Marketing lesson on the tracks

A moving train is a world unto itself — some of us spend it gazing out the window as the scenery slides by. Children see the journey as a chance to enjoy junk food, while others chat with fellow travellers or scroll on their smartphones. There is another group: the sellers who hop on board to offer their goods.

For them, trains are a moving marketplace, serving as a perfect platform to showcase their items. They view it as a spot where customers from different social, cultural, and regional backgrounds come together. This diversity makes it easier to find buyers, as it increases the chances of products getting sold.

Many sellers treat this roving marketplace as an experimental field for their products. A few months ago, while travelling, I met a seller offering his home-grown produce. Asked why he chose trains to sell his produce, he explained that it simplified the selling process, as travellers were often more willing to make a purchase. For some, his products felt unique, since not every region grows the same crops. The train brings people from multiple areas into one space, creating an ideal opportunity. We often see this phenomenon in e-commerce and online marketplaces.

These vendors employ subtle psychological techniques to attract buyers. On another journey, I saw a seller hawking spicy mixed chickpeas, calling out to passengers as he moved through the train. What caught my attention was not just his voice but also his deliberate pause every few steps. Upon closer observation, I realised he was allowing the aroma to spread, drawing people in with the dish’s mouthwatering scent. He was leveraging sensory cues to trigger impulse purchases — an offline version of optimizing conversion.

This reminds me of what my professor used to say during marketing classes: “If you want to see marketing innovation in action, observe small vendors around you.” Sometimes, the best marketing lessons come from simply paying attention to those who have turned everyday survival into an art form. Watch them closely, and you might discover something no classroom could teach.

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