India's Leapfrogging Innovations

India has demonstrated a pattern of leapfrogging in technological advancements, particularly in e-commerce, by bypassing previous stages of digital and physical infrastructure. Unlike markets like the US, which benefited from established platforms such as Shopify and Amazon, India faced significant challenges in logistics and payment systems. This discrepancy led to a unique organizational structure within India’s online commerce sector, where more merchants engage in organized online retail compared to offline sales. The transition to e-commerce was catalyzed by the necessity of adapting to local consumer behaviors, such as the prevalent use of cash-on-delivery.