Bangalore, March 20, 2013:
Rajasthan has leapfrogged, forging ahead of Karnataka, in eCommerce thanks to the northern state’s aggressive exports in handicrafts and jewellery, according to a census conducted by eBay India.
Delhi continues to be India’s largest eCommerce hub, followed by Mumbai as per the eBay Census 2012, which was unveiled at a press conference here today by eBay India’s Head – Marketplace Experience, Santosh J Rao.
Jaipur took the third slot, displacing Bangalore which came fourth, unlike the 2011 census when the Rajasthan capital had held that position. Chennai was fifth, same as last year.
Among the States, Maharashtra and Delhi remained at number one and two, respectively, in terms of most transactions. Rajasthan, which was not among the top five States last year, burst into the third position this time, pushing back Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Exports contributed to Rajasthan coming out with much improved performance, Rao said. “Handicrafts and jewellery exports from Rajasthan have picked up”.
The census was based on India online shopping based on actual transactions on the eBay site, the ecommerce company said, adding, eBay extracted trend based information on the study of all transactions on its website over 18 months (all online buying and selling transactions beginning July 1, 2011 and ending December 31, 2012).
According to the census, India has 4306 eCommerce hubs from all 28 States and seven Union Territories, a 30 per cent increase from 2011.
India’s eCommerce industry is currently at a nascent stage with a size of USD 800 million but expected to grow rapidly to become USD five billion in 2015, Rao said. “Online shopping is becoming mainstream”.
Andhra Pradesh was the most wired state with the maximum eCommerce hubs, while top five rural hubs are Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Choryasi (Gujarat), Kartikapall (Kerala), Villupuram (Tamil Nadu) and Dindori (Maharashtra).
Samsung, Apple, Sony, Nokia and Sandisk are the most transacted brands on eBay India. Electronics continue to dominate and hold share at 48 per cent on domestic transactions with lifestyle categories (41 per cent) gaining traction with the advent of an increased number of women consumers.
