Gender-Based Strategies in Indian Product Markets

Abstract

Gender-based marketing means marketing of products and services exclusively to men or women as the case may be. It is now widely recognized that men and women have different requirements, and they demand products in a different manner based on characteristics, features, quality, and quantity, and hence a product being marketed universally is an outdated concept. The latest trend in the markets in the developed nations has been to market products and services by making them exclusive to each gender based on their desires. The concept has well been accepted in developed nations, but as for India it is yet to make a definitive mark. India had remained a male-dominated society until late 1990’s. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, India has seen a drastic change in behavioral pattern in Indian consumers. More and more women since then have started joining the corporate world and as on date they hold many key positions of responsibility in business and society. The present study attempts to find out whether Indian consumers are aware of the concept of gender-based marketing, whether they ready to accept it, and for which product and service categories are they ready to accept it. The implications for marketing are immense. Marketers would have found a new way to appeal to their consumers by making a product or a service exclusively made for a specific gender. Gender-based marketing offers new possibilities in terms of targeting-segmentation-positioning, as well as many new opportunities for product development and product extension for specific gender segments. In particular, this would mean more effective marketing of products or product lines for both women and men. To answer these questions, a survey was conducted in Bangalore city, using a structured questionnaire, to evaluate the awareness levels, usage patterns, and acceptance levels of several categories of gender-exclusive products by virtue of age, education, occupation, life cycle stage, and income level. The sample size was relatively small, two hundred respondents, taken from a section of middle-class and upper-middle-class educated adults in Bangalore city. The choice of sample, which was non-probabilistic/convenient in nature, unfortunately limits the immediate generalizability of the results. The results of the study showed that the younger generation, who are either students or at the starting of their career, and people who have relatively high disposable income are generally more aware and are more attracted towards the concept of gender-based marketing. Also, the results of the study showed there are several product categories for which gender-based marketing is quite readily accepted by consumers, while there are still some product categories for which gender-based marketing is not so readily accepted. Of course, for all this to be translated into marketing strategy and action, more detailed study would be required, but the indications are that a new marketing era is about to emerge.