According to the Digital Commerce report released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) International, in 2012, online travel sales have accounted for almost three-quarters of all B2C e-commerce sales, reaching USD 6.44 billion.
The report reveals that transit tickets including air, rail and bus have comprised 97 percent of all online travel sales in 2012, with this category heavily dominated by domestic air tickets (50 percent of all online travel sales) and rail passes (39 percent).
Research also points out that while travel remains dominant, other types of e-commerce are catching on and the IAMAI estimates travel’s share will decrease to 71 percent by December 2013.
The survey indicates that the online retail sales are expected to jump more than 50 percent in 2013 and reach more than USD 1.87 billion by the end of the year, driving non-travel sales’ increase in market share.
eMarketer’s projection for travel e-commerce sales in India is higher than the IAMAI’s, with the category estimated to have reached USD 9.61 billion in 2012. However, the growth forecast for 2013 is similar. eMarketer anticipates digital travel sales will rise by 29.1 percent this year and the IAMAI expects growth of 26.7 percent.
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