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India'secommercewarzone:Sixcutthroatskirmishesunderwaybetweenglobalgiants&IndiantopdogsTheEconomicTimes
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India'secommercewarzone:Sixcut
throatskirmishesunderwaybetween
globalgiants&Indiantopdogs
ByRajivSingh,ETBureau|19Apr,2015,06.54AMIST

25comments | PostaComment

READMOREONVivekMadhukar|SundayET|Sequoia|SanjayModi|SachinBansal|representative|Rachel
Smith

Amazon,America'slargestetailer,began
asanonlinebookstorein1994.Twoyears
beforeJeffBezosporedthroughthe
dictionaryandpickedouttheworld's
biggestriverashisbrandname,lesser
known(atleastasoftoday)CharlesM
Stackfoundedbooks.com.Today,Stack's
onlinestores(alsoknownasBookStacks
Unlimited)willbedifficulttolocatethey
weregobbledupbyBarnes&Nobleover
15yearsago.

EcommerceisseeingaracebetweentheAmazonsand
ExpediasvstheFlipkartsandMakeMyTrips.Thedesi
entrepreneurshavethewindintheirsales,fornow.

Contrarytopopularperception,Amazon
wasn'tthefirstmover(bysomeaccountsit
Editor'sPick
wassecond,byothersevenfourth).Also
contrarytopopularperception,thefirst
Marketsdown,butdonotpanic,say
Airtelplanmayviolatespiritofnetneutrality:
expertstopstockstobuy
moverdoesn'talwaysemergethewinner.

FlikpakrtCEOSachinBansal
Readmore

Marketingguruswilltellyouaboutthefirst
moveradvantage,whichistypicallythe
headstartthefirstentrantgainsby
capitalisingonamonopolylikesituationto
rakeinfatprofitmargins.

SPOTLIGHT
MustSeeSlideshows

Lessertalkedaboutisthesecondmover
advantage,thecompetitiveadvantagean
entrantgetsbylearningfromthepioneer's
mistakes,copyinghissuccessfulstrategies
Goldlosingitssheen?
andstealinghisshare(insteadofwasting
timecreatingamarket).

Sensexfallsover1Kptsgoodtimetobuy:
Experts
HSBCaccountholdersfearattachmentof
assets
Sensexcloses555pointsdownfive
reasons
TradersbullishongoldaheadofAkshaya
Tritiya
ETSPECIAL: Lovevisualaspectofnews?Enjoy
thisexclusiveslideshowstreat!

The$12billionecommercebattlefieldinIndiaislitteredwithfirstmoversandsecond
(andthird,andevenlast)movers.Fascinatingly,manyoftheleadersareventures
foundedIndiabyIndians(albeitfuelledlargelybyforeignventurecapitalandprivate
equity).Forinstance,etailerFlipkartandonlinetravelfirmMakeMyTriparebothaheadof
theirglobalpeersAmazonandExpedia.
Socantheorderofthefirstmoverbeingfirstrankerchange?Forsure,anaggressive

China'snewrunway:Airstripin Whyyoushouldgivegolda
AmazonIndiawillinsistasitgoesaboutthetaskofclosingthegapwithFlipkart(and
SouthChinaSea!
missthisAkshayaTritiya
Chinahasmaderapidprogressinbuilding

BezosmaygleefullyremindyouoftheBookStacksexample).BeyondAmazon,too,in
theclassifiedmarketplaceforusedgoods,theglobalgiant(OLX)movedintoIndiatwo

Buyinggoldrightnowmaynotbeawise

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anairstripsuitableformilitaryusein
contestedterritoryintheSouthChina
Sea'sSpratlyIslands.

decision.Butifyouwanttobuyitfor
yearsbeforetoday'sleader(Quikr)gotgoing.Today,theIndiansecondmoverclaimsto
religiouspurposesonAkshayaTritiya,buy
beinfirstplacealthoughOLXtoomaintainsitisthemarketleader.
onlyasmallquantity.

