MUMBAI (Diya TV) — Indians voted online shopping as the top reason to access the Internet, spending an average of nearly Rs. 9,400 a month in online purchases, according to a recent survey. Social networking followed as the second-most accessed Internet feature in the South Asian nation.
The survey, conducted by American Express and Nielsen, and titled, “Understanding Online Consumers,” found that 98 percent of Indian respondents voted for online shopping as the No. 1 reason they access the Internet, followed closely by social networking at 96 percent and online banking at 95 percent.
The collected data estimates the average online monthly spending of Indians at Rs. 9,400. In metro areas, the average spending is Rs. 10,900, while in tier I cities, a much lower Rs. 8,000.
“This is going to increase across cities to an overall ticket size of Rs. 16,000. Consumers currently spend 60 percent of their home budget online which is dedicated to online shopping, making travel purchases and utility bill payments,” the survey said.
The survey was conducted across six Indian cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
“Shopping has always been the favorite pastime for Indians and now it has become the virtual pastime,” said Manoj Adlakha, CEO of American Express Banking Corp., India. The survey also found that youth prefer their cards over cash-on-delivery, because it’s quicker and safer to obtain a refund in the instance of returns. Overall, almost 70 percent of consumers prefer paying for purchases with their cards, the survey found.
Additionally, the data indicated a growing trend toward paying for utilities online.
“Tech-savvy youth in the age group 18-30, aptly targeted by online recharge and utility bill payment platforms, show higher adoption rates (81 percent) for online utility bill payments,” the report said.
“Delhi and Bengaluru lead the country with 81 percent respondents paying bills online, Jaipur and Ahmedabad close behind with 75 percent and 72 percent, respectively. Surprisingly, Mumbai bucked the trend with only 69 per cent respondents,” it added.
MUMBAI (Diya TV) — Indians voted online shopping as the top reason to access the Internet, spending an average of nearly Rs. 9,400 a month in online purchases, according to a recent survey. Social networking followed as the second-most accessed Internet feature in the South Asian nation.
