E-commerce

Ecommerce has helped businesses (especially those with a narrow reach like small businesses) gain access to and establish a wider market presence by providing cheaper and more efficient distribution channels for their products or services. Target (TGT) supplemented its brick-and-mortar presence with an online store that allows customers to purchase everything from clothes and coffeemakers to toothpaste and action figures right from their homes.

In recent years India has experienced a boom in internet and smartphone penetration. The number of internet connections in 2021 increased significantly to 830 million, driven by the ‘Digital India’ programme. Out of the total internet connections, ~55% of connections were in urban areas, of which 97% of connections were wireless. The smartphone base has also increased significantly and is expected to reach 1 billion by 2026. This has helped India’s digital sector and it is expected to reach US$ 1 trillion by 2030. This rapid rise in internet users and smartphone penetration coupled with rising incomes has assisted the growth of India’s e-commerce sector. India’s e-commerce sector has transformed the way business is done in India and has opened up various segments of commerce ranging from business-to-business (B2B), direct-to-consumer (D2C), consumer-to-consumer (C2C) and consumer-to-business (C2B). Major segments such as D2C and B2B have experienced immense growth in recent years. India’s D2C market is expected to reach US$ 60 billion by FY27. The overall e-commerce market is also expected to reach US$ 350 billion by 2030, and will experience 21.5% growth in 2022 and reach US$ 74.8 billion.