Marketing organic products: challenges

and opportunities for a sustainable living

Rekha Attri and Rahul Bairagi

Introduction Rekha Attri and

Rahul Bairagi are both
January 2022: Mr Ajay Dayma reflected on the 15-year journey of Manav Chetna Vikas based at the Jaipuria
Kendra (MCVK), founded in 2007. He firmly believed that humans were not living Institute of Management,
berlebihan responsibly and that the excessive use of chemicals in farming had depleted the soil to a Indore, India.
great extent, besides causing harmful effects to human bodies. Instead of living in
fragmented societies, Ajay envisioned community living, wherein humans could live friction-
free with one another and with the environment. What started with a few families who shared
his vision grew in numbers with the passing of time, and by 2022, MCVK had 30 families
from across the globe living harmoniously on campus. Instead of continuing the previous
jobs, each member of the family, including small children, got engaged in some or other
activity at MCVK, following a sustainable community living model. The families who joined
Ajay came from diverse professional backgrounds. There were bankers, architects,
engineers and academicians. Some had experience with Ayurveda, while others were
experienced in marketing and sales. The women of these families were happy to contribute
towards teaching the young children by working in the community kitchen and at the same
time making cottage cheese, jams, pickles, squash, cookies and cakes using their family
recipes. With more and more families joining MCVK, the community benefited with the
addition of new skills and the sharing of creative insights. Recognizing their relationship with
nature and committed to using only the best natural ingredients and sustainable practices,
the families took the responsibility to be self-sufficient by producing food grains, pulses,
vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products, juices, pickles, soaps, supplements and many
more items. With experts from both Ayurveda and modern health science living in the
community, the members combined the top knowledge from the fields to create credible
and effective recipes. MCVK families were able to produce way more than their own
necessities, which led them to sell the products. They believed that they would be able to
share their philosophy of sustainable living if their products reached out to a larger
population rather than just being consumed by community members. This paved the way
for the creation of a brand by the name SATT (a Hindi word, meaning extract), which offered
products under lifestyle, nutriment and wellness categories. The income generated through
the sale of SATT products was reinvested for the sustenance of society and various
educational programmes to promote the harmonious living model.
Acceptance of organic products was based on the customer’s experience with the Disclaimer. This case is written
solely for educational purposes
products and the extent of confirmation of their expectations post-consumption. Marketing and is not intended to represent
and sales of SATT products had numerous challenges. It was not easy to convince the successful or unsuccessful
managerial decision-making.
customers about the authenticity, quality and pricing of the organic products. Many The authors may have
disguised names; financial and
organizations such as Organic India, Organic Tattva, 24 Mantra Organic, Praakritik, Pure & other recognizable information
Sure, etc., which dealt in organic products had high customer awareness and had their to protect confidentiality.

DOI 10.1108/EEMCS-09-2022-0321 VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023, pp. 1-30, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2045-0621 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 1
 presence on e-commerce platforms in addition to brick-and-mortar retail outlets. MCVK was
a fraction of the size of these companies, and in spite of 15 years of existence, the customer
awareness was low. None of the existing community members at MCVK was skilled to carry
out digital marketing of SATT products and relied on direct marketing and participated in
weekly local markets to sell their products. Ajay had already procured 100 acres of land in
the countryside and aspired to have 100 families follow the community living model.
However, low customer acceptance for SATT products failed to generate exponential
growth in revenue, and the plans to have 100 families join MCVK and practice the
sustainability model looked like a far-fetched dream to Ajay. How MCVK could increase
awareness and acceptance of SATT products was a big area of concern, and Ajay
wondered if Pushpendra from WOWIT Digital Company could help increase the revenue of
MCVK.

Sustainability model at Manav Chetna Vikas Kendra

Ajay had worked in the capacity of mechanical engineer in a public sector enterprise, and
prior to that, he worked for a couple of years in a private organization. He always felt that in
the quest for development and the adoption of modernization, human beings had depleted
nature and lived an artificial life, which in turn led to increased stress and anxiety. He was a
firm believer in minimalistic sustenance, wherein the community members produced and
consumed organic products. The community members did not work for others, and
whatever excess was produced was sold in the market and the revenue was used to make
the community self-sufficient. Ajay was a strong believer that self-sufficiency and
sustainability could become a reality, if, through community living, all five livelihood assets
of human capital, natural capital, financial capital, physical capital and social capital were
used to the fullest (refer to Figure 1).
He believed that if communities institutionalized sustainable policies and practices, the
members of the community would benefit through increased well-being, reduced
vulnerability, access to better food quality, regular source of income and harmonious living
with nature. The members of such communities did not face job insecurities or compromise
on the quality of food consumed. Community living symbolized social capital, wherein the
members drew upon formal and informal social resources in pursuit of their livelihood.

