A study by Zinnov states that around 50 percent of the consumers in Delhi-NCR use e-commerce websites as a medium of information and product search before buying them offline, according to PTI reports. The tendency of searching online and buying offline is higher among urban respondents as 64 percent of them use e-commerce websites to research on products that they are planning to buy offline, while just 20 percent of non-urban respondents do so.
Highlighting the reason for the changing shopping behaviour, the study said that the trend is largely due to the consumer apprehensions of e-commerce transactions with 30 percent consumers expressing concerns regarding the product quality and 28 percent fearing wrong product delivery.
Commenting on the findings, Praveen Bhadada, Director, Market Expansion, Zinnov said, “About two-third of the population is currently using e-commerce websites to research on products, largely due to lack of availability of credit/debit cards, trust on the delivery part and the trust on what they will get as the final product.”
Bhadada further added: “Consumer mobility is on the rise with 35 percent consumers using mobility devices for e-commerce activities which lay a huge market for e-commerce players. What we have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg and the e-commerce and mobility market is bound to grow exponentially.”
He also mentioned that though only 5-10 key e-commerce players attract majority of the consumers, there’s a massive opportunity for new entrants and premium services like same-day delivery will have a strong impact on driving sales and creating brand recall.
The study also revealed that books, electronic goods and apparels are some of the popular purchases made online while quality concerns, immediate delivery and the habit that some people always prefer visiting a physical shop are some of the key deterrents to e-commerce.
