We all love to shop online and do not want the hassles of queue , long wait etc..There are

• 100 Million plus Interent Users in India
• 10 Million Active Online Shoppers

Some more food for thought and then I will bounce my questions...

Excerpts from an Article by Nobert Rego

“Today, Net-savvy customers are going online like never before to buy goods and services. Until recently, it was to reserve hotel rooms and buy air, rail or movie tickets, books and gadgets and gizmos, but now clothes - saris, kurtis, T-shirts - shoes, and designer lingerie as well.

Interactive 3D images : Now with the advent of 3D technologies, online shopping is on the verge of a radical transformation. In order to sell in 3D, businesses need to create digital 3D versions of their products. Interactive 3D images are the next best thing to actually holding an object in your hand. 

Kunal Bahl, online professional, says, "Given the growth of Internet penetration and the number of credit card holders, the e-commerce industry will continue to see explosive growth in the future as well. There are approximately 100 million Internet users in India and a substantial number out of these users would be shopping online for various products and services." One of the risks in online shopping is sharing credit card details over the Internet, but 'cash on delivery' module can help the buyer pay once he has received the product...”

Article in “The Economic Times “titled “E-Commerce spurt spawns new services “...Few relevant paras which I would like to quote

The next time you buy a book from an e-commerce portal and choose to pay through cash-on delivery, you will have an executive coming in and collecting your payment while another person delivering it to you the same day. Chances are that neither works for the e-commerce company whose stuff you bought and instead, they work for a growing breed of companies coming up to support ecommerce firms. Services like logistics, delivery & payment collections and referral services, which are often complementary to online transactions, have become crucial for the e-commerce industry as portals jostle for more clicks in a crowded space. 

Start-ups are moving in to provide these services exclusively focusing on this burgeoning space. It is a nascent sector but may see traction shortly. 

Beyond logistics and cash collection, start-ups like Reasoning is helping fledgling e-commerce firms get their websites started. Their plug-and-play software, Martjack, enables regional retailers like Sangeetha Mobiles -- a cellphone chain in South India - and Delhi-focused Khanna Jewellers to sell online. "We saw immense opportunity among the brands that win in terms of local presence

Excerpts from an Article in The Economic Times titled 50+Take to Virtual Shopping for Luxury Bargains in a Big Way

Fetise.com analysed that nearly 18 % of customers buying the steeply discounted products on the site were over the age of 50 just three months ago this number was in single digits! News to rejoice..PrivateSales , a portal selling luxury products , said over 7% of its sales is coming from older customers who are influenced in their decision by a younger member in the family..Although the older demographic is only now getting onto the web to buy luxury goods, they are crucial for marketeers.. "It is an important customer base as people in this segment have higher purchasing power "says Siddharth Puri , Senior Marketing Manager , Fetise.com .."Last year this segment was not even there but now we see some regular customers who will shop for Rs 2 Lakh and more every month, " said Sajan Gianchandani ThePrivatesales..

Now lets come back to business...

• Does E-Commerce portals believe that Social Media is an important tool which helps in putiing more numbers in their sales kitty?
• Do they have special Social Media offers ? 
• Does their team rake their brains on making their web page and Social Media Channels Page user friendly ? How serious they are on this?
• Are they thinking one step ahead and plan to launch mobile apps ?
• Do they really care about putting their page on G+ and believe that it be useful for their image?

Yourstorydotin is organising an event focusing on E-Commerce startups..Would really like to bounce back this questiosn to all the finalists..Why to them ? Because they have already seen what other portals are doing...Do they think that "Being Social " can become their USP...Lets find out...