Gadgets are most popular online purchases, says eBay survey

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Over the last year, e-commerce set its foot firmly on the Indian terrain, owing to the increase in the number of PC and smartphone users. The trend has matured so much that today we can quickly name at least 5 companies that offer products online. eBay conducted a recent survey, which clearly states that smartphone users have been eagerly using online sites for making purchases and also to check deals and prices to help them make the purchase decision.

eBay India Mobile Commerce Survey findings say that 57 percent of the people surveyed check prices online before heading to purchase that product in a store. 30 percent users say that they always find better deals online, while 49 percent claim that they look for online deals in order to fetch a better deal. Gadgets have been said to make for favourite online purchases, as 68 percent mobile Internet users bought gadgets on their smartphones, 40 percent bought clothes and footwear, while 34 percent users purchased books. Probably 3G also has a meatier role to play here, and now we could expect these figures to rise even higher, as telecom providers slash 3G prices. According to the survey, 64 percent users have upgraded to 3G services and 80 percent claim to be always on the Internet, wherever they go.

Mobile commerce users use their smartphones for product research, too, as about 65 percent use their smartphone to locate a store, 55 percent find deals and 48 percent check for product availability. As for picking the best among the two popular phone brands in India, Samsung and Nokia found equal love in the Indian market with 40 percent each, while 17 percent and the third place is taken by the iPhone. This survey was conducted on about 4,500 eBay users who filled the Mobile Commerce Survey on their Mobile Internet habits. 

Muralikrishnan B, Country Manager, eBay India shared, "Mobile Commerce is starting to gain traction in India with the burgeoning smart phone penetration and a large number of Indians now use their smart phone to shop as well as compare prices. eBay India is a believer in Mobile Commerce & we have launched a suite of apps to cater to the Mobile Shopper & aid his online shopping behavior."