Yahoo survey probes Indian consumer's online buying habits

03rd July 2016
Yahoo survey  probes Indian consumer's online buying habits

Bangalore, June 3 2016: Yahoo has  recently unveiled a joint study with  global media and marketing services network MindShare – ‘Mobile Consumer Journey 2016’ which  analyses  the online shopping journey of Indian consumers.  The Indian e-commerce industry is expected to reach $38 billion by this year (as per Assocham report). Yahoo & Mindshare researched the shopping behaviour of users across devices for 31 different categories including travel, electronic devices and consumer packaged goods.
Says  M A Parthasarathy, Chief Product Officer, Mindshare South Asia said, “The ecommerce landscape in India is perhaps the most dynamic in the world, largely due to the rapidly evolving mobile ecosystem. This research highlights the role of mobile from the top of funnel to the bottom and how it varies across product categories. It will help us develop sharper, more connected communication strategies for brands.”
Francis Che, Head of Insights, APAC, Yahoo adds, “The study shows that the consumer path-to-purchase is turning more complex and nonlinear, with mobile at the center of this evolution. As mobile devices become more important in the consumer’s last mile of purchase decision, brands need to build targeted, more seamless shopping experience across all channels to strengthen sales and acquire new customers.”
Key findings of the survey -

·         31% of online shoppers cite saving time or effort as their main reason for shopping online
·         Of the total number of consumers browsing for products on mobile, 79% prefer buying on a mobile device compared to 9% on PC/laptop and 12% in a physical store.|
·         According to  28% of online shoppers, attractive discounts and promotions is a key driver which affects the purchase decision|
·         75% online shoppers in Kolkata are open to mobile transactions followed by Chennai with 64% and Delhi with 57%.  Surprisingly online shoppers in metros like Mumbai & Bangalore seem more ‘cautiously open’ with less than 35% of them preferring mobile transactions over other mode of payments|
·         Online shoppers are more likely to use their mobile device to make regular or impulse purchases rather than expensive, high consideration purchases.
.          Over 90% of the consumers use mobile devices for quick and frequent purchases of Travel, Music & Movies.
.           36% consumers prefer buying high-consideration products like Insurance on their PC/ Laptop. 24% consumers prefer buying health supplements on PC/ Laptop.
.            Categories with significant in-store purchases include Personal Hygiene (30%) & Luxury Accessories (27%)
·         The barriers that keep users away from shopping online include – non-authentic goods, unreliable delivery and lack of quality control.