Field Research Intern - FMCG Distribution & Retail Operations

Type: Full-time, on-site in your assigned geography

Preferred Locations: Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Banaskantha, Kutch), Maharashtra (Kolhapur, Sangli), UP (Mathura, Kanpur, Meerut), Himachal Pradesh (Mandi, Kangra). Candidates will work on ground in their allotted city.

Company Description

India Action Project, incubated at SIIC IIT Kanpur, operates a network of trained village-level business facilitators called Digi Saathis across 33 districts in Gujarat, with presence in Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana. We work with brands, banks, government bodies, and development organisations to execute field programmes in rural and peri-urban India.

Role Description

We are conducting a multi-state primary research study on how FMCG distribution and retail operations work on the ground in India. We are hiring 6 field research interns across 4 states to conduct this study over 8 weeks.

What you will do:

1. Visit distributors and kirana retailers in your assigned geography.
2. Conduct structured interviews and observation sessions.
3. Spend full days in wholesale markets, distributor warehouses, and retail shops documenting how orders are placed, how invoices are generated, how stock is tracked, and where the system breaks.
4. Accompany distributor salesmen on their daily routes.
5. Deliver a structured research report with findings, audio recordings, and photo documentation.

This is NOT a desk internship. There are zero desk days in the first 6 weeks.

Stipend: Rs 5,000/month++

Duration: 2 months (April 15th-June 15th 2026)

Type: Full-time, on-site in your assigned geography

This internship counts toward mandatory MBA summer internship requirements.

Preferred Locations: Ahmedabad, Kangra or nearby, Mathura or nearby, Banaskantha, Kutch, Kolhapur or nearby

Qualifications

Must be an MBA student (1st or 2nd year) with a summer internship requirement.

1. Must speak the local language of your preferred location fluently.
2. Must be comfortable spending 6-8 hours daily in markets and shops in summer conditions. Must have a working smartphone with a camera for documentation.

Preferred: Family background in trading, distribution, or retail. Prior exposure to FMCG sales, distribution, or retail operations through coursework or work experience. Comfort with Google Sheets and Forms for structured data collection.

We are NOT looking for:

1. Someone who wants to write reports from secondary research or AI.
2. Someone who cannot walk into a shop without a formal appointment and start a conversation.

Apply with your intent, understanding and ideas on [Confidential Information]