With e-commerce beginning to move above and beyond conventional methods and practices, it has paved the way for women to become entrepreneurs from the comfort of their homes.
Over the last few years, India’s e-commerce industry has witnessed explosive growth and this sector is one of the fastest-growing, despite the ongoing pandemic. Alongside this, India has also registered a significant rise in the number of women entrepreneurs, particularly in the online selling segment. With e-commerce beginning to move above and beyond conventional methods and practices, it has paved the way for women to become entrepreneurs from the comfort of their homes – homepreneurs. Recent years have seen women running successful businesses in several sectors including technology, education, baking, and some have even become mompreneurs.
Although on the socio-economic index, India is yet to reach the top when it comes to women entrepreneurs, with only 14% of enterprises being run by women, the country has been making steady progress. Of the many segments that women have begun ventures in, online selling is quickly gaining traction and making way for the rise of homepreneurs. To understand this better, let’s delve deeper into the emerging world of women homepreneurs and why online selling has become increasingly preferred amongst them.
Who is a Homepreneur?
A homepreneur is someone who runs their business from their home. As the name suggests, homepreneurs may not have a formal or highly organized structure as a full-fledged enterprise does. For several women across the country, becoming a homepreneur has allowed them to build a career for themselves or restart their careers in some cases, thereby allowing them to become financially independent. The concept of homepreneurship is trending amongst the women in the country, especially in the online selling space, owing to several factors.
The Advent of Technology and Social Commerce
Technological evolution has resulted in the creation of several wonders that make our day-to-day lives as well as business operations immensely convenient. For the e-commerce industry, social commerce has become a major source of generating revenue as well as opportunities. Especially for homepreneurs constituting homemakers, students, and even part-time sellers, social media has emerged as a popular channel for online selling as people spend an increasing amount of time on these platforms. Digital mediums such as Instagram and Facebook are also facilitating seamless Direct to Consumer (D2C) selling with several tech-enabled features such as the Facebook Marketplace, Whatsapp Business etc. It’s thrilling to know that the women selling on social media platforms are now nearing the number of women selling on standalone e-commerce portals.
Metro Cities vs Non-metros
Tier-I cities have accounted for the maximum number of women entrepreneurs and online sellers for a long period. This trend is however beginning to change as tier-II and tier-III cities are starting to catch up. Cities such as Thane, Jaipur, and Kanchipuram are leading the change with a rapidly growing number of sellers. Particularly with the pandemic resulting in movement restrictions and a general apprehension towards stepping outside due to the fears of the novel coronavirus, quite a few women have commenced their online entrepreneurial journey in smaller cities.
Final word – Minimum Investment, Maximum Profit
Furthermore, the concept of ‘minimum investment, maximum profit’ in the online selling category has been a major source of attraction and has offered women a fair head start in their entrepreneurial journey. An uptick in access to credit and other resources such as technology is facilitating countless small and medium businesses run by women.
In addition to this, increased exposure to different markets, new clientele, and ample support from D2C platforms have helped online selling gain further traction among homepreneurs. The steadily rising contribution of women sellers in the e-commerce segment is enabling an increasing number of women to join the bandwagon and become homepreneurs, making the future of e-commerce sector and the online selling category highly promising.
Source: Business World
