Tectonic disruption in the e-commerce and retail space: eBay India

In an interview with IANS, Vidmay Naini, Country Manager, eBay India said the unprecedented times have called for a tectonic disruption in the e-commerce and retail space.
The e-commerce industry has witnessed a huge spike in demand and order volumes. Consumers are seen ordering in things that they would usually buy from a physical store, for example, products in the grocery and personal care category, he added.
He added that consumers have also been making use of the lockdown to develop new hobbies hence an upward trend in demand for products in the Origami, home & gardening activities as well as cooking and baking essentials has been observed at eBay.
“The one thing that I have derived from all this is that online shopping is here to stay and the recent digital – adoption will be permanent. The convenience and safety offered by moving online will continue to be as important as it is today because consumers might still be paranoid about stepping out in crowded areas like malls,” he added.
eBay’s focus in India is to facilitate Cross Border Trade (CBT) for Indian sellers. “Our CBT business has been in operation for over a decade wherein we provide our platform(s) to help Indian sellers list and sell merchandise to over 174 million buyers who shop on various global platforms of eBay whether in US, UK, Germany, Australia etc”, he added.
“Currently, our focus is purely on B2C cross border business. We would not want to speculate the future or make any statement on plans for e-commerce within India”, Naini said.
Given the current situation and the suppression in the economic activity MSMEs are trying to revive their businesses and get back up. More and more businesses are realizing the significance of expanding to global markets, he added.
What is eBay India’s emphasis on cross border trade?
eBay’s focus in India is to facilitate Cross Border Trade (CBT) for Indian sellers. Our CBT business has been in operation for over a decade wherein we provide our platform(s) to help Indian sellers list and sell merchandise to over 174 million buyers who shop on various global platforms of eBay whether in US, UK, Germany, Australia etc.
Our efforts are largely focused on building the enablers for sellers on the platform like eBay’s global shipping (an aggregation of global logistics providers), expanding the business development teams across the country (to bring new sellers onboard). We are committed to fostering the culture of entrepreneurship in India and all Indian sellers, MSME’s, artisans & brands can fulfil their global aspirations with the help of the eBay platform as we offer true partnership & a dynamic marketplace with global reach.
I would also like to add that we believe our seller’s success is our success. We feel proud to support small business owners (SMBs, MSMEs & Artisans). In a nutshell, we not only provide a dynamic marketplace to sell to other countries but also, we provide all the support which is needed from our end to nurture and grow seller’s business at eBay.
How many sellers from India are on the platform?
There is a diversity of sellers on eBay who wishes to take advantage of retail e-commerce export. We have mix of small, medium and large business selling globally today on our platform who have been able to turn their dreams into business successes. We have over 10,000 active Indian sellers- SMBs, artisans, entrepreneurs, MSMEs, & large enterprises who leverage the eBay platform to sell internationally. These sellers are everywhere – metros, non-metros, and smaller cities/towns.
Will eBay look at e-commerce within India?
Currently, our focus is purely on B2C cross border business. We would not want to speculate the future or make any statement on plans for e-commerce within India. We are committed to enabling the B2C cross border business which is to my mind is a massive opportunity for Indian sellers. Also, all our energies and synergies are aimed towards building a robust system for Indian sellers to take local Indian products to global markets.
How are MSMEs responding to global trade opportunity?
MSME contributes 30 per cent of India’s GDP & close to half of the country’s total export. They are the backbone of Indian economy; while they can tap new markets in-country, they have enormous potential for an enhanced CBT.
Given the current situation and the suppression in the economic activity MSMEs are trying to revive their businesses and get back up. More and more businesses are realizing the significance of expanding to global markets. At eBay we make sure that Indian sellers are cognizant of the opportunity and have the necessary insights to address the global demand.
What are the changes expected in consumer behaviour as digital gains traction?
The unprecedented times have called for a tectonic disruption in the e-commerce and retail space. Consumer behaviour is consistently evolving. There is a significant shift in what the consumers shop for and how. The e-commerce industry has witnessed a huge spike in demand and order volumes. Consumers are seen ordering in things that they would usually buy from a physical store. For example, products in the grocery and personal care category.
Consumers have also been making use of the lockdown to develop new hobbies hence an upward trend in demand for products in the Origami, home & gardening activities as well as cooking and baking essentials has been observed at eBay. However, the category that saw a significantly high never-seen-before uptick was the WFH Essentials category. eBay sellers witnessed a surge in orders of -webcams, headsets, Wi-Fi adapters, office furniture and speakers etc.
The one thing that I have derived from all this is that online shopping is here to stay and the recent digital – adoption will be permanent. The convenience and safety offered by moving online will continue to be as important as it is today because consumers might still be paranoid about stepping out in crowded areas like malls. The current situation calls for a new order and a new normal. Hence, more and more efforts should be driven towards creating a congenial and user-friendly platform for a better customer experience.