Indian Housing Finance Industry (November 2003)

The onset of fierce competition (particularly from banks) has led to increased choice for the consumer. New product options, lower interest rates, aggressive marketing and customer service have changed the rules of the game. The mortgage market in India has grown at a CAGR of 32% per annum between the fiscal 1997 and 2003.

Consumers are taking more and more advantage of this intense competition while choosing the finance company for their loan. It is not only the cost of the loan but, interestingly, other factors that play a significant role too.

ValueNotes conducted a small study to understand what factors influence customers while they wade through the welter of options. Download report in pdf format.

Beauty Salon Market in India (January 2004)

The beauty industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. As the awareness about beauty and beauty products increases, parlours have been burgeoning in not just the large towns, but also smaller towns in India. As of FY03, there were an estimated 61,000 beauty salons in towns with over 1 million population. More than half of these are in the 'home' segment, which means they are run by a single individual, mostly from her home. According to a ValueNotes study, the estimated growth rate for this industry in terms of number of parlours would be between 20-25% in the next year.

ValueNotes conducted this study among beauty parlour owners in 6 Indian cities to understand the size and nature of this market. Download report in pdf format.

Electronic security systems market in India (March 2004)

The market for electronic surveillance systems in India is still in a nascent stage. The security systems market in India is very fragmented, comprising of a large number of players from the unorganized sector. Traditionally, security systems meant simply hiring manpower and physical security. It is only in the recent years that electronic security systems have started to gain popularity. With the increasing number of foreign companies increasing their presence in India through BPOs and offshore offices, the demand for electronic surveillance is well on the rise.

Even then, security systems being used are rather basic and the gray market accounts for nearly 50% of the total business.

Download report in pdf format to read more about the research conducted by ValueNotes to estimate the market size and structure of the electronic security systems market in India.

Website effectiveness strategies of Indian companies (April 2004)

The Internet age is upon us and has been upon us for the better part of the decade. From everywhere around the world we hear about great success stories built on often nothing more than a premise and a website. Examples abound like Yahoo, Amazon, Google among others. The current landscape of business, especially in the US and the European Union is a startling example of the absolute necessity of a significant web presence.

How do Indian companies fare in this regard? Our domestic industry by and large has been somewhat myopic and even ignorant about the benefits and the need to incorporate the internet as a part of companies' marketing and business strategy. In a study conducted by ValueNotes, 72% of senior management interviewed in various companies said that their objective was mere `web presence'. Download report in pdf format.

The ValueNotes pre-election Investor Sentiment Survey (May 2004)

The stream of reforms brought in by previous governments and steadily carried forward by the National Democratic Alliance Government set the pace of growth for India in the last few years. It also seems to have set the tone for the current elections.

ValueNotes conducted its first-ever on-line survey on the Indian stock market to gauge investor sentiments on market performance in this year, with the upcoming elections in perspective. With an over-whelming number of people (a total of 233 respondents) responding to the survey, ValueNotes found out what the investors felt about the stocks and the impact they thought the elections would have on the stock market. Download report in pdf format to know more about what investors had to say about the outcome of the elections and how it would affect their decisions.