The Lowest Common Denominator! How to reach half-a-billion Indians?

10 years back we would not have imagined selling 6 million PCs a couple of million laptops every year, so quickly.

About 40 million people now fly by domestic airlines every year and about 30 odd million people use credit cards in the country.

This sounds good, and more than that it boost the ego of an average Indian, whose country was known as poor and underdeveloped till a couple of decades back.

What if I say that the opportunity for having an installed PC base is at least 500m (as compared to about 30 odd million now), in the next 5 years. (100 m PCs to be sold every year). And in the same breath I also say that the opportunity of internet usage should be at least 100m users every year for the next 5 years!

My thinking is that the real potential of India has not been realised and that the business models for India need to be disruptive for every business (and not just Technology business) that operates in India!

I have been inspired by C K Prahlad’s ‘Bottom of Pyramid’ in writing this article, but even before I read CKP, I had always thought that we are not looking at the big picture as Indian Marketers or MNCs in India.

To achieve this ambitious goal of selling to Half a billion people in India- we need to understand who they are. And my friends, they are people who have very little or no purchasing power!

So, we will need to develop an eco-system of sorts-which will help them elevate their financial position by earning more or saving more through the use of technology. We need to remember that this system will only be successful if we allign with righ partner mix and rope in the government and NGOs for training, space and other subsidies for the common man.

OK....more statistics now...

516 million labourers in India. (Most of them on daily wages, and a large % may include people who earn less than USD1 per day)

At least 40 million students in India (Secondary, Senior secondary and colleges/Universities).

Then there are about 80 million senior citizens in India.

And we are not even talking about people who earn between INR 50000-INR 2Lac a year.

Diverse Segments Need Diverse Solutions

Now that we understand the broad level segmentation; let’s take a look at their Core needs, and how we can build an ecosystem of utilities powered by technology.

By doing this we will help these segments achieve their own goals more efficiently and economically and in due course achieving our own objectives.

So, what are the 6 core needs that cut across most of the above mentioned segments...and what ecosystem are we talking about? Wait for my next post! It's coming pretty soon!