MAM
Online shopping to hit Rs 12 billion in 2005-2006: IMAI
MUMBAI: With the approaching festivities of Diwali the shopping bonanza is all set to begin. India’s Internet population currently stands at 28 million and is set to grow to a 100 million by 2007 with Rs 11.80 billion worth of transactions to be conducted in 2005-06.
In lieu of this population increase the Internet and Mobile Association of India (formerly known as the Internet and Online Association of India) has released the second in its series of Ecommerce Related research reports addressing the ‘Cyber Window Shopper.’
The research report undertaken with Cross Tab Marketing Services with a view to understand the profile, internet usage, propensity to buy along with the shopper’s affinity and aversions to online shopping and disposition to shop online.
A total of 3099 respondent’s views were solicited of which 45 per cent (1716) had visited ecommerce sites but hadn’t bought anything with 93 per cent (1285) were aware that they could shop online. Of this 1285, 81 per cent (1045) respondents visited online shopping sites regularly and form the basis of this report and are termed as “Online Window Shoppers.”
This base provides an opportunity to understand the ‘Cyber Window Shopper’ who researches the products and services online as a regular online shopper and shops offline. This also provides an opportunity for online retailers to cultivate their market share and for Offline retailers to embrace this medium during the shopping festive season armed with information on Online Shopping behavior motivators and barriers.
“The Cyber Window Shopper report provides an excellent opportunity for retailers and marketers to cultivate their online market share especially with the Shopping Bonanza that accompanies our Festival Season. Online Shopping is expected to cross Rs 11.80 billion in 2005-06 and to ensure this momentum this report provides analysis and recommendations to understand the motivators and barriers of Cyber Window Shoppers. The extent to which cyber window shopping has become commonplace is clearly revealed by this report where more than 69 per cent of consumers would like to shop online. The report clearly indicates that “security, pricing and delivery” are by far the most important deciding factors and would be extremely strong motivators for consumers to buy online. With an Internet population of 28 million currently set to grow to a 100 million users by 2007-08 combined with changing lifestyles and shopping habits makes this a medium impossible to ignore,” said Internet and Mobile Association of India president Preeti Desai.
Cyber Window Shopper Report – Research Highlights
The E-Commerce Industry:
Rs 5.70 billion worth of E-commerce conducted online in 2004-2005 to grow to Rs 23 billion by 2006-2007, an estimated 300+ per cent growth.
Age, Gender and Marital Status:
The largest segment of window shoppers is the 18-35 age group (78 per cent) comprising mainly of young professionals on an information-seeking mode, a prime demographic for advertisers. 85 per cent of window shoppers are male and 15 per cent female. 57 per cent of window shoppers are unmarried, while 33 per cent are married with kids.
Education and Profession:
Most window shoppers (77 per cent) are educated; with either a bachelor’s or post-graduate degree. 43 per cent shopper’s work at an executive level, and 17 per cent are professionals, self-employed or businessmen, with high disposable incomes and spending capacity.
Internet Access & Usage:
The office (54 per cent) seems to be the preferred location. 42 per cent access the Internet from home, while 35 per cent access the Internet from cyber cafes. A majority of window shoppers (92 per cent) has used the Internet for more than a year, which means the audience is well-versed in the nuances of the Web. 36 per cent have been using the Internet for more than five years and 35 per cent for three-five years. 77 per cent used the net for more than five hours a week and 22 per cent % use the Internet for more than 20 hours every week.
Internet Activity:
94 per cent using the Internet for email, Work-related activity comes second with 77 per cent, followed by surfing (66 per cent) and personal research (57 per cent). 41 per cent of window shoppers do online banking. 15 per cent did online trading in shares. 22 per cent have paid bills online and 11 per cent used the Internet to donate to charity – an indication of the growing trust in the Internet while making financial transactions.
Respondents by States & Cities:
Maharashtra (19 per cent) leads as far as window shoppers are concerned followed by Tamil Nadu (15 per cent), Delhi (15 per cent), Karnataka (11 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (8 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (8 per cent) and West Bengal (8 per cent). Delhi/NCR (17 per cent), Mumbai (15 per cent), Chennai (8 per cent), Kolkatta (5 per cent), Bangalore (5 per cent) account for 50 per cent of the window shoppers with 41 per cent from the ‘other’ category.
Are “Window Shoppers” likely to turn into “Buyers”?
* An opportunity to convert with an overwhelming 69 per cent indicated that they were very likely / likely to buy in the near future comprising 21 per cent of online window shoppers are very likely to buy online and 48 per cent stated they are likely to buy online.
Incentives for converting Cyber Window Shoppers to Buyers Online
* 71 per cent of respondents indicated that they were likely/very likely to buy online if there were third-party security guarantees.
* 90 per cent of window shoppers said they were likely/very likely to buy if given price discounts.
* 84 per cent of window shoppers indicated that they were likely/very likely to buy something if was delivered free.
* 86 per cent of respondents indicated that they are likely/very likely to buy anything online if it wasn’t available in brick-and-mortar stores.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
