According to ComScore’s report on visitation to the top retail and coupon sites in India, based on data from its comScore Media Metrix service, in November 2011, 27.2 million online users in India, aged 15 years and older, visited an ecommerce site from a home or work computer, registering an increase of 18 per cent from the previous year. According to the report, nearly 60 per cent of online users in India visited an ecommerce site in November 2011, with the number of online shoppers increasing 18 per cent in the past year.

“Analysis of some of the largest retail subcategories revealed that coupons was the largest with 7.6 million visitors, an increase of 629 per cent from the previous year as consumers rapidly adopt daily deal sites. Consumer Electronics ranked next with 7.1 million visitors growing 12 per cent from the previous year, while 5.8 million online users visited comparison shopping sites, an increase of 25 per cent from the previous year,” the report said.

In November 2011, 7.6 million Indians visited coupon sites, representing 16.5 per cent of internet users in the market. SnapDeal.com led the category with 5.2 million visitors, followed by MyDala.com with 1.4 million visitors and Crazeal.com with nearly 1 million visitors.

Amazon Sites led as the top retail destination in India reaching 6.8 million visitors, representing 14.7 per cent of the online population. Apple.com Worldwide Sites saw its audience reach 3.4 million visitors, followed by Samsung Group with nearly 2.8 million visitors. Other top retail destinations included FlipKart.com (2.7 million visitors), HomeShop18.com (2.3 million visitors) and NaapTol.com (2.1 million visitors).

 “The online channel is playing an increasingly important role in connecting retailers with potential customers in India,” said Kedar Gavane, comScore director for India, adding, “To take advantage of this growing opportunity, retailers must ensure they are addressing the needs of potential customers, which include attractive pricing and the convenience of ordering online. The rapid growth of online coupon sites suggests that consumers in India are looking for deals, highlighting the need for online retailers to adopt effective marketing and pricing strategies for their goods.”