This blog post was updated on 1 September 2022.
833 million Indians are online, which is 59% of the country’s population. That is massive! It means that India has the second largest online population in the world, and the country still has a long way to go in terms of development.
This makes India a very attractive destination for businesses wanting to expand internationally, but the country has a unique set of quirks that you need to understand in order to succeed.
Here are three things you need to be aware of if you want to succeed at digital marketing in India.
1. Social media
If you are targeting India, then you need to make sure you have a presence on social media. This is because the medium is very popular, with the average Indian spending 2 hours and 36 minutes on social media every day. The most popular platforms are WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Telegram, so you should focus your efforts on these.
2. E-commerce
E-commerce in India is growing in popularity. The most popular e-commerce platforms are Amazon, Flipkart, Gadgets 360 and IndiaMART and the fastest growing categories of items being bought online are food, beverages and fashion. The most popular payment options are digital/mobile wallets. If you are considering selling in India, then you should be aware that Indians are easily put off by high delivery fees and long delivery times.
3. Mobile
Around 73% of internet traffic in India comes from mobile phones, meaning that your Indian website needs to be optimised for mobile. Be aware that internet speeds in India are slow, so you also need to make sure to optimise your website for speed.
Want to learn more?
I hope this has given you a useful introduction to digital marketing in India. For more in-depth information and advice, read the full-length guide here. The guide covers:
- the current digital landscape in the country, including internet penetration rates
- the typical Indian internet user, including their gender, age, location and online activities
- device usage breakdowns and internet speeds in India
- search engine marketing in India
- how to localise your website for India
- social media marketing in India
- the local culture and language in India
- e-commerce in India

Anna Giulia Novero

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Hi Anna, All the 3 points make sense but I feel Local SEO should make it to the list as a separate point for the year 2018.