Top 10 Best eCommerce Companies in India [2024] (2024)

Introduction

Does the term ‘eCommerce’ need any introduction in today’s world? How many of us are guilty of creating a mile-long wishlist of things we'll never finish buying in this lifetime? The ubiquitousness of online stores proves, eCommerce, indeed, does not need any preface.

Some of the biggest ecommerce companies today had really humble beginnings. Take for example, Amazon, that literally started operations from a garage! Such origin stories excite us because they tell us immense transformation and growth is achievable.

In today’s post, we talk about what we think are the best ecommerce companies in India, how they reached their height and what keeps them driving ahead.

We also discuss ways in which online brands can increase footfall to their shops and improve customer engagement.

Top 10 Best eCommerce Companies in India [2024 List]

Customers are often confused about which ecommerce websites they should shop from. The confusion is understandable because a lot of shoppers have fallen prey to fraudulent websites that accept orders and payments but never actually deliver.

Since the entire online shopping experience rests on trust and transparency, it’s important customers know which sites they can trust. Here’s our pick of the best ecommerce companies. Take a look!

1) Amazon India

Amazon India, a subsidiary of the multinational retail giant, first opened its doors to the Indian audience in June 2013, and since then, there has been no looking back.

The brand is synonymous with super fast same-day and next-day delivery that suits today’s frequent shoppers.

It’s also the chosen platform for many high-demand brands like Xiaomi and Apple to launch their latest gadgets like TVs and smartphones.

Over the past few years, Amazon India has gained popularity only a select few can compete with. A large part of it is due to the reasonable prices and free shipping it offers.

Amazon has a user review section at the bottom of every product page that further solidifies trust in customers.

With the introduction of Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, and Amazon Pay, the company has entered the entertainment and payment industries.

2) Flipkart

Flipkart entered the ecommerce sphere much like how Amazon entered it - by selling books. Since then, it has rapidly expanded to incorporate several other retail segments under its wing.

It’s known in the ecommerce market for providing super affordable electronic items like mobile phones and home appliances.

Flipkart’s ‘Big Billion Days’ is one of the biggest and most-awaited discount fairs in the Indian ecommerce industry, with prices slashed upto 90%!

There’s nothing like offering crazy discounts to win over customers, and Flipkart has done it right. The company’s origin story is punctuated with frequent acquisitions.

Soon after Flipkart launched in 2007, it acquired some popular book-selling companies like WeRead, Mime360, and Chakpak, which increased its popularity.

But the company started witnessing unparalleled growth since it brought another ecommerce storefront, Myntra, under its banner, in 2012.

Since then, it has achieved a 62% GMV market share and is the biggest competitor of Amazon.

3) Nykaa

Nykaa was established in 2012 as an online cosmetic platform. The brand quickly became one of the leading platforms with products from over 2000 well-known brands across the globe.

To establish a stronger presence, the channel adopted an omnichannel fulfillment approach by opening over 78 stores across India.

It also became the first ecommerce brand to enter the men’s grooming space.

The platform has three in-house brands in the cosmetic sector. Along with this, it has acquired fashion and lifestyle brands like 20Dresses, Pipa Bella, Dot and Key, and LBB.

These acquisitions brought the total count of the Nykaa in-house brands to 9, allowing it to become one of the largest cosmetic D2C platforms in the Indian market.

4) IndiaMART

IndiaMART’s motto is simple - they connect buyers with sellers. The company had its beginnings in the pre-e-commerce era when India did not have too many online users.

Today, IndiaMART is one of the best eCommerce platforms for B2B businesses. It started off as a website directory platform for businesses all over the world.

However, the Great Recession (2007-2009) impelled the founders to shift focus exclusively to Indian businesses.

Since then, IndiaMART has regularly received various rounds of funding and partnered with many B-town stars like Irrfan Khan to accelerate growth and popularity.

There’s frankly nothing a shopper will not find on its website. On the off chance that they do, IndiaMART also provides a query form that they can fill in with their request.

Here, any buyer in India can find what they are looking for, from industry supplies and healthcare goods to packaging machines and chemical dyes.

