MxMIndia

Tag: online shopping

  • The IAMAI's Internet Economy Watch Report for February shows that the jewellery segment clocked a 117 percent y-o-y growth when compared with last year in the e-tailing category

    Jewellery e-tailing registers 117% Y-o-Y growth

    By A Correspondent

     

    According to the Internet Economy Watch Report for February 2013, released by the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the jewellery segment clocked a 117 percent y-o-y growth when compared with the numbers of corresponding month last year in the e-tailing category. Branded Apparel category recorded 59 percent y-o-y growth with 6.73 million user visits in February 2013 as compared to 4.24 million hits in the corresponding period last year. The footwear and designer label segment registered a y-o-y growth of 23 percent and 13 percent respectively when compared with the number of online user hits from last year.

     

    Data captured from prominent e-tailing sites reveals a significant y-o-y growth of 39 percent in online user visit to mobile phone segment with 5.41 million hits in February 2013 as compared to 3.90 million in February 2012.  Online user visit for books which witnessed 2.46 million hits in February 2012 declined to 2.41 million in February 2013.

     

    While irctc.com registered 9 percent y-o-y growth in the e-ticketing segment, air tickets booked online in February 2013 were 0.95 million as compared to 0.91 million in February 2012, a 5 percent y-o-y growth. The monthly tracker reveals that the number of resume uploads has gone up to 1.09 million in February 2013 from 0.76 million in February 2012, whereas, the number of profile uploads on matrimonial websites has witnessed a significant y-o-y growth of 78 percent in February 2013. Profile uploads on matrimonial sites is 1.02 million in February 2013 as compared to 0.57 million in the corresponding month last year.

     

  • Online apparel brand Zovi.com has announced, in collaboration with Microsoft, the launch of an all-new shopping application built specifically for Windows 8-based PCs and tablets

    Zovi.com chosen by Microsoft to create a Windows 8 application

    By A Correspondent

     

    Online apparel brand Zovi.com has announced, in collaboration with Microsoft, the launch of an all-new shopping application built specifically for Windows 8-based PCs and tablets to coincide with the global launch of Windows 8. The app features innovative content presentation and provides a unique shopping experience.

     

    The Zovi app is primarily designed for Windows 8 devices and tablets and will be available for free on the Windows Store. It enables users to purchase apparel and accessories for both men and women. Users will have access to high-quality images on the product pages for all items on display and can make payment via cash on delivery.

     

    The Zovi app was showcased at the Windows 8 India launch on October 26. Speaking about the collaboration, Manish Chopra, CEO, Zovi.com said, “The Zovi app has been designed to leverage the aesthetic elegance and convenience of the Windows 8 User Interface to offer a unique experience in shopping for fashion and lifestyle online on Zovi.com.”

     

    Commenting on the launch of the app, Amrish Goyal, Director – Windows Business Group, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Windows 8 provides a fast and fluid experience that makes apps shine. The Windows Store has an amazing array of apps at launch, and Zovi offers a compelling shopping experience.”

     

  • Too many online shopping sites? On the contrary, says Satish Mani

    The Anchor: 5 reasons India can accommodate more e-commerce sites

    By Satish Mani

     

    #1 Increased Digital Connectivity:

    With the explosive growth in broadband penetration and mobile phone usage across population strata and town classes, the online population in India is expected to double by 2015. This will fuel the demand for products and services available online.

     

    #2 Enhancement of service levels by e-commerce firms:

    E-commerce companies are constantly enhancing their service levels through better delivery, more realistic shopping experience, customer-centric purchase and return policies. This will lead to an increase in customer confidence for shopping online and they will migrate a higher proportion of their discretionary spends online.

     

    #3 Increasing need for convenience:

    Traffic congestion and crowded retail infrastructure in smaller towns and cities increase the demand for home delivery. We will soon see major retailers adopting the e-commerce route to keep up with consumer demand.

     

    #4 Increasing adoption of online shopping by the younger population:

    The younger population, with an early exposure to the internet has been quick to adopt online shopping. This increasing adoption opens more growth opportunity for the e-commerce industry.

     

    #5 High infrastructural costs for brick and mortar outlets:

    As the cost of establishing and maintaining an offline retail presence becomes increasingly expensive, big brands will be prompted to invest in increasing their online presence.

     

    Satish Mani is Chief Technical Officer of Zovi.com

     

  • Indian mobile users state they plan to shop on their phones this festive season to avoid crowds, according to the eBay India Mobile Commerce Survey

    Mobile commerce, the answer to festival shopping crowds

    By A Correspondent

     

    eBay India (www.ebay.in), India’s leading eCommerce marketplace, shared key shopping habits of Mobile Commerce Users in India, based on the eBay India Festive Mobile Commerce Survey conducted with over 2,500 eBay India users in October 2012. 92% of all Mobile Commerce survey respondents were Male. 42% of consumers were in the age group of 18-25 years & 30% of consumers were in the age group of 26-30 years. 52% of Mobile Shoppers were from the Metros.

