India is a land of opportunity for some, and a confusing environment for those who haven’t taken the time to learn about this dynamic market in the East. While most people will agree that China takes top priority in the majority of conversations that pertain to which manufacturing base ranks highest; there is a lot of buzz out there about India’s rise as the next dot-com launchpad to a bright future in e-commerce.

If anyone were to ask if e-commerce is doing well in India right now, the answer would invariably be a mix of “not really,” and “not so sure.” At present, the world’s second most populous country has situated itself firmly as a powerhouse in technical developments, as scores of software engineers and other IT industry professionals are produced at an incredible rate every year. However, the onset of the e-commerce phenomenon has yet to make such a grand entrance, as many of the country’s largest cities are the only ones that offer their residents an accessible source of Internet, and the vast majority of users are still low-income students and others who don’t necessarily represent the target audience that most online sellers are driving at.

Anyone looking for answers about where this kind of imbalance occurs, needs to understand the basic fundamentals of India’s buying culture. It’s a monstrously huge market, and there is a rate of growth in the Internet presence there that has many experts reeling.

Without resorting to the simple act of copying successful business models and applying them to India without any special consideration, the act of cultivating sales is a blended approach, ,utilizing methods that are tried and true in all markets, while combining strategies that rely on heavy innovation and creativity to get any traction at all.

Mobile is perhaps the single largest market at present, and it’s come as no surprise that many of the most successful campaigns have been the ones where mobile was a priority, and direct communication with customers made the biggest impression, over all other forms of marketing.

Another positive sign is in the amount of lending going towards startups and venture capital projects, which indicates a healthy belief that there will be a return on the investment, if given adequate time. Cash funding is perhaps the greatest indicator of all, since it shows a desire to play the risk, better than any other form of lending available today.

In addition, there is a pool of human resources that rival China, with workers and technically oriented specialists available to handle projects of all sizes, and often in all time zones as well.

On the other hand, experts caution, there is also a noteworthy sense of anticipation in the investment community that seems to be hinting at allowing markets to mature, now that initial investments have been made. In a sense, it’s time to see if the gamble pays off, and lenders in the private sector are especially anxious to see the results sooner rather than later.