Evolution of marketing concept in Indian Context:

Concept of marketing origins long back in India to year 3300 BC during Indus valley civilization where in most of the marketing was done through street shops, street markets and traveling salesmen called as feriwalas. Most of the products were home made i.e. cottage industry was predominant and almost every village was an independent economic entity. Products though home-made, carried an excellent quality as same business or profession was carried over generation by generation. Children of goldsmiths became goldsmiths and this enhanced the fineness in their skills generation to generation. Most of the marketing concept was exchange oriented and people used to do barter exchange i.e exchange of goods with goods, though currency was established by then.

Currency which was initially limited to gold and silver coins later on diluted to cheaper currencies which could be spread in masses and thus use of currency increased and barter exchange started reducing. However, even today the tribal regions of India are involved in barter exchange system as they are deprived of basic facilities like currency and commodities. Barter is also partially practiced in corporate marketing environment with concepts like buy-back ( ex : Thermax boilers) , exchange schemes where old & used commodities are exchanged with new products ( ex : Big Bazaar )

Even after the fall of barter system and rise of currencies, street markets and hawkers continued to operate. Mela & Haat were the concepts of marketing which later on evolved in to modern product exhibitions. This was the initial stage of retail marketing in India. Melaa & Haat are operative even today in rural parts of India. Famous example of an Haat is DELHI HAAT.

Marketing was not an aggressive function and product features were considered to be the main reason of why a customer should buy a product. Thus we can say that after exchange concept, product orientation was predominant in India.  

During the medieval age, India was also active in exports of products like shawls of Kashmir, jute, silk, and other textiles and handicrafts, agricultural products like pepper, cinnamon, opium and the major product was Indigo Dye. It is this product Indigo Dye from which India was named India. Agriculture was the predominant occupation of the population and satisfied a village's food requirements besides providing raw materials for hand based industries like textile, food processing and crafts. There were no formal business organizations but mostly there were joint family business houses, glimpses of which we can still observe in regions like Gujarat and Punjab. Till the end of Mughal empire and 1700 and Maratha empire in late 1800, India was the largest economy in the world leaving behind China and republic of France. The fall of economy stared with Biritish Raj in 19^th century and India is yet struggling to come out of it.

The Industrial revolution in Europe had adverse effects on Indian territory as India was forced to adopt the new products manufactured in European factories and this lead to the fall of Indian handicrafts and cottage industry. Like other colonized nations, India was dragged into the industrial era on terms that were not of it's own choosing and many of the technological developments that have since taken place in India have been geared more towards the export market than bringing about all-round improvements in the quality of life for the Indian masses. This situation still continues. After inception of the forceful industrial revolution, Indian marketing moved to production oriented marketing.

Jamshedji Tata, the indigenous and pioneer of Industrial revolution in India started his two cotton mills one in Mumbai in 1869 ( Alexandra mill) and another in Nagpur in 1874 ( empress mill) and installed first steel factory in 1907.  Jamsetji Tata is regarded as the "father of Indian industry". 

A mix of product and production orientation continued after Independence of India and till 1970s  when selling concept dominated and continued till 2000 i.e. till emergence if integrated marketing concept where in all activities of marketing were integrated and consumer orientation was then the main focus.

India was under social democratic-based policies from 1947 to 1991. The economy was characterized by extensive regulation, protectionism, and public ownership, leading to pervasive corruption and slow growth. Since 1991, continuing economic liberalization has moved the economy towards a market-based system. A revival of economic reforms and better economic policy in 2000s accelerated India's economic growth rate. By 2008, India had established itself as the world's second-fastest growing major economy.

The economy of India is the eleventh largest economy in the world by nominal value and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). In the 1990s, following economic reform from the socialist-inspired economy of post-independence India, the country began to experience rapid economic growth, as markets opened for international competition and investment. In the 21st century, India is an emerging economic power with vast human and natural resources, and a huge knowledge base. Economists predict that by 2020,^] India will be among the leading economies of the world.

Author : Prasanna Shembekar