State Of Indian Ecommerce Report Q1 2023

STATE OF THE INDIAN ECOMMERCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

28 30

ECOMMERCE IN INDIA: KEY DEVELOPMENTS

IN FOCUS: RISE OF OMNICHANNEL

HOW OMNICHANNEL WORKS

INDIA’S OMNICHANNEL LANDSCAPE

FACTORS SUPPORTING OMNICHANNEL RISE

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF OMNICHANNEL STARTUPS

OMNICHANNEL CASE STUDIES

OMNICHANNEL IN INDIA: SWOT ANALYSIS

OMNICHANNEL TRENDS IN INDIA

PERFORMANCE OF LISTED OMNICHANNEL PLAYERS

61 ECOMMERCE IN INDIA: TRENDS & CHALLENGES

© INC42 MEDIA | NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION / 3

India’s Digital Economy In A Nutshell

1,000

846 749 932 1,008 1,075 1,134 1,186 1,132 1,273 1,310 1,343

1.3 Bn+ Internet Users By 2030

61% Internet Penetration In India

44% Increase In Internet Users From 2022 To 2030

1,500 2020 2021 2022F 2023F 2024F 2025F 2026F 2027F 2028F 2029F 2030F

$152 Bn+ Total Volume Of UPI Transactions As Internet Users (Mn) 0

500

$3 Tn+ Total Value Of UPI Transactions As On Jan 2023 On Jan 2023 Source: TRAI, NPCI, Bain & Company, Data.ai

India’s Ecommerce Market: Decoding The $400 Bn Market Opportunity

Global Ecommerce Ecosystem Comparison: India Vs China Vs USA

Total Funding (2014 - 2022)

5-Year Funding CAGR

Number Of Unicorns

Average Ticket Size In 2022

SOURCE: INC42

NOTE: ECOMMERCE FUNDING DATA FOR UNITED STATES & CHINA HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM CRUNCHBASE.

NUMBER OF CHINESE ECOMMERCE UNICORNS HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM CFTE

India’s Ecommerce Landscape: Key Players

79

750+

218 Growth Stage Startups SOURCE: INC42

Ecommerce Funding Trends In 2022: A Snapshot

$4 Bn Total Funding Raised, 63% YoY Decline

51% YoY Surge In Seed Funding

71% YOY Decline In Late Stage

310 Deal Count, 9% Surge In Deal Count YOY

277 Number Of Unique Funded Startups

Delhi-NCR

Top Startup Hub

$16 Mn Average Ticket Size, 66% YOY Decline

Venture Catalyst, Sixth Ventures and Better Capital

Most Active Ecommerce Investors

SOURCE: INC42

Funding Winter Chops Ecommerce Funding By

More Than Half In 2022

Excluding 2021 as an outlier year, ecommerce funding saw 4X YoY growth compared to 2020, the highest so far

Indian Ecommerce Startup Ecosystem: A QoQ Comparison

Ecommerce Startups That Bagged Biggest Funding Rounds In 2022

Average Ticket Size For Ecommerce Funding Drops To $12 Mn In Q4 2022

From its highest value $88 Mn in Q3 2021, the average ticket size saw a fall of 90% in Q3 2022 to $8 Mn, reaching the Q2 2019 (pre-pandemic) level

72% YoY decrease in average ticket size of funding in Q4 2022

SOURCE: INC42

Funding Winter Reduces Mega Deal Count By

61% YOY

SOURCE:

NOTE:

D2C Replaces Marketplace To Be The Most Funded Ecommerce Subsector In 2022

Percentage of marketplace startups in total amount of ecommerce funding raised fall by 51.4% in 2022 YOY

Ecommerce In Q4 2022: Sub-sector Wise Venture Capital Inflow Split

D2C

Funding At Seed Stage Showed Highest YoY Surge For Ecommerce Startups In 2022

Compared to past year funding deals in 2022 for emerging hubs increased by 13%

SOURCE: INC42

Ecommerce In Q4 2022: Stage Wise Venture Capital Inflow

Ecommerce Funding Amount Across All Three Major Hubs Dropped By 32% In 2022 From 2021

Bengaluru

Surpasses Delhi NCR In Ecommerce Funding In Q4 2022

Delhi-NCR remains top destination in terms of number of deals in ecommerce startups in Q4 2022

