Women shoppers and residents of tier II and III cities in India are driving the growth of lifestyle consumption and e-commerce channels in India respectively, says a new report from eBay India.
‘The eBay India Census 2014’ is an elaborative guide providing interesting insights about the ecommerce ecosystem of the world’s fastest growing nation. The eBay India Census 2014 captures crucial market information through an in-depth study of consumer buying behaviour, selling patterns and the latest trends about domestic markets as well as retail exports through ecommerce.
eBay Census 2014 research findings were based on an analysis of all online buying and selling transactions by Indians on eBay between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. eBay India analysed eBay transactions over the period within the individual Indian States & Union Territories as well as the key Indian cities to identify the top Buying and Selling Hubs based on the number of transactions that have happened on the eBay India site. In addition, retail export transactions between Global eBayers and Indian eBayers were analysed. Interesting fun facts, unique purchases, local, national and global trends all come to light in eBay India Census 2014.
Online shopping has become main stream where both the consumer and merchant benefits, the report notes. The advantages of selling online has encouraged brands and merchants of all sizes to explore the online medium, some using it as their main selling channel, while some using it as part of their multi-channel strategy, it says.
[The increasing usage of mobile devices to access the internet in conjunction with the deep penetration of mobile phones in non-metros has led to an increase in the number of people shopping online through their mobile devices.]
There has been a considerable increase in the merchants trading online, with eBay India registering over 50,000 merchants who now sell products domestically and globally. MSMEs too have benefitted from the boom in ecommerce and have been able to sell online without worrying about overhead costs. While the ecommerce platform has benefitted merchants directly, it has also enabled employment generation. The need for skilled and semi-skilled workforce will remain a consistent ask of a growing online business.
Key Trends
Tier II & III cities driving Ecommerce in India: ecommerce in India has seen a significant upsurge in the number of people shopping online across 4,556 ecommerce hubs in the country with 3,313 tier II & III cities (Bharat Hubs) and 1,233 Rural Hubs dominating the shopping trends.
Women shoppers fuelling lifestyle consumption: Customers have been shopping
more for products in the lifestyle category with women shoppers in the country being the prominent contributors to the category. The lifestyle category has increased its share in the pie to 45%, trailing the electronics category by just 2% now as compared to 7% in the previous Census.
Mobile Commerce to be the future of ecommerce: The increasing usage of mobile devices to access the internet in conjunction with the deep penetration of mobile phones in non-metros has led to an increase in the number of people shopping online through their mobile devices. eBay India received 43% of traffic through mobile devices with 60% of products traded through mobile devices in India
Push for the ‘Make in India’ campaign: There has been a significant divide between exports and imports in the country along with a considerable demand in the global market for unique products like Indian jewellery and handicrafts. This growing demand has led to a growth in export hubs on eBay India, thus propelling Hon’ble Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ visionary campaign. To support this initiative eBay India facilitates its merchants to export to 206 countries in the world with the top countries for retail exports on ebay.in being US, UK and Australia.
The northward movement of the ecommerce industry augurs well for the ecosystem which provides direct and indirect employment to millions in India today. Macro shifts in consumer consumption patterns will only fuel this flourishing industry.
To view the complete eBay Census 2014 Report, click here
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