As per the Bain & Co 2021 report, India is the third-largest eCommerce market globally, with 180–190 million online shoppers. Moreover, the country will likely overtake the United States in the next two years. India has a lot of potential in the eCommerce industry. Growing exponentially, the market value of the eCommerce industry in India will reach $350 billion by 2030.
These staggering numbers are such because of a robust eCommerce ecosystem, including but not limited to a growing internet base, several shopping websites, easy and accessible payment options and a potent logistics network.
The Booming eCommerce Market in India
India is one of the fastest-growing eCommerce markets in the world. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) report, India’s eCommerce market will likely reach $200 billion by 2026.
This growth projection has many factors supporting it, including but not limited to the consistent growth in internet and smartphone penetration. The number of internet connections in 2021 increased significantly to 830 million. As per a 2022 Statista report, India ranks second in the world in terms of active internet users.
Another fact highlighting the growth in the Indian eCommerce industry is the significant investment of $15 billion in private equity and venture capital investments in 2021, which is a 5.4x increase yearly. This is the highest-ever investment amount received by any sector in India.
Top Shopping Websites in India
India is home to thousands of shopping websites. Many eCommerce enterprises operate in India, from startups and mid-sized businesses to unicorns and multi-billion dollar companies.
Here is a list of some of the top shopping websites in India:
Flipkart
Founded in October 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, Flipkart is one of India’s biggest eCommerce marketplaces. Flipkart started its operations as an internet-based bookstore, promised to deliver books anywhere in India, and later expanded into other product categories.
Flipkart came into prominence after launching its mobile shopping app in 2012. Since then, the company has seen an upward curve all the way. Flipkart competes primarily with Amazon India and leading domestic players such as Meesho, Ajio and Tata Neu.
Currently, Flipkart deals with various categories, including but not limited to consumer electronics, fashion, home and kitchen and groceries. In 2013, the brand adopted a marketplace model and opened the platform to Indian sellers to extend its ambit.
Flipkart’s retail business increasingly relies on hyperlocal merchants, mainly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Besides its retail marketplace, Flipkart also launched its business-to-business marketplace, Flipkart Wholesale, in 2020 to cater to these local shops.
Amazon India
The two big players primarily dominate the Indian eCommerce industry— Flipkart and Amazon India. As we have already discussed Flipkart, we will now look at Amazon India, an eCommerce giant with over half a million sellers onboard.
Amazon operates its online shopping business in India through “Amazon dot in”.
According to Ahrefs’ top 100 most visited websites in the world rankings, Amazon’s India website (rank 26) ranks above its rival, Flipkart (rank 33).
From fashion and consumer electronics to home-kitchen and beauty, Amazon India offers customers an extensive selection of products, with delivery options that meet their requirements.
Myntra
Launched in 2007, Myntra is a prominent Indian fashion online shopping company headquartered in Bengaluru. The brand started with personalised gift items and started selling fashion and lifestyle products in 2011.
One of the key highlights of Myntra is that it brings premium brands under its umbrella and delivers an effortless shopping experience to its customers. Myntra currently deals with various fashion and lifestyle products for men, women and kids. The company sells branded clothes, footwear, beauty and personal care products and other accessories.
Myntra serves its customers with apparel, footwear and beauty products from over 500 renowned Indian and international brands. Some brands include Nike, Adidas, Puma, Catwalk, United Colors of Benetton, Avirate, FabIndia and Biba.
Nykaa
Nykaa is one of India’s biggest online stores for beauty, personal care and wellness products. The brand has over 2500+ brands and more than five lakh products. Nykaa leverages the direct-to-customer (D2C) strategy to serve its customers across India.
Founded by Falguni Nayar in 2012 as an eCommerce portal, Nykaa expanded from an online-only to an omnichannel business and started selling fashion products.
AJIO
AJIO specialises in fashion and lifestyle products. This Reliance Retail-owned company was launched in 2016 and currently operates with over 1.3 million styles and over 5000 brands. The brand offers a wide range of clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty products for men, women, and kids.
The brand enjoys the luxury of a robust physical retail business built by Reliance Retail. Besides bringing Indian and exclusive international brands on its platform, the company caters to the demands of its customers through its in-house brand AJIO Own.
Tata CLiQ
Launched in 2016 as an online marketplace, Tata CLiQ is one of the most influential eCommerce retailers. The brand offers various products across multiple categories, including but not limited to electronics, home essentials, fashion and beauty.
Besides regular retail through its online portal, Tata CLiQ also offers a luxury segment, Tata CLiQ Luxury. This section offers products from reputed luxury brands such as Hugo Boss, Armani and Coach.
Notably, the Tata Group subsidiary has also launched an omnichannel service called ‘phygital’. Customers can order online and collect products from physical stores through this channel.
Pepperfry
Pepperfry, one of India’s largest online furniture stores, was established by Ambareesh Murthy and Ashish Shah in 2011. Like many other eCommerce sites, it was also into something other than the eventual business segment. The brand started as a horizontal online marketplace concentrated on fashion and lifestyle.
Pepperfry now specialises in furniture and home decor products like kitchen appliances, housekeeping items, bathing equipment, etc.
Since its launch, the company has disrupted furniture and home goods retail by integrating an online sales channel and a sizeable omnichannel operation. As of 2021, Pepperfry’s studios are available in more than 100 cities, and the brand offers home delivery across 500+ cities in India.
Shopclues
Launched in 2011, ShopClues.com is one of India’s first online managed marketplaces. Headquartered in Gurugram, Shopclues has over 50 million products and 500,000 merchants on its platform, serving over 30,000 pin codes nationwide.
Conclusion
As India is one of the world’s largest eCommerce markets, many online shopping websites exist here. The eCommerce market in India is highly competitive, with several players aiming to get as many customers as possible. Some of the top companies in India, such as Amazon India, Flipkart, and Snapdeal, offer a range of products across various categories and are known for their customer-centric approach. As the market continues to evolve, new enterprises and technologies will emerge, and it will be interesting to see how the market plays out in the days, months and years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Which is the number 1 online market in India?
Many parameters, such as traffic, market capitalisation, number of customers, etc., decide the rankings. As the variable is not explicit, we will consider web traffic to determine the number 1 online market. As per Similarweb, Amazon India is the most visited Marketplace website in India as of March 2023,
Q2. Which website is similar to Flipkart?
Some sites similar to Flipkart are Amazon India, Snapdeal, Myntra, Croma, and Tata CLiQ.
Q3. Which is more trustworthy, Amazon India or Flipkart?
Amazon India and Flipkart both provide an exceptional shopping experience and follow most of the industry trust guidelines and standards. Therefore, both are equally trustworthy.
