Marketing to the Poor: Creating Value

This book looks at markets in low-income economies and how they require fundamentally different marketing systems and strategies. Analyzing the sociocultural characteristics of these markets, it offers solutions for businesses to overcome spatial, institutional, and financial challenges while working in these contexts.

Markets for the poor are characterized by resource scarcity, weak institutions, and low literary rates, as well as a strong presence of cultural and community ties. This book provides an understanding of these marketplaces, including the consumer’s wants and aspirations, the relationship of the individual within the social milieu, and their unique cultural contexts. It provides strategies for businesses to develop a bottom-up knowledge of global markets and incorporates practices which are inclusive and sustainable. It also explores the links between human development, entrepreneurship, and marketing which are especially relevant in the pandemic-hit global economy.

This book will be of interest to students and researchers of marketing, business studies, business administration, rural management, marketing management, economics, and development studies.

Ramendra Singh is Professor of Marketing at IIM Calcutta, India. He completed his PhD from IIM Ahmedabad, Gujarat, MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, and BTech from IIT-BHU, Uttar Pradesh, India. His research has been published in reputed international journals, including the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Macro Marketing, and Journal of Marketing Management. His research interests include ICT for development, marketing and the poor, business and society, and salesforce performance management. He has worked in the industry for several years in sales and marketing.

Tahir A. Wani is Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Management, NIT Srinagar, India, wherein he teaches various management-related subjects to management and engineering students. Before joining NIT Srinagar, he was working at Business School, University of Kashmir, India. He has a rich research background and has written extensively on various management issues. He has also conducted workshops on quantitative analysis and participated in numerous workshops and conferences in reputed institutions across India.