People tend to consume more of cold beverages and ice creams during summer. The more hot it gets, the more they have it. Of all the beverages that exist in the market, Coca Cola is known as the giant. It is consumed by almost 90% of the population who drink beverages. But have you ever wondered how these drinks would do in a market where there exist low technological developments as well as no power supply. Yup! I am talking about the rural markets especially in India where all kinds of issues come up a lot. In spite of all these challenges in rural markets, the giant has come up with new product innovations and initiatives to drive the mindset of consumers accordingly.
When it comes to Coca Cola, people who are hard core fans go mad for this drink. It is definitely the taste that gives a sense of freshness and kick to one’s mind. But what is to be taken care of over here is the fact that, these drinks need to be cooled before use. They need to be refrigerated in order to sustain their quality. This is where the rural markets face a problem. If the marketing strategies applied in rural markets need to be successful, there should be a sustainable technology and a strong distribution channel to go along with the marketing strategy.
Since last year (June), the company has integrated solar lanterns and solar coolers in order to face the challenges in the rural markets having power crisis. This can add an additional benefit to people in buying drinks living nearby. The lanterns, in turn, bring brightness in shops during evening and night time. This helps the retailers to keep their shop open for long hours. In this venture, Coca-Cola has also taken an initiative in supporting and empowering five million women by 2020. On the other hand, in some rural areas where the electricity is often interrupted, the company brought in Eutectic coolers. These coolers consist of brine solution that helps in keeping the products cool irrespective of any electric supply, for more than ten hours. Not bad for a start!
It is a win-win situation for both the retailers as well as the brand. This is proven when a consumer waits for his mobile to finish charging when being in a shop, and since it is during the peak summer season, he is totally tempted in trying one of the chilled beverages. Now isn’t that a smart marketing strategy! On the contrary, the company is indeed happy as they have been successful in satisfying both retailers as well as consumers. For retailers specifically, it has been a unique way of reducing the operating costs.
Though there are a lot of different drinks available in the market, Coca Cola is longed after for years. Wonder how the other drinks will sustain themselves in the market with new strategies in competing with this black exotic drink in the rural market? Let’s wait and see how it goes!
