Electronic appliances maker Usha International will focus on strengthening its distribution network for the rural markets in the year ahead, said Dinesh Chhabra, CEO of Usha International. In an interaction with IANS, Mr Chhabra said that with the growth of the digital space, the company will continue to consolidate its presence in the online segment.

“With the digital economy share set to grow in the coming year, we aim to continue our efforts towards owning the space along with strengthening our distribution network for the reviving rural markets,” he said. The CEO told IANS that the rural market has shown a consistent growth post lockdown and the main reasons behind this include reverse migration, enhanced government schemes towards rural welfare, and changing lifestyle and requirements of people.

While urban demand after seeing initial signs of contraction has started gaining positive momentum, the sale of appliances during the pandemic has largely been driven by an increasing influx of demand from small towns and rural parts of India, he added. “Over the years, Usha has built its pan-India presence to become a household name both in villages and cities, offering a diverse portfolio of products. In terms of demand from metropolitan cities, we have realised that in order to be relevant, we would require to ramp up our digital consumer engagement and investments across the e-commerce space,” said Mr Chhabra.