     

    Key Highlights of the eBay India Festive Mobile Commerce Survey included:

     

    59% of Mobile Shoppers stated they would consider shopping on their Mobile phone during the festive season to avoid crowded market areas

     

    86% of Mobile Shoppers prefer to use their Mobile to shop for themselves, while 52% of consumers use their Mobile to shop for Gifts for Family & only 29% of shoppers use their Mobile to shop for Gifts for Friends

     

    Phones (62%) were the most popular category of purchase by Mobile Commerce shoppers followed by Home Appliances (44%) & Clothes & Footwear (41%)

     

    Comparing product prices (68%) is the top activity for Mobile Shoppers

     

    Home (69%) was the favourite point of access for mobile shoppers

     

    Over 43% of shoppers accessed shopping sites at Night

     

    57% of Mobile Shoppers always checked prices on their phone before they shopped in a store or a mall

     

    83% of all respondents stated that they accessed shopping sites or shopping apps on their mobile phone; with 56% of all respondents stating that they had bought a product online on their mobile device

     

    Over 27% of Mobile Shoppers preferred to shop via their mobile device for products in the price point of Rs. 3,000-Rs. 10,000

     

    Mobile continues to be the favourite Mobile Internet device for Mobile Shoppers at 52%; with 19% using both their Mobile & Tablet equally

     

    Mobile Shoppers prefer to access shopping sites via Browsers (45%). Over 20% of Shoppers use both the Apps & Browsers equally on their Mobile Phone

     

    72% of Consumers are using 3G services

     

    Samsung is the most popular Mobile Device (39%), followed by Nokia (20%) & Sony (11%)

     

    Mobile Shoppers have Android (62%) as their favourite operating system followed by Symbian (18%) & iOS (11%)

     

    Muralikrishnan B, Country Manager, eBay India stated, “Mobile commerce is very popular with many smart online shoppers as they always have their phone with them as an anytime, anywhere device. As 3G penetration increases, many online shoppers will prefer mobile commerce over digital commerce. eBay India is an active evangelist of mobile commerce and have introduced a suite of apps to cater to the mobile shopper.”

     

    eBay India users were surveyed online in October 2012. Over 2,500 users filled up the mobile commerce survey about their mobile shopping habits.

     

  • Godrej Appliances has launched an online shopping portal powered by Indiatimes Shopping which is a part of Times Internet Limited (TIL)

    Indiatimes Shopping launches online shopping store for home appliances; to launch Jewellery brand soon

    By A Correspondent

     

    With online shopping portals becoming increasingly popular amongst consumers, Godrej Appliances has launched an online shopping portal – Shopping.Indiatimes.com, powered by Indiatimes Shopping which is a part of Times Internet Limited (TIL).

     

    Consumers can search for products by category and look for ‘Deals of the Week’, offering select products at competitive prices, from the range of consumer durables on the site, ranging from air conditioners and refrigerators to washing machine and microwave ovens. While the Godrej online store will exclusively sell Godrej merchandise, Indiatimes Shopping aims to launch a jewellery brand very soon.

     

    In conversation with MxMIndia, Mr Subhanker Sarker, COO, Indiatimes Shopping explained that while Godrej was the natural choice for home appliance, Indiatimes Shopping has partnered with Nokia for mobiles. “Indiatimes Shopping’s strategy is to partner with the leading players in each significant retail category. In the home appliances space, Godrej is the natural choice in India as it is a brand customer’s trust. We have partnered with Nokia in the mobiles category and are in discussions with a major jewellery player.”

     

    According to IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India) March 2011 report, the e-commerce industry in India is growing at an average of 55 percent year on year since the past four years. In addition to this, the size of the home and kitchen appliances segment is valued at about Rs 62 crore.

     

    With the robust growth of e-commerce business, Godrej Appliances are said to be targeting growth of its online business at over 150 per cent year on year. While Indiatimes Shopping already has an android and iPhone app for its horizontal shopping store, Godrej products are also now available on app. “Going forward the preferred route is through responsive design where you don’t have to build different products for different devices. We will go that route and will enable the store on all kinds of devices within this financial year itself,” added Mr Sarker.

     

    Asked whether this indicates a growth in consumer trust regarding online shopping, Mr Sarker said that today there is a lot of comfort with the online format, although it is a limited to a certain psychographic profile. “It is definitely not limited by the traditional demographic models. We have all kinds of payment options, the most popular being net banking and credit cards with free EMIs. There are immense growth opportunities in the e-commerce space; however, customers first experiment with the model through low-value standard goods and low-risk payment options like COD (Cash on Delivery). But once comfortable with the format and service levels, they then go for goods with high perceived value like baby products and apparel.”

     

  • Myntra aims to further strengthen leadership position through new segments; to launch private labels soon.

    Myntra, clicking faster

    By A Correspondent

     

    Myntra.com, an online retailer of fashion and lifestyle brands, has expanded its range of apparel to sarees this month. The online retailer of fashion offers 12 brands of sarees namely, FabIndia, Satya Paul, Satyavee Designs, Ambica Bridal Sarees to name a few. Myntra which is said to be witnessing consumer interest and traction in this category also expects to register daily sales average close to 1000 units within the next 30-45 days. In addition to these brands more brands and designs are expected to be added soon. While 65 per cent of its shoppers are males and 35 per cent are females, Myntra eyes an increase in female shoppers with its introduction to apparels like cosmetics and sarees.