If you are an Indian dropshipper or are looking for manufacturers and suppliers for your online ecommerce company, IndiaMART is a great place to find them.

5) Meesho

Meesho is one of the fast-growing eCommerce company in India that has created a loyal customer base in the industry within a quick period of time.

It’s a socially conscious consumer brand that wants to empower the newly internet-savvy youth of India’s non-metro regions.

The company owns a website and a mobile app that makes it easier for shoppers to place orders and track the status of their packages.

Meesho does not charge any fee from its merchants for registering on the platform, nor does it take a percentage from their earnings. Its main revenue comes from in-app and website seller ads.

It’s one of the fastest-growing social commerce companies and is rivaled by the likes of SnapDeal and Myntra.

6) FirstCry

Till only a few years ago, there was virtually no ecommerce brand in India selling baby clothes exclusively.

FirstCry was the first company to enter this segment and has since been the category forerunner.

What started with a chosen selection of baby garments has now grown to include several items related to kids and newborns.

They include - feeding essentials, picture books, bed protectors, baby food, nursery decor items, maternity care products, and more.

It provides a great selection of items and hosts some of the most sought-after brands on its platform, like Hamley’s, Babyhug, The Mom Store, etc.

Its biggest competitor is Hopscotch, which is the second placeholder in the category.

7) BookMyShow

BookMyShow is India’s largest ticketing platform for all types of events and movies. Started as a ticketing aggregator by the BigTree Entertainment company, the platform is the industry pioneer for online movie ticketing in India.

The platform enjoys over 90 percent of the market share in its segment. BMS has over 2 billion page views per month.

You can book tickets through their application, website, WAP platform, or its in-house call center.

Owing to its huge success in the Indian Market, the platform went international by expanding its platform in New Zealand and Malaysia.

It has recently expanded into selling official merchandise as well as monument tickets for popular tourist attractions.

8) OLX

OLX is a free-to-use platform that allows sellers to post ads for their new and used products. Buyers can check the listing, chat with the seller and finalize a deal for the product.

This model was developed to give a modern spin to yard sales in Western countries.

Owing to the popularity of second-hand products in India, OLX quickly became a popular marketplace for various product categories like electronics, furniture, automobiles, etc.

Considering the popularity of the automobile listings on OLX, it has launched the OLX Auto initiative. It has set up shops at various locations where verified cars can be bought & sold.

The platform owes its success to the local merchants that used the platform to enter the e-commerce space in their local markets.

9) MakeMyTrip

MakeMyTrip is a pioneer ecommerce travel portal in the Indian Market. The platform was introduced in 2000 as the first domestic travel portal in India to make travel easier for Indians.

The company has over 28 domestic offices and 7 international locations, along with 4 airport booths for a traveler’s convenience. MakeMyTripprovides every service a traveler might need on the road.

It allows seamless travel by providing cab, rail, and flight bookings. It allows you to scout and reserve villas, hotels, and apartments for your travel ahead of time.

The platform has also recently started dabbling in event hosting and ticketing in the Indian market.

10) AJIO

AJIO is a one-stop shop for Fashion, Home & Lifestyle products and is part of Reliance Retail's eCommerce initiative.

It's an eCommerce store similar to Myntra that has earned the trust and loyalty of customers over time.

In addition to supplying exclusive international labels, the eCommerce portal also has its private label, AJIO OWN.

The platform is focused on providing a wide range of apparel and accessories at an affordable price.

Apart from apparel, it offers Home Decor, Kitchen Accessories, Gifts, Gardening Supplies, etc., from various brands. The ecommerce platform has one of the widest selections of ethnic and Indie wear.

How to Select the Best Ecommerce Company in India?

With more than 19000 eCommerce businesses in India, selecting the best eCommerce company from the countless options available can be daunting.

With so many possibilities, the most crucial characteristics to consider while selecting are the following.

1. Serviceability/Pin Code Reach

Serviceability is the most important factor to consider when deciding which eCommerce firm to shop with. Ecommerce stores that ship/deliver to your desired places are undoubtedly the best.

Most of us become loyal fans of a few brands. Say, you want to send your friend a birthday gift from your favorite shop.

