In the recent two years, many companies in India have set up online shopping websites covering apparel & shoes and other fashion and lifestyle commodities. The online shops have been supported by rising number of Indians going online on regular basis.

With social platforms like Facebook, these online ventures are trying to carve their niche in the retail markets. Most of the websites are dealing with branded goods and offer discount compared to MRP.

These companies are having better margins compared to physical stores as they don’t have to pay high rents. Also, their inventory level is low compared to company owned or franchisee stores.

Among major websites operating in online space in India are Myntra.com, Bestylish.com, homeshop18, yebhi.com and naaptol.com.

However, there are companies, which are also having focus on cosmetics. These include Urbantouch.com and Strawberry (they operate country specific portals in various countires worldwide and offer free shipping).

With more Indians coming online, the future growth estimates are favoring the online ventures. In addition to rising online population, people are feeling more confident about shopping online. Also, many of the online shopping websites offer cash on delivery option.