Article at a glance:

Winning the Indian consumer

• Retail sales in India's consumer goods market are expected to grow to $400 billion by 2010, making it one of the world's five biggest.
• India's emerging middle class is driving this rapid growth, and companies must target that segment if they aspire to make the country a key market.
• To win these customers, multinationals must adapt their products, prices, and manufacturing processes to households with limited budgets and local tastes.
• Companies also must find ways to distribute their goods to customers across a vast nation, with a retail sector dominated by mom-and-pop stores.