You will no doubt feel disappointed if your favourite online company does not deliver to your friend’s location. Poor pin code reach may also lead to cart abandonment issues and low sales.

Therefore, as an ecommerce company, you will need to increase the areas you deliver to. Moreover, with the rise of online shopping trends in rural and suburban India, more and more ecommerce marketplaces and stores are faced with delivery issues in remote areas.

Improving shipping logistics is the only way to reach customers in today’s ecommerce world.

2. Products, Services, And Benefits

Each eCommerce business and platform offers a distinct range of products and services.

The best online store is one that distinguishes itself from the competition by providing a vast selection of products and services along with quality. This is the only sure-shot way of getting repeat customers to your shop.

From garments to household needs, food to electronics, Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal have it all.

While Ajio, Myntra, and Limeroad are fashion and clothing websites, BookMyShow is a ticketing website.

The ideal eCommerce platform provides a wide range of services and benefits in one place, removing the need to switch between apps. Some of these platforms may also provide online store builder services.

3. Payment Gateways

Ecommerce is all about making shopping easier for regular people. Having the best products and services on offer is important to bring in customers and keep them coming.

However, their checkout journey must also be equally smooth and hassle-free. Every time a brand fails to provide what its customers want, it risks losing one. The same goes for payment options.

Most online platforms have several payment gateways customers can choose from - PayPal, RazorPay, AmazonPay, GPay, Netbanking, Credit or Debit Cards, Pay/Cash on Delivery, etc.

It’s ideal to have partnerships with all these different POS systems so that brands can offer their customers the luxury of choosing.

4. Delivery Speed

Fast shipping is essential for any shopper these days. They become nervous over a period of 3-5 days. An eCommerce company with fast-track deliveries guarantees customer happiness and fewer cancellations.

Before deciding on the best option for you, verify the estimated delivery time. For Made to Order products, estimated delivery durations are not written down explicitly. However, most sellers will give a time period (10 - 12 days) by which the product will be dispatched.

Since Amazon started providing the same and next deliveries, customers have wanted nothing less. In many cases, free shipping is only available for standard deliveries.

But that, too, is changing soon, with retailers realising fast shipping is crucial to customer happiness. And that is directly proportional to higher customer lifetime value and better sales.

5. Tracking Visibility

Order tracking visibility is critical for a positive post-purchase experience for the customer. An eCommerce company must provide real-time order tracking with automatic regular updates to track more transparently. Customers must be aware of every delivery milestone crossed by their order.

Enabling tracking visibility also reduces the WISMO calls on your platforms and ensures the customer about the status of their order.

It also allows you to boost post-purchase engagement through product recommendations and brandings on the tracking page of the order.

6. Proof Of Delivery

The Proof of Delivery (POD) is an essential element of the modern day eCommerce delivery process. This allows you to verify the numerous deliveries with the carrier.

It facilitates better customer order management & allows you to resolve customer complaints about completed deliveries faster.

POD is also important in implementing newer methods like contactless delivery. It mitigates other issues in the order delivery systems like fake deliveries, returns fraud, etc.

Majority of the top rated carriers provide this as an optional service. The proof of delivery provided can be shared with the customers through the order tracking notifications.

7. Returns Management

It's not always the case that you'll like what you order; some purchases are for testing purposes, while some can be faulty.

In such instances, the best eCommerce company has a solid returns management system, wherein a pick-up time is established, and the company is responsible for ensuring the package retraces its stages to return to the enterprise.

As the returns process can be complex, having an eCommerce returns management system in place is vital. With returns management, you can enhance the customer’s return experience.

Along with that, you can improve your returns workflow for better operational output.

8. Track Record And past Reviews

Customer reviews allow you to assess the performance of the product and the platform services in real-world scenarios.

The only precaution you need to take is to ensure that the reviews are verified. They have to either from a verified buyer or be posted on a trusted platform.

They are also a great way to determine the quality of customer support on the platform. For example, a customer was not satisfied with the product or service and posted a bad review.

An explanation or a resolution from the customer support team in the comments depicts the good quality of customer service.

