Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to understand how bottom of the pyramid (BoP) retailers adopt brands who sell to a very different set of customers and are served through long indirect channels.
Design/methodology/approach – In this study, 60 retailers belonging to different villages of Central and North Gujarat were interviewed. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed. A grounded theory-based analysis was carried out.

Findings – The analysis brought out six criteria used by the retailers in selecting brands with demand for the brand as the most dominant factor. Other criteria included brand adoption by other retailers, profitability, influence of wholesaler/distributor and packaging.
Originality/value – Previous studies with regard to brand adoption by retailers have focused on large retailers who are approached directly by the brands. There is a lack of studies on how BoP retailers adopt brands. Most studies have approached the subject from a distribution perspective of reaching these markets.