Sevensmartwaystouseyourannual
bonus
HondaCarsIndiagearsuptointroduce
thenewJazz

ButthentheseareearlydaysofecommerceinIndia,withbusinessesgrowingonthe
backofreadyandwillinginvestors,andprofitabilityameregleamintheeyeoftheIndian
founders."Wellfundedglobalplayerscaneasilyabsorbmillionsofdollarsinannual
lossesandthiscanputIndianecommerceplayersintrouble,"saysSanchitVirGogia,
chiefanalystandgroupCEOofGreyhoundResearch.
Sowillthelocalleadersbeabletokeeptheglobalgiantsatbay?Cansomeofthe
secondmoverstakefirstplace?ETMagazinetakesalookatsixcutthroatskirmishes
underwaybetweenglobalgiantsandIndiantopdogsondifferentpartsoftheecommerce
battlefield.Inmanyoftheseencountersthewinnermayhavealreadybeendecided
andit'snotnecessarilythetwobrandssluggingitoutbuttheIndianconsumer.
MydalavsGroupon
WhenGrouponenteredIndiain2011,theChicagobaseddailydealsgianthadnumbers
onitsside120millionsubscribersglobally.Afterfouryears,thatnumberhasgotmore
formidable,climbingto260million.Forgoodmeasure,monthlyuniquevisitorsstandat
160million,ithassold900millionunitssofarandthepercustomerannualspendonthe
siteworksoutto$155.

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ThepictureinIndia,though,doesn'tlookthatimpressivenotatleastwhenstackedup
againstthelocalleaderinthecountry.WhileGrouponIndiahasjust5millionunique
usersand25,000merchants,itsnearestrivalandlargestplayerinthesegmentMydala
has10timesasmanyuniqueusersandeighttimesasmanymerchants.Ifthatwasn't
enough,theIndianNo.1has4milliontransactingcustomerseverymonth,andmobile
usersdownloadroughly150,000vouchersfromMydalaeveryday.
Ifsuchnumbersaren'tfazingGroupon,perhapsit'sbecausethey'relookingatabigger
picture."Indiaisthefastestgrowingamongst48countrieswhereGrouponispresent,"
saysAnkurWarikoo,regionalhead,APACemergingcountries(India,Indonesia,
Thailand,Philippines).
GrouponhashaditsshareoflearningsfromtheIndiamarketandhasbeenusingto
finetuneitsstrategy.Forinstance,IndiaistheonlycountrywhereGrouponhasthecash
ondeliverymodeofpayment.Whilegloballywellnessisthebiggestcategoryfor
Groupon,inIndiait'sfoodandbeverages.Andalmost90%ofthedealsclosedareface
toface,saysWarikoo,whomanagedtogetSequoiaCapitaltoinvest$20millioninthe
IndianunitinMarchthisyear.Theinvestment,thoughnothingcomparedtowhatthe
Indianstartupsareattracting,showsanewfoundaggressivenessoftheIndianarmto
takeoncompetition.

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"ThereisnothingthatpreventsforeignplayersfromleadingintheIndianmarket,"says
Warikoo,wholooksataFlipkartorMakeMyTripashisrivalratherthanMydala.Mydala
returnsthecompliment."They[Groupon]don'tstandanywherenearus,"saysAnisha
Singh,cofounderandCEOofMydala."IthasfailedinIndiabecauseofitsbigdaddy
attitude."
Therivalrybetweenthebrandshasaninterestingbackground.In2011,whenGroupon
wasplanningtoenterIndia,itwasintalkswithaslewoflocalplayersforabuyout.
Mydalawasalsoapproached.However,thetalksfailedovervaluationsandtermsofthe
deal."Itwasablessingindisguise,"saysSingh.

