Online shopping through mobile phones is growing by leaps and bounds, a new report of Google India has confirmed. According to the report, in India, 30 per cent online shopping queries last year came from mobile phones.
Interestingly, electronics with 34 per cent share emerged as the most popular product category, followed by apparel and accessories at 30 per cent last year which Google predicts will be the most popular category in 2013.
Money back guarantee, along with ability to pay on delivery (74 per cent regular consumers to choose to pay through this medium), fast delivery, discounts and access to branded products were the prime reasons behind the growth of online shopping, the report pointed out.
However, many also avoided online shopping due to the inability to touch or try the goods before purchase, fear of faulty products, fear of posting personal and financial details online and the inability to bargain.
Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director of Google India, said, “With approximately 8 million Indians shopping online in 2012, online shopping industry in India is growing rapidly and will continue to see exponential growth. By looking at the trends in 2012, we expect 2013 to be a strong growth year for players focused on fast-growing categories like apparel and accessories and niche product categories like baby products, home furnishings, health and nutrition.”
Consumers were most likely to shop for tickets online and it is the biggest category in terms of driving users to online shopping. Online ticket buyers were likely to spend a higher average amount of Rs 2,347 on their first purchase, in comparison to Rs 1,626 for others. Online ticket buyers were also seen to be more comfortable with the use of debit cards (24 per cent), credit cards (19 per cent) and cash on delivery (55 per cent). For regular internet users, cash on delivery was the preferred mode of payment (74 per cent), followed by debit cards (18 per cent) and credit cards (5 per cent).
It is well known that many Indians are coming face to face with the web for the first time through mobile internet. Now with bigger better phones and tablets coming at cheaper prices, mobile internet usage is set to grow and therefore online shopping will also grow alike. The only problem right now is the lack of reliable fast and cheaper data networks in the country.