In recent years, the growth of e-commerce in India has been phenomenal. With a population of over 1.3 billion people, it's no surprise that e-commerce has become an essential part of people's lives in India. If you're an entrepreneur/shop owner looking to sell your products online, India is a market full of opportunities. In this article, we'll cover the three different ways to sell products online in India and give you tips on how to sell more products online.

Benefits of selling online

Before we dive into the different ways to sell products online in India, let's first look at the benefits of selling online.

Reach a wider audience: By selling products online, you can reach customers from all over the country, even if you don't have a physical store in that location.

Lower overhead costs: Unlike a physical store, an online store doesn't require rent, electricity, or other overhead expenses. This means you can start selling online with minimal investment.

24/7 availability: An online store is always open, which means customers can buy from you anytime, anywhere.

3 Different Ways to Sell Online

1. Online Marketplace

An online marketplace is a website where multiple sellers can list their products for sale. The marketplace operator manages the website, provides customer service, and processes payments. As a seller, you simply create an account, list your products, and wait for orders to come in.

The biggest advantage of selling on a marketplace is the access to a large customer base. Some of the most popular online marketplaces in India are:

•         RM eMart
•         Meesho
•         Flipkart
•         Amazon
•         Snapdeal

Each marketplace has its own fees and policies, so be sure to do your research before choosing the one that's right for you.

2. Own Website

Another way to sell products online is to create your own website. This gives you complete control over your brand and the shopping experience you provide to your customers. However, creating a website can be more complex and expensive than selling on a marketplace.

To design custom ecommerce website, you need the following,

•         Choose a domain name and hosting provider
•         Build the website (either through a website builder or by hiring a developer)
•         Add products and set up payment processing

While selling on your own website may require more effort, it also gives you the opportunity to create a unique brand and establish a direct relationship with your customers.

3. Sell through Social Media Sites

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp are also becoming popular platforms for selling products online. You can create a business page or profile, showcase your products, and communicate with customers directly through these platforms.

Selling on social media is relatively easy and low-cost, but it may not be the best option if you want to scale your business in the long run.

Which is the Best Cost Effective method?

For start-up business owners, selling on online marketplace is usually the best and cost effective option. It allows you to reach a large customer base without the need for a large investment in building your own website or establishing a social media presence.

What are the Top Online Marketplaces in India?

1. Rm Emart:

RM Emart is a leading online marketplace in India that offers a diverse range of products across various categories, including grocery, cosmetics, electronics, clothing, home décor, and more. The platform also provides customized combo offer suggestions to sellers, helping them increase their sales and profits.

Unlike other online marketplaces, RM Emart does not charge any hidden fees or costs to sellers. It offers a fixed commission percentage for all categories, providing a fair and transparent pricing structure. Additionally, RM Emart offers free customer support for sellers, ensuring that they have a hassle-free selling experience on the platform.

One of the unique features of RM Emart is the customized combo offer suggestions it provides to sellers. This feature allows sellers to create personalized combo offers for their products, which can attract more customers and increase sales. This feature, combined with RM Emart's user-friendly interface, helps sellers grow their businesses and reach a wider audience.

Apart from these features, RM Emart offers a reliable and secure payment system that ensures timely payments to sellers.  In summary, RM Emart is an excellent online marketplace for both buyers and sellers. With its customized combo offer suggestions, fair pricing structure, and free customer support, RM Emart provides a seamless selling experience to sellers. Its diverse range of products, reliable payment system, and user-friendly interface make it a popular choice for buyers in India.

2. Meesho:

Meesho is an excellent platform for sellers as it provides them with a unique opportunity to sell their products through popular social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. This allows sellers to reach a vast audience without investing heavily in marketing and advertising.

Meesho's large network of resellers is another advantage for sellers, as these resellers can promote the seller's products to their own circle of friends and family, expanding the seller's reach even further. The platform's resellers are provided with training and support programs, which help them promote the seller's products more effectively, leading to increased sales and profits.

