The advent of e-commerce in India in the past decade has been unprecedented.While a huge chunk of the population in Indian cities are reaping the benefits of ecommerce, the rural areas remain untouched by the effects of digitization.
The B2C market in the rural geographies holds higher relevance than in urban areas for the simple reason the urban consumer has easy access to all productsand brands compared to a rural consumer. The reason for the urban consumers to go on B2C Platforms is largely driven by deals and discounts while the rural consumer will be driven out of need - non-availability of direct access to products.
The rural consumer today is incredibly aspirational. They want fridge, television, smartphones and every other product that is picked up by urban consumers.
India is the fifth largest retail destination in the world, the retail markets of India have seen market wars and brand battles aplenty! There has been a gradual shift in this struggle for market share. From major cities and metros, retailers eventually moved to tier I and II towns. Today, the retail revolution has once again shifted the battleground. They have set their sights on the heart of India.
How to Participate
- Though the rural consumer today does have access to the Internet and consume its content, they do not perform transactions online. It is a cultural thing, they prefer to perform transactions with people - who they personally know and trust.
So how do we bridge the gap of this huge opportunity landscape & challenge of tech-based transaction aversiveness?
- Assisted B2C platform, a tech platform that is built for the rural consumer and driven by the rural population - people they know, trust & rely on.
- Xpand is a B2B Aggregator platform that is solving the problem of sales & distribution with the affluent & commercially viable pockets of rural India. With a lineage under LMCE of working across 16 states, 28000+ villages, 2.5 lakh retailers & generating 250+ Cr of annual business for 8 companies Xpand has set out as a tech aggregator platform that will help companies win in rural by being an asset-light and scalable platform projected to reach 16 states & 30,000 villages & 3lakh plus retailers.
While Xpand is working on the B2B space it is a natural progression to also look at the B2C space.
- Identify current models within the rural B2C space.
- SWOT of the models
- What are the behaviours/factors which instil trust to purchase in a rural consumer?
- Key Partners identification - people who the consumer can trust to place an order with (capturing geographic & cultural nuances)
- Identification of barriers to moving from offline to online purchase behaviour & address the HOW?
- What should be the sales, distribution & collection model which is asset-light and scalable?
- Pilot Geography prioritization with rationale.
- The B2C assisted Model - what is the model?
Create an entire business plan & model around the Solution Statement which should cover but not limit to the below-mentioned requirements:
- In the first phase you will be required to submit an approach note as how you would address the project objectives. Expert jury panel will select group or individual students for the phase 2.
- Top-5 shortlisted entries by Individuals / Group will have to work on the live project from 11th November 2021 to 30th November 2021.
- Entrants will present the ideas to a Live-Jury on the main event day
- Individuals or Group of Students pursuing Full-time / Diploma / Part-time management courses either directly from institutes or through online platforms (such as UpGrad, Coursera, etc.) can participate in the contest.
- There is NO ENTRY FEES
- Last Date of Submission of Approach Note: 10th January 2022
- Extended deadline for sending approach note: 20th January 2022
- Announcement of Top-5 shortlists: 31st January 2022
- Submission of final entries by shortlisted candidates: 15th February 2022
- A cash Prize of INR 1,00,000 for the First Prize winning Individual/Group
- A direct placement opportunity for working with founding team of LMCE
- Participation Certificates for top 5 shortlists
- Send your approach note in PDF format to aadhar@rmai.in
- Aadhar Bhardwaj,
Rural Marketing Association of India
+91-9910552898 / aadhar@rmai.in