SOURCE: INC42

Early Stage Ecommerce Startups To Look

Out For

Key Investors

Accel, RB Investments

Xentel Investments

Inflection Point Ventures, LC Nueva Investment Partners, LetsVenture

SIG Venture Capital, Tanglin Venture Partners, India Quotient

Asia Pacific Internet Group

Brand Capital, Siddhivinayak Skyscrapers, Dinesh R. Challa

Desai Family Office, LetsVenture Angel Fund, Centera Fund UK

SOURCE: INC42

Gupta,Ganesh Iyer

Calega,Yournest, Pranay Palepu, Ajay Nambiar Velluva Puthiyaveettil

Wami Capital, Multiply Ventures, Sattva Family Office, Grip

Accel, TI Platform, TiE SoCal Angels, Larry Braitma

3one4 Capital, IEG, Manisha Girotra, Surendra Kumar Jain

Stellaris Venture Partners, Varun Alagh, Sahil Barua, Anuj Srivastava

Fireside Ventures

Most Active Indian Ecommerce Investors

Notable Investments

Mama Earth, Moglix, Wake fit

Citymall, fashinza, renomojo

VanityWagon, Buyofuel, WickedGud, ClearDekho, Evenflow, GOAT Brand Labs, Let's Try, NOTO

Sugar , Country Delight, The Souled Store

Acefour Accessories, Dogsee Chew, Freecultr, GIVA, Just Dogs, Open Secret, Phool.co, ShopKirana

Urban Ladder, The Good Glam Group, KindLife

Country Delight, Open Secret, DealShare

Open Secret, Rage Coffee, ShopKirana

Cashify, Purplle, Spinny

The Sleep Company, Smytten, Mamaearth

SOURCE: INC42

Most Active Indian Ecommerce Investors In 2022

Of Deals

Notable Investments

VanityWagon, Buyofuel, WickedGud, ClearDekho, Evenflow, GOAT Brand Labs, Let's Try, NOTO

Acefour Accessories, Dogsee Chew, Freecultr, GIVA, Just Dogs, Open Secret, phool.co, ShopKirana

Beco, EekiFoods, GetSupp, HYPD, Kolo, Mekr, ShopKirana, Vendekin Technologies, Ximkart

DrinkPrime, Evenflow, GOAT Brand Labs, Join Ventures, MonRow Shoes and Accesories

82°E, Farmley, Join Ventures, KNYA Med, Power Gummies, Supertails, XYXX

ApnaKlub, Chaayos, Groyyo, Moglix

Bold Care, Eat Better, Evenflow, Nirmalya, Perfora Shoppr. TV, Woovly

Buyofuel, The Healthy Company, The Nestery, Vanity Wagon, White. Inc

DaMENSCH, GlobalFair, Mokobora, MyMuse, Supertails

Hoovu Fresh, HYPD, Mokobora, MyMuse, Perfora

SOURCE: INC42

Slowdown In Exits Through Mergers & Acquisitions Continue

Indian Ecommerce Startup Ecosystem: Key Developments In 2022

Fear of layoffs continues

In 2022, the Indian startups have together handed over pink slips to more than 20K employees. As the global ecommerce giant laid off 18K+ workforce globally with 1000 employees in India, the fear of recession is now creeping into ecommerce ecosystem as well.

Dwindling stocks of listed companies remain a concern

Both Nykaa and CarTrade’s public market performance has fallen significantly in 2022. Also, most ecommerce unicorns and soonicorns are struggling to reach profitability, and many shelved their IPO plans last year. In 2022, only three Indian startups went ahead with their IPOs — Delhivery, Tracxn, and DroneAcharya. However, eight startups, including Droom, Snapdeal, PharmEasy, MobiKwik, and OYO, which filed their draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) in 2021 and had the best chance to go going public in 2022, either shelved their IPO plans or withdrew DRHP or are yet to receive the approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Govt took steps to protect consumers from fake reviews

The Department of Consumer Affairs launched a set of regulations in November 2022 for protecting online shoppers from the menace of fake reviews and deceptive product feedback on ecommerce platforms. The standard will initially be voluntary for compliance, but when made mandatory, any violation can invite punishment for unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights.

