The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) released industry data for April 2012 which revealed a spike in online activity on various platforms as compared to April 2011.
In April this year, 20.5 lakh job seekers uploaded their resumes online as compared to 18 lakh in April 2011. This is an increase of nearly 14% and 2.5 lakh in absolute numbers. IAMAI used data from 4 online recruitment websites to compile and compare activity.
Source: IAMAI/ Vertical Classified Sites
The number of people uploading profiles on matrimonial websites in India more than doubled. In April 2012 there were 27.4 lakh profile uploads as compared to 13.5 lakh in the same month last year. Data from 29 websites was used to analyze activity on matrimonial websites.
E-tailing, or online retailing also witnessed a stunning month as 50 lakh visitors found their way to the 15 e-commerce sites IAMAI surveyed as compared to 25.4 lakh in April 2011. The increase was driven by Branded Apparels and mainly Footwear, which saw 39.1 lakh units being shipped in April 2012 as compared to 16.6 in April 2011. Other departments like Jewellery, Designer Labels and Spa/Restaurant bookings increased, but marginally.
Source: IAMAI/e-Commerce sites
Not to be left out, online ticketing on the Indian Railways IRCTC website witnessed more than double the bookings in April 2012 as compared to the same time last year. 55.6 lakh booking were made in the 30 days of April this year resulting in a 146% growth from 22.6 lakh in April 2011.
Online booking for air travel too almost doubled as the 9 websites IAMAI surveyed reported 19.2 lakh bookings for air tickets in April 2012 as compared to 10.1 lakh in April 2011.
Source: IAMAI/ Online Travel Portals
It seems that the only thing holding back Indian netizens was the lack of a brand they could trust. No one likes to part with hard earned money easily and it was a daunting task to pay by credit card on websites that were not well known. Less than half a decade back, shopping online was almost a taboo for the common man. It was a prime case of the notion, change is hard to accept.
Today, major players have entered the online market place and even government organizations are catering to the needs of the tech savvy Indian. There are brands which are familiar and with which people can relate to. Shopping online for things like clothes, tickets, gadgets and many other things is no longer considered risky or non-traditional.
This change in perception of the common man is evident. It is backed by a phenomenal rise in activity on job portals, matrimonial sites and online retailing websites, in a span of just 12 months as IAMAI reports.
Indians seem to like the idea of getting things done from the comfort of their homes as opposed to going out in the sun through, driving through chaotic traffic returning home sweating and panting. But then again, who wouldn’t?
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Online shopping, booking railway tickets etc is the fastest growing way of shopping now a day.