Karnika Bains and Prem Prakash Dewani
The case studies the challenges being faced by Superseed, a hybrid seed manufacturer, in order to increase their market share. While currently placed as the fifth largest player in the Indian cotton seed industry, the CEO believes a higher sales budget for the next season would solve for its target of being the number one player in the industry by the season 2020. Industry successes so far have been due to high product quality or features, channel strategies, and the use of mass media for promotional activities. While Superseed has best seller brands, which also faced supply shortages in the last season, its relationships with the channel are not as robust as desired. However, to their strength they launched the Kisaan Vikaas Project in 2011, which focuses on face-to-face interaction with farmers and equips them with information and crop management practices. The aim of the project was to address the firm’s planning and forecasting issues. [Market share is defined as its sales measured as a percentage of the industry’s total sales, for a particular fiscal period.