Launch of ONDC is expected to be a game changer

In April 2022, the Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) started its pilot in selected cities. With the launch of this open initiative, the government aims to democratise ecommerce from the dominance of marketplaces and enable fair opportunities for sellers, buyers and logistics providers, leading to dynamic pricing and optimum inventory management. ONDC is currently live in 85 Indian cities. More than 250 Mn buyers will be able to purchase goods and services via this network in the next five years, according to a recently published report by Publicis Groupe India and the Digital India Foundation

Draft Ecommerce Policy under discussion

SOURCE: INC42

First issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in February 2019, the draft guidelines are again under deliberation. However, the government will soon launch the Draft in the public domain. The overall objective of this policy is to help stakeholders benefit from the opportunities arising from the progressive digitalisation of the domestic digital economy. Its scope and objectives have been defined under six heads, including data, infrastructure development, ecommerce marketplaces, regulatory issues, stimulating the domestic digital economy and export promotion through ecommerce. It aims to regulate cross-border data flow while enabling sharing of anonymised community data.

IN FOCUS THE RISE OF OMNICHANNEL

Indian Phygital Market Will Be A $1 Tn Market Opportunity In 2030

Omnichannel or hybrid shopping will be at the center of this growth which is projected to reach $55 Bn by 2027 from the current $11 Bn

SOURCE: IBEF, LENSKART

Because The Consumer Wants It All..

Shopping can no longer be divided into online or offline. Many consumers now prefer “all of the above approach” and are using a mix of both channels to create custom experiences

KEY CHANNELS IN CONSUMER’S SHOPPING JOURNEY

WEBSITE IN-STORE

SOCIAL MEDIA

MARKETPLACE

FRIENDS/FAMILY

CONSUMER REVIEWS

PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS

SOURCE: INC42, INDIA RETAILING, IBM

IN-STORE

MOBILE APP

WEBSITE SOCIAL MEDIA

IN-STORE ONLY

ONLINE ONLY

HYBRID (INSTORE, ONLINE, INSTORE-ONLINE)

CALL TO ORDER

Omnichannel Is Not A Choice Anymore Because Consumers....

Use more comparison sites in look for availability

SOURCE: PWC

Switch to buying product online

Shop at multiple different retailers to meet your needs

Switch to buying products in-store

Change the retail store/outlet you usually shop in (in order to get the product you want)

Cross Channel Buying Behaviour Of Consumers

ONLINE ONLY HYBRID BRICK AND MOTOR ONLY

SOURCE:YOUGOV-OMNICHANNEL REPORT 2021

NOTE: THIS IS BASED ON THE SAMPLE SURVEY OF 1021, 1011, 2251 PARTICIPANTS FROM INDIA, CHINA AND USA RESPECTIVELY AND THEY REVELAVED THERE PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR FOR PAST 90 DAYS.PARTICIPANTS FROM INDIA WHERE 18+ ADULTS FROM THE URBAN AREA.

Consumer Behaviour Pushing Ecommerce Retailers Towards Omnichannel

64% of consumers continue to spend online even after Covid-19.

74% of online shoppers want to focus more on working from home, and this shift in mindset encourages them to opt for ecommerce.

India is among the top 5 countries where 85% of consumers now feel more comfortable with technology usage.

Globally, India has the highest percentage (47%) of digital items purchased online.

Globally, India ranks third in terms of most demanding online customers, and 72% will not buy from retailers, brands or marketplaces that do not match their e-shopping expectations.

46% of online shoppers expect their orders to arrive in less than 2 hours.

88% of Indian consumers want inspiration to purchase items as quickly as possible, pushing ecommerce retailers to have an omnichannel strategy

50% of online shoppers have made their purchases on social media platforms, indicating an affinity towards exploring new channels.

SOURCE: WUNDERMAN THOMPSON FUTURE SHOPPERS REPORT 2022

Key Factors Driving Omnichannel Ecommerce Growth In India

India’s consumption expenditure to double by 2030: India is likely to overtake Japan as Asia’s second-largest economy by 2030 when its GDP is projected to surpass that of Germany to rank as the world’s No. 3. Other positive factors include the rise in disposable incomes and the newfound rural consumption, helping drive consumer spending across Bharat. The country’s consumption expenditure is expected to double from $1.5 Tn in 2020 to $3 Tn by 2030, and ecommerce as a sector will be a significant beneficiary.

