Even as malls across India rue a lack of business, hits in the online marketplace have multiplied this Diwali shopping season: while footfalls don’t really translate into transactions, hits often do.
In fact, as the trend in cities such as Ahmedabad shows, many people now visit showrooms only to ascertain the product they want; the next thing they do is to order it through the e-commerce marketplace. In the comfort of their home, they also get a hefty discount for doing so.
Some of the key reasons can be attributed to convenience of shopping anytime from their homes. It also helps them avoid crowded market areas or stores, overcome parking challenges and save fuel.
eBay India, which analysed Diwali shopping trends based on transactions on its platform in early October, reveals interesting facts.
Alok Agarwal, Director-Marketing, eBay India, said online shopping has peaked this festive season with Indian consumers across the length and breadth of the country going online for the best deals and widest variety of products. Bangalore tops the rankings with the most deals, followed by Delhi and Mumbai. Categories such as home and living products, mobile phones and tablets are performing the best this festive season. However, there has also been an increase in the purchase of home decor, fitness and sport products, home theatre systems and car and bike accessories.
“We have received a phenomenal response for our festive offers.”
There is strong uptake in popular product categories such as mobiles, laptops, tablets, cameras, TVs, home appliances, home décor, fashion, gold coins, perfumes, kitchenware, and toys, amongst others.
In Ahmedabad, the top 10 product lines purchased on eBay India include mobile cases and pouches, smartphones, women and men’s apparel, gardening products, and wrist watches. Nationally, the shopping list includes home theatre systems, exercise and fitness products and fashion and imitation jewellery.
The shift in shopping trends this year, compared to 2012, is seen in consumers buying online kitchen implements, healthcare products, men’s footwear, housekeeping and cleaning products and women’s handbags.
Another leading online marketplace Infibeam has seen its October sales go up by 200-300 per cent. Infibeam is offering discounts of between 10 and 70 per cent on a range of products in different categories. “This season, electronic items are frontrunners as many buyers are ordering rather expensive products online,” Vishal Mehta, Founder and CEO, Infibeam, told Business Line on Tuesday.
The average selling price (ASP) this year is higher at Rs 4,000 to 5,000 in electronic goods and accessories, while in the case of books the average card size is four times the normal: that is, the buyer usually buys around four books in the same order form.
Interestingly, Mehta said, many buyers were purchasing travel guides and travel-related books online!
“Most of our hits usually convert into transactions,” he added.