The findings are based on the eBay India Summer Mobile Commerce Survey conducted with 1,345 eBay India users in April 2013.

This summer mobile shoppers prefer to shop for sunglasses and cotton apparel in the comfort of their homes. According to a survey by eBay India, India’s leading eCommerce marketplace, mobile shopping would be an intrinsic part of shoppers looking to purchase a product with convenience and ease.

In the survey 92 percent of all mobile commerce survey respondents were male while 39 percent of consumers were in the age group of 18-25 years and 31 percent of consumers were in the age group of 26-30 years indicating popularity of the medium amongst youth. About 49 percent of mobile shoppers were from the Non-metro cities of India.

According to the survey 59 percent of mobile shoppers stated they would consider shopping on their mobile phone this summer to avoid the summer heat and crowded market areas. Mobile shoppers seek to stay cool with purchases of sunglasses (49 percent), cotton apparel (43 percent), tees (36 percent), shorts (34 percent) and caps (18 percent).
According to the survey white is the top color this season for 56 percent of mobile shoppers followed by blue (50 percent), green (22 percent), black (20 percent) and Cream (20 percent). Amongst gadget shopping, 67 percent of mobile shoppers are seeking to buy mobile phones followed by tablets at 35 percent.

The survey states that about 83 percent of mobile shoppers prefer to use their mobile to shop for themselves, while 30 percent of consumers use their mobile to shop for their parents, 29 percent for their spouse and only 19 percent of shoppers use their mobile to shop for children.

Going ahead the survey reveals that phones (47 percent) will be the most popular category of purchase by mobile commerce shoppers for their family and friends this season followed by clothes and footwear (42 percent).
When it came to the nature of activity that the mobiles were used for, comparing product prices (72 percent) was the top activity for mobile shoppers. When it came to making those purchases majority found home (71 per cent) as their favourite point of access for mobile shopping and over 43 percent of shoppers accessed shopping sites at night. Indicating an emergence of informed buying and decision making about 62 percent of mobile shoppers always checked prices on their phone before they shopped in a store or a mall. For over 52 percent of mobile shoppers, debit card is the preferred mode of payment, while 85 percent of all respondents stated that they accessed shopping sites or shopping apps on their mobile device; with 60 percent of all respondents stating that they had bought a product online on their mobile device.

Over 25 percent of mobile shoppers preferred to shop via their mobile device for products in the price point of Rs. 10,001 and above with 36 percent of mobile shoppers shopping once or twice in a month, while 24 percent shop via their mobile device frequently.

According to the survey convenience of mobile shopping is what makes 54 percent of consumers shop via mobile phones / tablets with mobile continuing to be the favourite mobile internet device for mobile shoppers at 51 percent; with 18 percent using both their mobile and tablet equally.

Mobile shoppers prefer to access shopping sites via browsers (46 percent) and over 21 percent of shoppers use both apps and browsers equally on their mobile device. About 57 percent of consumers use 3G services, 32 percent use 2G services and only 11 percent use EDGE.

Samsung is the most popular mobile device (39 percent), followed by Nokia (16 percent) and Apple (11 percent). Mobile shoppers have Android (68 percent) as their favourite operating system followed by iOS (11 percent) and Symbian (10 percent).

“Mobile commerce adoption has increased significantly all over the country due to multiple factors such as enhanced 3G penetration and availability of affordable smartphones. As pioneers of mobile commerce in India,
it is heartening to see such a huge shift in the way Indians shop. As active evangelists of the medium we will continue to innovate and offer consumers with the best shopping experience,” says Muralikrishnan B, Country Manager, eBay India.