     

    Myntra will be promoting these new categories across online platforms including Google ads, affiliates and social media platforms. On basis of its research findings, Myntra found that there is a huge demand for categories like sarees and cosmetics especially from tier 2 and 3 markets because of lack of choice and availability. Myntra aims to further strengthen is leadership position through its strong connect and high reach.

     

    Ashutosh Lawania

    In an email interaction with MxMIndia, Ashutosh Lawania, Co-Founder and Head – Sales and Marketing, Myntra.com said that Myntra is working on launching private labels in a few months time. These private labels will be Myntra’s own brand of clothing line. More details were however not available at the time of filing the report. “We are working towards launching our private labels which would go live in a couple of months,” said Mr Lawania.

     

    Footwear continues to be the most popular category on Myntra which is said to contribute approximately 45 to 50 per cent of its daily sales. Footwear is then closely followed by clothing for men, women and children, along with accessories such as jewelry, watches, glares, handbags, and so on.

     

    In addition to these developments, Mr Lawania also spoke about his mobile plans in the coming few months. “We believe that mobile will be the next big thing and that today it is only at a tipping point. We are working towards enabling our interface to make it ready to deliver the full Myntra experience across a plethora of handheld devices.”

     

    Speaking about the scope of e-commerce business in India and whether online buyers would increase their trust in online transactions, Mr Lawania said, “With the internet penetration currently at 120 million and expected to touch 300 million by 2015, we believe that ecommerce has a huge potential to grow over the years. We believe that CoD will play a huge role in the success of ecommerce in India. CoD is here to stay as we (India) are a huge cash economy and people are comfortable transacting in cash. Online retailers need to make this process of handling cash more efficient and cost effective.”

     

  • The world of luxury has a new entrant in the Indian market, Excluzen.com, a luxury goods website.

    The road ahead for Excluzen.com

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    The e-commerce boom has attracted a new player, Excluzen.com, a Delhi-based company offering luxury brands on the web. Launched in Jan 2012, the company aims to offer exclusive, tailor-made and personalized experiences to its members.

     

    The current size of the e-commerce industry is $11.2 billion with 8-10 million transactions a year. A lot of international luxury brands are providing their products and services in India through e-commerce channel. In November 2011 itself, 27.2 million online users in the age group of 15 and above accessed retail category from home. The fact that nearly 3 out of 5 internet users shop online speaks volumes about the impact and growth prospects of this industry.

     

    Excluzen not only provides premium brands but also lays emphasis on experiences that no other e-commerce portal offers, such as personalized charters, yachts, or group and individual coaching with pro golfers around the world. Also, some of the offers which are solely made for Excluzen members are not available under the respective brands.

     

    Urvashi Bahuguna Sahay, CEO & founder, Excluzen.com, said, “We don’t believe in the word ‘competition’. Excluzen is not a regular discounted portal. Even though online, it can customize and personalize services, right down to individual customers needs. The key target audience for us is HNIS, Corporate, SMEs, NRIs and Expats. Excluzen provides exquisite experiences for the customers.our major focus area is to position Excluzen as the finest brand and lifestyle experiences on the web. We have roped in Perfect Relations for our media relations and India Bulls for Digital ”

     

    The marketing and ad spend for the company is 30-35 per cent of its investment cost. They are also looking at magazine advertising. Excluzen has been doing below-the line activities like running a contest on its Facebook page. Online advertising is geared towards a user base outside India. They are targeting 50,000 transactions by end of next fiscal. The company is not following any advertising model but function on profit sharing with their partners where they charge 10-20 per cent of the product value as commission. They also have an ‘exclusive’ offering every month where a select partner can promote a limited edition product at a premium price and for this service, they charge higher margins.

     

  • For a new online shopping portal, it’s critical to come up with a clutter-breaker, which Yebhi has done.

    Anil Thakraney’s Debrief: Wacky and effective!

    Apparently you can purchase many goodies at a new portal called Yebhi.com. (I like the brand name, very imaginative.) And ‘great rates’ is their USP. To communicate this promise, they have come up with a completely hilarious ad.

     

    There’s this lucky dude who’s hit a gold mine. Nearly electrocuted at an ATM machine, his daddykins goes through a magical transformation. The ol’ man now coughs out currency notes. In other words, he’s become an ATM machine himself. Naturally, his loser, good-for-nothing, wastrel son is elated. And the lad goes on a mad shopping binge, with his ATM daddy coughing away wads of rupees. Great idea. Every loser’s dream come true. To have a dad who’ll keep showering money, no questions asked.

     

    And the execution is wacko, it’s full-on entertainment. Full marks, I say. For a new online shopping portal, it’s critical to come up with a clutter-breaker, which Yebhi has done. Also, the message is single-minded: You don’t have to be a lucky son to get lucky at Yebhi. Should get the portal lots of hits.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”300″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWpNrrImxbA[/youtube]
    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4. I would have given it 5 if they had featured a mantri’s son. In which case the daddy works like an ATM just by winning an election. No need for electric shocks!Â