Ecommerce in India: Will the Advertising Spend Pay Off?

Ecommerce made its entry into India immediately after the internet was introduced in the country in 1995. The first online B2B directory was launched in the year 1996. Unlike the western countries where B2C was the driving force behind the growth of ecommerce, B2B ecommerce drove the ecommerce revolution in India during the early years. B2B portals made it easy for the small and medium business enterprises to increase their visibility in the market place. Ecommerce also came as a boon to small businesses and start-ups which did not have the resources to reach their clients using conventional media channels like print and television. Some of the B2B business activities that were conducted in the early days of the internet in India were purchasing and procurement, inventory management, and management of payments.