Author(s): Madasu Bhaskara Rao, Ch Lakshmi Hymavathi, M Mallika Rao
Substantial rise in internet penetration is revolutionising online retailing in emerging markets in general and India in particular. Realizing this, retailers of traditional store formats are venturing into e-retailing. The Indian online retail industry is estimated at USD 38.5 billion in 2017 and is growing at a rate of 45 to 48 per cent CAGR. This is a trickle compared to the Indian retail market of USD 672 billion in 2016 with a CAGR of over 15 per cent. Online retailing in India is poised to grow by leaps and bounds. The challenge before the companies and marketing professionals is to understand what drives online-shopping? What factors influence online-shopping buying behaviour? Considering that the growth rate for onlineshopping is high for food (80%), ticketing (26%), jewellery (25%) and perfumes (18%) categories, women consumers play a significant role and their buying behaviour is important. This study focuses on factors that influence female online-shopping behaviour. The factors that motivate the female buyers to shop-online and their attitudes towards online-shopping are studied. Insights are provided into female shoppers’ expectations with respect to onlineshopping. The findings of this paper benefit online retailers, marketing managers, policymakers and academicians.