It is estimated that India’s e-commerce market consists of 190 million shoppers ( 2021). The market will expand to another 200 million shoppers. Of this additional shoppers, 150 million are expected to be value shoppers.

What is value commerce? It is the purchase of affordable products by consumers. Value commerce had an estimated market of $4 billion in 2019, and is likely to expand to $40 billion by 2030.

Snapdeal caters to the needs of value-conscious shoppers. Stellaro sells affordable brands in fashion and life style. Very few sites sell the affordable quality sarees in the price range of Rs.400-Rs.500.

Most of the value market, as on today, is unorganised. The growth of value market will come from tier-II markets and beyond. This is where majority of our population resides. Meesho gets its 80 per cent business from tier-II plus regions and 60 per cent from tier-IV plus regions. It is the real democratisation of e-commerce.

The bulk of value commerce market has connectivity problems. The app should be light, e.g. Meesho’s app is 13.6 GB. It should be integrated for both sellers and consumers. Such an app goes well with low-end smart phones, and provides a seamless experience. The apps should be alive to audio and language since vernacular should be a preferred version to the English version.