Indian e-buyers doing most of their online shopping at work
A new study from PrintVenue.com has claimed that most of Indian’s e-consumers do their online shopping when at work, and often arrange for their goods to be delivered to their office. PrintVenue.com, which runs an online printing customizing website, said that its web analytics showed that 52% of orders came in during working hours (10 am to 6 pm), and around 35% of deliveries were made to the consumers’ office addresses.
If these statistics are representative of the wider market, it suggests that delivery companies which are focusing on developing same-day deliveries with vehicles that can zip around the cityscape – think bicycles, electric rickshaws and tuk-tuks – are moving in the right direction. One of India’s leading e-commerce players, Flipkart, recently announced that it will be working with Mumbai’s “dabbawalas”, the tiffin carriers who deliver packed hot lunches to offices and schools across the sprawling city.
“A large number of shoppers said that they do not have internet connectivity at home and others said that delivery in office was easier since they did not have people at home to take deliveries while they were in office,” according to a PrintVenue.com spokesperson.
“They said that shopping and taking deliveries during office hours, mostly lunch hours, was extremely convenient for all.”
Well, not quite all.
Many employers are worried that all this online shopping and parcel-collecting could leave staff with much less time for work.
Consequently, some companies are using firewalls to block staff from using e-shopping and social networking sites. However, others recognise that staff may just use their smart phones instead, which will take them even further away from their work.
Looking to find a middle ground that will maintain the “online work/lifestyle balance”, some Indian companies – according to The Times of India – have come up with a policy of allowing staff access to approved shopping, news and social websites for one hour a day.
Perhaps more companies will start to adopt a similar policy for the collection of personal shopping items at the office: acceptable, but only within agreed time windows. Couriers who can work within these time windows, and have the ability to keep the employers “on side”, may be the winners in the burgeoning market for e-commerce deliveries.
