eBay, one of the leading e-commerce marketplaces in India, revealed in its recently conducted elaborate and insightful census that Delhi is the biggest e-commerce hub of the world’s fastest growing nation. According to the census, online shopping is now mainstream & a nationwide phenomenon, where both the merchant and the consumer benefit.
The eBay India census captures key market information with the help of a comprehensive study of consumer buying behaviour, selling patterns and the latest trends about domestic markets as well as retail exports through ecommerce.
The many benefits of selling online has encouraged brands and merchants of all kinds to explore the online medium. Many are even using it as their primary selling channel, while some are making use of it as part of their multi-channel utilization strategy, the census notes.
The census, which tracked trends in online buying, selling and exports,covered 28 states and 7 Union Territories in the country as well as export trends in 206 countries across the globe.The Top 5 States with the most buying and selling were Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka& Andhra Pradesh. There were a few key facts which were outlined in the census:-
a. The maximum number of mobile phones and accessories were sold in Delhi on ebay.
b. E-commerce in India steered by Tier II & III cities: India is seeing a substantial increase in the number of people buying a lot of stuff online, with its spread into 4,556 hubs in the country. Online shopping trends witnessed in all of these hubs depicted the fast pace at which these trends were witnessed in 3,313 tier II &tier III cities (Bharat Hubs).
c. Consumers & entrepreneurs from rural India are gradually getting into e-commerce: Over 1,267 Rural Hubs are buying and selling online with 1 out of every 10 purchases made on eBay from Rural India as well as 1 out of every 20 sales from Rural India.These rural Hubs have now caught up with the top 10 metro hubs in the country.
d. Lifestyle consumption driven by women shoppers: A lot of customers have been shopping more for products in the lifestyle category. And, women shoppers in the country are the prominent contributors to this category. The lifestyle category has multiplied its share a lot many times in the past few years which has now become a whopping 45%. The electronics category trailed behind by just 2% now in comparison with 7% in the previous census.
e. The future of e-commerce is going to be mobile commerce: Mobile devices are being used to access the internet at a rate much bigger than before. That, in combination 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 bought and sold through mobile devices in India.
f. A major push for the ‘Make in India’ campaign: There is now a significant demand in global markets and now a bent towards unique and ethnic products like Indian Jewellery and handicrafts. This increasingly popular demand has led to a growth in export hubs to 206 countries on eBay India, which as in turn propelled the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s visionary ‘Make in India’ campaign.
g. Electronic gadgets continue to dominate the average online shopper’s wallet: Gadgets have continued to be the most sought after choice & contribute to 50% of all purchases.
h. Indian Retail Exports increasing rapidly: Indian entrepreneurs export different kinds of products to mmillions of eBay users in 189 countries across the globe. The Top 5 Countries Indians export toare – United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada & Germany.
i. Top Brands: Samsung, Apple, Sony, Nokia & San Disk are the most popular and transacted from brands on eBay India.
A few other things were also revealed about Delhiites through eBay’s census: –
*Chocoholics: Delhi shoppers have indulged in gluttony on eBay by buying the most amount of chocolates.
*The Silk Route: Delhi Entrepreneurs have weaved one by exporting the most amount of silk fabric.
*Going smart: Delhiites indulged in a battle of gadgets of their own, by importing the most number of smartphones.
*Being Safe: Delhi spreads awareness of road safety for Indian riders by selling the most rider protective gear.
Delhi Intracity Trends: –
• Central Delhi: bought the most memory card readers
• South Delhi: bought the most men’s wrist watches
• North Delhi: bought the most tablets
• West Delhi: bought the most 4GB pen drives
• Noida: bought the most health care products
• Gurgaon: bought the most laptop accessories
Top five exported items on eBay include natural diamonds, fashion necklaces, homeopathy herbal remedies, sarees and gardening supplies.
Top five imported items on eBay are smart phones, natural diamonds, wrist watches, fashion necklaces and mobile screen protectors.
Top ten brands on eBay are Samsung, Apple, Sony, Nokia, SanDisk, Blackberry, Canon, Transcend, Micromax and Nikon. eBay India claims that Samsung is the top brand being transacted in 7 out of 10 top cities. While Sony was the top brand in Chennai, Nokia was the top brand in Kolkata and SanDisk was the top brand in Ahmedabad.
The census also notes that there is now a substantial shift in general buying behavior of an average consumer. So, what are Indian consumers actually buying on eBay India? The e-commerce giant claims to be selling a mobile accessory and health/beauty care product every minute on their site. They also claim to sell a tablet in every 15 minutes, MP3 player in every 30 minutes, a pair of footwear in every 16 minutes, a pair of sunglasses every 26 minutes, a television in every 34 minutes and a baby product in every 35 minutes.
For someone who does not have access to a wide range of products and for whom the concept of a mall is alien is able to buy their desired items from a mind boggling number options now available because of the wonder of e-commerce. The e-commerce wave is now penetrating smaller cities and towns, surprisingly, with majority of online shoppers hailing from these regions of the country.
And not only this, read more about how ecommerce growth has ensured steady business for payment gateways too.
