Renault India partners CSC Grameen eStore to improve rural outreach

French carmaker Renault India has announced its partnership with CSC Grameen eStore, a subsidiary of CSC eGovernance Services India (CSC-SPV), which the company says will strengthen its rural presence and move closer to the customers in remote areas.

As part of the partnership, Renault India’s product range will be listed on the CSC Grameen eStore and made available to the potential customers in hinterlands through aspirational Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). CSC Grameen eStore is an eCommerce initiative by CSC (under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) to promote digital ordering and delivery in rural areas, to bring digitalisation to rural India. To facilitate smooth rural e-commerce, Renault will build a mechanism that would facilitate the supply of its products to Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) who will help list the products on select CSC Grameen eStores. The VLEs will further promote, generate enquiries, and facilitate sale to end customers in rural areas through the support of respective Renault Authorised dealerships.

Venkatram Mamillapalle, country CEO and MD, Renault India Operations said, “We see tremendous potential in the rural markets, and are aggressively pursuing with an innovative and comprehensive strategy to amplify and grow our presence in Rural India. The digital transformation has brought about a revolutionary change in dissipating physical boundaries and hinderances, helping bring different rural and semi-urban markets onto a common platform. We curated ‘sons of the soil’ strategy, wherein we recruited 500 educated youngsters from rural and small towns, trained them and put them as rural sales engineers to market Renault cars. This is yet another initiative to enhance our reach within the country and create a strong network in the rural market. We are extremely confident that this partnership will pave the way for digital and economic empowerment and will further boost our efforts to deliver consumers’ favourite Renault car at their doorstep.”

Dr. Dinesh Tyagi, CEO, CSC SPV said, “The idea for Grameen e-Store exemplifies Prime Minister’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat by creating opportunities for rural youth and being vocal for local. Through this initiative, VLEs are playing a critical role in connecting producers and companies with the rural consumers right at their doorsteps. Partnering with Renault will allow the Grameen eStore to have first four-wheeler brand, while providing customers in rural areas easy access to its great products and services.”

“The tie-up with Renault will certainly prove a milestone for CSC in facilitating world class product and services in the rural India. Our VLEs will avail themselves of this two-way opportunity first, in learning the basics of Renault cars and then in enhancing their means and resources,” added Dr. Tyagi.

As a part of its Rural Amplification Strategy, Renault initiated a special project last year - VISTAAR - to amplify and grow presence in rural India. In order to move closer to the customers in the remote areas and showcase its new compact sub four-metre SUV KIGER, Renault India recently launched a new initiative ‘Rural Float’, a fully functional mobile showroom, that aims to provide complete Renault experience to the existing and potential customers in more than 360 towns across the country, especially in the rural markets across India.