It is not easy to sell sports gear and accessories to a nation that does not have a sports culture and does not look beyond cricket. What is even more interesting is while sports viewership is huge, participation is low. 


All the brands focus on the same sport. This is so different from other markets like Japan, Europe or the US where there are many sports and different brands identify with different sports. 


Indian consumers are very demanding. Till the time they buy local brands, their expectations are low. But the moment they buy a pricier international brand, their expectations rise. For them, just the brand power does not work. The durability, functionality and comfort of the product are as important. This is very different from what is seen in other global markets where the brand gets a lot more credit by virtue of just its brand power.


While Indian customers have become brand conscious, the brand differentiation is yet to come. Till as recently as two years ago, Puma, Nike , Reebok and Adidas in India were perceived the same. They didn't have a distinctive brand persona. This is quite unlike say an American, British or a European consumer where he/she has very distinct image of each of these brands-flashy or sporty or fashionable.

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