Rise of Rural Consumers in Developing Countries: Harvesting 3 Billion Aspirations

About the Book

Watch Vijay Mahajan talk about Rise of Rural Consumers in Developing Countries: Harvesting 3 Billion Aspirations

This is the first comprehensive book highlighting the expanding consumer power of rural markets in developing countries. It takes a close look at one of the key stories in emerging markets: the untapped potential of the world’s 3.4 billion rural consumers -- 90 percent of whom live in Asia and Africa. The sheer number of rural consumers can provide a massive customer base for innovative companies that figure out how to reach them. The book provides a profile of the rural developing world and examines the forces that are increasing rural prosperity, including billions of dollars in remittances from migrant workers.  It includes several examples of innovations and best practices that are allowing companies to tap into this opportunity. 

Table of Contents:
Foreword by A. Didar Singh and Nirankar Saxena Preface: A Rural Odyssey Acknowledgements RECOGNIZING THE RURAL OPPORTUNITY The Rural Consumer Opportunity Planting the Seeds of Prosperity in the Rural World The Influence of Religion in the Emerging Rural World GROWING AND REAPING RURAL OPPORTUNITY Growing Consumers in Emerging Rural Markets Plowing New Routes to Rural Markets Seeding Innovation and Prosperity Through Technology Harnessing Innovation to Solve Social Problems THE RURAL CHALLENGES The End of the Last Mile Index

About the Author :
Vijay Mahajan holds the John P. Harbin Centennial Chair in Business at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin. He has received numerous lifetime achievement awards including the American Marketing Association (AMA) Charles Coolidge Parlin Award for vision¬ary leadership in scientific marketing. The AMA also instituted the Vijay Mahajan Award in 2000 for career contributions to marketing strategy. In 2006, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur) for his contributions to management research. He served as the dean of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad from 2002 to 2004. Mahajan is the author of twelve books including Africa Rising, The 86% Solution, and The Arab World Unbound.

Review :
Vijay Mahajan's book showcases the important ways that NGOs are helping to bring rural consumers into the economic mainstream. I was impressed by the innovation nonprofits are using to address social problems, whether the area is education, health care or secure livelihoods. I am extremely appreciative and encouraged that those efforts will help assure that millions of rural citizens will share in their countries' economic growth. -- Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Bhutan Social enterprises with strong brands are creating new models for bringing prosperity to the rural developing world. The revenues that enterprises such as Aarong generate support social missions in a sustainable way. As this book shows, in Bangladesh and other countries, these organizations are having a significant impact on issues such as poverty alleviation. -- Tamara Hasan Abed Senior Director Enterprises, BRAC, Bangladesh There is an important message in this book, for both corporations and governments: Inclusive growth is the path to sustainable growth. The data and global case studies in this book make a convincing case that strategies and policies must include rural populations in order to succeed for the long term. A "must read" for countries like India, where rural aspirations run high. -- Anand Mahindra Chairman, Mahindra Group, India This book dispels the stereotypes of rural consumers as a market not worth pursuing. Successful poverty-reduction initiatives in countries like China have created vibrant rural markets for both local and global products. By taking us inside the rural developing world, Professor Mahajan shows how forward-thinking companies already have tapped into one of the fastest-growing consumer markets in the world. -- Lu Xiongwen Dean, School of Management, Fudan University, China This book underscores the need for the public, private and philanthropic sectors to work as partners to address issues such as health care, education, and inclusive economic development. With 3 billion rural residents in Africa and Asia, the challenges are too large, and the population growth too rapid, for any one sector to tackle alone. Together, we can make a significant impact. -- Mohamed Shafik Gabr Chairman and Managing Director, ARTOC Group, Egypt There is a reason that technology leaders such as Google and Facebook are moving to gain a foothold in the rural developing world. As this book shows, those 3 billion-plus consumers are a huge emerging market for technology services. At the same time, technology can be a powerful tool for companies that want to reach that population in a cost-efficient way. -- David Schmittlein John C Head III Dean, MIT Sloan School of Management, USA 'A timely and powerful analysis of the opportunities that exist to help serve the aspirations and improve the livelihoods of nearly half the world's population.' -- Paul Polman CEO, Unilever, UK