Online Shopping In India : Evolution And Way Ahead

By Author: david boon
Total Articles: 12
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Over the course of the last twenty years, the shopping experience of the Indian consumer has
evolved considerably. Before the economy opened up in 1991, the Indian shopper was confined
to shopping at local kirana stores for daily personal care needs, garment shops for clothes and the
local jewellery store for jewellery. However, post 1991, the organized retail boom kicked in, with
large format stores and malls opening up. Foreign brands started selling their products through
these stores and the Indian shopping experience improved. However, these shopping destinations
have become overcrowded of late and the upmarket destinations remain expensive. As a result, the
modern Indian shopper is still starved for great deals and does not have a wide range of brands to
choose from.

The recent phenomenon of online shopping has changed this and has contributed positively to
the shopping experience of the Indian consumer. The Indian consumer today is finding out that
she can get whatever she wants, online. The number of products available online, vary from books
to ...
... electronics to clothes, accessories and even precious jewellery items and furniture! There is
also a great deal of healthy competition in this space leading to improved shopper experience for
the customer. The consumer today has a wide variety of brands to select from and can also avail
the best prices and discounts. To top this, the better online shopping websites are also offering
innovative solutions such as free shipping, cash on delivery and even a no questions asked returns
policy if the product is not upto the standards that a customer expects.

Online shopping is poised for huge growth in the future with customers expected to buy more and
more products online. Niche categories such as precious jewellery, furniture, home décor items
are the next avenues that the modern Indian shopper will look to buy online. The Indian shopper
will also want to have more variety and will look at customizing products to her requirement while
shopping online. The level of transparency and trust that websites are able to offer will determine
their success with the consumer.

Given the thriving innovations in the online shopping space and also the tendency of the Indian
shopper to shop from the comfort of his house, online shopping is bound to be a huge success in
India. As the experience of shopping online gets richer and smoother, more and more Indians are
bound to get hooked to online shopping and heralding the golden era of online retail in India.

Over the course of the last twenty years, the shopping experience of the Indian consumer
has evolved considerably. Before the economy opened up in 1991, the Indian shopper was
confined to shopping at local kirana stores for daily personal care needs, garment shops for
clothes and the local jewellery store for jewellery. However, post 1991, the organized retail
boom kicked in, with large format stores and malls opening up.