The burgeoning Indian e-commerce industry has caught the attention not only of small and medium enterprises but also of giants such as Hindustan Unilever (HUL).

The company is looking at ways to capitalise on this growing channel of commerce which, according to market research agencies Crisil and Technopak Advisory, is set to touch $70 billion in the next five years, from $3.2 billion now.

Harish Manwani, Chairman, HUL, told media-persons at a conference where he announced the company’s quarterly results that HUL and its parent Unilever have recognised e-commerce as a “big transformation” taking place globally. He said the company is creating capabilities to use e-commerce as an important channel in the future.

“Our philoshopy in business is to lead and have a fair share in whatever channels we are present today, and we are ensuring we will have the same strategy for the channels of tomorrow,” Manwani said. He added that Unilever had set up a global e-commerce team would evaluate best practices from key markets, including India, and build on those capabilities.

HUL is also looking at a combination of models from marketplace to omni-channels that would work in India. However, the company will not be launching any dedicated e-commerce portal but would instead work with leading players such as Amazon or Big Basket. Unilever in the UK has tied up with Tesco, and in the US it has a partnership with Walmart.

The ₹28,000-crore FMCG major in India is currently carrying out various pilots with a few categories in which it plans to sell online, and will ensure that consumers get products delivered at their doorsteps. It is also trying to carry out free product sampling on e-commerce sites, apart from tying up with social media sites to market products.

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