Trends of E Commerce in India
2013 trends for a maturing E-commerce space in India
2012 was an exciting year for Indian e-commerce, which capped off an incredible 5 years of exponential growth, from approximately $1.75 Bn in 2007, to over $14Bn by 2012. A lot is being written about 2013 as a year of possible consolidation for the industry. But regardless of how things develop in this sphere, 2013 will see more interesting trends and more interesting innovations in the Indian e-commerce, as the market matures.
The rise of M-Commerce
Kleiner Perkins (one of the world’s largest VC firms) research into mobile Internet usage this year uncovered some fascinating insights for the Indian context. Globally, the share of mobile Internet traffic is approximately 13%. However, in India, the % curves for desktop internet .v. mobile internet usageintersected in May 2012 and have since diverged: mobile Internet traffic in India now outweighs desktop traffic. Assuming this trend continues, and is perhaps accelerated by the emergence of increasingly affordable in mid-low end smartphones (with even Apple rumoured to be entering this market), India will be the first true-mobile-first market. Indian e-commerce firms prepared to invest in creating world-class mobile platforms are best-positioned to capture more market share.
Bridging Thee-Commerce Product Experience Gap
The essence of e-commerce still means that customers must feel a certain degree of comfort that what they are buying will fit them / look good on them / look right in their living room etc., and clearly many Indian shoppers still have major concern over this (despite generous returns policies).
In 2013, we expect to see some interesting initiatives in India to bridge the information gap between what the consumer wants and what the product is. In fashion and lifestyle this may include innovations that leverage technology to help a consumer to find an item of clothing that is a perfect fit via a ‘virtual try-on’ experience, or perhaps how an
2012 was an exciting year for Indian e-commerce, which capped off an incredible 5 years of exponential growth, from approximately $1.75 Bn in 2007, to over $14Bn by 2012. A lot is being written about 2013 as a year of possible consolidation for the industry. But regardless of how things develop in this sphere, 2013 will see more interesting trends and more interesting innovations in the Indian e-commerce, as the market matures.
The rise of M-Commerce
Kleiner Perkins (one of the world’s largest VC firms) research into mobile Internet usage this year uncovered some fascinating insights for the Indian context. Globally, the share of mobile Internet traffic is approximately 13%. However, in India, the % curves for desktop internet .v. mobile internet usageintersected in May 2012 and have since diverged: mobile Internet traffic in India now outweighs desktop traffic. Assuming this trend continues, and is perhaps accelerated by the emergence of increasingly affordable in mid-low end smartphones (with even Apple rumoured to be entering this market), India will be the first true-mobile-first market. Indian e-commerce firms prepared to invest in creating world-class mobile platforms are best-positioned to capture more market share.
Bridging Thee-Commerce Product Experience Gap
The essence of e-commerce still means that customers must feel a certain degree of comfort that what they are buying will fit them / look good on them / look right in their living room etc., and clearly many Indian shoppers still have major concern over this (despite generous returns policies).
In 2013, we expect to see some interesting initiatives in India to bridge the information gap between what the consumer wants and what the product is. In fashion and lifestyle this may include innovations that leverage technology to help a consumer to find an item of clothing that is a perfect fit via a ‘virtual try-on’ experience, or perhaps how an