Mobile retail e-commerce sales in India were estimated to be valued at nearly 38 billion U.S. dollars by 2020. This was a significant growth since 2015, yet not surprising considering the penetration rates of smartphones and mobile internet in the country.
India emerging digitally
With the drastic growth in the number of mobile internet users since the inception of Digital India and the rise of Reliance’s Jio, Indians were able to catch up to other major economies in participating in in-store mobile checkouts with retailers’ applications. Additionally, the rise of mobile wallets and the potential to buy practically anything online increases the convenience of achieving that via a mobile phone. Naturally, the largest share of mobile consumers buying online come from younger generations, millennials specifically .
Competition among retailers and their mobile apps
Flipkart, one of India’s leading online sellers, is in close competition with Amazon. As early as March 2015, the company blocked access to their website via mobile devices, requiring app downloads instead. This was implemented in the following months with Myntra, a fashion retailer and standalone subsidiary of the former.
In India, mobile and online retail purchasing was highest during the weeks leading up to Deepavali – the Indian festival of lights. Online shopping has become increasingly popular with each year during this period, when the ecommerce ecosystem undergoes a sort of sales bonanza. Data revealed a surge in retail app and web usage three weeks preceding the festival, likely from the convenience of scrolling through products at the palm of your hand, rather than using a desktop or PC, saving time and still ensuring the same quality of purchase.
Value of retail m-commerce sales across India in 2015 and 2016, with a forecast until 2020
(in billion U.S. dollars)
excludes travel and event tickets; includes products or services ordered using the internet via any device, regardless of the method of payment or fulfillment.
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eMarketer. (March 13, 2017). Value of retail m-commerce sales across India in 2015 and 2016, with a forecast until 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/266119/india-retail-mcommerce-sales/
eMarketer. "Value of retail m-commerce sales across India in 2015 and 2016, with a forecast until 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars)." Chart. March 13, 2017. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266119/india-retail-mcommerce-sales/
eMarketer. (2017). Value of retail m-commerce sales across India in 2015 and 2016, with a forecast until 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266119/india-retail-mcommerce-sales/
eMarketer. "Value of Retail M-commerce Sales across India in 2015 and 2016, with a Forecast until 2020 (in Billion U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 13 Mar 2017, https://www.statista.com/statistics/266119/india-retail-mcommerce-sales/
eMarketer, Value of retail m-commerce sales across India in 2015 and 2016, with a forecast until 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/266119/india-retail-mcommerce-sales/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Value of retail m-commerce sales across India in 2015 and 2016, with a forecast until 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph], eMarketer, March 13, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/266119/india-retail-mcommerce-sales/