Change in e-shopping trend shows holiday spirit

Books & music replace solitaire pendants as best-selling items on online marketplace, eBay India.

In the run-up to Christmas and the New Year, books and music were the items most purchased by eBay buyers across the globe from sellers in India. Displaying the holiday mood of buyers, the year-end sales trend changed dramatically from the year-round pattern on the world's leading online auctioning and shopping platform.

In contrast to shopping of books and music leading the way in December, solitaire pendants were the most-bought products through the year, Deepa Thomas, head (pop culture), eBay India, told Business Standard.

Books and music are followed by entertainment memorabilia, toys, clothing and accessories, sports goods, hobbies and crafts, health and beauty, antiques, auto parts and stamps in the list of top 10 items sold by eBay India sellers to buyers across the world during the first 20 days of December.

However, the year-long global buying trend, as reflected in the eBay India Census 2011, had solitaire pendants as the first item on the list, followed by wrist watches, DVDs, HD DVDs and Blu Ray discs, India Commonwealth stamps, natural and homeopathic remedies, PC games, sarees, lampwork, crystal and mineral specimens and belly dancing apparel, in that order, Thomas said.

In terms of value, top domestic eBay transactions in December included natural diamonds, British and India coins, bluetooth headsets, wallets for men, sarees, smartphones, chronograph watches, kurtis, fragrances for men and weight training equipment.

On the pace of shopping on the site, Thomas said a product was sold on eBay India every four minutes through the year. On an average, a piece of jewellery is also sold every four minutes on eBay India, as are health and beauty products and mobile handsets. A piece of apparel is sold every five minutes, while a home décor item is sold every eight minutes, according to eBay India Research.

eBay India has buyers from over 189 countries, with the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the UAE and Singapore being the top 10 countries.

As for shopping within India, significant growth was witnessed during the festive season that included Diwali, Christmas and New Year vacations, according to the company. While the online retail industry is growing 40 per cent on a year-on-year basis, eBay India claims to be growing at over twice that rate.

Denying that the global economic slowdown has had any negative impact on eBay sales, Thomas argued around the world, consumers indulge in online shopping to get the 'best deals' on high-value merchandise. "Thus, the economic slowdown has not negatively impacted e-commerce in India or abroad." eBay India has seen an upward trend in growth, one that is significantly higher than the growth the sector has seen last year, she added.