Top 5 Useful Tips to Build a Successful Ecommerce Company in India

If you really look at the numbers and analyse customer behaviour correctly, building a successful ecommerce empire is not very difficult.

We have chosen 5 tips that are crucial to delivery and customer satisfaction that’ll make your business a phenomenon.

1. Exemplary Delivery Experience

The delivery process is the physical point of contact between the customer and the product. The nature of this experience will essentially determine the perception of the customer towards the brand. Therefore, it becomes vital that the delivery is executed seamlessly.

For any outstanding delivery experience, there are two main components - delivery speed and smooth execution. Using a multi-carrier shipping platform will allow you to improve your delivery speed.

For better execution of delivery, you will have to borrow some features from the post-purchase experience, including personalized notifications and real-time order tracking.

2. Post-Purchase Engagement

The post-purchase period is crucial for every ecommerce business. It is a period where the customer is likely to face buyer’s remorse or find a better deal. That is why it becomes important to keep the customer engaged throughout this period.

Post-purchase experience enhancement features like a branded tracking page with personalized product recommendations will allow you to improve customer engagement.

This will also allow you to generate revenue and re-engage the customer to make more purchases.

Personalized communication paired with a tracking page will reduce the number of WISMO calls from the customer and enable a laid-back shopping experience for the customers.

3. Innovative Customer Acquisition

A well-built platform and seamless delivery won’t be useful unless you are able to attract customers to your platform.

Customer acquisition and retention can be a tricky part of ecommerce. Therefore, you have to think outside the box. Since the marketing field is constantly evolving, adapting to it.

The use of newer methods of marketing, like influencer marketing, social media marketing, and content marketing, will allow you to attract more customers.

Along with that, older methods like flash sales still are a sure-shot way of acquiring new customers.

4. Smooth Omnichannel Shopping

Many companies on the list above have both brick-and-mortar and online stores.

Over the course of a few years, logistics and ecommerce experts have realised that combining online and offline channels is the best way to build a brand.

That is only achievable if these companies provide omnichannel retailing. In omnichannel, the buyer’s journey remains intact no matter which platform or sales channel they shop from.

The rise of social commerce through Facebook and the power of targeted aesthetic ads on Instagram has shown sellers that shopping can happen anywhere.

However, merging offline and online inventory to provide that same seamless delivery experience is often tricky.

To excel, brands must make inventory changes live and transparent and provide delivery options like BOPIS, ROPIS, BOPAK, etc. A logistics software can help smoothen these supply chain wrinkles.

5. Diversified Sales Channels

A lot of what makes an ecommerce business success depends on its selling strategy. One crucial component of online sales is the number and type of platforms and marketplaces you sell on.

What works for one business may not work for another. Therefore, research before you start registering on any site because all these selling channels charge a seller’s fee.

Once you’ve finished researching about what platforms are better suited to sell your type of products, it’s time to diversify and increase profitability.

Focus on which channels can give you faster results and aim to increase growth potential there. Other networks may take longer if it depends on other factors like SEO, site ranking, etc.

Conclusion

And that’s all, folks! We’ve walked you through what we think are the top ecommerce companies in India right now and why and we also shared our tips on how you can choose the best one to order from.

We hope these tips will help you steer clear of fraudulent websites and make your shopping experience a peaceful one from now on.

For business owners, we hope the tips really help you strengthen and grow your business. Also, among the eCommerce companies we listed, some accept registrations.

If you’ve waited to start selling on any of these platforms, it’s time to get started! We wish you all the best in your endeavours.

FAQs

1) Which is the biggest sector in the Indian Ecommerce industry?

According to research by Google India, the Fashion and Apparel ecommerce industry is the biggest sector in the Indian Ecommerce market.

Right now, the sector has a market cap of 8-10 billion dollars with an average growth rate of 35 percent.

2) What is the key factor contributing to the growth of the ecommerce sector?

The increase in the use of digital payment methods like UPI and Bank cards has contributed to the accelerated growth of the ecommerce sector in India.

The improved smartphone and internet penetration in the non-metro regions over the last decade has also been an influential factor.

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