Alibaba Group company, UCWeb, the provider of India’s No.1 mobile browser with over 54 per cent market share1, has released a finding that e-commerce traffic in Diwali shopping season surged 75.5 per cent this year. “The numbers of users who visit Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal via UC Browser in the month leading up to Diwali 2015 increased over 75 per cent compared with last year”, said Kenny Ye, managing director of UCWeb India. “Indians are increasingly embracing shopping on the go, splashing out on various items through mobile shopping during festive sales. There is no doubt that m-commerce is prospering.” The traffic upsurge echoes the public perception of Diwali in the age of e-commerce, it said in a press release. As e-tailer giants rolled out sales promotions to usher in the festive season that are seen as auspicious time to purchase big-ticket items by Indians, UC Browser and Amazon India also joined hands distributing coupons and vouchers to users through a #HarGharUCDiwali campaign launched exclusively on UC Browser. The two-week long shopping carnival eventually saw over 17 million users coming on board trying their luck for coupons and vouchers in addition to making wishes that stand a chance to get actualized by cricket Yuvraj Singh. A big portion of users eventually placed orders on Amazon via UC Browser through the campaign. Popular items including lifestyle products such as electronics, ethnic and fashion apparel as well as household products that received most visits contributed to the vast majority of total page views. Over 50 per cent of India’s internet population are mobile-only users, online marketplaces are already witnessing a continuing influx of transactions made on mobile devices, a sign accentuating the mobile e-commerce buildup that is expected to account for the most of the future online market growth thanks to the increasing spending power, payment options and smartphone penetration. According to the latest report by IAMAI and IMRB, mobile Internet users in India is about 306 million, up from 276 million in October this year, the catalyst for the uptake of m-commerce services. Besides, the number of mobile users who shop via their mobile phones or smartphones has seen a steady rise, with 75 per cent increase in e-commerce traffic throughout Diwali shopping season. According to Amazon India, “This festive season was the biggest-ever festive season for the company, in terms of traffic, unit sales, revenue and new customers.” Traffic from mobile in particular, accounted for 70 per cent of the total traffic to its site. Altogether, the m-commerce market is upbeat and booming for the coming future. That’s why big e-tailers such as Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal are striving to offer convenient user experience with mobile responsive design as well as going heavy on promotions and discounts. “We are happy to embrace the thriving mobile e-commerce. As an important mobile gateway for users to a convenient life powered by the internet, UC Browser will be unwaveringly committed to the local communities, and continue to enhance its strategic partnerships as well as explore more cooperation opportunities with local e-tailers,” said Kenny Ye.
