India becomes front in global e-commerce proxy war

[Nilgiri]

I might be nationalistic. But I need an TATA or Reliance in e-commerce to take on global players. And at this rate it is not happening.

Yah it (open-policy rather than careful insulation) was a bit rushed for sure. The main reason was that credit was lean (thanks to problem started by you know who) when the sector needed it so VC/M&A became natural route. In the end, job creation trumps wealth accumulation location in that scenario....once pie is big enough, there will be better resources available within the sector itself for better localised wealth chains.

But lets give it couple more years and re-visit the scenario, lots of things are changing in startups (incl for e-commerce) right now:

 

[protest]

Letting Amazon set shop in India was a gigantic mistake. So is Uber. We need companies that can take on global heavyweights across the world. Only few countries will have capabilities and resource to petri dish large companies through which Indian interest can be advanced along the globe. Small countries dont have much option. They cant develop any large companies, but to let companies operate on their turfs. India is in no way small country.

An uber earns 10$ for an approximate 10km ride in NA. It can make an profit for more than 5$(that includes after paying driver fee, rent etc) where the original costs might be less than 2$ for that. And they use that extra money to invest in developing countries to kill out the competition where the price is in cents level.

Now I feel not letting in Walmart and big multi retail companies is good step after all.

You are getting it all wrong IMO. See, India being a giant country and growing at a faster clip, these multinationals take us very seriously. Their Interest in India would help us have a say in their country's foreign policy. Also, as when their business in this country grow to be equal and in some cases exceed that of their own native countries, they cease to be foreign, the whole management will be Indian except for the ownership. Effectively, India and Indians will takeover these multinationals in coming decades. China was wrong to not do it this way.

 

[Indika]

I might be nationalistic. But I need an TATA or Reliance in e-commerce to take on global players. And at this rate it is not happening.

very slim chance, these companies are monoliths they simply cant get into digital space. Their attitude is not that great,if you look at reliance digital & tata's croma prices with online competitors they are miles apart. In fact they even wanted manufacturers put restriction on price to be sold by online sites to protect their margins. For them technology is non existent. They think eCommerce means brick store with a website!

Startups try new things, they fail and some one learns from it. The cycle continues and among 50 startups one or two go onto make a big mark. This rapid iteration is what will lead to success. Just think of it have tata's TCS made any thing technological mark in software in-spite of their billions of dollars in revenue. They simply continue to be body shops. We need new generation of fearless ppl who have nothing to lose and are not intimidated by big corps. The one with better technology will have a chance to beat the more moneyed.

 

[AndrewJin]

I know - Iran


You have no clue how aggressive Alibaba is.

@Chinese-Dragon, I am off, bro. Gonna play WOT. just came in to check for anything fresh.

Yes, indian market is quite easy to grasp unlike many other high-profile markets.
Their domestic players are simply too weak and incapable.