<p>Dubbed as the cheapest segment refrigerator in India with a price tag between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,800, the product is currently available in rural and semi-urban areas of Maharashtra and Goa.</p>.<p>"It is our plan to roll out Chotukool in a phased manner... By this festive season we will expand to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat," Godrej Appliances Vice-President (Corporate Development) G Sunderraman told PTI.</p>.<p>Currently, the firm is focusing on development of distribution infrastructure for the product in rural areas, for which it has tied up with India Post, besides embarking on an awareness campaign.</p>.<p>"Chotukool is a new category by itself and therefore we have been working on the usage education through demonstration to the unserved end users. This necessitates a phased launch in different states over a period of time," he said.</p>.<p>Sunderraman, however, did not specify the time frame the company will take for a pan India launch but said: "The sales will be expanded nationally when we are satisfied that the required infrastructure is in place across the country".</p>.<p>Godrej had pinned hopes on the product to make a breakthrough in the rural markets and initially planned to launch the mini refrigerator with a capacity of 40 litres and weighing only 7.8 kg last year. It has, however, been delayed.</p>.<p>Explaining the delay in launching the product, Sunderraman said educating customers and building the distribution channel have been the biggest challenges.</p>.<p>"Educating the new end users, training the intermediaries and building the distribution infrastructure are major challenges. Communicating a distinct value proposition to the emerging consumers is also a challenge. Addressing these challenges has naturally taken some time," he said.</p>.<p>Godrej claims that Chotukool offers customer unique features as it does not have a compressor. It can also be run by battery. It is also uses high-end insulation to stay cool for hours without power.</p>.<p>"The rural markets have unevenly developed power and road infrastructure. Chotukool delivers a distinctly different set of benefits to the different set of users under these circumstances," Sunderraman said.</p>.<p>While the Indian refrigerator market is around 85 lakh units and growing at 18 cent, the penetration level is still low in the rural and small towns.</p>.<p>"According to several industry studies, penetration is still around 20 per cent. We see a good potential in rural and semi urban households, small shops as target markets for Chotukool," he said.</p>
<p>Dubbed as the cheapest segment refrigerator in India with a price tag between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,800, the product is currently available in rural and semi-urban areas of Maharashtra and Goa.</p>.<p>"It is our plan to roll out Chotukool in a phased manner... By this festive season we will expand to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat," Godrej Appliances Vice-President (Corporate Development) G Sunderraman told PTI.</p>.<p>Currently, the firm is focusing on development of distribution infrastructure for the product in rural areas, for which it has tied up with India Post, besides embarking on an awareness campaign.</p>.<p>"Chotukool is a new category by itself and therefore we have been working on the usage education through demonstration to the unserved end users. This necessitates a phased launch in different states over a period of time," he said.</p>.<p>Sunderraman, however, did not specify the time frame the company will take for a pan India launch but said: "The sales will be expanded nationally when we are satisfied that the required infrastructure is in place across the country".</p>.<p>Godrej had pinned hopes on the product to make a breakthrough in the rural markets and initially planned to launch the mini refrigerator with a capacity of 40 litres and weighing only 7.8 kg last year. It has, however, been delayed.</p>.<p>Explaining the delay in launching the product, Sunderraman said educating customers and building the distribution channel have been the biggest challenges.</p>.<p>"Educating the new end users, training the intermediaries and building the distribution infrastructure are major challenges. Communicating a distinct value proposition to the emerging consumers is also a challenge. Addressing these challenges has naturally taken some time," he said.</p>.<p>Godrej claims that Chotukool offers customer unique features as it does not have a compressor. It can also be run by battery. It is also uses high-end insulation to stay cool for hours without power.</p>.<p>"The rural markets have unevenly developed power and road infrastructure. Chotukool delivers a distinctly different set of benefits to the different set of users under these circumstances," Sunderraman said.</p>.<p>While the Indian refrigerator market is around 85 lakh units and growing at 18 cent, the penetration level is still low in the rural and small towns.</p>.<p>"According to several industry studies, penetration is still around 20 per cent. We see a good potential in rural and semi urban households, small shops as target markets for Chotukool," he said.</p>