Soft on hardware
Kozhikode district has become a hub of hardware sales. With incomes once again on the rise, this year it was an active market in the region. A report in Abhinav Journal by Jisana TK on consumer behaviour in Kerala reveals that buyers from Lakshadweep flock here for their hardware purchases. A table of monthly sales shows that 1,000 kg of nuts and bolts and 7,500 kg of chains are sold here, mostly purchased by fisherfolk. Door locks too are doing brisk business.
A trip to Rajasthan’s numerous villages showed that easy-to-carry, lightweight solar lamps are the norm in most households. Vishnu, studying in Class IX, depends on it during exams. As for Chandra Saini, from Chakbehenira village, the sleek solar lamp took pride of place among his marble artefacts in his tiny showroom on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. The lamp gives light in three densities at the shift of a knob.
Four wheels and a promise
P Balendran, Vice-President of General Motors India, in an interview on the Rural Marketing website says though rural markets still have to grow in the four-wheel segment, his company has pledged to refund any extra maintenance costs incurred by rural customers for the next three years. It also promises free roadside assistance 24x7 and extended warranty for five years at a nominal cost. It remains to be seen if this will boost rural sales.