Ever since Alibaba's listing, there have been questions on whether India can have its own Alibaba and by when. Ma, during his various interactions with businesses, may try to gauge the potential of Indian e-commerce to some extent. But, he may have more for the market, considering that he is coming to India less than two months after the visit of Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon. 
 
Online retail giants Alibaba and Amazon are in intense competition in the US and other international markets. While Amazon entered the Indian e-commerce space through a marketplace model last year, Alibaba only has a sourcing operation in the country.
           
India does not permit foreign investment in e-commerce, the reason why companies have chosen the marketplace format. There are no FDI caps for marketplace model as it is seen as a technology and backend business. Marketplace is about internet companies hosting dealers and retailers, who sell their products online. 
 
Alibaba happens to be a natural marketplace player while Amazon's true model is inventory-linked with full control on the products it sells. Experts point out that because of the marketplace model, Alibaba fits perfectly with the Indian e-commerce industry.        
 
It makes sense therefore that Ma is slated to meet Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl during this visit. Snapdeal officials, however, said there's no meeting planned between Bahl and Jack Ma.

Four-year-old Snapdeal became a marketplace player soon after it launched, and Bahl has often referred to the company as the ''Indian Alibaba''. There are existing synergies too.   
 

 

src:sify.com