Yes, there's an e-commerce boom in India. But what are Indians really buying online?

The fact that many Indians are still apprehensive about sharing their credit or debit card details while making online purchases hasn’t stopped an increasing band of online shoppers from sparking a boom in the e-commerce market. A recent report by Accel Partners estimated that the digital sales of goods could reach $8.5 billion in 2016, with the number of online shoppers jumping to 40 million in two years time, according to VC Circle.

So what are Indians actually buying online? An IAMAI report titled ‘India’s tryst with e-Commerce’ offers an answer by breaking down the most purchased items by online shoppers in the country.

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Right on top are electronics (34 percent) and accessories and apparel (30 percent). Surprisingly, books (15 percent) come in a distant second – half the rate of growth seen in apparel sales. Rounding off the list are beauty and personal products, home and furnishing, healthcare and baby products.

The data suggest that Indians are opening up to purchasing a wide range of products online and willing to take risks with items like electronics.

The report states that online markets in India and China are still concentrated around products exhibiting a higherdegree of standardisation, such as, cosmetics, books, audios and videos.

Some product catergories, such as auto parts, food and beverages and toys, are still not explored by Indian or Chinese shoppers, the report points out. With regard to India specifically, sports, healthcare, education, toys, real estate and hobby are some categories that have not been ’entirely exploited’.