Sample Research Paper On Global Marketing: Apple In India Case Study

Introduction

Before an organization ventures into a new market, it is important to evaluate the marketing success of the project by considering the necessary market characteristics. Such market characteristics determine whether the organization is going to be successful or not in the new market. The author of this research paper believes that India would be an ideal country for Apple to sell their products.

Political and legal environment: Government Policy

Recently, the government of India made it compulsory for all television broadcast signals to be digitized. The government has maintained its execution of the mandatory digitization across several regions in the country, especially the urban areas. Due to this move by the government, the sales of digital televisions and micro-consoles have started rising. Majority of consumers in India have been replacing their CRT televisions with the upgraded digital ones. Owing to this government policy, the Apple TV would do well in the Indian market. The Apple TV is a digital set-top box device that converts digital data from various sources and then streams it to capable television. In India, digital television sales have continued to witness robust growth as analog television sales drop.

Economic environment: Economic Stabilization

In the year 2013, the economy of India witnessed double-digit inflation just before the 2014 general elections. During this period, the prices of electronics hiked making consumers be cautious of their spending and postpone purchases. However, there was a general feeling among consumers in India that the economy would stabilize when the central elections were over. Due to this reason, the consumers saved their money in order to spend it when the economy recovers. Since the Indian economy is already recovering, electronic sales are expected to rise. Stabilization of the economy has led to increased disposable earnings among consumers; thus the sales of electronic products are growing. Revival of the economy is benefiting the sales of electronics since India is seeing a progression in modern and online retail across numerous regions.

Technological environment: Internet Penetration

The rural regions of India have in the recent years witnessed rapid infrastructure growth and urbanization. In rural India, consumers were used to shopping for electronics at appliance specialist retailer stores and online retail was restricted to the urban regions. However, because of the rapid urbanization, there has been a higher penetration of online retailers and online retail has been recording remarkable growth. In India, internet retail is quickly becoming the preferred avenue for consumer electronics. For this reason, the Apple online store would thrive in India. Online retailing is advantageous in more than one ways. Firstly, online shopping is convenient to the consumer since they can shop from anywhere as long as they have access to the internet. Secondly, it saves the cost of constructing a physical store, which is reflected in the lower prices of products.

Socio-Cultural environment: Predominant Religions

India has several religions including Sikhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. The popular religious festivals in India include Guru Nanak, Jayanti, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi, Makar Sankranti, Diwali, Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Christmas. During such festivals, the consumers in India spend a lot of money on gifts for family members and friends. According to statistics, most of these gifts are usually electronic products such as phones, multimedia players, laptops, and tablets. Due to the excessive shopping for electronic products in India during the numerous religious festivals, Apple would register a high number of sales of their products in the region.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that India is a perfect location for Apple to sell their products. This is because the country has favorable government policy, a stable economy, internet penetration and a culture of bulk purchasing during religious festivals.

Works Cited

Apple.com. 'Apple Retail Store - Personal Pickup.' N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. <https://www.apple.com/retail/personal-pickup/>.
Euromonitor.com,. 'Consumer Electronics In India'. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Feb. 2015 . <http://www.euromonitor.com/consumer-electronics-in-india/report>.
Sharma, Renuka, Kiran Mehta, and Shashank Sharma. 'Understanding Online Shopping Behaviour Of Indian Shoppers'. International Journal of Management & Business Studies 4.3 (2014): 9-18. Print.