India is a growing market with an upwardly mobile population. The number of young graduates is higher today than ever before. And with the recent entry into the mobile cellular services market by Reliance Jio, the number of consumers accessing the internet on their mobile has increased manifold.
A recent trip to the rural markets and the interiors of India was thought provoking. Households with a monthly income of less than US$ 300 per month are also shopping online. Such households are highly aware of pricing and availability of products on various online marketplaces. And the need for consumers to be served starts here.
International brands that want to enter India and sell on online marketplaces can appoint and importer cum seller of record on such marketplaces. Goods can be exported to India and kept with the Importer who can list all the products on various online marketplaces and sell these.
The international brand can also do deals with the marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart and others. An exclusive deal will enable the brand to run special promotions that would enable the international brand to quickly establish itself in the market.
The international brand needs to do the following
- Register its brand in India. The process includes providing documentation related to the brand owner, the product, the brand mark and international ownership if any of the brand name.
- Get product certification for its products in India. Not all products require certification and approvals. Cosmetics, Food and Consumption items, Electronics and Appliances are generally the ones that require certification like BIS, WPC and others.
- Establish the product pricing that will be applicable for India. Consider various factors including the import duties, iGST, GST, Distribution costs, marketplace and intermediary fees, product returns, warranty and replacement, customer service, marketing, promotions and special packaging costs. Indian regulations require the printing of the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) on all products and this cannot be changed once the product has been sent into the distribution system for sale to end consumers.
- Decide on the place – distribution channels. If selling only online, one needs to consider various factors including the warehousing and fulfillment process.
- Decide on packaging. If you are selling your products online then the packaging may be done in a way that suits online sales and fulfillment processes.
- Promotions – Amazon and other marketplaces have various options for promoting your product and brand. Investment in marketing also requires close monitoring of results and fine tuning of campaigns, sometimes on a daily basis. You can choose from a wide range of options for promoting your products on Amazon and other marketplaces, This would include sponsored listing, banner advertising, deal of the day participation, being a sponsor on various special programs run by the marketplaces, giving lightening deal offers, providing coupons for discounts and more.
- Provide customer service and warranty for products. This includes local help lines and processes to enable consumers to get their grievances resolved. You can setup a Toll Free 1-800 number and an email for consumers to be able to reach you or the importer of your products.
- Ongoing supply and management of inventories. As an international brand, you would need to work closely with your importer in India to ensure that there is adequate supply of your products as your product demand grows and the brand starts selling on various online marketplaces.
To know more about how your brand can enter India and sell on multiple online marketplaces in India you can contact the leader in branded ecommerce in India – ND Commerce.
ND Commerce (ecommerce marketplace service provider) is a Mumbai (India) headquartered company that enables international brands to sell their products on multiple online marketplaces in India. To know more about the company visit www.ndcommerce.in or write to mukund@ndcommerce.in or call +91 9324 808080.