More maturity in the retail ecosystem: According to market experts, 2022 was a banner year for omnichannel retail as the entire ecosystem of shopping, payments and logistics reached greater maturity levels. Meanwhile, the popularity of direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, the rise of quick commerce, brands’ deeper reach in non-metro locations and further consolidation of retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) sectors were the defining trends of the year.

Convergence of online and offline across sectors: The first wave of omnichannel was primarily around the fashion and lifestyle sector. But the emergence of dark stores, retail tech and multiple delivery models has seen other segments like food delivery and e-grocery opt for omnichannel.

Brands working on trust building: Touch-and-feel still rules an Indian consumer’s mindset during a purchase. So, D2C players and marketplaces such as Nykaa, Mamaearth, Sugar Cosmetics among others now leverage the hybrid approach to build customer trust. Large legacy retailers adopting omnichannel engagement for growth: Legacy brands like Reliance, Tata, Pepsico, among others have made their move towards increasing their digital presence across channels in last few years. This has led to omnichannel emerging as a key differentiator, thereby pushing ecommerrce unicorns, flushed with VC money to experiment with omnichannel and optimise it as a key revenue channel as well.

SOURCE: INC42, EY, IHS

The Omnichannel Experience Combines All Channels into One Seamless Experience

PLATFORM OPTIMIZATION

CISCUSSIONS WITH SALES PEOPLE

PHYSICAL LOCATION

SOCIAL MEDIA

CUSTOMER SERVICE

APPS

DIRECT MAIL

OMNICHANNEL

SOURCE: ENSIGHTEN.COM

EMAIL

ONLINE

ECOMMERCE

PANDEMIC IMPACT

INCREASED CONSUMER INTERACTION

INCREASE IN REVENUE

MORE DATA COLLECTION FROM CONSUMERS

Key Benefits Of Omnichannel For Retailers

CATERING THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSUMERS

SOURCE: INC42, SALESFORCE

INCREASED PROFITS

OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

INCREASED CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE

CREATING A ECOSYSTEM

INCREASED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Ecommerce Brands With Omnichannel Presence: A Landscape

BEAUTY,COSMETICS AND WELLNESS

FASHION BEVERAGES

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

HOME DECOR

SOURCE: INC42

NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF STARTUPS.

Key Indian Beauty, Cosmetics & Wellness Brands With Omnichannel Presence

Financial Analysis Of Indian Omnichannel Beauty, Cosmetics & Wellness Brands

SOURCE: COMPANY FILINGS, INC42 CALCULATIONS

NOTE: (+/- X%) DEPICTS YEAR-ON-YEAR CHANGE

Key Indian Fashion Brands With Omnichannel Presence

Online Presence

Website, iOS, Android

Website, iOS, Android Website

Website, iOS, Android

Website, iOS, Android

Website, iOS, Android

Website, iOS, Android

Website, iOS, Android

SOURCE: INC42

Financial Analysis Of Indian Omnichannel Fashion Brands

SOURCE: COMPANY FILINGS, INC42 CALCULATIONS NOTE: (+/- X%) DEPICTS YEAR-ON-YEAR CHANGE

EXCHANGE RATE IS 80

Key Indian Beverage Brands With Omnichannel Presence

Financial Analysis Of Indian Omnichannel Beverage Brands

SOURCE: COMPANY FILINGS, INC42 CALCULATIONS NOTE: (+/- X%) DEPICTS YEAR-ON-YEAR CHANGE INR TO USD EXCHANGE RATE IS 80

Key Indian Home Decor Brands With Omnichannel Presence

SOURCE: INC42

NOTE: DATA FOR LIVSPACE UPDATED ON 27-02-2023

Financial Analysis Of Indian Omnichannel Home

Decor Brands

SOURCE: COMPANY FILINGS, INC42 CALCULATIONS

NOTE: (+/- X%) DEPICTS YEAR-ON-YEAR CHANGE

INR TO USD EXCHANGE RATE IS 80

LIVSPACE DATA UPDATED ON 27-02-2023 EX. RATE : SGD 1.35/USD.

OMNICHANNEL CASE STUDIES

CASE STUDY

THE PROBLEM

When Lenskart started selling eyewear online, product returns went up by 3-4x in spite of many benefits like at-home access to a vast catalogue allowing enough time to select a product and a hassle-free buying process.

