From cradle to grave, how e-commerce has changed your life

No business in India in recent years has attracted as much hype around it as e-commerce. It is growing at a blink-and-you'll-miss-it pace. There are pots of venture capital money chasing boatloads of startups (despite doubts over valuations). The numbers are staggering: 500-plus startups and Rs 70,000 crore in risky venture money. Companies have realised selling online is the smartest way to reach consumers rapidly. That’s the business side of things. What about us consumers? We have embraced shopping by smartphones with both hands. About 125 million shoppers spent $7 billion in 2014, buying things as diverse as flight tickets and razor blades online. If someone had said a few years ago that Indians would one day buy things like lingerie and furniture without visiting a store, they would have been mocked. Ecommerce of course is not just shopping. Far from it. You can now fix appointments with doctors, trade in shares, bank, plan retirement and holidays online. Ecommerce caters to every need one can think of, right from the time of birth to death. Yes, you read it right. Even death. Here is the big picture of how ecommerce has pervaded every aspect of your life.



































Illustrations: Anirban Bora