Figure 1 Sustainability model

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Social resources were developed when time, effort and other resources were invested in
relationships of reciprocity and mutual assistance.
Ajay knew that participation was central to the sustainability model and wanted this
philosophy to be deeply ingrained in each member of the community. To achieve this, the
members of the community met every evening at 7 p.m. and shared their contributions,
day’s experience and their learning. This experience sharing led to a brainstorming session
wherein ways to improve the systems and processes at MCVK were discussed. The
brainstorming sessions concluded with a community supper and, finally, entertainment
through music, songs and dance by the members. By 2022, MCVK had grown to a
community of 30 families, and each member of the family was actively engaged in the
community work of organic farming for sustainable livelihood.

Organic farming and competitive landscape

As per the IBEF report published in August 2020, India ranked first in terms of the number of
organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic farming. Flax seed, sesame,
soyabean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses were the major organic exports from India
(IBEF, 2020).
Organic products have been gaining popularity in India because of growing health and
environmental concerns. The organic product market in India had witnessed significant
growth, which was primarily driven by increasing awareness among consumers about the
benefits of organic products. Consumers had become more health-conscious and sought
products that were free from harmful chemicals and pesticides. India’s organic food market
size reached US$1,278m in 2022 and was expected to reach US$4,602m by 2028,
exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 23.8% during 2023–2028 (IMARC, 2023).
In addition, the Government of India promoted organic farming through various initiatives,
such as the National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) and the Paramparagat Krishi
Vikas Yojana (PKVY). These initiatives helped increase the production of organic products
and created a favourable environment for the growth of the organic product market in India
(National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming, 2021).
In spite of its growth potential, the organic product market in India faces several challenges.
One of the major challenges was the lack of standardization and certification of organic
products. The absence of a uniform certification system led to confusion among consumers
and made it difficult for them to distinguish between genuine and fake organic products. In
addition, the high price of organic products was also a major challenge for the growth of the
market. Organic products were generally priced higher than conventional products
because of the high costs of production, certification and marketing. This made it difficult for
the majority of the Indian population to afford organic products.
In spite of the challenges, there were several opportunities for the organic product market in
India. The growing demand for organic products presented a huge opportunity for farmers
to switch to organic farming and tap into the growing market. This not only helped to meet
the growing demand for organic products but also helped to promote sustainable
agriculture practices.
In addition, the government of India promoted the export of organic products through
various initiatives, such as the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA). This presented a huge opportunity for Indian farmers and
businesses to tap into the global organic product market (APEDA, 2021). The increased
awareness among consumers about the benefits of organic products, coupled with the
government’s initiatives to promote organic farming, was expected to drive the growth of the
market. However, the lack of standardization and high prices of organic products posed
significant challenges for the market.

VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 3

 There were numerous organizations that engaged in organic farming and marketed these
products in the Indian market. Organic India, Organic Tattva, 24 Mantra Organic, Prakritik,
Pure & Sure, Nutriorg, Nourish Organics, Adya Organics, Avadata Organics and Pronature
were listed as the 10 best organic food brands in India in 2022 (Wellcurve, 2022; Agri
Farming, 2022). A brief description about few of the aforementioned organic brands is as
follows.

A. Organic India
Organic India worked with thousands of small family farmers in India to cultivate tens of
thousands of acres of sustainable organic farmland. All the farmers and tribal wildcrafters
were educated in organic and biodynamic agricultural practices. The organization even
arranged to pay all the fees associated with acquiring the necessary organic certifications
for the farmers. The harvested crop and herbs were purchased at a premium market price
from the farmers, and these were then packaged and sold pan-India at various Fabindia
stores – India’s largest private platform for products made from traditional techniques, skills
and hand-based processes. The product categories sold by Organic India included Tulsi
teas and infusions, herbal formulations, packaged food, including ghee & oils, superfoods
(chia and quinoa), spices, organic cereals and pulses, accompaniments (jams, pickles,
honey, saffron threads, etc.), body care and detox products (Organic India, 2022).

