A Never-Before World

Five years after <i>We Are Like That Onl</i>y, her seminal and bestselling study on the logic of consumer India, Rama Bijapurkar takes stock of its evolution in her new book. She starts from the point that emerging markets-the queen of which is India-are a never-before world, and businesses approaching them need to understand the environment in which consumers live, how they think, how heterogeneous they are and how they are changing. All of these have key implications for correctly evaluating business opportunity and determining market strategy. India has entered the third decade after liberalization, buffeted by changes on all fronts. Consumption structures and consumer behaviour are changing, and consumer needs and desires are growing faster than incomes. The real war for the consumer rupee begins now-the trick is to understand, without prejudice or preconceived notions, the new world of consumer India. Setting consumerism in the context of society and people's lives, looking not just at how much money people have, what they spend it on and how, but at how businesses can be relevant to consumers' lives and life aspirations, <i>A Never-Before World</i> explores everything that businesses need to know and think about to win in the crucial Indian market. What does Consumer India look like in the third decade after liberalization as India's GDP approaches its third trillion? In her new book Rama Bijapurkar author of the best-selling We Are Like That Only analyses the complex contours of India's consumer economy - demand structure supply environment income demographics social and cultural changes and much more - and pinpoints the existing opportunities the unserved needs the incorrect assumptions the minefields of the future and the strategy imperatives needed to ride this next big wave of opportunity.For businesses and investors betting on India's future for policymakers and regulators shaping the new India and for all those curious about India's progress this is an immensely insightful and utterly realistic assessment of one of the biggest growth markets in the world. About the Author Rama Bijapurkar is one of India's most respected thought leaders on market strategy and India's consumer economy. A keen commentator on social and cultural change in post-liberalization India she has her own market strategy consulting practice and works with an impressive list of Indian and global companies. She has also served as an independent director on the boards of several of India's blue-chip companies. Rama writes extensively in the media and is a dominant voice on issues relating to India's business consumers and polity. Her book We Are Like That Only Understanding the Logic of Consumer India (Portfolio) has been widely acclaimed. The international edition Winning in the Indian Market Understanding the Transformation of Consumer India (Wiley) is also available in Chinese. She is also the author of Customer in the Boardroom? Crafting Consumer-based Business Strategy (Sage). Visit the author at www.bijapurkar.com.