HOW OMNICHANNEL CAME INTO PLAY

The startup created an omnichannel presence so customers can buy online and pick up their purchases from designated stores. An expert is available at each store to custom-fit the eyewear to ensure maximum effectiveness and comfort

THE OMNICHANNEL IMPACT

With the launch of the omnichannel model, consumer satisfaction went up as prospects could browse a variety of products online and access the services of eyecare experts offline, similar to the offerings of brick-and-mortar outlets

SOURCE: INC42, LENSKART

CASE STUDY

THE PROBLEM

Furniture can be functional, stylish or decorative, but given the utility and cost of each piece, most are handmade by expert carpenters or purchased from trusted offline stores. Interestingly, in non-metros, a piece of furniture is often expected to last for generations. So, it is made under the watchful eyes of shoppers looking for quality and affordability. Pepperfry needed to break down the silos and combine the ease and convenience of online with the quality and reliability of an offline purchase.

HOW OMNICHANNEL CAME INTO PLAY

Pepperfry decided to launch Pepperfry Studios for a differentiated customer experience. Here people can explore an infinite catalogue just like they do online, get expert advice on custom requirements and get a fair idea of the materials and specifications, look and feel of the furniture piece before ordering offline/online.

THE OMNICHANNEL IMPACT

Going omnichannel has allowed Pepperfry to expand its reach in metros and further create a strong foothold in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Currently, 40% of its sales come from offline stores, but the average value is 2.2x the online business. Also, repeat purchases are 1.8x more compared to online sales. On the other hand, the online platform helps with quick product discovery, visualising end products in one's own space, lead generation and deal closing. The online-offline mix has created an end-to-end, customer-first strategy for optimal business outcomes.

SOURCE:INC42, PEPPERFRY, LIVEMENT

CASE STUDY

THE PROBLEM

FirstCry kicked off with an inventory-heavy, pure-play ecommerce model, as did a handful of companies in 2010 (zero-inventory marketplaces were not widely popular at the time). But soon, it adopted a contrarian approach, moving from online to offline despite the immense hype around ecommerce. Online shopping was convenient, but the nature of FirstCry products required the involvement of the entire family as they shopped for the baby/kid. This could only be achieved offline. Moreover, its offline business could grow faster beyond metros, where people were not too familiar with ecommerce more than a decade ago.

HOW OMNICHANNEL CAME INTO PLAY

FirstCry started its offline outlets in metro and non-metro cities and expanded the hybrid model through franchisees. But it's holistic goal was to sync online data with marketing strategies and offline experiences. For instance, a physical shop can track people's online preferences to serve them better, while shoppers can do inventory search, price comparison and check products in real time for quality and fit. This helped create the trust of new parents who earlier hesitated to purchase baby products online.

THE OMNICHANNEL IMPACT

The omnichannel strategy helped FirstCry cement its presence in Tier 1 and 2 cities, resulting in 400+ offline stores. About 40% of its sales come from brick-and-mortar businesses, amply enhanced by its online features.

SOURCE: INC42, FIRSTCRY,ENTREPRENEUR, FINANCIAL EXPRESS

CASE STUDY

THE PROBLEM

Like fashion and accessories, the beauty business thrives on the try-before-you-buy rituals, and offline retail is a surefire way to achieve this. Aware of the consumer mindset and their widespread practice of buying cosmetics offline, digital-first beauty brand Nykaa thought it fit to introduce an omnichannel model to help shoppers make up their minds before buying.

HOW OMNICHANNEL CAME INTO PLAY

Nykaa’s offline outlets were established so customers could test products and purchase in-shop or buy it later online.

THE OMNICHANNEL IMPACT

By going omnichannel, Nykaa can provide better service as the brand is now available at every touch point. As a result, brand awareness has increased, new consumer bases have been created and Nykaa can ensure efficient inventory management.

SOURCE: INC42, NYKAA

Omnichannel In India: SWOT Analysis

STRENGTH WEAKNESS THREAT OPPORTUNITY

Time Saving

Capital extensive

Convenient Digital Infrastructure

More labour required

Tier 2 and tier 3 cities penetration

New consumer base

Government regulation

Efficient

Hard to Manage

Creating Ecosystem

Brick and mortar store

Large Consumer base

Poor infrastructure

Inventory management

SOURCE: INC42

Monopoly

Supply chain disruption

More Products

Barrier to entry

More Penetration in Metropolitan Cities

Increase in Interest rate

High Rent

New Revenue Stream

Shortage of Quality Human resource S W O T

Omnichannel In India: Trends To Watch Out In 2023

Omnichannel experience to expand beyond online-offline

Checking a product online and buying it offline or vice-versa will give way to new distribution models. For instance, customers can buy things online and pick them up from a nearby brick-and-mortar store or buy them in-store but get them delivered to their chosen locations. Similarly, one can return a product online before a physical delivery or at a store after delivery instead of waiting for reverse logistics. In brief, the formats will vary in sync with customer convenience, and retailers must expand their services across online and offline channels.

