Net and phone are like essential commodities these days. It could be on lap top or a smart phone. But one needs to have the net and he or should be on line. Women are catching up on line for shopping these days according to the latest reports. The number of Internet users in India is likely to more than double to 730 million by 2020, according to a new report. As per the report ‘The Future of Internet in India’, compiled by Nasscom and Akamai Technologies, there were about 330 million Internet users in the country as of December 2015.
India, which has an Internet user base next only to China, will remain the fastest growing market, the report’s authors wrote, adding that 75 per cent of the new users would come from rural areas. Interestingly, a majority (75 per cent) of new users are expected to consume data in local languages.
Overall, the e-commerce market in India, which was valued at $17 billion in 2015-16, is expected to double to $34 billion by 2020. The number of online shoppers is likely to more than triple to 175 million in that time, from 50 million in 2015.
“By 2020, India will have an estimated 702 million smartphones in use and mobile phones will emerge as the preferred device for shopping, accounting for 70 per cent of total online shopping,” the report’ authors wrote. “India’s Internet consumption has already exceeded the U.S. to become number two globally,” Nasscom President R. Chandrashekhar said. “By 2020, the Internet is expected to penetrate deeper in the hinterlands of the country, helping create more opportunities for everyone.”
