Global Marketing - Costco in India - Case Study Example

The paper "Global Marketing - Costco in India" is an outstanding example of a marketing case study. Costco is one of the leading membership warehouse clubs in the United States. It strives to provide high-quality merchandise at reasonable prices to its customers. Costco has rapidly expanded in the United States and in some other parts of the world but has not set foot on Indian soil.India is a geographically huge country and has witnessed astounding GDP growth rates during the last few years.

It is the second-most populous country in the world next only to China. The sheer size of the market appears to be a mouth-watering prospect for Costco to start operations in the country. The burgeoning middle class in India is another major attraction for most marketers around the world. This section of the society, which has the inclination to buy high quality branded goods and the ability to pay for such goods, is expected to rise to 547 million individuals by 2025.SECTION 1: Introduction to the Culture of IndiaI.

Profile of CostcoCostco is a membership warehouse club that provides high quality branded products at low prices. The retail chain offers a vast array of products and strives to make the shopping experience pleasurable for its members. Costco was founded in 1983 with the intention of serving small businesses. The company soon realized the importance of non-business customers and started targeting them. Costco has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception and has become a force to reckon with.

Costco had 648 membership warehouses in eight countries as of December 2013 (See Appendix 1-A). In addition to this, the retailer sold merchandize through its online stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Mexico (Costco, 2014). The company boasts of a robust financial position and its net sales during the fiscal year ended December 2013 touched $103 billion. Costco registered net earnings of more than $2 billion during the same period. The number of Costco warehouses in operation has increased steadily from 527 in 2009 to 648 in 2013 (Costco, 2014).