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helpsmerchantstargetrelevantusers,"saysSingh.Theanalyticsrevealsnotonlywhat
userstendtobuyandthepricepointstheymightlike,italsotracksthespendingpattern
andpredictsthedealsthatwouldworkoutbestforthem.
WhathasalsodonewondersforSinghandtheothertwocofoundersArjunBasuand
AshishBhatnagarisworkingearlyonmobilestrategy,connectingwithlocalmerchants
andfocusingondealsofallkindsunlike,say,aGrouponthattargetsrelativelyhigher
enddealsatafarmorenicheaudienceintopmetros.SaysSingh:"Wearenothereto
makemoviesforthecriticsbuttosetthecashregistersringinglikeDabangg'sChulbul
Pandey."
CashKarovsTopCashback
ForSwatiandRohanBhargava,itwasthebiggestgambleoftheirlife.Andtheodds
weren'tquiteintheirfavour.
PouringPounds,theircashbackwebsiteintheUK,wasamongthetop10cashbacksites
butstillway,waybehindthelargestplayer,TopCashback.Ratherthanconsolidatingtheir
positionintheUK,thehusbandwifeduodecidedtoshiftbasetoIndiainApril2013,a
markettheirUKrivalhadtakentheplungeintoayearbefore."Wewentbyourgut.We

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feltthechancesofbeatingtheminIndia,amarketwearemorefamiliarwith,werehigher
[thanintheUK],"saysSwati.
CashKaroofferscashrebatestocustomerswhobuyproductsfromthewebsite'sretail
partners.Forsalesdrivenfromthesitetoecommercefirms,itgetsacommission,apart
ofwhichispassedonasextracashbacktocustomers.
Twoyearson,numbersrevealthatCashKaroiscomfortablyaheadofitsUKrival.It
boastsof3,500transactionsperday,anastounding1,000%growthoverthepast12
months,1millionmembersacrossplatforms,600+retailersandagrossmerchandise
valueof$50million.CompareitwithTopCashbackandthenumberstellthestory
1,0002,000transactionsperdayandarosterof300+retailers.Howdidtheduopullit
off?Simple,theyhadto."Wedidn'thaveaPlanB.Soourfocuswastomakeitbigin
India,"saysSwati.