B. Organic Tattva
In the year 2012, Mehrotra Impex (India), a manufacturer and exporter of handicrafts,
household kitchenware and decorative items, ventured into the organic food business
under the brand name Organic Tattva. The organization reached out to farmers and trained
them on practicing environment-friendly farming techniques. The utmost care was taken to
ensure that the soil remained chemical-free. From cropping pattern to crop rotation, water
management, method of harvesting, storage of produce and finally packaging, every
minute detail was monitored by Organic Tattva to deliver the benefits of organic food to the
end consumer. The organization had received organic certification from India Organic
(NPOP), USDA (NOP), Kosher and EU standards. The organization adhered to the stringent
norms set by APEDA, the ministry of agriculture, with respect to transaction certificates
used in the traceability of organic crops. The products offered included organic rice,
cereals and grains, flours, pulses, sugar and jiggery, whole and ground spices, superfoods
and health foods, organic tea and coffee, oils, honey and pastes, natural salts and dry fruits
(Tattva, 2021).

C. 24 Mantra Organic
Founded by Raj Saleem in 2004, Sresta Foods was among the pioneers in organic foods in
India and was one of the largest organic packaged food brands in the country. They
actively engaged with 34,516 farmers in 84 farm clusters located in 12 states across the
country and had 190,610 acres of land under organic cultivation. The organization neither
did outsourcing or corporate farming nor had any middlemen dealing with the farmers.
Instead, the 100 plus associates were in direct contact with the farmers and directly
procured the produce from the farmlands. The produce was then transported and stored in
atmospherically controlled warehouses, where it was sorted and packaged. Marketed
under the brand name 24 Mantra Organic, the organization offered a wide variety of
products under three main categories of cooking essentials (cereals, flours, oils, millets,
pulses, spices and sweeteners such as jiggery and health food), packaged food (dry fruits,
jams and spreads, pasta, vermicelli and other ready-to-cook items) and beverages (organic
teas and Ayurveda concoctions). Crops were grown the natural way, and pests, weeds, etc.

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were attended to with natural home-grown solutions. 24 Mantra Organic products were sold
in the USA, Canada, UAE, the UK and Mauritius (Sresta, 2020).

D. Praakritik
Founded by Dharmishtha Goenka, Praakritik started its journey with Richa (Dharmishtha’s
aunt), who wanted to provide the best form of natural products to society and started her
journey with a cowshed with Gir cows. Her hand-churned clarified butter and ghee were an
instant success and in high demand. Besides cow milk, cow urine and cow dung were also
in demand owing to their medicinal properties and their use in farming. With a motto of “Go
Organic, Grow Organic”, Praakritik – a Hindi word connoting “of the nature”, endeavoured
to spread the education and awareness of organic farming among the farmers and
consumers. The farmlands of Prakritik were spread across the villages of Maharashtra and
Gujarat. Farm fresh vegetables and fruits were sourced from small interior villages in the
Sanghli & Satara belt of Maharashtra. A systematic planning along with our farmers was
done to cultivate all different kinds of vegetables and fruits around the year. Training was
provided to farmers to cultivate their soil and make it pesticide-free for organic farming. The
soil was tested regularly to ensure that the quality of the food was not compromised. The
product range offered by Praakritik included beauty products (bath sales – mint, lemon
grass, lavender, rose, etc.), breakfast cereals, ghee and oils, rice and flour, spices and
immunity boosters (Prakritik, 2022).

E. Pure & Sure

Phalada Agro, the parent company of Pure & Sure was started in 1999 by Mr CMN Shastry
with the vision to provide end-to-end solutions for organic agriculture. The company
provided the farmers with access to high-quality organic agri-inputs using the latest
biotechnology and also ensured that the farmers were provided with fair and premium
compensation for their farm produce. The second-generation entrepreneur, Mr Surya
Shastry, joined his father’s company in 2008, which led to the inception of Pure & Sure
Organic in 2011, which offered over 140 products covering different categories. Pure &
Sure was also the largest exporter of organic food ingredients, having clients in over 25 plus
countries, working with 10,000 plus farmers and processing over 10,000 MT of produce
every year (Sure, 2022)

Products of Manav Chetna Vikas Kendra

By 2022, there were 30 families that had joined MCVK. The earning members of these
families had quit their occupation and got engaged in some or the activity of producing
organic products. The ten-acre land owned by Ajay was used for growing various grains,
pulses and vegetables. There were also fruit trees dotting the farmland. There were around
50 Gir cows at the farm, renowned for producing milk that was high in calcium, phosphorus,
rich fats and potassium, all of which helped in maintaining blood pressure. It also contained
conjugated linoleic acid – an important acid known for lowering bad cholesterol, thereby
improving overall heart health. The fodder for the cattle was also grown on the farms of
MCVK.
The members of MCVK believed that they would be able to share their philosophy of
sustainable living when their products reached out to a larger population rather than just
being consumed by community members. This paved the way to the creation of a brand by
the name SATT (a Hindi word, meaning extract), which had products listed under the
lifestyle, nutriment and wellness categories. Irrespective of their age, the members of
families did farming, made pickles, prepared bakery items such as biscuits, cookies and
muffins, ground spices, tended the cattle, milked them and thereafter processed the milk
into cottage cheese, curd, ghee (clarified butter), etc. The fruits grown on the farm were

VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 5

 processed to make concentrated juices, jams and drinks. The members even distilled the
cow urine to prepare medicinal Gow Ark (Hydrosol) for treatment of ailments such as
cholesterol and diabetes. Few other hydrosols included Garlic Ark, Mint Ark, Basil Ark and
Neem Ark. Likewise, there were various combinations of herbs to provide relief from the
common cold, cough, fever, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. The members also made
herb infused soaps, activated charcoal soaps, hair oils (coconut, amla – Indian
gooseberries and almond), edible oils (groundnut, mustard and sesame), lip balm, herbal
face packs, herbal tooth paste and charcoal powder for the treatment of gum diseases. The
members of MCVK followed a minimalist lifestyle, and whatever was produced was
consumed as per need. The members were not charged for any of the produce, and the
excess items were packaged under the SATT brand name to be sold to the public
interested in organic products.

Marketing of SATT products

MCVK participated in the weekend market (only on Sunday) held at Jaivik Setu – an organic
store located on the outskirts of the city and sold fresh organic produce to the customers
who visited the weekly haat. Although the fresh produce of fruits and vegetables grown at
MCVK was sold inside the premises of Jaivik Setu, the packaged SATT brand products
were prohibited to be sold inside the premises because Jaivik Setu retailed various
packaged organic products under its own brand. As a solution to this problem, MCVK
members got a van redesigned as a shop on wheels and displayed SATT products behind
glass frames. This mobile shop was parked outside the Jaivik Setu complex every Sunday,
and thus the consumers who visited Jaivik Setu also purchased SATT products from the
MCVK’s SATT van. This van also visited various residential buildings, and information about
the same was posted on the Facebook and Instagram pages of SATT (refer to Figures 2
and 3).
In August 2021, MCVK launched its website (https://satt.mcvk.org/) and all SATT products
were showcased under the lifestyle, wellness and nutriment categories (refer to Exhibit 3). A
few members of MCVK were responsible for continuously updating the website. Customers

Figure 2 Post about SATT van on Instagram

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 Figure 3 Information about SATT stall in the city

could place orders by visiting the website. Using business account WhatsApp numbers, the
members of MCVK, in charge of carrying out marketing and sales of SATT products,
regularly updated customers about their schedule of visits at different residential locations
and also kept the customers updated about various products and their prices. Customers
could place their orders in advance so that their desired item could be delivered or made
available at their preferred location. Besides SATT products, MCVK members delivered Gir
Cow milk in 500-mL glass bottles every morning and evening to their 100 plus regular
customers.

Business challenges
The year-on-year growth of revenue for SATT products was only 10% from FY 2020–21 to
FY 2021–22 (refer to Exhibit 1), while the community of MCVK was continuously growing in
numbers. This posed a challenge to the sustainability of the community living philosophy
followed at MCVK.
Marketing and sales of SATT products came with a bundle of challenges. Firstly, it was very
difficult to convince the customers about the authenticity, quality and pricing of the organic
products. For example, 1 L of Gir Cow milk was sold at $1.5, while consumers were used to
purchasing milk at around $1 per litre. Similarly, for various other product categories too,
SATT products were perceived to be priced higher by the customers because they
compared these organic products with chemically grown products available in the

VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 7

 marketplace. Even when compared to products sold by other organic brands, SATT
products were priced on the higher side (refer to Table 1). With premium pricing, it was very
difficult to attract the masses.
The second major concern was distribution. The sales of SATT products relied completely
on one van, which covered different residential areas of the city during the weekdays and
was stationed outside the Jaivik Setu premises on Sundays to attract customers. This meant
that on a particular day, a handful of locations could be covered. Further, because MCVK
was situated in a village far away from the city, it took about 1.5 h to reach the city. So, 3 h of
commuting was a big loss of time. Ajay was contemplating whether adding a van would
solve the distribution problem or whether they should set up a retail outlet for SATT products
in the city. The owner of Jaivik Setu had given a proposal to Ajay to procure the organic
products and sell them at their store under the Jaivik Setu brand name. Ajay had outrightly
refused this proposal, as accepting it would have killed the SATT brand. A retail outlet for
SATT products could not be set up owing to the high working capital requirement.
Many organic products were sold through e-commerce platforms, but SATT products were
not available on any e-commerce platforms. One reason for not choosing any e-commerce
horizontal e-commerce marketplace such as Amazon or Flipkart was that, besides
commission that had to be paid to these marketplaces, SATT products would be lost
among the multitude of product offerings on the e-commerce website. Ajay therefore
wanted the customers to buy products from the website of SATT or from their delivery vans.
The competitors of SATT, besides maintaining their website, ensured the availability of their
products on horizontal marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart, and vertical
marketplaces such as Healthmug, Wellcurve, etc. (refer to Table 2).
Many of these brands were also available at organized retail outlets such as Big Bazaar,
Reliance Fresh, More Mega Mart and DMart to name a few.
More often than not, customers did not make repeat purchases of SATT products. This
weak customer loyalty bothered Ajay, and he wondered whether dissatisfaction with SATT

