Comments on: “eCommerce industry in India as a whole has failed to “wow” customer..” Interview with CTO, IndiaTimes

By: Too Many Group Buying Sites Not Enough Online Shopping Stores | A Pensive Peanut

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:36:37 +0000

[...] those interested, here’s a good interview article on why India’s e-commerce growth was slow back in 2008. This one I feel applies to us: “Whether it was the iPod when it was first launched or satellite [...]

By: Anushka

Anushka — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 03:13:40 +0000

Time has changed now. There are good eCommerce websites coming up in India. For eg the site http://www.esportsbuy.com is very good in their customer service. They offer great discounts and ensure on a one-to-one basis that the product is delivered in time. Loved it

By: Sushmita Pal

Sushmita Pal — Tue, 03 May 2011 07:29:35 +0000

There’s a problem in solving the burning issue of the Student community at large. How can any type of card be issued to the students for shopping? Since they have no incomes. No logical Financial Institution or a Bank will provide the same, unless assured of receiving the payments on time from this community.
I think they should rather opt for Cash on Delivery terms, since these are almost available with every site.

By: Aashish

Aashish — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:19:34 +0000

If you check most of the indian online stores, one of the payment options is Cash On Delivery which helps customers to pay on delivery of the product. Not sure how sucessful this is.

By: saravanan

saravanan — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:06:32 +0000

The http://www.pricesbolo.com umber one web site which compare & bring the price to consumer on online shop and their local shop. It educates the consumer on low price vendors in the market

By: happy

happy — Mon, 17 May 2010 10:47:42 +0000

Well, I think sites like TolMol.com can help people believing in online shopping because of their unbiased online comparison. TolMol is the only platform I’ve seen where both online as well as local sellers get equal visibility.

By: Chirag Jobanputra

Chirag Jobanputra — Thu, 13 May 2010 10:47:36 +0000

Great insight! Catalog shopping has been for almost 100 years in the US (Darpan, correct me if i am wrong). Consumers in the US were habituated ordering products via product catalog and mail order at the time when e-commerce arrived. Internet added the required spice( interactivity) and made the process far more dynamic. Customers would browse through updated digital catalog via website and place the order. E-commerce/etailing generated lot of value to both the sellers and buyers in many ways. In India, this is not the case. Consumers in India have never bought anything without any sensory examination and our demand is need based as Darpan pointed out. If we really want to promote e-commerce India then the very first thing we should be doing is to build trust by form a consortium that promote fair practice in online selling, protects online consumer interest and keeps check on the e-commerce websites. This would foster lot of confidence among the online shoppers. However, I still believe it will take years for India to embrace e-commerce the way its there in the US right now.

By: Air India Express

Air India Express — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:42:29 +0000

yae, this is perfect, all is well!

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:27:05 +0000

Nikhil has a point. Around the world, it’s the youth that is actually the driving force behind all things tech, and in India, this especially holds true because unlike the West, it’s the mummies and papas of India that are not tech-savy, it’s the kids that are. E-commerce will change greatly if they are targeted. They will be the force that changes the mindset of Indians towards e-commerce. The inclusion of debit cards as a way of making payments online will help in targeting this segment it is the one mode of plastic payment that teens have.

By: Nikhil

Nikhil — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:29:40 +0000

For me as a student, actually getting a gateway to the damn ecommerce world. There are a ton of things i would love to pay for online but as a student my payment options are shamefully limited. No credit card,Paypal account…. We’re the least targeted segment in spite of the fact we’re the most tech-savvy, and eager to embrace new technology. Give us at least a visa debit card and we’ll turn the ecommerce industry around.

By: eBay India Census Guide – Mumbai leads the E-Commerce Race |Technology and Business Startups in India

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:28:08 +0000

[...] Recommended Read: “eCommerce industry in India as a whole has failed to “wow” customer..” [...]

By: rohan

rohan — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:13:14 +0000

I think this new website http://www.playgroundonline.com will act as role model for all online store in India.

I an very happy with their customer service, product range & value for money.

By: shopperix

shopperix — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:33:17 +0000

I totally agree with Mr Darpan’s comments. We need to cover a long distance in eBiz.
ANd i have taken my first step forward in that direction by launching http://www.shopperixmall.com

By: shopimagine - online store for sexy lingerie in india |Coverage of Indian Startups, Business

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:38:33 +0000

[...] Recommended Read: “eCommerce industry in India as a whole has failed to “wow” customer..” Darpan Munjal, CTO, … [...]

By: We18 launches Storeguru, ecommerce store |Coverage of Indian Startups, Business

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:10:25 +0000

[...] Featured Post: Future of ecommerce in India – Chat with CTO, IndiaTimes. [...]

By: Joshan.V.John

Joshan.V.John — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:30:57 +0000

Its a pretty good interview and i totally agree with
Mr. Darpan that “customer relationships and repeat
customers bring to the growth of the online business”.
Without the two no business could survive no matter how
big the brand is! In India too social shopping is gaining
grounds. Many websites are jumping onto the bandwagon.
It would be great to see where online shopping would
end up 10 years from now.

By: Mahesh

Mahesh — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:56:36 +0000

Very Few companies have developed Trust on e-Commerce biz. Indian ppl still scare to buy online.

In my view to kick ass the e-Commerce biz in India, high Quality service should be delivered to the customer, cheap & best products and moreover its Credibility thats plays important role.

I think every one knows that AMAZON is kicking eBay ass slowly because of their[amazon] splendid service along with ec3, s3 and mturk.

For online Biz, High Quality UI design is main to develop TRUST and of course Brand name too.

I am eager to read more comments on this post .

By: Avinash

Avinash — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:54:24 +0000

Interesting interview…any specific gyaan on Indiatimes strategy?