The Fascinating Psychology of an Indian Customer: Exploring Consumer Behaviors and Cultural Nuances

In a rapidly evolving global marketplace, understanding the psychology of consumers is essential for businesses to thrive. India, with its diverse population and unique cultural tapestry, presents a fascinating case study in consumer psychology. This blog aims to delve into the intriguing aspects of the Indian customer's mindset, exploring their behaviors, preferences, and the cultural nuances that shape their purchasing decisions.

Value for Money:

The Indian customer is known for their keen sense of value for money. With a diverse socio-economic landscape, Indians tend to be price-sensitive and look for products and services that offer the best bang for their buck. Discounts, deals, and competitive pricing play a significant role in their decision-making process.

Brand Loyalty and Trust:

Indian customers often exhibit strong brand loyalty and place immense trust in established brands. They value reliability, quality, and the reputation of a brand when making purchasing decisions. Building long-term relationships and gaining customer trust through consistent delivery and after-sales support is crucial for businesses targeting the Indian market.

Personalized Customer Service:

Indians appreciate personalized customer service and individual attention. They value interactions that make them feel valued and understood. Companies that can tailor their offerings, provide customized solutions, and offer attentive customer support are more likely to win the loyalty of Indian customers.

The Power of Word-of-Mouth:

Word-of-mouth recommendations hold immense weight in Indian consumer culture. Indians rely heavily on the opinions and experiences of friends, family, and peers when making purchasing decisions. Positive reviews and personal endorsements can significantly influence the choices of Indian customers.

Cultural Sensitivity:

Cultural sensitivity is vital when targeting the Indian market. India is a diverse country with distinct regional cultures, languages, and traditions. Understanding and respecting these cultural nuances is crucial for businesses to effectively communicate their offerings and connect with Indian customers on a deeper level.

Importance of Family and Social Connections:

Family and social networks play a significant role in the Indian customer's decision-making process. Indians often seek consensus and consult their families before making major purchases. Businesses that acknowledge and cater to the needs and aspirations of the family unit are more likely to resonate with Indian customers.

Embracing Technology and E-commerce:

India is witnessing a rapid digital transformation, with a significant rise in internet penetration and smartphone usage. The Indian customer is increasingly embracing technology and e-commerce platforms for shopping. Convenience, ease of use, and secure online transactions are important factors that influence their adoption of digital channels.

Conclusion:

The psychology of an Indian customer is a complex tapestry woven with cultural influences, value-consciousness, trust, and the power of personal connections. Businesses that understand and appreciate these nuances are better equipped to navigate the Indian market successfully. By recognizing the importance of value for money, building trust, offering personalized experiences, respecting cultural diversity, and embracing technology, companies can forge strong connections and cater to the unique needs and preferences of Indian customers, ultimately achieving success in this vibrant marketplace.

 

Digital Marketing Beyond Search Engines!
 

When you think about searching for anything, I bet 'Google' comes first to your mind. Search engines are the most valued digital goods. According to Google, people go through an emotional journey before they purchase, from a trigger, exploring, evaluating, clarity, conviction and finally being filled with joy when the purchase is made.

85% of people will buy from brands that provide trustworthy information, but one thing marketers forget is that 63% won't buy because of irrelevant information (source google). So, if your content does not help people it will backfire on you or worst(no sales). 

Just google "Health", About 16,20,00,00,000 results (0.73 seconds). Do you need anyone else to write content on that subject? Not really unless something drastically changes happens in Health Industry (i am not rolling out the importance of content and SEO)

Now the question is, How do you stand out?

Just search 'Jaipur' on google, and you will find information about the city. On MakeMyTrip, you will find hotels. On youtube, you will find videos and movies. On Pinterest images of the city, and on Instagram/TikTok you may find pictures of restaurants, activities, and reviews of the food they ate.

Yes, I know you are getting my point.

Just look for the top ten searches on google, first two are social networking than e-commerce, and further translate, Instagram, WhatsApp web, etc. There is a lot of data. You must pay attention to this as google is doing the same, that's why they have come up with web stories to compete with Insta/TikTok and shorts.

The answer is to go for the Omnichannel approach. One has to be on all platforms, when someone sees or interacts with your brand 7 times (rule of 7), they are more likely to convert and buy from you. I am not going to elaborate on channels, you already know them and what impact they have.  

Brands are the future. People are searching more for the brand in comparison to a segment/product/keyword, (Nike has replaced shoes as a keyword).

When people engage with your brand they have experience. You want that they have a good experience when they first start using your product/service. You also want that towards the end they also have an amazing experience. Keep giving them.

Go for all, search engines, social networking, email, SEO, etc.
Stand OUT!! The biggest opportunity

#seo #searchengines #content #google #digitalmarketing #sales #opportunity #data #digital #experience #people #health #future #help #food #brand #instagram #email #commerce #hotels #restaurants #socialnetworking

Healthcare Marketing Trends: 2019

What is Marketing? Simple!! "Consumer /Customer is the Heart of Business". Junk all your formulae you know and start discussing about the connect between your customer and business (Heath-care in this case).

