Who is the customer?

Five years after the launch of We Are Like That Only, a study on consumer India, market strategist Rama Bijapurkar is back with its sequel, A Never-Before World (Penguin India, 338 pages). The book shows the milieu in which the Indian consumer lives and how corporations should go about making the most of it. This is recommended reading, especially for multinational executives who might think yoga and spicy food are the secrets to understanding Indian culture. Bijapurkar dispels such notions, and emphasises on changing the international model of approaching emerging markets, explaining why multinationals ought to be looking at products more suitable to India. The book draws on her vast experience in India’s corporate world. One definite takeaway is that the Indian customer is still ‘like that only’.