The number of Internet users in rural areas will touch 210 million by 2018.

India has one of the largest and fastest growing populations of Internet users in the world, which is estimated to be around 190 million as of June 2014 and growing rapidly.

India already has the third largest Internet population in the world today, after China with 620 million and the US with 275 million.

Changing Face of the Indian Internet User

A report by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), titled India@Digital.Bharat, says in 2001 there were approximately 7 million Internet users in India. This number has grown by 25 times in the last 12 years at a compounded rate of over 30 percent y-o-y. Today, approximately 40 million Indians are online every day, spending around 40-45 hours over the Internet per month.

It is estimated that the Internet economy will grow to over 4 percent of GDP by 2020.

India is the second largest market for social networking giants such as Facebook and LinkedIn. 58,000 new users get connected on to a social network every day. E-commerce is shifting users from shopping in stores to shopping on the go. Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi recently sold 75,000 of its Mi3 models exclusively online in five rounds of flash sales on Flipkart, with most of the sales lasting for less than 10 seconds.

Mobile Users

If the tripling of India’s Internet user base between 2009 and 2013 was remarkable, then the rate of growth of the mobile Internet population has been truly spectacular. The number of individuals accessing the Internet from cell phones and tablets virtually doubled in the year ended June 2013, from 50 million to 90 million, and is estimated to soar to 185 million by June 2014. This clearly underscores the fact that a majority of Indians embracing the Internet, particularly rural consumers, have simply bypassed the PC, and are using mobile devices to get online on the go.

Mobile Internet users are likely to constitute between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of the total online population by 2018, compared to 60-70 per cent in 2013. One important dynamic of this secular trend is that 70 per cent of rural users access the Internet from their mobile handsets.

Usage of vernacular content- Regional languages

The use of vernacular content online is estimated to increase from 45 percent in 2013 to more than 60 percent in 2018, mirroring consumption patterns in mainstream media such as print and television. Another effective medium to reach out to the non-English speaking population, which is estimated to account for 70 percent to 90 percent of India’s population, could be visual content.

Internet Generates Employment

Along with multiple benefits that the Internet economy provides, it is also responsible for generating employment. The ‘Internet’ sector already employs around 4-5 lakh people and is a key avenue for job creation. It is estimated that the Internet economy will create nearly 15-20 lakh job opportunities by 2018.

Alpesh Shah, Senior Partner & Director BCG, at the India Digital Summit said, “India will have more than half a billion internet users in the next three years , this growth has the potential to fundamentally change the way in which consumers save, learn,  play, move and work. However, the extent of shift will depend a lot on how the government and the industry come together to unlock the true potential of the internet.”

Rajan Anandan, Chairman IAMAI and Managing Director Google India said, “India is the 3rd country in the world to have over 5 internet companies valued at over USD 1 billion. India is the fastest growing internet country but we need to move from narrow band to broadband at the earliest.”

Is this the right time to start a Business Website in India?

Yes, This is the right time to start an online business which is mainly making money from growing E-commerce and Internet advertising. At 210 million total Internet users, 80% of them search for information. So it is ideal to start a Business website and make your Online presence in the blogosphere.

There is a huge demand for business websites in India. Now with the new initiative Make in India taken up by the Government of India, to encourage companies to manufacture their products in India, it becomes all the more essential to make your presence online.
Owning a Business website is one of the easy and effective ways to penetrate into this market without much investment.

Is readymade website a solution for your Business?

Yes, you can make this happen by selecting a business website and have a vertical startup. Ready made money making websites will boost your revenue and effective presence in the Internet.

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Courtesy: Article – The Rise in Internet Penetration and the Changing Face of Digital India by Ms. Bhavana Singh dated Jan 27’2015 in iamwire.com

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