We talk quite rightly about the massive opportunities that exist for brands in the West now to reach new audiences online in BRIC markets.
China clearly with the sheer volume of online users stands out as the single most attractive market; with over half a billion netizens, a growing middle class and a huge appetite for all things luxury and Western.
While China is undoubtedly a key market now for luxury brands, the digital landscape is well, complicated.
Google has a tiny market-share – 5% of the search engine market, whilst Baidu continues to dominate the landscape, with Qihoo owning a growing market share.
The social landscape is also substantially different – Twitter and Facebook are missing from the equation, and the dominance of We Chat, Sina Weibo & Tencent, all have huge user-bases.
China clearly demands a completely different approach to the rest of the World, and the skill-sets required to impact this market wholly differ to the West.
The Indian online landscape however is a very different proposition. There are 150 million internet users in India now*, making it the 3rd biggest online market. The digital landscape practically mirrors our own digital landscape in the UK.
Google dominates the market in India with c80% market share, much like our own. Facebook and Twitter are huge  and dominate the social landscape, and LinkedIn is emerging as a serious channel for business users.
All of this makes for a very interesting opportunity for Western brands, who can adapt their western strategies digitally with the minimum of fuss, to tap into this massive and increasingly cash-rich consumer market. Oh, and English is a readily accepted online language!
All of this makes India a very interesting market indeed, and like in the West 10 years ago, opportunities for early entrants are sizable.
This market will only increase in size, surely making it a prime opportunity for Western brands’ growth plans.
*Source IAMAI 2013 Report