Market entry strategy for exports to India

Our local teams plan & execute

If India is a relatively unknown market for you, you need a clear market entry strategy. This may be different from the strategies you have used so far, as the market structure and the competition is different.

Alliance experts helps you to check, adjust or define your market entry strategy, so that your can safely start with a distributor search or with your business development.

50 +
Clients helped
1 +
Price comparisons done
0 +
Countries
$ 0 k
Saved on costs

Oppportunities for international business in India

India, located in South Asia, is the world’s second-most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.3 billion as of 2023. Known for its rich cultural diversity, historical heritage, and vast geography, India plays a significant role in global affairs.

The Indian economy, with a GDP per capita of around $2,100 USD in 2023, is characterized by a mix of agriculture, manufacturing, and services. Agriculture remains a key sector, supporting a large portion of the population. The service sector, particularly IT and software services, has seen rapid growth and global integration. Manufacturing is also expanding, with initiatives like ‘Make in India’ promoting industrial development.

India’s major imports include crude oil, precious stones, machinery, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, vital for its growing economy and population.

Business opportunities in India

Below are the potential growth sectors in India:

  • Agriculture
  • Manufacturing
  • Information technology
  • Retail industry
  • Tourism services

Over the last few years, India has been an outsourcing destination for various organizations. But this scenario is changing rapidly, and trade in services and goods is quickly improving. Cultural barriers along with government barriers are the issues one has to tackle to grow a business here.

Agriculture industry sector in India

The economy in India relies heavily on agriculture. A large portion of India’s land can be cultivated and it ranks second in farm output in the whole world. Countless opportunities in agribusiness are abound in India.

This sector contributes to the country’s gross domestic product, at an estimated value of 10% of the total amount. Agriculture is also the primary source of income for Indians especially in rural households. To note, around 830 million Indians live in rural areas.

Aside from the country’s major crops which include rice, wheat, coarse cereals, cotton, and oilseeds, India also boasts of an abundance of raw materials – buffalo meat, milk, bananas, mango, guava, pulses, tea, and sugarcane.

There are huge quantities produced in most food categories in India. The nation ranks among the highest in the areas of milk, fruit and vegetables, livestock, grain and other food production. However, the level of processing in India is low. Some examples of this include only 2.2% of all fruits and vegetables being processed and only 6% of poultry products.

Manufacturing in India

17 per cent of India’s GDP is represented by its manufacturing sector, in contrast to the 53 per cent of the services sector. Lack of infrastructure and connectivity is seen the reason for the investment shift into more asset-light services sector.

Make in India is a national campaign that promotes manufacturing growth for both domestic and international products. The campaign aims to foster innovation, facilitate investment, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property, and build top-of-the line manufacturing infrastructure.

IT and ICT sector in India

IT is one of India’s strengths. In view of this PM Modi has also launched digital India. The initiative aims to tap India’s IT capabilities and to promote investments into IT and mobile infrastructure.

With both hardware and software coverage, India aims to achieve the following:

  1. Improvement of electronic infrastructure including fibre optic cables, mobile coverage, and broadband coverage;
  2. Promotion of electronics marketing;
  3. Promotion of more e-governance solutions by various government authorities to address business and civilian needs.

Mobile communications in India

There is an increasing demand for mobile handsets and electronics; this will in turn create opportunities for brand owners and trading companies to supply and see growth together with the market. Indian market also provides opportunities for software companies that provide expert solutions for mobile and e-governance. In order to effectively ride on the trend, investing companies must tailor their products and suite of applications and products for the Indian market.

Use our support to enter the market in India

We know the market from inside-out

We work with local teams, who already know the market, speak the language and know the business culture.

We are active in over 30 countries

We can compare different markets and as we can help you in all of them, we only favor the market that may work out best for you.

Reduce your risks

We help you avoid cultural misunderstandings, compliance issues, and other risks associated with entering a new market.

Learn from our financial perspective

We help you draft the business case for your market entry, weighing potential turnover and margins against the costs for market entry and further marketing.

Four questions to define your market entry strategy

Entering a new market takes time and resources, so it is good to ensure that India is open for your product and that you have good chances on finding a positioning that really pays off.

Is this the right country?

Why pick India from over 200 countries to choose from? We always like to know your considerations, as other markets may be easier to penetrate.

How big is the market?

Data from market research reports won’t tell you how your specific product will be received. For this you need an expert opinion and comparisons with similar products. Our local teams can do this.

Wat is the market structure?

Where will your end-users typically look for your product or service? Is this online of offline? Who controls these sales channels and how easy is it to find the right positioning? We know the market from inside out.

What are regulations?

Have you checked import duties, taxes and other regulations? Your product may need certifications or a local representative. We can easily check for you.

With the above data we can start building a business case for your market entry and decide on the best target group to approach. From there we can continue for you with a distributor search or with direct business development.

Get your proposal directly

    In , our experienced business developers work for you 20 hours per month for . Every month we report on what we have done and plan actions and deliverables for the next month. This is a 12-month plan where you can scale up and down our efforts when needed.

    Download your proposal

    Company name*

    Company home country

    First Name*

    Last Name*

    Email*

    Mobile phone number

    Please check your email for our proposal. Depending on your browser it may also open in a new window or be in your downloads folder.

    After reading our proposal, or in case you have any other questions:

    Customer Experiences

    ” Alliance Experts’ tailored strategies boosted our Europe market presence phenomenally. Exceptional service, highly recommended! “
    Jing Zhang

    Jing Zhang

    Kamtec

    ” Invaluable local insights led to great distributor matches. Their approach revolutionized our market entry strategy. Highly recommend! “
    Francis Huang

    Francis Huang

    Würth

    ” Outstanding service! Found the perfect partners in within a few months. Our international sales skyrocketed thanks to their expertise. “

    Mehmet Aksoy

    RR Engineers

    ” Alliance Experts strongly supported our growth in African markets. Innovative, effective strategies, and superb communication. “
    James Martin

    James Martin

    Brabantia

    ” During our cooperation Alliance experts showed an effective approach and tracking, professionalism and provided the services reliably and on time. “
    Nouraldine Banaeinejad

    Nouraldin Banaeinejad

    CAN Home appliances

    ” Alliance experts has helped us with clear insights in a market which was relatively new to us. Even under difficult circumstances they found good dealer candidates. “
    Alliance Expert found distributors for Harley Davidson

    Vitello Benevetti

    Harley Davidson

    Companies we have helped with market entry strategy

    Molarclean
    Plastinovo
    EEPC India
    Verantis
    Apart Group
    Hydrologic
    HCP – the sweetener company
    RR Engineers
    Golden Red Trade Solution
    CAN Home appliances

    We are active in over 30 countries