The rural marketing environment in India has several key characteristics: 1. The rural market is huge, with over 63 crore consumers spread across 5.7 lakh villages across the country, but it is also scattered and isolated due to poor infrastructure. 2. Rural consumers have traditionally low standards of living, are attached to traditional customs, and have diverse socioeconomic disadvantages across regions. 3. Infrastructure like transportation, warehouses, and communication facilities is inadequate in most rural areas, making physical distribution of goods difficult and costly.