India’s eCommerce market: the size of the opportunity
India’s eCommerce sector is growing at 27% annually and is expected to reach $350 billion by 2030. Amazon India, Flipkart, Nykaa, Myntra, and a growing number of sector-specific marketplaces have created distribution infrastructure that European brands can access without building their own.
For European companies evaluating India, eCommerce offers something uniquely valuable: commercial validation before significant investment. You can test whether Indian consumers want your product, at what price point, and in which categories — before committing to a local subsidiary, a warehouse, or a permanent team.
The regulatory framework for foreign brands selling online in India
Foreign brands cannot sell directly on Indian marketplaces without a local entity. India’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy prohibits foreign companies from engaging in B2C retail — including online — without a licensed local entity.
There are two compliant structures for foreign brands to sell on Indian marketplaces:
- Through an Indian subsidiary: The Pvt Ltd company imports the goods, maintains inventory, and sells on the marketplace. Full control, full compliance, higher setup cost.
- Through a licensed Indian trading partner: The trading partner imports, warehouses, and sells the goods on the foreign brand’s behalf. Faster market entry, lower capital requirement, less control.
RAW India Trading: the fastest compliant route
RAW India Trading is the trading arm of the RAW Group, designed specifically for this purpose. Foreign brands appoint RAW India Trading as their exclusive online distributor, and RAW handles importation, customs clearance, warehousing, marketplace listing, customer service, and returns management.
RAW India Trading has operated pan-India with five warehouses and one bonded warehouse, with established accounts on all major Indian marketplaces. For European brands looking to test India with minimal investment, this model eliminates 6–12 months of setup time and allows commercial operations to begin in 8–12 weeks from agreement.
What European brands need to prepare
Before onboarding with RAW India Trading, brands need to ensure their products comply with Indian labelling regulations (country of origin, importer name, MRP labelling in English), applicable BIS or FSSAI certifications for regulated product categories, and correct HS code classification for import duty calculation.
RAW’s compliance team supports brands through all of these requirements as part of the onboarding process.
To explore whether the RAW India Trading model is right for your brand, contact info@relationsatwork.com.
