Cautious Buying: Differences between Rural and Urban Households

Abstract

Rural markets in India are blossoming. Very few studies have been carried out in rural India for understanding the behaviour of the rural consumer and then customizing the products in accordance to their needs. A comparative study has been carried out to understand how rural and urban consumers buying behavior differ with respect to different types of influences on their buying behavior. The study was based on the sample of 411 (204 from urban and 207 from rural areas) households across the state selected on the basis of non-probability convenience sampling. Three durable goods from three different product categories Television (entertainment product), Refrigerator (home appliance), and an Automobile (two-wheeler, motorcycle and car/jeep) have been selected for study. Overall there are significant differences between rural and urban consumers for all the select products.