3 in 5 Web users in India shop online

Some 60 percent of India's Internet community took to online shopping last month, up by 18 percent over the past year, with daily deals sites also gaining momentum in the world's second most populous nation.

According to a new report released Thursday, ComScore revealed that nearly 3 in 5 Internet users in the country shopped online. "The online channel is playing an increasingly important role in connecting retailers with potential customers in India," said Kedar Gavane, ComScore's director for India.

"To take advantage of this growing opportunity, retailers must ensure they are addressing the needs of potential customers," he said, adding that these included offering attractive pricing and tapping the convenience of online ordering.

Coupon sites also enjoyed growing popularity, attracting some 16.5 percent of India's online population last month. This category was led by Snapdeal.com with 5.2 million visitors and Mydala.com with 1.4 million visitors, according to ComScore figures.

Gavane said: "The rapid growth of online coupon sites suggests that consumers in India are looking for deals, highlighting the need for online retailers to adopt effective marketing and pricing strategies for their goods."

Some 27.2 million online users in India, aged 15 and above, last month accessed retail sites from a home or work computer, a climb of 18 percent from the previous year. The daily deals sites market segment saw the largest growth, at 629 percent, from last year and attracted 7.6 million visitors.

Consumer electronics ranked second with 7.1 million visitors, growing 12 percent from the previous year.

U.S. retailer Amazon.com was the most popular retail site, attracting 6.8 million visitors which accounted for 14.7 percent of India's online population. Apple's sites followed next with 3.4 million visitors, while sites by Samsung ranked third with almost 2.8 million visitors.