SincethefoundingteamwasbasedinIndia,itbecameeasiertofocusondirect
relationshipswithmerchantpartnersandusers,whichinturnhelpedfasterdecision
making."ThisisnotthesamewithTopCashbackasitsparentcompanyisbasedinthe
UK,"sheadds.Moreover,thepresenceofalargegroundteam(over45)enabled
CashKarotoimproveitsbackendtechnologyconstantlyamidstafastchanging
ecommerceecosystem.
Anotherdecidingfactorwasthehungertosucceed.Mostoftheforeignplayersdon't
enteranewmarketwiththatfire,saysRohanBhargava."Justbeingpresentinamarket
withagrowingeconomyandanevenfastergrowinginternetpopulationperhapsis
satisfactionenough."
Tobesure,TopCashbackisn'texactlyinahurrytograbpoleposition,preferringtoplaya
longtermgame."WewouldlovetobethenumberonecashbackfirmonedaybutIndiais
vast,growingandathoroughlyexcitingplace,"saysNatashaRachelSmith,chief
communicationsofficerofTopCashback.
WhatdifferentiatesTopCashbackfromothersisthatitpassesontheentirecommissionit
earnstotheusers.Sotheonlymoneyitmakesisfromtheadvertisements.However,that
hasnotactedasadeterrentfortheUKmajor."Wehavebeenseeingexplosivegrowthin
Indiawiththeamountofcashbackearnedinthefirstfewmonthsofthisyearalready
exceedingthatearnedinthewholeof2014,"saysSmith.
Tillnow,TopCashbackhasdonerelativelylittlemarketing.Amajorityofitsmembers
havecomefromreferralsfromexistingusers.Sotheroomforgrowthisimmense.But
canaforeignplayerclinchNo.1slotinIndianecommerce?"It'sabsolutelypossible,"
Smithsays.Watchout,CashKaro.Thebigdaddyofcashbackisgettingreadytofight
back.
MakeMyTripvsExpedia
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MakeMyTripcouldn'thavebeenbornataworsetimein2000,banginthemidstofthe
dotcombust.Ayearlater,9/11terroristattacksontheUnitedStatescameasahuge
setbacktothetravelindustry.Thetriplewhammywascompleteinlate2002whenthe
severeacuterespiratorysyndrome(SARS)brokeout.
ForcofoundersDeepKalraandRajeshMagow,theaftereffectswerenearfatal.
Investorspanickedandpressedtheexitbuttons,andfreshfundswerenowhereinsight.
Tostayafloat,theduodecidedtofocusontheUSIndiatravelmarket,withnonresident
Indiansastheirtargetcustomers.
Today,NRIsstillcontributetoMakeMyTrip'sbusiness,butjustaboutafraction.Therest
comesfromthedomesticmarket,helpingtheportalemergeasIndia'slargestonline
travelfirm.
"Thefirstmovertaggaveusastrongerrecallandanenduringassociationwithtravellers
whobookedtheirfirstairticketwithus,"saysMagow,CEOofMakeMyTrip."Therewas
nolookingbackafterthat."
Fifteenyearson,MakeMyTripisstillanoverwhelminglydominantplayerwitha47%
onlinetravelmarketshare.Beingclosertothemarketdefinitelyhelpedittaketheright
decisionsattherighttimeandalsocapitalizeonitsexistingrelationshipswithsuppliers.
Butwhilethegoinghasbeensmoothsofar,thefinancialsoverthelastfewquartershave
beendisappointing.MakeMyTripreportednetlossesof$3.66millionforthequarter
endedDecember30,2014,ascomparedtoa$1.6millionlossinthesamequarterlast
yeartheninthstraightlossmakingquarterforthecompany.
Magowandhisteamhavebeenworkingtoputthingsbackontrackbyfocusingonnon
airproductssuchashotelsandpackages(H&P)."It'sastrategicfocusareaforus.The
H&Pbusinessdisplayedovera70%growthintransactionsinthepastquarterovera
yearago."
Butdoescompetitionworryhim,especiallyfromgloballeaderExpedia?Theworld's
largestonlinetravelcompanybyrevenuesenteredIndiain2008,agoodeightyearsafter
MakeMyTrip,andappearshappywithitsprogresssofar.

"Wearenotinthenumbersgameofgettingtoa50%marketshare,"saysVikramMalhi,
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managingdirectorAsiaofExpedia."Doingsomethingsillyforthesakeofacquisitionof
consumersissomethingthatwewillshyawayfrom.Iamnotgoingtoburnaholeinthe
pockettoacquirecustomers."
India'sventurecapitalbackedtravelfirms,hecontends,maybesplurgingonadvertising
andpromotionstorackupsales,butasfarasExpediaacompanywhichlike
MakeMyTripislistedontheNASDAQintheUSisconcerned,itwon'tgoabout
"spendingRs1,200toearnRs200fromthecustomer."
SohowwillExpediaplaythegame?Simple,byusingtechnologytoslicedataandcome
upwithproductssuitedforIndians."Wehaveearmarked$10millionfortechnology
developmentonlyforIndia,"saysMalhi.WillthatbeenoughtomakeExpedia'stripin
India?
NaukrivsMonster
In2004,JobsAhead,anIndianjobportal,hadanover40%shareoftheonlinejobs
marketinthecountry.Whileitsnearestcompetitor,Naukri,wasbusydevisingastrategy
totopthecategory,theonlyforeignplayerinthesegment,Monster,toowasfiguringout
waystogetintothegame.

WhennobodywaswillingtogivetheAmericangiant,whichenteredIndiain2001,a
chance,itcameupwithamonsterofamovebybuyingJobsAhead.Thecombinedentity
wasalmosttwicethesizeofNaukri,whichhadbegunoperationsin1997.
Fastforwardto2015,andthepeckingorderchangeth.WhileNaukriisthedominant
player,MonsterisinvolvedinascrapforthesecondslotwithTimesJobs,ajobportal
fromtheBCCLGroup(whichpublishesTheEconomicTimesMagazine).
"Inhindsight,thekillingofJobsAheadbyMonsterwasaturningpoint,"saysHitesh
Oberoi,CEOandmanagingdirectorofInfoEdgeIndia,whichrunsjobsportalNaukri.
Initially,JobsAheadandMonsterranasseparateentities.Butlatertheidentityofthe
acquiredbrandwasmergedwithMonster."Sometimesalocalproductismoresuitedfor
thelocalmarket,"addsOberoi.

