It has become easier and common to access the Internet these days. This is because of various technological advancements that had happened from the time of its introduction. Various products and services are launched and distributed across the globe through the Internet. The process of online shopping is in practice by many Internet users nowadays.
The number of people using the Internet in India has also been increasing. The Internet World Stats as of July 2010 states that about 8.1 crores of people in India are using the Internet. However, the percentage of penetration of Internet among Indian people is about 6.9%. Though the penetration growth is low, it is growing significantly.
According to the I-Cube 2009 survey report, 13.6 million Internet users looked for information for purchasing a product or service online. Out of them, 7.4 million purchased products or services online. This indicates that almost each alternate Internet user who looks for information on products and services on Internet ends up buying them online.
The highest possibility of purchasing online is done in online travel industry. 89% accessed Internet to look for information on online travel services and 80% actually purchased products or services to online travel using internet. Around 62% of the online shoppers looked for information on cameras and mobiles. However, only 12% of them purchased them through the Internet. Other things like mobile downloads and personal items were purchased by 22% and 20% of the online shoppers respectively. With increase in the number of active Internet users, the rate of online shopping was expected to grow over time in India.