India spent US$16-billion online in 2013, up 88% from 2012

We know that India’s ecommerce industry is booming and lots of investment is flooding in, but how much are ordinary people actually spending online?

According to new figures from the Indian commerce group ASSOCHAM, the nation’s eshoppers spent US$16 billion in 2013. That’s a rise of 88 percent from the US$8.5 billion figure in 2012.

That’s strong growth, the group says in its new white paper, from the estimated US$2.5 billion spent by Indian eshoppers in 2009. It’s claimed that the expenditure could hit US$56 billion by 2023. Here are the annual stats we have in chart form:

Hot in Mumbai

While the US$16 billion figure seems small for a nation of over 1.2 billion, the eshopping stat should be weighed up against its realistic, addressable market –- the 150 million or more internet users that there are now in India.

There’s a lot more room for growth in India as more people come online and as the middle class grows. For example, China’s ecommerce expenditure will top an estimated US$265 billion in 2013 thanks to the country’s half-billion-plus netizens.

Here are more factoids from the ASSOCHAM paper:

Top cities for eshopping

This is based on the number of ecommerce users:

1. Mumbai
2. Delhi
3. Kolkata

Young Shoppers

• 35 percent of regular shoppers are in 18 to 25 age group
• 55 percent are 26 to 35
• 8 percent are 36 to 45
• 2 percent are 45 to 50

Top e-stores

The paper also revealed the top ten online stores in the country, which are a mix of conventional ecommerce, food, and online coupons. But ASSOCHAM doesn’t specify if this is judged by userbase or revenue, so it’s best taken with a pinch of salt for now.

1. Flipkart
2. eBay India
3. Snapdeal
4. Amazon India
5. Myntra
6. Shopclues
7. Dominos
8. Freecharge
9. Jabong
10. Tradus

(Source: Watblog)

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This article by Steven Millward originally appeared on Tech in Asia, a Burn Media publishing partner.