Table 1 Comparative price chart

Product category SATT Organic India Organic Tattva 24 Mantra Organics Praakritik Pure & Sure

Ghee (1 L) 2,400 1,387 1,900 2,500 2,700 1,800

Honey (1 L) 1,320 780 1,260 996 1516 596
Pulses: bengal gram (1 kg) 180 152 180 186 NA 170
Jaggery (1 kg) 160 160 150 120 NA 130
Spices (cumin) (1 kg) 800 700 650 830 930 800
Edible oil groundnut (1 L) 550 415 445 380 476 415
Source: Compiled by authors

Table 2 Availability of organic brands on e-commerce platforms

e-Commerce platforms SATT Organic India Organic Tattva 24 Mantra Organics Praakritik Pure & Sure

Amazon.in X H H H H H
Flipkart.com X H H H X H
Indiamart.com X H H H H X
Healthmug.com X H X X H X
Healthkart.com X H X X X X
Bigbasket.com X H H H H H
Nykaa.com X H X H H X
Wellcurve.com X H H H H X
Orgpic.com X H X H X H
Source: Compiled by authors

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products or unavailability on e-commerce platforms was the reason behind low sales. Ajay
was aware that selling products online required a deep understanding of digital marketing,
which was not the expertise of any of the members of MCVK. With little knowledge about the
benefits of various digital marketing tools, Ajay was unable to come to a decision and
wanted some expert advice. He therefore reached out to Mr Pushpendra from WOWIT
Digital to discuss the digital marketing solutions for increasing the awareness and sale of
SATT products.

Could WOWIT digital create a wow?

Pushpendra, the Founder and Director of WOWIT Digital, had mentored around 300
companies and helped them excel in their businesses by providing digital marketing
solutions. His creative team of 20 members handled Adwords, worked on search engine
optimization (SEO), designed campaigns, carried out content marketing, sourced
influencers and provided insights to the clients about the effectiveness of various digital
marketing efforts. The customized marketing solutions provided to startups and businesses
by WOWIT Digital helped them reach their audience, increase brand awareness and
generate leads. As per the scheduled appointment, Ajay went to the WOWIT Digital office to
meet Pushpendra.
Ajay: Hi there! Myself Ajay from Manav Chetna Vikas Kendra (MCVK). We had an appointment to
discuss digital marketing solutions to help us with our online presence for SATT products.

Pushpendra: Hi, thank you for coming to speak with me. We’d be happy to help. What
specifically are you looking to achieve through digital marketing? I also would want to know if
your company has any digital presence?

Ajay: Well, we want to increase our visibility and reach more customers. We want to sell more
organic products and build our SATT brand. We have a website and social media pages on
Facebook and Instagram and we’ve also uploaded some videos on YouTube.

Pushpendra: Great! Given that you already have some online presence of SATT products, are
there any specific digital marketing tools you want to use?

Ajay: Honestly speaking, I don’t know much about digital marketing tools. The social media
presence on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube was done by the youngsters who belong to the
community of MCVK. The website was designed by them but I don’t see any significant benefit of
doing all this. However, there is a lot of buzz going around digital marketing and I am sceptical if
digital marketing can really help.

Pushpendra: We at WOWIT Digital have helped many small and medium sized companies grow
by using digital marketing tools. Ok, can you tell me how your website is performing? Do you
know how much sales are being realized through your website or the number of visitors,
customers and repeat purchases done by them? Are there any issues or challenges you’re
facing with your online presence?

Ajay: I am not really sure how our website is performing but I do not see much sales coming from
any of our social media presence or from our website. Are there any tools to get to know the
performance of our website? We haven’t really been tracking our online sales and I have no idea
how to know the number of visitors and repeat sales.

