E-tailing - An Emerging and Attractive Business Option in Indian Retail Sector

As a symbol of globalization, e-commerce represents the cutting edge of success in this digital age and it has changed and is still changing the way business is conducted around the world, particularly in India. E-tailing or E-retailing is synonymous with business- to- consumer (B2C) transaction model of e-commerce. E-tailing simply means selling of goods and services to the customers through electronic media such as internet. The market size of the E-tailing in India is pegged at 6 billion USD in 2015. India has an internet user base of over 240 million users in 2014. The penetration of e-tailing in India is very low compared to markets like the US and the UK but is increasing at a much faster rate with a large number of new entrants like Snapdeal, Flipkart, Amazon etc. Event like ‘Big Billion Day Sale’ by Flipkart has opened the door for existing as well as new players to seriously concentrate on selling the products online. Entrance of these e-players show that e-tailing is an emerging and attractive business option in Indian Retail Sector. This research paper discusses the increasing trend of e-tailing sector in India. Few parameters (or factors) are taken for showing the reasons for the success and growth of e-tailing in India. This paper also highlights some of the challenges faced by e-tailers in India. The study is based on secondary method of data collection. After the analysis of the study, researcher concludes that e-tailing players in India have a bright future. Customer loyalty program, proper designing of portals including more interactive options, transparent terms and conditions etc. must be implemented by e-tailers at the earliest to capture the largest market share. The growth of e-tailing in India will be complementary to the growth of traditional retail, and in no way be at cross purposes.