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VivekMadhukar,chiefoperatingofficerofTimesJobs,believesIndianplayershavea
greatercapacitytocustomisetheirofferingsfordomesticcustomers."Inaddition,the
logisticsandprofileoftheuserwouldbesignificantlydifferentinIndiaascomparedtothe
West,forwhichforeignplayers'offeringsareprimarilydesigned."
SowhathasenabledNaukristayaheadoftheglobalcountercounterpartinIndia
superiorunderstandingofthemarketorconsistentinnovationorearlyprofitability?
Perhapsamixofallthree,reckonsOberoi.
Tobeginwith,thefirstmoveradvantagehelpedNaukriincomprehendingthenuancesof
themarket.AndanearlyrealisationthatmanpowerintensiveIndianeedsadifferent
approachalsocamehandy.
"ForMonster,Indiawasjust2%ofglobaloperations,butforusIndiawas100%,"
explainsOberoi."Soforusitwasadoordiesituation."
TheInfoEdgeCEOalsopointstoanothercriticaldifferencebetweenahomegrown,
entrepreneurdrivenfirmandonerunfromtheglobalheadquarters."Attheendofthe
day,thepersonwhoisheadingtheIndiaoperationsisjustanemployee.Obviously,
pressuretoperformistherebutthestakesarenotashigh[asinafounderdrivenIndian
startup]."
SanjayModiobviouslydoesn'tthinkso.ThemanagingdirectorofMonster(India,Middle
East,SouthEastAsia,HongKong)pointsoutthattheparentcompanyhaspulledoutall
stopstoinstilanentrepreneurialspiritamongemployeesinIndia."Thedecisionto
acquireJobsAheadwastakenlocally,"saysModi."Weareaglobalplayerbutweact
local."
Forhispart,ModitakesadigattheIndiancompaniesbysayingthattheyhavebeen
apingthebusinessmodelsthathavebeenprovenglobally."Nobodycreatedanew
model.EventhefundingofthesocalledIndiancompaniesisdonebyforeigners."
MonsterenteredIndiain2001,atthetailendofthedotcombust.
Aftersurvivingafewtumultuousyears,itbegantofinditsfeetandadapttolocalmarket
conditions.ModifeelsthatlearningsofoperatingintheIndianmarkethaveputitina
positiontotoppletheleader.With1,00,000livejobs,44.9millionregisteredusersand
15,000newresumesaddedeveryday,MonsterIndiaisgearinguptotakepoleposition.
"WearenotheretogaineyeballsbuttobecomeNo.1."
Thecompanyisplanningto"significantly"stepupinvestmentsinIndiathisyearto
supportitsaggressiveintent."It'sonlyamatteroftimebeforewegoinforthekill,"says
Modi.LookslikeatoughjobbutMonsterisonit.
QuikrvsOLX
Failfast,scalefastisthemaximPranayChuletlivesby."QuickandQuikrwinstherace,"
saysthefounderofQuikr,India'slargestonlineclassifiedsite.
Forthetimebeing,Chuletseemstohavewonthefirstfewroundsbyscaling
exponentiallyandgrowingquickerthanglobalrivalOLX,Inc.TheIndianclassifiedsite
boastsofover8.2millionuniquevisitors(asofFebruary)across1,000citiesanddealsin
over10categoriesand170subcategories.OLXinIndiahassome5.3millionunique
visitors.
Startedin2008,Quikrrecentlyraised$150million(aroundRs900crore)fromHong
KongbasedSteadviewCapitalalongwithitsexistinginvestors,includingTigerGlobal
Management,raisingatotalofover$350million.Thefreshroundoffundingtakesits
valuationtoastaggering$1billion.

