Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal are top 3 sites for sellers

Amazon, followed by Filpkart and Snapdeal, were the most preferred e-commerce websites among sellers, with highest top of the mind recall, a recent study has revealed.

The  study by Nielsen was for the January-March quarter, which surveyed 1,184 online sellers.

It revealed 39 per cent of online sellers “explore two or more e-commerce websites as an option to sell products on and grow their business”.

A high-level of familiarity, along with in-depth knowledge of an e-commerce website, is the most important factor that drives brand equity, the report said.

While Amazon had the highest top of the mind recall (25 per cent), Flipkart stood second (21 per cent) and then Snapdeal (20 per cent), it added.

“With the e-commerce industry growing in double digits, there is surge in demand by customers, and an evolving online seller category that is fuelling supply on portals,” said Dolly Jha, executive director of Nielsen India.

“To ensure the equilibrium of demand and supply, it is essential for e-commerce portals to focus on developing an inviting platform for online sellers in the country. Sellers are also increasingly discerning when it comes to reaching their customer and meeting business needs,” Jha added.

The first wave of the newly launched study was conducted in 16 markets with a population of over 10 lakh, and a sample size of 1,184 respondents. It aims to understand the inclination and experience of selling products on e-retailing platforms.

The study also gauges the brand equity of e-commerce websites amongst connected online sellers, and of those who intend to sell their products online in the next few months.

"Considering the juncture at which the category is, it is now very critical for e-tailers to understand push and pull factors that make sellers pick one website over the other," Jha said.

Other key factors that impact brand equity are certain perception of the e-retailers like they help the sellers stay relevant and ahead of competition, provide new market opportunity, and help minimise costs to reach out to more customers, it said.

In terms of overall awareness, 86 per cent respondents in the study voted Amazon, 82 per cent voted Flipkart and 75 per cent respondents voted Snapdeal, followed by others.

As per the study, intent to sell on the e-commerce website, which was also a key parameter, saw Flipkart (58 per cent), and Amazon (55 per cent) as the leading brands.