Social media will remain a powerful channel

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are now popular among online shoppers. Therefore, a powerful social media presence will enhance a brand’s image and help build trust for new customers. According to Google’s research insight blog, Think with Google, half of the shoppers watch videos to help them decide what to buy, and 55% report watching videos in-store to remind themselves what they want to purchase.

Personalisation will be the key to success

Experts believe that personalisation will be the determining factor for success in omnichannel retail. According to the global marketing company Epsilon, 80% of customers report they are more likely to buy when offered a personalised experience, like discounts related to recent browsing. Making customers feel valuable should be an essential trait of retailers, especially when they handle multichannel shoppers.

Supply chain management will be crucial

Brands must be able to deal with issues like delayed product delivery and inadequate inventories featuring out-of-stock products. Good supply chain management (SCM) and cutting-edge tech solutions for inventory reconciliation are critical for omnichannel retailers.

24x7 customer support will be essential

Omnichannel commerce demands 24x7 customer support for the best possible outcomes. While human assistance is required for complex issues, brands must look at virtual assistants/chatbots for initial customer engagement across geographies and time zones.

SOURCE: INC42

SAAHIL GOEL

Cofounder and CEO

Shiprocket

How D2C Brands Can Optimise Omnichannel Expansion

India is striving towards a $400 Bn ecommerce opportunity by 2030, and our not-so-new buzzword –omnichannel expansion – is resurfacing. Blurring boundaries across channels became a way of business during the pandemic, but an omnichannel strategy has become a necessity now more than ever. From facilitating a seamless consumer experience to driving reach to every nook and corner of the country, the omnichannel approach is the way to go.

Business Growth Through Customer Data Insights

Omnichannel expansion facilitates the elimination of all intermediaries and establishes a single platform for D2C brands to connect and sell. Imagine accessing the entire data, from production to distribution, on this single platform.

D2C brands with omnichannel automation can leverage these insights to monitor their sales and marketing strategies. Further, the insights into consumer behaviour become the basis of strategies for driving repeat purchases. The power of customer data is unparalleled but still untapped by many D2C brands. Once unleashed, D2C brands can provide the best traditional and online shopping experiences right from a single platform.

Consumer Centricity Lies At The Core

A D2C brand functions on the idea of directly selling to a consumer. And an omnichannel strategy enables the brand to connect, engage and sell to a consumer directly. In this way, the brand facilitates a consumer-centric purchasing process. The idea is not to focus just on one channel but to be present across multiple touchpoints, everywhere the consumers are.

Every consumer across these touchpoints has unique preferences. So, D2C brands can tap into reaching these consumers innovatively. The most reliable strategy to make this possible is understanding consumer preferences and building brand offerings that drive consumer value.

Building An Impactful Shopping Experience

Today D2C brands are offering hyper-personalised experiences tailored through convenience. The idea is to enable consumers to control their shopping experiences themselves. Therefore, brands are building these enriching experiences based on the insights derived from a consumer’s decision-making process.

Omnichannel automation has facilitated an intelligent integration of technology even in offline stores. These integrated technologies help brands deliver a highly personalised and interactive shopping experience for all their consumers across channels. Technology automation is smoothly interwoven throughout the consumer’s journey, from researching and reviewing the product to clicking the purchase button. These integrations further help in building higher brand recall.

Capturing Bharatwide Retail Expansion

In today’s digital-first world, when D2C brands are hopping on the metaverse bandwagon, online brands are also exploring the traditional brick-and-mortar routes. The reason is simple: Enhancing brand visibility. An offline store adds to the digital store’s credibility, thus building consumer trust.