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AskChuletthereasonforthesuccessofIndianplayers,andhehasananswer(aquick
one,ofcourse):"Greatbusinessesarenotbuiltbyhiredguns."HereferstotheIndian
headsofglobalMNCsthataretrailingtheircounterpartsinthecountry.

"Entrepreneursarehungrytosucceed,areagile,nimbletoadapttochangingsituations
andpassionate,"heexplains.ThereasonslistedprobablyexplainwhyQuikrracedahead
ofNaspersownedOLXinspiteofnothavingthefirstmoveradvantage."[That
disadvantage]wascompensatedbylearningfromthemistakesofthosealreadypresent,"
hesays.
Also,innovationwasanimperativetocounterthefirstmover.Quikr'sfirstmajor
innovationcameinthefagendof2012.
Consumerswereaskedtogiveamissedcallonanumber,andaQuikrrepresentative
wouldcallthembackandtakedownthelisting.Itnotonlyallowedlakhsofoffline
consumerstopostadsonQuikreasily,italsohelpedthebrandpushitsapponthe
phones."Itacceleratedourgrowth,whichwasnowmuchfasterthanthecompetition,and
changedourtrajectory,"saysChulet.
Twoyearslatercameanothermasterstroke:MSPormaximumsellingpricefortheused
goods.Sincethenthebrandhaskeptupitsinnovationtempo.QuikrNxt,thelatest
offeringrolledoutinJanuarythisyear,isaninstantmessengerservicethatallowsusers
tochatusingthewebsiteormobileapp.
WhilethegoinghasbeensmoothforChuletsofar,canhewardoffthechallengefrom
OLX,whichispresentinover100countriesand,inIndia,iscloseontheheelsofthe
leader?
Inanemailreply,anOLXIndiaspokespersonsaidthatinecommerce"OLXistheonly
globalplayerwhichisthemarketleader".Inrestofthecases,theglobalplayersseemto
belaggingbehindtheirIndiancounterparts,thespokespersonsaid,addingthattheIndia
teamofOLXistravellingandwon'tbeabletocomment.
MarketinganalystssayOLXislikelytouptheantesoon."OLXhasdeeppockets,has
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madeanimpactwithitscommunicationsanditisonlyamatteroftimebeforeit
establishesitself,"saysAshitaAggarwalSharma,professorofmarketingatSPJain
InstituteofManagement&Research.
Thisdoesn'tbotherChulet.Globalguyshavebigmoney,butit'snoteverything,hesays.
"Ifyouareburningmoneyandthereisnoreturnoninvestment,thensomebodywillwake
upandsmellthecoffee.Itcan'tgoonforlong."ButitmayalsohelpOLXscaleup
quickerthanbefore.
FlipkartvsAmazon
AmitAgarwal,countrymanagerandvicepresidentofAmazonIndia,isan'obsessed'
man."Weareobsessedwithourcustomers,weareobsessedwithcustomerfeedback,
andweareobsessedwithhelpingsellersgetonline..."Suchobsessionhashelped
AmazontakethefighttoFlipkart,India'slargestonlineretailer,inalittleover20month
stintinIndia.
"WeareIndia'slargestonlinestore,"declaresAgarwal,dismissinganytalkaboutbeing
secondlargestinthecountry.Andnotforhimanydifferentiationbetween'foreign'
ecommercefirmsandhomegrownones(likeFlipkartandSnapdeal)."Allthese[Indian]
companiesareownedbyforeigninvestors."
Agarwal'sclaimtobeingthelargest,though,maynotbebackedbythenumbersthat
matterthoseofsales.InFebruarythisyear,newsreportsquotingunnamedsources
saidFlipkarthadclocked$4billioninannualgrossmerchandisevalue(GMV).InMarch
2014,itsGMVhadstoodat$1billion.GMVisafigureforthevalueofallgoodssoldon
thesiteandusedtomeasuretheperformanceofonlineretailers.Flipkartdidnotshare
anyfinancialdetailswithETMagazine.

