Online shopping: a deep dive into Indian users’ mental model
In this article, we will attempt to outline the most unique traits showcased by Indian consumers while making their e-purchases.
- We are creatures of habit. Regardless of their gender, Socioeconomic class, language spoken and regionality had a working knowledge of shopping online. But. We struggle when things get different be it terminology, functionality or even icons. Platforms need to handhold the users when they are investing in elements that are unique from the rest, a ‘compare’ function on the website needs to come with adequate instructions for use.
“I cannot find my shopping cart after adding the products to the cart. There is no cart symbol on top after clicking buy now. The website is confusing and time-consuming.”
2. First-timers are more research-oriented. How much time a consumer spends on researching largely depends on how much experience they have had with a certain product category group. New buyers take more time to research and look at the details of the product precisely. Having prior experience, on the flip side, leads to quicker decisions and lesser exploration.
“As it is my first time buying from this website, I would select Cash on Delivery because they can mess up with my order.”
3. We avoid risks. Indian shoppers are very faithful to the brands we have used and know about: Branding influences the users' perception and expectations, in our case, users did not expect Asian Paints to sell furniture as they are known to sell quality paints and painting supplies. A new brand or website is tried hesitantly based on significantly lower prices, availability of products and/or word of mouth.
“I was confused as to why Asian Paints would be providing tables but I searched for it and I could not find anything because it generally sells interior design products and fancy sofas, all kinds of fancy things. Overall it is a painting brand, not a furniture brand.”
4. We are moving on from CoD (but slowly). While more and more people are choosing online payment methods to shop especially, UPI is popular among youth for its availability and convenience. But, there is a particular preference for paying at the delivery after being assured of the product. On websites, where options of paying upon delivery were unavailable, they were dearly missed especially when they are trying out a new website.
“I would have preferred having Cash On Delivery here so I can pay at delivery after checking the product.”
5. Local products foster trust. With an increased need for boosting immunity due to Covid-19, natural and preservative-free products have become a trend. We observed a nationalist sentiment amongst Indian users who made a deliberate effort to check the country of origin of their selected products. For a few people, it was a deal-breaker if the item has been manufactured in China pointing to the consumer’s distrust of Chinese products.
“There is one problem, the country of origin is China. I am not interested in buying products that originated outside of India. We get all sorts of products in our country then why. Even if I had to compromise on quality a bit, that is okay but won’t buy anything outside of India.”
To conclude...
Indian online shoppers possess a set of traits and qualities that make them unique on online marketplaces. We love hefty discounts but also like to stick to brands and platforms. E-commerce websites need to be cognizant of these trails and come with platforms more suited for Indian audiences to be able to attract more users to their platforms. We’d like to hear some of the things that you may have observed in people around you when they shop online.