Marketing is 'COMMON SENSE' accompanied with 'POWERFUL CONCEPTS' delivered with 'RIGOUR'.

1) Improve patient's experience: Ask your patients/customers, dig deeper.... read reviews etc. Identify the patterns. Provide them a 'wow' experience as it is the best opportunity to build brand.

2)Insights: More deeper insights, ask your digital team to make presence beyond advertising/ppc(in health apps or etc.) observe/study the insights, use google trends/insights/console/analytics or any other tool and fetch data about your customer(age/education/job/gender/locality/keywords etc.)

3) Train your Frontline Staff: Apart from the Doctor, train your frontline staff(nurses/attendants/receptionist etc.) who are directly in contact with the patients, improve their inpatient and outpatient experiences. Waiting room is a perfect place to talk and know them better(use their time)

4)Content: Start writing and educate people on public health/heath topics. Start working with local health communities and help their people to stay healthy. The way to go is to publish more and gradually you will see positive results.

5)Use of Google/Facebook/ any other platform: the beauty of digital marketing is it can be easily optimized. Each platform has their weakness/strengths, improve and keep optimizing your ads till you don't the desired result. Make easy for the people to find you, no matter on which platform they are.

PMA2020: Uses innovative mobile technology to support low-cost surveys in Public Health.

Friends, I am sharing with you an interview done with Dr. Anoop Khana (Professor at IIHMR University). Prof. Anoop Khanna has a background in social work. He has presented and published several research papers. He has contributed to several operations research projects on training interventions for health functionaries, population programme management, and adolescent health. His areas of interest are population programme management, programme evaluation, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health.

He also heads the Performance Monitoring, and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) project uses innovative mobile technology to routinely gather data on family planning and water, sanitation and hygiene. Data are collected at household and facility levels via mobile phones through a network of female Resident Enumerators stationed throughout the country. Resident Enumerators (REs), transfer data from smart-phone to a central server via the mobile data network. In real-time, data are validated, aggregated and prepared into tables and graphs, making results more quickly available to stakeholders as compared to a paper-and-pencil survey. PMA2020 can be integrated into national monitoring and evaluation systems by offering a low-cost, rapid-turnaround survey platform that can be used for various other health data needs. A similar program is also being carried out in 11 different countries of Asia and Africa.

The interview is all about PMA2020.

What is the aim of the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) survey?

 

PMA2020 was originally designed to facilitate annual progress reporting in support of the goals and principles of Family Planning 2020 (FP2020), using an innovative data platform. PMA2020 aims to establish and support low-cost rapid turnaround surveys monitoring key health and other development indicators.

 

Data are collected at household and health facilities level via mobile phones through a network of female data collectors, known as Resident Enumerators (REs) throughout the country/state. REs transfer data by phone to a central server using the mobile data network. In real-time, data are validated, aggregated, and prepared into tables and graphs, making results quickly available to stakeholders. It is being implemented by local partner universities and research organizations in ten countries across Africa and Asia. Overall direction and support of PMA2020 are provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in collaboration with national partners in each project country. PMA2020 is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

In India, PMA2020 is being implemented by Indian Institute of Health Management and Research (IIHMR) University in Jaipur with the endorsement and technical support provided by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). PMA2020/Rajasthan is collecting data in 147 sentinel sites which are called Enumeration areas. It is a sample survey which is representative of the state population in both Urban and Rural areas. PMA2020 Rajasthan is currently collecting data on family planning and WASH indicators.

How have IIHMR and John Hopkins collaborated as partners on the survey?

IIHMR has a wide and rich experience in conducting large-scale surveys which made it a suitable partner to implement PMA2020 in India/Rajasthan. IIHMR and John Hopkins also share a long and active partnership prior to implementing the PMA2020.

 

Post the data collection and analysis, what do the researchers plan to do?

Post data collection and analysis, researchers and program implementers are engaged in disseminating the collected data to the government, development agencies and other stakeholders. Researchers also use the data collected for publication purposes and refer this data for developing various materials to inform relevant policymakers.

What are some of the limitations of the survey method in research of this kind?

PMA2020, as for now, provides estimates at the state level for Rajasthan. It is yet to be extended to the district level. Moreover, it is mainly focused on family planning and water & sanitation components.  

What other partnerships are IIHMR and John Hopkins engaged in?

IIHMR and Johns Hopkins University have a long relationship in areas of research, training, and academics. They have jointly carried out several research projects. Currently, they are jointly offering the Master of Public Health Program at IIHMR University. Besides this, a project named “PMA Agile” is also being launched in India along with other countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and other Francophone West African countries, for monitoring of initiatives under The Challenge Initiative to improve access to FP services in urban settings.