Going the 'e' way

The e-commerce wave that is catching up slowly in the country is here to stay.  Kashyap Vadapalli, Director – Categories, eBay India shares with Retailer why Indian customers are increasingly choosing the online route to shop for their favourite items.

Samrita Baruah (SB): How is e-commerce picking up in tier II and III towns of India?

Kashyap Vadapalli (KV): E-commerce trend is picking up really fast amongst customers from tier II and III towns. In fact, if you go through our eBay Census data that we brought out in 2010, it revealed that customers from these towns are showing great interests in buying products online. Surprisingly, the report said that 3400 cities across the country are seen to have actively participated in online buying, out of which 700 to 800 alone are from rural areas. This is something very amazing but it is true. Customers from rural areas are growing equally aware about this new platform and it is not only awareness, transactions too are actually happening at their end. This has been possible because of the large scale internet penetration in the country. This trend is further growing.

We are launching our 4^th eBay Census 2011 that will be unveiled by the end of September and the latest report might come up with even more interesting facts. So we just need to wait and see.

SB: Which are the product categories selling really fast online?

KV: The categories cut across different products and items. Jewellery, apparels, accessories are some of the products sold out. In addition, technology accessories and gadgets are some of the other most sold out items online.

SB: How does your inventory management take place?

KV: We do not manage any inventory. Let me make this clear that eBay is just a platform for buyers and sellers where they can carry out their transactions. We are there to provide only the technology and the platform for them to interact. The entrepreneur is the one who need to manage their inventory.

SB: Do you also sell licensed merchandise? How has been the response like?

KV: Yes, we do sell licensed products too. Since manufacturers have separate licensing rights for different products, we need to be very careful while selling them online. The sales of these products go high during the sporting season and most importantly during IPL.

The response has been tremendous. Especially with products like T-shirts and cricket bats, customers choose to buy them online whenever they come across any exciting deals.

SB: What kind of benefits does eBay provide to both its customers and the entrepreneurs?

KV: Any entrepreneur can get listed and start interacting with its domestic as well as global customers. There is no upfront investment, and there is a good opportunity to scale up your business as you start transacting online. They can use this platform to further grow their business. There is also this benefit of getting instant feedback from the customer’s end. Likewise, instant payment happens for entrepreneurs and most importantly, this platform is accessible 24x7 for customers. So the transaction can happen anytime as per the convenience of the customers.