BackSeven hottest e-retail categories to watch out for, according to Flipkart
An interesting insight into buyer habits from 50 million shoppers' data between 1 January and 14 December, presented by Flipkart
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Bengaluru: This year, though 406 start-ups were founded in the online retail sector in India, according to start-up tracker Tracxn, Flipkart Ltd, Snapdeal (Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd) and Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd accounted for 80% of the market, whose sales are expected to grow from $14 billion in 2015 to $55 billion in 2018, according to a report by marketing research firm eMarketer.
As more Indians shift to e-commerce, the list of things one shops for online is growing and these seven following categories are the ones to watch out for in the next year, according to Flipkart, which collected data from 50 million shoppers between 1 January and 14 December.
“These are the categories that have seen exceptional growth in the last one year and have the potential to surge in the next year," said a Flipkart spokesperson in an e-mail.
The data presented by Flipkart shows categories which are firmly associated with in-store purchases, like gold, are also moving online, and that general e-commerce markets still attract buyers for all segments despite the rise of specialised e-commerce portals for buying furniture or auto accessories.
Although data from Flipkart, which topped the list of most searched for terms on Google this year, is not representative of all e-commerce sales, it does provide interesting insight into buyer habits.
1) Wearables: Smartwatches will gain prominence, followed by smart bands. The list of top brands in this category feature the usual suspects—Motorola, which has the Moto360 smartwatch, and is launching a fitness-oriented version of it soon; Samsung, which has smartwatches under the Gear S line; and Apple, which launched its Apple Watch in India in November. However, the roster of top brands in this category also has two lesser known brands – MOOV, a US-based brand which makes water-resistant fitness bands, and Chinese Huawei’s Honor, which is the name of its smart band.
2) Small home appliances: This category, which includes appliances such as microwaves, mixers, juicers, and air fryers, has seen 900% growth on Flipkart. Philips, Prestige, Kenstar and Pigeon are the top brands.
3) Gold: Even high-ticket items such as gold jewellery will see a boost thanks to online commerce. Products from Caratlane, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Bluestone, Jisha and Arranz by TBZ are the best-sellers in this emerging category.
4) Toys: In this category, the Barbie doll, manufactured by American toy company Mattel Inc. tops the list of the toys sold, followed by Disney’s Mickey Mouse, animated adventure hero Chhota Bheem, Superman and Nickelodeon’s animated sitcom duo Motu Patlu.
The classic Rubik’s cube also features on the list of top products, along with ShengShou cubes, Beyblade spinners, which are based on a popular Japanese anime by the same name, and Talking Tom, based on the interactive app featuring the anthropomorphic cat Tom. FisherPrice, LEGO, United Colors of Benetton, US POLO ASSN, and Disney were the top brands in this category.
5) Auto Accessories: Retina, Autosun, Mototrance, Fly and Speedwave are the brands that people are buying the most auto accessories like mobile holder, car charger, 360 degree rotating mobile holder and car media player from. Bengaluru tops the list of five cities that bought the most auto accessories, followed by Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
6) Large Furniture: Beds, sofa, television and dining sets, and wardrobes are the best-selling items in this category with Hometown, Nilkamal, Housefull, Royaloak, Durian figuring among the most-bought brands.
7) Personal care products: The top brands in this category are Schwarzkopf, L’Oreal Paris, The Body Shop, Amway, Wella with the hottest products in this being Taft Wax hair styler, hair growth oil, castor oil, deodorant oil and slimming oil. The national capital region, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad figure among the cities which buy most such products.
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