Made for India

While consumers across the initiation ar seeing a growing number of Made in India labels on the goods they buy, Indian shoppers are witnessing a more subtle change. Increasingly, multinational companies are selling products that are non just make in but that are made for India. Entire generations of Indian consumers, who once felt grateful alone for being able to experience the same daubs as the rest of the world, are now realizing they can subscribe to for products that cater to their wants and studys.And they stand a good chance of getting what they want. The willingness of big brands to customize their products was never the issue, says Harminder Sahni, managing managing director of Technopak Advisors India, one of the countrys largest management consultancies. What has changed is that the Indian commercialize has finally reached a critical mass after the U. S. and China, this is the largest consumer market in the world that justifies the investment. That wasnt alway s the case.Before the Indian economy opened up in the early on 1990s, imported goods were a sought-after commodity, their foreignness often being their most desirable attribute. Not surprisingly, then, legion(predicate) multinationals didnt think success would require much effort when their brands finally entered the country after 1991. Things have changed. As Indian consumers became more aware of trends and advancements in technology, they began to demand similar sophistication. More important, they wanted products built to their needs.That meant not just automobiles, household appliances and consumer electronics, but also mobile phones, foods and apparel. Earlier, there was a reverence for anything foreign because topical anesthetic products were of terrible quality, says Abraham Koshy, professor of marketing at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA). But as the market developed, the centralize started shifting from the product to the brand. Customers started pat ronizing a brand only if the product suited them.So the need arose for companies to adjust their products to nodes requirements. It isnt only about holding on to existing customers. If altering a products design or introducing a variant will help a brand reach out to an additional customer group, most companies would think it worth the investment. Brands that establish their relevance with customers do well, says Shripad Nadkarni, director of MarketGate Consulting, a Mumbai-based marketing and brand consultancy.The increasing use of third-party sourcing helps further the customization cause companies can simply take on additional topical anaesthetic suppliers who will adapt the products for different markets and customer groups. Of course, localization doesnt work for all products. Many high-end luxury goods, for instance, confide on their country-of-origin tag to enhance their brand appeal. A Made in India label on these products would be disastrous, says Technopaks Sahni. Kosh y adds that products where the unit consumption is low may not justify huge outlays on customization.