Pushpendra: That’s okay, we can help with that. There are several tools that we can use to help
you achieve your goals. You already have a presence on social media platforms like Facebook,
Instagram and YouTube. However, search engine optimization (SEO) techniques are required to
ensure that your website and social media presence ranks higher on search engines like
Google. Additionally, we can run targeted advertising campaigns on various platforms to reach

VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 9

 your target audience. Finally, tracking website performance and conversions is a crucial part of
digital marketing. We can help you set up analytics and track your website’s performance.

Ajay: Wow, that sounds like a lot. Can you explain a little more about how these tools work?

Pushpendra: Sure! Social media platforms are great for building brand awareness and
engaging with customers. We can create and curate content that is relevant and interesting to
your audience and share it on your social media accounts. SEO techniques involve optimizing
your website’s content and structure to make it more search engine friendly. This helps your
website rank higher on search engine results pages, which can lead to more traffic to your site.
Finally, targeted advertising campaigns allow us to show your ads to specific groups of people
who are more likely to be interested in your products. I understand that you don’t have much
expertise in digital marketing and are sceptical about its benefits. Are there any more concerns
you have about digital marketing?

Ajay: I would want to understand the financials of carrying out digital marketing and whether
investing in digital marketing would really increase our sales.

Pushpendra: I understand your concerns, but digital marketing can be a game-changer for your
business. By reaching your target audience with the right message, you can attract more
customers and increase your sales. We offer customized solutions to fit your budget, and the
long-term benefits of digital marketing far outweigh the costs.

Ajay: That’s reassuring but I don’t really understand the pricing and benefits of various digital
marketing tools.

Pushpendra: That’s understandable. We can provide you with a breakdown of our pricing and
explain the benefits of each tool and tactic we use. For example, SEO can help improve your
website’s ranking on search engines like Google, which can increase organic traffic to your site.
CTA (call to action) is a specific instruction that encourages visitors to your website to take a
specific action, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form. Adwords is an
advertising service by Google that allows you to display your ads on Google search results
pages. We can help you determine which tools and tactics are best for your business and
budget.

Ajay: Okay, that sounds good. But I don’t really understand the nitty gritty of digital marketing. I
wonder how to keep track of our digital marketing activities

Pushpendra: That’s okay. We can explain these terms to you and also provide you with a
detailed report on your website’s performance, including traffic, bounce rate, and more. We can
also optimize your website’s landing pages to improve conversion rates. I assure you that we at
WOWIT Digital will be with you at every step to ensure that you understand everything we’re
doing and why we’re doing it.

Ajay: That’s reassuring. I do see digital marketing as an expense, but if it can really increase our
sales, I’m willing to invest in it.

Pushpendra: Absolutely, digital marketing is an investment that can pay off in the long run. We’ll
work closely with you to ensure that your investment is well spent and that you see results. Let my
team go through your website and analyse your social media presence so that I can discuss a
detailed plan with you.

Ajay: Yes, that sounds good. Let’s meet again sometime next week to discuss further. Thanks for
explaining everything to me!

During the meeting with Pushpendra, Ajay had also explained that the sale of SATT
products was dependent on direct marketing through the van. A week later during his
meeting with Ajay, Pushpendra shared that he had examined the website traffic of SATT

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(https://satt.mcvk.org/) and stated that the website traffic was poor and that very few orders
were received from their website (refer to Exhibit 3).
With respect to the social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, Pushpendra
remarked that the posts were not engaging enough and the number of followers was low. In
comparison to the Facebook and Instagram pages, the Youtube channel of MCVK had 3.3K
followers and was more actively managed with a post every quarter. However, the posts on
Youtube were more on the sustainability model adopted at MCVK and not about SATT
products. Pushpendra also informed Ajay that the call to action was missing in his social
media posts. Ajay was also appraised for how his website lacked essential elements of a
good website design and therefore could not engage the customers visiting the website.
With regard to digital marketing, Ajay was unaware of SEO, Google Adwords, pay per click,
etc., which according to Pushpendra, were essential to improving the listing of the SATT
website and directing visitors to the website. During his second meeting at WOWIT Digital,
Ajay also learned the difference between paid, owned and earned media and was advised
that initially he needed to focus on paid and owned media. Upon enquiring about how he
would be able to monitor the effectiveness of digital marketing, Pushpendra explained how
website analytics tools could give him information about page views, visitors (both new and
repeat), traffic sources, bounce rate, etc. and how these insights would be handy to
improve the digital marketing efforts. Pushpendra finally remarked that merely having a
website was insufficient and meticulous planning was required and WOWIT Digital followed
the RACE (Reach–Act–Convert–Engage) model to help clients. Pushpendra shared a
proposal for various digital marketing activities that could be carried out for SATT and
asked Ajay to revert back with the tasks he wanted WOWIT Digital to do for SATT products Keywords:
(refer to Exhibit 2). Organic products,
Digital marketing,
This was the first time Ajay had come across such terms and details about digital marketing.
Sustainable living,
With the pressure of providing a sustainable livelihood to the families at MCVK, it was Direct marketing,
important that more and more customers purchase SATT products because low customer Search engine optimization,
acceptance for SATT products would weaken their sustainability model. How MCVK could Website development,
Sustainability,
increase the awareness and acceptance of SATT products was a big area of concern for
e-Selling,
Ajay, and being a novice in the area of digital marketing, he desperately looked for advice Retailing
and wondered if WOWIT Digital could create a Wow!

