Indians browse e-commerce sites before buying goods: Survey

livemint.com:

New Delhi: A growing number of Indian consumers are turning to their mobile devices to check prices of products while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, indicating a rise in the adoption of omnichannel retail behaviour. “For five in 10 India consumers, e-commerce websites and search engines are the top sources of pre-purchase information, while three in 10 check in with their family, friends and colleagues before deciding on a purchase.

For nearly four out of 10 India consumers, traditional TV and sponsored social media advertisements influence a purchase decision," according to India specific June findings of PWC’s Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey. Globally, consumers typically rely on search engines and retailer websites to access pre-purchase information, with 54% of consumers relying on search engines to derive product information and 55%, on retailer websites.

In India, however, a large e-commerce platform or marketplace is the go-to source for product information, with an estimated 60% of Indian consumers using such platforms for research; globally, the number rests at 35%. Retailer websites figure low on the list, with only 21% of Indians frequenting them before making a purchase decision and another 28% using them to read product reviews.

At least 30% of buyers in India, and the same percentage globally, seek the opinion of friends, family and colleagues before making a purchase, according to the survey findings. Meanwhile, 29% of consumers surveyed in India and 31% globally also social media to research a product before purchasing it.