Ecommerce in India

There has been so much talk about ecommerce in India, how it is going to revolutionize the way Indians buy/sell stuff. From all the data available it clear that no breakthrough is in sight for any of the models implemented in the market.

• We can have a look at the classifieds model, which seems to be broken through and through for the India market. We Indians do not like to sell our used stuff, and well do not want to buy it as well. That cultural shift will take time, before it happens.
• We can look at the plain-vanilla ecommerce model, which seems to be running on books, surpluses,  and deep discounts. Personally as a consumer that is my behavior online. We are a pedestrian city country, where you can walk in and see what you buy pretty easily. The shift away from stores will take time, that will depend on more fundamental urban planning  decisions taken in my opinion. Those are going to be closely linked in how this plays out.
• We can look at the marketplace model, which seems to be based on the seller using this as the primary or secondary model of getting orders. From what I gather very few sellers look at this as a primary way of selling, there clearly is enough demand on the ground not to focus on the online yet. This is fundamentally going to take more time, even if online shops continue to try to replicate physical behaviour.
• Then there are the deals site, which seem to be fewer in number and at the pace things are going all of them are going to be e-commerce sites with deals platforms in them. The super set business plan will become the sub set!

This is a relatively young market and for the looks of it, things have just started off. Its a fact that when the Samwer brothers reach a market, there is some data indicating their moves. They are calculated and from the looks of it the game is on.