More Indians now buying online on smartphones: Study

Nearly 79 percent of Indian consumers who are browsing for products on smartphones are likely to buy those too, a new study revealed on Thursday. Conducted by tech giant Yahoo and Mindshare, a global media and marketing services network, the study shows that the consumer path-to-purchase is turning more complex and non-linear, with the mobile at the centre 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,” said Francis Che, head of insights, Yahoo, in a statement. A city-wise break-up for mobile transactions showed that 75 percent online shoppers in Kolkata are open to mobile transactions followed by Chennai with 64 percent and Delhi with 57 percent. Over 90 percent of the consumers use mobile devices for quick and frequent purchases of travel, music and movies. Attractive discounts and promotions is another key driver as stated by 28 percent of online shoppers, the study added.  The barriers that keep Indian consumers from shopping online include non-authentic goods, unreliable delivery and lack of quality control. The study is based on the research of users’ shopping behaviour across devices for 31 different categories including travel, electronic devices and consumer packaged goods. IANS