Bridging The Marketing Gap: Challenges And Strategic Imperatives For Rural Shgs In Birbhum And Burdwan, West Bengal

Abstract

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have emerged as powerful tools for rural women’s empowerment, poverty alleviation, and grassroots entrepreneurship in India. In West Bengal, SHGs are active in districts like Birbhum and Burdwan, but their growth is hampered by marketing challenges. This study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining structured surveys of 40 SHG members (20 per district) and qualitative interviews with SHG leaders and officials, to investigate these challenges. We find that the most severe obstacles include limited market access, inadequate marketing skills (branding, packaging, pricing), intense competition from established firms, and insufficient financial resources for marketing. Quantitatively, 70%+ of respondents rated market access and marketing strategy issues as “major/extreme,” and a remarkable 75% rated credit access as “extreme”. Conversely, infrastructural barriers and general market competition were often seen as minor. Qualitative insights echo these findings: SHG members report difficulty reaching beyond local ‘Haats’, lack of consumer information, and an absence of professional branding. The analysis highlights four themes: critical core marketing gaps, overwhelming financial constraints, relatively low perceived impact of external factors (infrastructure/competition), and a strong need for internal capacity building (skills, innovation). Based on these results and literature, we propose targeted interventions: dedicated rural marketing hubs, branding and packaging support, enhanced market linkages (including e-commerce), marketing literacy programs, financial subsidies, and monitoring frameworks. These measures aim to empower SHGs to become competitive micro-enterprises and achieve sustainable rural livelihoods.