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Exploring India – A New Digital Leader

Mukul Kumar
Co-Founder & Senior Vice President-Engineering-PubMatic
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Mukul Kumar
Looking at India now, it's hard to imagine just how slow initially the country was when it came to adopting the internet into daily life. It took 10 years for India to reach 10 million users and another decade to hit 100 million. This may sound like a lot, but when you bear in mind that India has a population of 1.252 billion, the slow pace of web adoption is clear.
However, between 2010 and 2013, the world saw India truly enter the internet age with another 100 million people becoming connected. In short, India has found its online stride. With an online adoption rate of almost five million new users per month – a growth rate that's set to take the user base to 500 million people by 2019 – India is becoming the country with the second largest online population in the world.

The Growth & Impact of e-Commerce
The rapid growth in connectivity and shift to a digital first approach, has in turn drastically affected India's e-Commerce industry. As the demand for online retail continues to grow in the region, many online retailers are looking at India as a possible destination for global expansion and we are seeing market trends moving towards offerings that are more instantaneous, simple and that have 24/7 online availability.

Take for example global online retail powerhouses like Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal. While Flipkart currently holds the lion's share of the market, each company has recognized India for the potential scale of its e-Commerce and are fighting for share.

It's not just connectivity that has driven growth in India's e-Commerce industry. The increased ownership of smartphones, the growing middle class and the purchasing power of young consumers has also revolutionized the way we shop. This has naturally impacted other industries linked to retail including advertising. The ability to target users with tailored ads has sparked even more of an online boom with both businesses and their customers able to experience the direct benefits of the advertising.


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