How M-commerce Is Changing the Landscape of E-commerce in India Every 7 in 10 Indian consumers prefer to purchase using mobile devices, shows a Paypal report

By Shipra Singh

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It is believed that m-commerce or mobile commerce will be the next disruption in e-commerce space. A recent report by online payment company PayPal shows that every 7 in 10 Indian consumers prefer to purchase using mobile devices.

It comes as no surprise then that almost 51 per cent of online sales volume is via mobile devices in India, compared to 39 per cent global average.

CONSUMER ONLINE MOBILE PAYMENTS: CURRENT DEVICE USE

TOTAL INDIA

TOTAL GLOBAL

GENDER

GENERATION

M

F

Gen Z (18-24)

Gen Y (25-36)

Gen X (37-51)

Boomer (52-66)

Older (67+)

Smartphone

87%

66%

87%

86%

88%

88%

85%

79%

71%

Tablet

20%

23%

19%

22%

14%

23%

24%

17%

29%

Total Mobile

88%

71%

89%

88%

89%

90%

85%

80%

71%

Base: All respondents (2000), Male (1342), Female (658), Gen Z (658), Gen Y (865), Gen X (400), Boomer (70), Older (7)

India seems to be running much ahead in the m-commerce disruption as globally only 43 per cent consumers prefer using mobile phones for shopping.

Indian consumers spend an average of INR 10,000 per month via mobile devices and as much as 83% consumers make an online purchase via mobile phone at least once a week.

MOBILE COMMERCE: FREQUENCY

TOTAL COUNTRY

TOTAL GLOBAL AVERAGE

Several times a day

32%

9%

Daily

17%

8%

Several times a week

26%

18%

Weekly

8%

13%

Every 2 weeks / Fortnightly

5%

11%

Monthly

7%

14%

2-3 times in the last 6 months

2%

7%

Once in the last 6 months

1%

3%

Less often

1%

5%

Never

1%

12%

Of the several spending categories, consumers spend the most in bill payments, followed by clothing & accessories and food & drinks.

Consumer Mobile Commerce by Category

Percentages will not add up to 100 because of multiple responses.

Indian Consumers Big on Social Commerce

Under m-commerce purchases through social media have been on arise. About 57 per cent of the total Indian respondents admitted making a purchase via social media in the last six months. Millennials—those born between 1981 and 1996—have made maximum purchase via social media platforms.

Shipra Singh

Entrepreneur Staff

Freelance Journalist

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