Online Shopping in India

I see so many Ads on TV about online shopping in India. Below is a sample list.

http://www.flipkart.com/
http://www.quikr.com/
http://www.myntra.com/
http://www.jabong.com/
http://www.junglee.com/
http://www.tradus.com/
http://www.olx.in/
http://www.ebay.in/

With fast growing Internet users, customer base for online shopping is increasing.
I have started to do a bit of research on this market. Few questions that need to be answered...

1. Why are there so many players?
2. What is the business strategy to attract Indian customers?
3. How is online shopping in India different from that in the West?
4. Why is Amazon not a player in India?
5. How is 'cash-on-delivery' working compared to credit card payment?
6. What will be the scene 10 years from now?

I haven't done any online shopping in India. As a shopper, I am more comfortable visiting the store and getting a closer look at the product. This seems to be faster than ordering something online and waiting for 2-5 days.

In US, it makes sense ordering a product online as the discount margin is huge. Also, probability of finding a product in a store near you is less. Finally, credit card usage is widespread there.

Comments

Vinay said…
I shop at www.firstcry.com and www.babyoye.com, Pretty good stuff, quicker delivery. I get points on my credit card which gets translated to cash. So, it is online shopping for me, than visiting the store :-)
4:00 AM, October 25, 2012
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