Hot Clicks -Branded apparel and footwear become a huge draw online

Electronics remains the largest category in Indian online space, but branded apparel and footwear have seen tremendous traction in recent times. According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India(IAMAI), the branded apparel category saw 5.39 million unique visitors in June compared to 4.40 million a year ago. But this pales in comparison to brands such as Samsung, Micromax and LG, which get nearly 9.5 million searches a month.

Footwear attracted 4.78 million visits, more than double the number last year. Now women are seen making multiple purchases with in the same month online says Richa Kar, CEO of Zimvame.com. The designer labels segment, on the other hand, registered a 21 % growth with 1.73 million online visits in June compared to 1.43 million visits last year. Overall, in the e-commerce space, the quarter saw maximum searches for services in categories such as health and education.

Online Healthcare Basics

Began with e- tickets, then moved on to paying bills and managing bank accounts and finally fashion. The buzzword on the internet is healthcare.

Good:You may procrastinate over making the trip to your doctor: but a service that is available on your phone or tablet on the touch of a button will keep you gripped even when you are on the way. Intuitive features are specially programmed to follow the same series of symptoms checking and analyzing that health experts follow to understand what the problem is. Each person has unique health needs, but once the problem is outlined, the cure is customized and relayed using interactive online tools like simulators and feedback forms that provide a personalized experience.

Not Good: There are an abundance of fraudulent websites. The only way you can tell on original from a fake is by painstaking research and cross-questioning the experts before they recommend any treatment. Online healthcare won't work well for injuries which require immediate care and also may not make sense doe persistent problems.

Quick Tip For weight management, one should log on twice a day, once before heading out of work and once again before bedtime.   

DIGITAL AD-VENT

Online Advertising is fact catching on and is growing at the expense of traditional media such us print, radio and cinema.

Recently read an article on digital marketing saying that companies prefers now on digital marketing for their products and offerings to reach their target end users. The digital medium offers an opportunity to reach a section of audience in an innovative and engaging manner. It has become a key pillar in media planning now a days. Multinational companies like Cola, PepsiCo too are betting on digital for effective communication with part of their target audience in India- mainly the youth. However, television and print have not lost their effectiveness.

While television continues to be the bedrock of marketing investments, non-television investments have witnessed a significant shift in the mix. For example, Pepsi T20 Football tournament city specific campaign,  then relaying on radio and digital to derive participation while television was dedicated to thematic campaign.

With companies waking up to the potential of the digital medium, online advertising in India is on upswing and growing at the cost of other  media such as print, radio and cinema. The trend that began before the current economic downturn has only strengthened in recent times despite the economic slowdown.

Digital advertising spends grew at an average of 45% annually over the past three years and predicts the trend will continue- a report by Madison-Pitch. A second report by Internet and Mobile Association of India(IAMAI) and research firm IMRB says that digital spends is like grow 54% in the next 12 months.The industry generated revenue of Rs.2851 crore in 2011/12, which will grow to Rs.4391 crore in 2012/13. The growth is attributed primarily to the sustained rise in mobile and internet users penetration in India.

Digital advertising growth has been provided to be a boon for home grown advertising network such as Tyroo, Komli Media and Tribal Fusion among others with buy and sell online space for a host of websites.

But the digital medium still has a long way to go. According to Santosh Padhi- co-founder of Taproot advertising, most advertisers are currently doing only basic communication through this medium " There is no big innovation that is taking place. There are not too many players doing cutting edge work in this space." Adding to that digital could emerge as the most dependable channel for advertisers in next three to five years.

According to analysts a dearth of talent in the digital industry is also a big obstacle which need to be tackled for the medium to sustain its rapid growth in the future.