E-commerce biz may need 1 lakh people in next 6 months

The $12 billion plus rising Indian e-commerce business market is witnessing a rush of hiring and may need one lakh people over the next six months, industry experts have said.

"Support service sectors such as recruitment consulting firms are witnessing a rush of hiring in the e-commerce space. The country's e-commerce space is estimated to hire one lakh people in the next six moths period," global head-hunting firm InHelm Leadership Solutions' Country Head Prasanth Nair told PTI.

India's e-commerce market was worth about $3.8 billion in 2009 and went up to $12.6 billion in 2013. It is growing at an estimated 30 per cent CAGR vis-à-vis a global growth rate of 8-10 per cent.

"The biggest challenge in e-commerce sector is to retain key people. Compensation - immediate, short term and long term - are all important but employees in this sector look beyond just money. Unlike other sectors, empowerment, working culture, and focus on innovation are also critical, Nair said.

Due to massive scale up plans, several e-commerce companies are turning to consultants who have expertise in these areas for boosting recruitment, he said.

Nair said retail sector is facing challenges from the fast growing ecommerce players like Amazon and Flipkart.

However, retail players can survive, but they require to re-strategise their plans and reach to tier II and tier III cities by adopting new technologies.

Avinash Gupta, CEO of bookmycab.com, a licensed online cab aggregator platform, believes the e-commerce revolution means multiple challenges not just for the Indian retailers as they compete with e-commerce companies selling goods online, but also for those providing services.

Customers today are looking at APPs and online services to access convenience and buying services online. Thousands of cab drivers in Mumbai are now browsing through our App via their entry level smart phones to look up for passengers. Bookmycab.com witnessed investment from Contrarian Drishti Partners last month, Gupta said.

Key factors driving the growth story of e-commerce in India is the agenda of development pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has fired the aspirations of young India.

There is a massive rise with over 250 million internet users across multiple platforms, as per industry experts.

Telecom infrastructure and innovative software applications further supported by the successful online payment facilities across web portals have triggered massive interest in the e-commerce sector.

Electronics and apparel are the biggest categories in terms of sales. India's e-commerce business jumped by more than 80 per cent in 2013 and the momentum is likely to continue for at least the next five-six years, industry experts said.