According to Statista, India has 190 Mn online shoppers, but the need for retail shelves will always be persistent. Bharat, namely, the Tier 2 cities and beyond, have a knack for exploring new brands, and omnichannel expansion is the only bet to drive that accessibility. While offline expansion is important to establish trust and loyalty among consumers for D2C brands, it is equally important to grow aggressively across the real Bharat through the right touchpoints, taking value-driven offerings to a large consumer base.

Omnichannel expansion is also helping D2C brands drive revenue growth and strong brand awareness. It is simple to achieve, as customers are targeted across channels with an active and personalised approach. So, to ensure that a consumer’s journey from ‘Add to Cart’ to ‘Proceed to Checkout’ is enriching, omnichannel is the way to go.

Price Of Ecommerce Startup Stocks See Massive Setback

SOURCE: NSE, INC42 CALCULATIONS

NOTE: THE LATEST STOCK MARKET DATA USED IN THIS SLIDE IS AS ON 31 JAN 2023.

Two Ecommerce player — Nykaa and Cartrade have eroded 66.11% and 67.36% market capitalisation respectively since there IPO.

Despite Fallout, Indiamart, Dmart Stock Price Continues To Be Above Listing Price

How Ecommerce Companies Are Performing On The Stock Market Since IPO

SOURCE: NSE, INC42 CALCULATIONS

NOTE: THE LATEST STOCK MARKET DATA USED IN THIS SLIDE IS AS ON 31 JAN 2023.

Ecommerce In India: Key Challenges To Expect In 2023

OMNICHANNEL ADOPTION

Selling a brand on multiple platforms is challenging. If not done right, it can quickly tarnish a brand’s image and lead to losses. Although omnichannel will be the key theme for ecommerce startups in 2023, efforts must be taken to identify the data quality metrics for monitoring and evaluating all distribution channels.

SHIFT IN CUSTOMER SENTIMENT

Shoppers today have many options to choose from, and social media allows them to review products and discuss brands without much restraint. In reality, brands will no longer find perfect customers who are perpetually satisfied with their products and services. As onboarding new users will become more costly and challenging, we expect retailers to focus more on retaining customers and creating a smooth experience for them across shopping channels.

RIGHTSIZING THE WORKFORCE

In 2022, the Indian startup ecosystem saw more than 20K layoffs due to geopolitical uncertainties, a slowing economy and a harsh funding winter. However, the ecommerce sector did not see too many pink slips apart from Amazon laying off 1K of its India staff. But 2023 has been touted as the year of recession, and most ecommerce companies are struggling on the revenue front. This may impact their expenditure and workforce commitments in the future.

TACKLING ECOMMERCE FRAUDS

Frauds across orders and returns is common in ecommerce. However, in the last two years, the volume of ecommerce orders have gone considerably high (37% in 2022). This has made ecommerce startups to focus more on strengthening the transparency across the supply chain and invest more in technology to avoid mishaps.

SOURCE: INC42

Ecommerce In India: Trends To Watch Out For In 2023

PHYGITAL WILL BE IN FOCUS

Tech-infused physical stores with digital inventories will level the playing field for offline retailers and enable them to compete with large online platforms and sellers. This becomes even more crucial as customers expect a similar product range available at better prices from offline retailers as offered by ecommerce platforms.

LAST-MILE DELIVERY WILL BE CRITICAL

Last-mile delivery is perhaps the most critical part of the order-fullfillment cycle and can make or break the customer experience. With ONDC in play in 2022 and expanding in 2023, we will see more ecommerce focused logistics companies emerging in this segment.

ONLINE SHOPPING TO GO DEEPER

he ecommerce user base in India is estimated to grow at 23% CAGR to reach 500 Mn by 2030. Both ecommerce brands and marketplaces want to tap into this growing user base in metros and non-metro locations.

VERNACULAR, VIDEO CONTENT AND VOICE SEARCH TO DRIVE THE MARKET

While ecommerce companies have already latched on to voice shopping, localisation through vernacular languages to reach out to a vast, non-English-speaking consumer base is in the works. More and more brands will jump on the bandwagon as they seek to grow across Bharat.

QUICK COMMERCE TO THRIVE

The trend which picked up its pace during Covid-19 will continue to entice users and investors alike. Instant deliveries or quick commerce has created a new wave of startups, driven M&As and gained investments in the past two years. In 2023, more and more D2C brands will make a play to tailor their distribution to fit quick commerce operations, just as FMCG giants have pivoted to cater to this channel in 2022.

SOURCE: INC42

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