InJuly2014,AmazaonfounderJeffBezoshadsaidinastatementthat"atcurrentscale
andgrowthrates,Indiaisontracktobeourfastestcountryevertoabilliondollarsin
grosssales".Twomonthslater,onavisittoIndia,Bezosletonthat"this[India]teamhas
blownpastourhighestexpectations."WhenaskedaboutthelatestGMV,AmazonIndia
declinedtosharenumbers.
InitsfourthquarterfilingsinJanuarythisyear,Amazonmentionedthatin2014ithas
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emergedasIndia'slargestonlinestore.
AmazonIndiahasacollectionofover2.2croreproductsoutofwhich7lakhareavailable
fornextdaydeliveryacross19,000pincodesinIndia.Ithasacombinedsellerbaseof
100,000withJunglee(whichAmazonacquiredinthelate90s),andhasseeneighttimes
growthintheRs1croreplussellerclubsaleslastyearitpostedaRs321.3crorenet
lossintheyearendedMarch2014."Weareinvestingaggressively,"explainsAgarwal.
What'shelpingAmazoninitssurgeinIndiaisthedeeppocketsoftheparentcompany
Bezoscommitteda$2billioninvestmentlastyearandpromisedtokeepthetaprunning
aswellasitsfocusoninnovationsandgettingSMEsonboard."Inthelastoneyear,
Amazonhasuppeditsgame,"saysSanchitVirGogia,chiefanalystandgroupCEOof
GreyhoundResearch.
ShouldFlipkartbeworried?"Competitionisalwaysahealthythingthatdrivesusto
innovateandexplorenewerideas,"saysMukeshBansal,headofcommerceplatformat
Flipkart.FoundedbyformerAmazoniansSachinBansalandBinnyBansalin2007,
Flipkarthasraised$2.5billion(Rs15,600crore)sofar,hasover40millionregistered
consumers,shipsabouteightmillionunitsamonthandisvaluedataround$11billion.
Andthereisasetoffewambitioustargetsaswell:shippingabillionunitsamonth,
serving100millionconsumersby2018,clocking$5billionsales(overRs30,000crore)
bytheendofMarch2016(Amazongloballyhadsalesof$88.99billionin2014).
Withover20millionproductsacross70pluscategories,customerscanshopfromawide
rangeofnationalandinternationalbrands,saysBansal.
ForFlipkart,whichhasalreadyhadfiveacquisitions,includingfashionretailerMyntra,
buyoutsremainacrucialfocusareathisyear,especiallyintechnologyandmobilespace.
"WewanttheseM&AstodrivetheinnovationengineatFlipkart,"hesays.AsforAmazon
asBezosindicatedontheIndiavisitgrowthismorelikelytobeorganic,with
acquisitionsbeingastrategytoacquireuniquecapabilitiesratherthanmarketaccess.
SmallwonderthenthatAgarwalisputtingpedaltometal.

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India'secommercewarzone:Sixcutthroatskirmishesunderwaybetweenglobalgiants&IndiantopdogsTheEconomicTimes
AnanthakrishnaBhat (Bang)
4Hoursago

Vryniceandinterestingarticle

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Rakesh (Ddun)
5Hoursago

nicetoreadsuchgreatinspirationalstories

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Manish (Delhi)
7Hoursago

Interesting.LetusstandbyourIndiancompaniesandcreateafiercebattleforground.

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Andletthecompetitionbringmorebenefitstoconsumers.UnlessourIndiancompanies

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arenotstrong,MNCswouldexploitusandgobbleourmoneys.

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ShivamAgarwal (NCT)
8Hoursago

Coolarticle,detailedinfoonallcompanies.!Changestheperceptioneasily.