References
Agri Farming. (2022). Top 20 organic food companies in India. Retrieved from https://www.agrifarming.
in/: https://www.agrifarming.in/top-20-organic-food-companies-in-india (accessed 12 March 2022).
APEDA. (2021). National programme for organic production. Retrieved from https://apeda.gov.in/:
https://apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/Announcements/NPOP_Training_Manual_English_E_Book.pdf
(accessed 15 February 2023).

IBEF. (2020). Indian economy news. Retrieved from https://www.ibef.org/: https://www.ibef.org/news/

india-ranks-first-in-number-of-organic-farmers-and-ninth-in-terms-of-area-under-organic-farming-major-
organic-exports-from-india-are-flax-seeds-sesame-soybean-tea-medicinal-plants-rice-and-pulses
(accessed 20 March 2022).
IMARC. (2023). India organic food market: Industry trends, share, size, growth, opportunity and forecast
2023-2028. Retrieved from https://www.imarcgroup.com: https://www.imarcgroup.com/indian-organic-
food-market (accessed February 2023).
National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming. (2021). National programme for organic production
(NPOP). Retrieved from https://ncof.dacnet.nic.in/: https://ncof.dacnet.nic.in/ThirdPartyCertification-
NPOP#::text=The%20APEDA%2C%20Ministry%20of%20Commerce,organic%20farming%20and%20
marketing%20etc (accessed 14 February 2023).
Organic India. (2022). Organic India- Healthy conscious living. Retrieved from https://www.organicindia.
com/: https://www.organicindia.com/aboutthecompany (accessed 3 March 2022).

VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 11

 Prakritik. (2022). Prakritik- Go organic, grow organic. Retrieved from https://praakritik.com/: https://
praakritik.com/collections/all-products (accessed 12 March 2022).

Sresta. (2020). Sresta-Natural bioproducts limited. from sresta.com: Retrieved from https://sresta.com/
(accessed 22 February 2022).
Sure, P. (2022). Pure & Sure- Our story. Retrieved from https://pureandsure.in/: https://pureandsure.in/
pages/our-story (accessed 18 March 2022).
Tattva, O. (2021). Organic Tattva- About Us. Retrieved from https://www.organictattva.com/: https://www.
organictattva.com/about-organic-tattva/ (accessed 12 March 2022).
Wellcurve. (2022). 10 Best organic food brands in India 2022: a healthy life ahead. Retrieved from https://
www.wellcurve.in/: https://www.wellcurve.in/blog/best-organic-food-brands-in-india/ (accessed 12 May
2022).

PAGE 12 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023

 Table E1
Average price Sales quantity Revenue in FY Sales quantity 9 Revenue in
No. of variants in for 250 g (in units/kg/L) 2020–21 in units/kg/L) FY 2021–22
Category Product each product line (in US$) FY2020–21 (in US$) FY2021–22 (in US$)

Lifestyle Handmade soaps 11 3 1,050 3,150 2,450 7,350

Oral care 3 3.5 1,200 4,200 1,000 3,500
Hair and skin care 5 3.01 560 1,685.6 300 903
Exhibit 1. SATT: category-wise sales figures

Pulses 4 1 3,000 3,000 3,500 3,500

Grains 2 1.5 4,500 6,750 5,050 7,575
Spices 5 3 150 450 200 600
Cooking oil 2 1 110 110 200 200
Bakery 12 1.5 35 52.5 50 75
Wellness Health supplements 21 2.5 5 12.5 4.5 11.25
Nutriments Snacks 3 2 150 300 125 250
Ambadi & Amla 9 3.14 565 1,774.1 305 957.7
Pickles 5 1.8 176 316.8 100 180
Dairy – clarified butter 1 8 560 4,480 600 4,800
Dairy – cottage cheese 1 6 800 4,800 1,000 6,000
Gaushala by-products Vermicompost 5 1.25 2,000 2,500 1,075 1,343.75
Total revenue 33,581.5 37,245.7

VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023

Source: Compiled by authors as shared by the founder of MCVK

j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 13

 Exhibit 2. Digital marketing proposal

Table E2
Digital
marketing Dimensions covered Benefits Cost involved

Search engine Keyword management, keyword proposal, fast- 䊏 Helps in 24/7 promotion and boosts US$165 (monthly)
optimization finding over Google, keyword maintenance, brand credibility by displaying the
(SEO) manage over search engines (5–6 keywords) brand in top search results
䊏 Increased brand visibility
and rank on Google 䊏 Improves user’s experience with the
website
䊏 Brings organic search traffic to the
website
䊏 Helps to generate quality leads

Pay per click Google Adwords, Facebook and LinkedIn 䊏 Ads reach audiences cost effectively US$150 (monthly)
䊏 Helps generate traffic
(PPC) marketing, develop PPC campaign
䊏 Offer multi-layered targeting options
advertising

Google 5–6 Keywords management, bid management 䊏 Adwords ads help reach out wider US$150 (monthly)
Adwords and location targeting audience across various platforms
䊏 Results are faster than SEO
䊏 Display 䊏 Can be scheduled to reach targeted
ads audience at right time
䊏 Search ads 䊏 Effective remarketing tool to reach
audience with specific content

Search engine Search Ads, display Ads, video ads, e-mail Combined benefit of all the three digital US$350 (monthly)
marketing + ads, creative ad copies, call only ad marketing tools
PPC + Google campaigns, remarketing ads, shopping ads,
Ads app install ads, landing page design, A/B
testing, dynamic ad campaign
Instagram and Instagram and Facebook page management 䊏 Reels and stories can help grow the US$100 (monthly)
Facebook brand community by making the content
discoverable to a wider social media
䊏 Story ads community
䊏 Reel ads

Social media Facebook marketing, Instagram marketing,
marketing YouTube marketing, LinkedIn marketing,
Twitter marketing, Pintrest marketing
䊏 Increased brand recognition US$300 (monthly)
䊏 Higher conversion rates and increased
revenue through social commerce
䊏 Increased in-bound traffic and audience
insights
䊏 Helps in lead generation and directing
the traffic to specific landing pages

Content PPT creation, infographics content creation
marketing (only text based), video content writing, blog
writing (500–700 words), press release writing
(300–700 words), article writing (300–700
words)
䊏 Higher visibility in search engines and US$300 (monthly)
increased referral traffic
䊏 Increased rate of engagement by
creating and sharing relevant articles,
blogs, vlogs, podcasts, etc.
䊏 Helps stimulate interest in product or
service and lead to strong customer
relationships

(continued)

PAGE 14 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023

Table E2
Digital
marketing Dimensions covered Benefits Cost involved

Online Promote positive information, influencer 䊏 Closely monitor responses on various US$150 (monthly)
reputation marketing, boost visibility, defend brand communication channels and work
management defamation, diminish negative reviews, prevent towards maintaining a positive brand
negative PR image to gain customer trust
䊏 Address to any negative comments
posted online
䊏 Use customer comments to solve issues
before they potentially damage the
brand

Set up and Google Anaytics setup, Google Search
tracking Console setup, Google Ad Conversion setup,
Call Tracking setup, Events and Goal setup,
Google Tag Manager setup, Form Submission
setup
䊏 Monitor and resolve server errors, site US$250
load issues and security issues such as
hacking and malware
䊏 Ensure any site maintenance or
adjustments required in digital
marketing with respect to search
performance

Influencer Sourcing of influencer + development and 䊏 Increases social media following US$165 (monthly) in
䊏 Increases social engagements and
marketing posting of content addition to the
interactions influencer fee
䊏 Gains credibility and trust
䊏 Increases sales and repeat orders

Website Development + designing + 1 year 䊏 Helps create the first impression US$300
䊏 Attracts more visitors and converts them
development management
to prospects/customers
䊏 Communicates quality information to
customers
䊏 Engages audience by providing quality
information and easy navigation
䊏 Aids in sales of products

Reporting Weekly & Monthly 䊏 Provides insights on how well the goals US$100
are being met (complementary
䊏 Identifies the effectiveness of various above business worth
digital marketing campaigns US$300 monthly)
䊏 Identifies the conversion rate and
provides insights for re-targeting

Source: Compiled by authors, shared by WOWIT Digital

VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j PAGE 15

 Exhibit 3. SATT website page showcasing product range

Figure E1

Corresponding author
Rekha Attri can be contacted at: rekha.attri@jaipuria.ac.in

PAGE 16 j EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES j VOL. 13 NO. 1 2023