Meesho also offers a range of tools and services to help sellers manage their inventory, track their sales, and optimize their performance. The platform's secure payment system ensures timely payments to sellers, making it a hassle-free selling experience.

Overall, Meesho is an excellent choice for sellers looking to expand their reach and grow their business. With its social commerce platform, large reseller network, and useful tools and services, Meesho provides sellers with everything they need to succeed in the online marketplace.

3. Flipkart:

Flipkart is a popular e-commerce marketplace in India with a large and loyal customer base. By selling on Flipkart, sellers can leverage the platform's reputation and reach to sell their products to millions of buyers across India.

Flipkart also offers a range of seller tools and services to help sellers grow their business. These include cataloging support, seller training, and analytics tools to help sellers track their performance and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, Flipkart's seller support team is available 24/7 to help sellers with any queries or issues they may face while selling on the platform.

The platform's robust logistics and payment systems are another advantage for sellers. Flipkart has its logistics arm, Ekart, which ensures timely delivery and provides sellers with end-to-end visibility of their shipments. Flipkart's payment system, Paytm, is also secure and reliable, ensuring that sellers receive payments on time without any hassle.

Sellers on Flipkart also benefit from the platform's customer-centric approach. The platform places a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction, which means that sellers are incentivized to provide high-quality products and services to buyers. This, in turn, helps sellers build a positive reputation on the platform, leading to increased sales and profits.

4. Amazon:

Amazon India is one of the most popular e-commerce marketplaces in India, with a massive customer base and a vast selection of products across multiple categories. As a seller on Amazon, you can benefit from the platform's advanced fulfillment and logistics network, which provides fast and reliable delivery to customers across India. Amazon also offers a range of seller tools and services to help you manage your business more effectively, including advertising and promotional tools, inventory management, and analytics dashboards to track your performance and identify areas for improvement.

One of the key advantages of selling on Amazon is its massive customer base, which includes millions of loyal and engaged buyers. This means that sellers have the potential to reach a vast audience and increase their sales significantly. Amazon also has a customer-centric approach, which means that sellers are incentivized to provide high-quality products and services to buyers, leading to increased customer satisfaction and positive reviews.

Amazon's secure payment system and seller protection policies ensure that sellers receive timely and hassle-free payments, and are protected against fraudulent activities such as chargebacks and returns. Additionally, Amazon's seller support team is available 24/7 to help sellers with any issues they may face while selling on the platform.

5. Snapdeal:

Snapdeal is another popular e-commerce marketplace in India, offering a vast selection of products across multiple categories. As a seller on Snapdeal, you can benefit from the platform's wide reach and customer base, which includes millions of loyal and engaged buyers across India. Snapdeal also offers a range of seller tools and services to help you optimize your sales and grow your business, including analytics dashboards, promotional tools, and inventory management features.

Snapdeal's robust payment and logistics systems ensure that sellers receive timely payments and fast, reliable delivery to customers across India. The platform's seller protection policies also ensure that sellers are protected against fraudulent activities, such as chargebacks and returns.

Tips to Sell More Products on Marketplaces:

Choose the best marketplace: Each marketplace has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to choose the one that aligns best with your business goals and target audience.

Add more products: The more products you have on your online store, the more opportunities you have to attract customers and generate sales.

Write better titles and descriptions: Make sure your product titles and descriptions are clear, concise, and engaging, and highlight the unique features and benefits of your products.

Set competitive prices: Do some research to find out what similar products are selling for on other marketplaces, and set your prices competitively to attract more customers.

Provide excellent customer service: Respond promptly to customer inquiries and concerns, address their issues effectively, and provide them with a positive shopping experience to encourage repeat business.

Conclusion

In conclusion, selling products online in India can be a lucrative and rewarding opportunity for entrepreneurs and business owners. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, you can effectively launch and grow your online store, attract more customers, and drive more sales. Remember to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in e-commerce, and always be willing to adapt and innovate to stay ahead of the competition. With hard work, dedication, and the right approach, you can build a successful online business and achieve your entrepreneurial goals.