Advertising and communication help in announcing the arrival of new products and their uses to the people.

Consumers want products whenever they have money, time and willingness to buy. Goods are produced in anticipation of such demands. They are stored in warehouses in different regional centres so that they can be distributed at the right time to the consumers.

The role of the state in trade related to two aspects namely adequate infrastructure to sustain the trade and administrative machinery for taxation.

Commerce activities are heading for a cashless system through e-commerce which means business activities enabled through electronic modes like Online trading, Mobile banking and e-marketing.

The place where the goods were sold was called "Angadi".

(i) The Consumer may not buy the best products available in the market because they may not possess the knowledge of the market conditions.
(ii) Hence, it is known as hindrance of knowledge.

The night market was called as Allangadi.

Barter system refers to a system where "Goods were exchanged for goods prior to invention of money".

The important Ancient Trade centres in Tamil Nadu are:
(i) Alagankulam (Ramanathapuram),
(ii) Mylarphan (Mylapore, near Chennai),
(iii) Keberis (Kaveripumpattinam),
(iv) Poduke or Poduce (Arikamedu, Puducherry),
(v) Soptana (Marakanam),
(vi) Nikam (Nagapattinam),
(vii) Periyapattinam, .
(viii) Kayalpattinam,
(ix) Colchi (Korkai),
(x) Comari (Kanyakumari).

In a technology driven society today again the course of commerce activities is heading for a cashless system through e-commerce which means business activities enabled through electronic modes like Online trading, Mobile banking and e-marketing.

The place where the goods were sold was called "Angadi".Day market was called as Nalangadi while the night market was called as Allangadi according to St.PoetIlangoin Silapathigaram, Madurai-Kanchi.

(i) "Kautilya's Arthasastra" describes economy in Mauryan time. This brought out history of marketing practised some 2,000 years ago.
(ii) According to Kautilya, trade in Medieval India was centralised.
(iii) Since the commodities produced could not be sold in the location of production, the state designated certain places for selling the commodities.
(iv) It levied duties on goods brought into the city and could be sold after payment of duty.
(v) Kautilya gave importance for the state in relation to treasury, taxation, industry, commerce, agriculture and conservation of natural resources.
(vi) Kautilya's Arthashastra focused on creation of wealth as the means to promote the well being of the state.

1. Trade in Sangam period was both internal and external but it was conducted by means of barter (pandamattru).
2. Trade was one of the major means of linking various regions in the medieval period.
3. Sangam work refers to great traders, their caravans, their security force, markets, marts and guilds of such great traders.

(i) The word "vaniyam" or "Vanigam" would have had a Dravidian origin. 
(ii) The early Tamils produced their products and goods in their lands and bartered their surplus and that is how trade came into existence. 
(iii) The word "Vanigam" has been widely used in sangam literature like Purananuru and Thirukkural.

1. Roman and Greek traders frequented the ancient Tamil country and forged trade relationship with ancient Kings of Pandya, Chola and Chera dynasties. Cholas had a strong trading relationship with Chinese Song Dynasty. The cholas conquered the Sri Vijaya Empire of Indonesia and Malaysia to secure a sea trading route to China.
2. During the 16^th and 18^th centuries, India's overseas trade expanded due to trading with European companies. The discovery of new all-sea routes from Europe to India via Cape of Good Hope by Vascoda Gama had far-reaching impact on the civilised world. The arrival of Portuguese in India was followed by the advent of other European communities. India's maritime trade was a monopolised one over Europeans and at one stage the global trade share of India was 55 percent which is just 2 percent in 21^st century. The European merchants who came to India were not only individual merchants but also represented their respective governments. They gained a strong foothold in India's maritime trade by virtue of their strong naval power. In course of time, their commercial motives turned into territorial ambition like the East India Company which became the British Empire here.
3. Textiles and shipbuilding earned name and fame in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Britishers gradually abolished Princely order in the Indian territories. Thus the demand for Indian goods declined during the British rule. Britishers put in place policies prohibiting the export of some of the popular goods like Indian textile goods, handicrafts, to Great Britain. Between early 1600and mid-19th century, the British East India company led establishment and expansion of foreign trade all over Asia. Although initial interest of the East India . Company was aimed at reaping profits, their single-minded focus was on establishing a trade, monopoly throughout Asia Pacific made them heralding agent of British Colonial Imperialism.

1. According to Kautilya, trade in Medieval India was centralized.His Arthasastra describes economy in Mauriyan time.
2. The State designated certain places for selling the commodities.
3. It levied duties on goods brought into the city and could be sold after payment of duty.
4. The authorized merchants were allowed to engage in trade to sell at prices fixed by the chief controllers of State Trading.
5. The profit margin was fixed from 5 percent to 10 percent for imported goods.Kautilya gave importance for the State in relation to treasury, taxation, industry, commerce, agriculture and conversation of natural resources.
6. The creation of wealth is focused as the means to promote the well-being of the state.
7. He encouraged the maintenance of perfect balance between State management and people's welfare through trading activities.

Coastal Trade in Ancient Tamil Nadu:
1. Big cities like Poompuhar had the 'Maruvurappakam' (inland town) and 'Pattinapakkam' (coastal Town) had market and bazaars where many merchants met one another for the purpose of selling or buying different kinds of commodities and foodstuff.
2. Port towns like Tondi, Korkai, Puhar and Muziri were always seen as busy with marts and markets with activities related to imports and exports.
3. In such a brisk trade, people of the coastal region, engaged themselves in coastal trade and developed their intercontinental trade contacts.
4. They were engaged in different kinds of fishing pearls, and conches and produced salts and built ships.
5. Boats like 'Padagu', 'Thimil', "Thoni', 'Ambu' 'Odampunai', etc... were used to cross rivers for domestic trade while Kalam, Marakalam, Vangam, Navai, etc.. were used for crossing oceans for foreign trade.

The barter system envisages mutual exchange of one's goods to other without the intervention of money as a medium of exchange. It imposes certain constraints in the smooth flow of trade as explained below.
Lack of Double Coincidence of Wants:
Unless two persons who have surplus have the demand for the goods possessed by each other, barter could not materialize. For instance 'A' is having a surplus of groundnut and 'B' is possessing rice in surplus. In this case A should be in need of rice possessed by B as the latter should desperately need groundnut possessed by A. If this "coincidence of wants" does not exist, Barter cannot take place.
Non-Existence of Common Measure of Value:
Barter system could not determine the value of commodities to be exchanged as they lacked commonly acceptable measures to evaluate each and every commodity. It was difficult to compare the values of all articles in the absence of an acceptable medium of exchange.
Lack of Direct Contact between Producer and Consumers:
It was not possible for buyers and sellers to meet face to face in many contexts for exchanging the commodities for commodities. This hindered the process of barter in all practical sense.
Lack of Surplus Stock:
Absence of surplus stock was one of the impediments in barter system. If the buyers and sellers do not have surplus then no barter was possible.