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SivaKumarDattu (Guntur)
21Hoursago

Goodinformation

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Name (Kawardha)
23Hoursago

technologylivingitsbesteverspellkeeponservingcustomers

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Kiranshrma286 (Mumbai)
23Hoursago

HELLOFRIENDS,Youcanearn30,000to50,000permontheasilyfromhomeworking
oninternetjobswhichareabsolutelyfreetojoin!,Freetojoinparttimeinternetjobs,For

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moredetails,checkmyblogh$tt$ps:/$/rajarya$nm$mb4u.wor$dpress.c$om(remove$
signandusethislink)

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VSGR (Bangalore)
1Dayago

ThisisthebesttimetobeinIndia'secommercemarket.

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BharatVamsi (Tamilnadu)
1Dayago

Interesting.LetusstandbyourIndiancompaniesandcreateafiercebattleforground.

Agree(1)

Andletthecompetitionbringmorebenefitstoconsumers.UnlessourIndiancompanies
arenotstrong,MNCswouldexploitusandgobbleourmoneys.

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GauravSaraswat (Unknown)
1Dayago

ForFlipkart,whichhasalreadyhadfiveacquisitions,includingfashionretailerMyntra,
buyoutsremainacrucialfocusareathisyear,especiallyintechnologyandmobile

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space."WewanttheseM&AstodrivetheinnovationengineatFlipkart,"hesays.Asfor
Amazon

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India'secommercewarzone:Sixcutthroatskirmishesunderwaybetweenglobalgiants&IndiantopdogsTheEconomicTimes

SunuSunup (Angul)
1Dayago

OnlineshoppingisbecomingacrazeinIndia.Indiancompanyshouldgiveagoodfight
toit'sforeigncounterpart.

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BharatVamsi (Unknown)RepliesToSunuSunup
1Dayago

ForthatweshouldsupportIndiancompanieswhogiveusvaluefor
moneyaswellassustainedqualityservice.

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PrashantNayakanti (Unknown)
1Dayago

Yes,a2ndmoveradvantageisaveryvalidproposition

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Abhijeet (NewDelhi)
1Dayago

Wah!Whatastory?Halfthefactsarewrong.Mr.Journalistgoandcheckyourfactsfirst.
Intryingtobesensational,you'vegotsomenumbershorriblywrong.Pleasetalktoafew

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investors,customersandsellersbeforeyoupublishsuchrubbish.Yourtargetaudience
forthispostarethestartupfolkandatsomeofyourexamples,theymustbelaughingat
you

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PROUDINDIAN (Unknown)
1Dayago

whatguaranteedoestheecommerceretailersgiveontheitemssoldontheirplatform

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....nothing................everythingseemstobeatthecustomersrisk........................

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MukeshKumar (Delhi)
1Dayago

nice...

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Rajesh (192.168.23.10)
1Dayago

FlipkartandsnapdealareIndianGoogleandYahoo.

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Akash76 (Hyd)
1Dayago

survivalofthefittest

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ZeyaAlam (Unknown)
1Dayago

Soverynaturalasonewillgowherethereareopportunities.

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SubrataPramanick (Kolkata)RepliesToZeyaAlam
1Dayago

Correct,Iagreewithyou.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/emergingbusinesses/startups/indiasecommercewarzonesixcutthroatskirmishesunderwaybetween

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4/20/2015

India'secommercewarzone:Sixcutthroatskirmishesunderwaybetweenglobalgiants&IndiantopdogsTheEconomicTimes
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ZeyaAlam (Unknown)RepliesToSubrataPramanick
1Dayago

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Thanksforagreeingbutitisauniversaltheoryofmigrationon
opportunity.

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SubrataPramanickRepliesToZeyaAlam
22Hoursago

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Okay.

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ZeyaAlamRepliesToSubrataPramanick
1Hourago

Mypleasure.<br/>Itisaknownfactthatmigrationhappensfor
bettersituations.

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PankajKumar (Pune)
1Dayago

BonazaafortheconsumersandbadnewsfortheMallswhohaslootedconsumerstill
date.

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ZeyaAlam (Unknown)RepliesToPankajKumar
1Dayago

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Naturallyonewillgowheretheopportunityisthere

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