like LG, Philips and Haier are working on a combination of initiatives like launching new range or products, adding innovation to design and features and giving greater marketing thrust to reach more consumers. Chocolate has already caught on within the increasingly affluent middle class. Cadbury's Indian chocolate sales have been growing by 20% a year for the past three years. Now, Cadbury is reaching out to lower-income consumers with cheaper products. It is well-known that Indian law prohibits foreign investment in multi-brand retail and there has been huge political opposition to any proposal to amend Looks like Nokia's strategy in India is still working. For a second row running, the EconomicTimes reports that Finnish Giant has topped the prestigious, 'Brand Equity Most Trusted Brands (MTB) Survey'. Demand curve: Indicus-Mint Series As incomes increase, media reach increases, electrification spreads and education levels rise, and the demand for durables expand significantly Consumer durables include not just white goods, such as refrigerators, air conditioners and cars, but also goods such as furniture and kitchen appliances. The largest markets for durables are naturally states with large population. Yet, Maharashtra leads on account of higher income, followed by West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Interestingly, Kerala and Gujarat, states with considerably smaller populations, make it to the top five states in markets for consumer durables, with better income levels and infrastructure distribution. At a finer geographical level, the largest markets for durables are naturally in the larger cities, where greater incomes and population numbers warrant greater expenditure and also typically ensure better and greater supply. -
| Top Five States | Market Size for Durables (Rs. crores) | | Maharashtra | 17,144 | | West Bengal | 9,082 | | Uttar Pradesh | 8,900 | | Kerala | 7,844 | | Gujarat | 7,762 | | Source: | 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 From around the world US consumer confidence rose again in June, the fourth straight month it has done so, adding to increasing indications that the recession might be waning Brands have been stretching their way into such new and unexpected product categories that some product progeny can be impossible to link to their brand parents The Consumer Product Safety Commission said toy maker Mattel Inc. and its Fisher-Price unit will pay a $2.3 million civil penalty to settle allegations that For a long time, their cry was that common sense consumer credit card protections would make it harder to get credit. That argument never made much sense in an environment where the average household gets more than 30 credit card solicitations every year, so it didn't stick. |