Penetration OF online Shopping Into Rural India

Ever since online shopping made its foray into the Indian subcontinent, consumers have been introduced to purchase a variety of products at their fingertips any time of the day. However, initially online shopping was confined to the major cities and metros within India. As time passed, rural India has also started realizing the benefits of online shopping. Since the people living in the rural parts of India are not able to access many products in the olden brick and mortar stores, they are turning to e-commerce sites to find exactly what they are looking for. According to the experts in the industry, online shopping has been able to break into the rural market because of the ‘cash on delivery’ option. This reassures the customers that they need pay for the goods only once they receive, making them more willing to shop online.

The internet access across the country has also played a major role in popularizing online shopping. Since shopping on an e-commerce website requires reasonably fast and uninterrupted internet connection, the recent technological advancements that offer 3G and 4G connectivity has made it easier for the people in rural India. Interestingly, with the growing popularity of online shopping, people are comparing prices across different online retail websites and pick out the one that offers them the best deal. This also forces e-commerce websites to keep prices low and attract as many customers as possible. Since rural India consists of people who are not willing to spend too much money on anything other than essentials, this particular trait of online shopping makes it extremely favorable.