People in my house complain about the time i spend on the internet.. browsing online newspapers, facebook and online forums. To justify my time I often tell them about the rupees I save them by shopping at the online stores. My wife promptly points out that this online binge brings home many things we do not really need, so its more of rupees wasted instead of saved.. well that argument will never end..
Recently Swaminathan S Aiyer, in his column in the Times of India, opined that the traditional retailers should be more afraid of the competetion from online shopping portals rather than international chains like Wall Mart. These online retailers not only offer a wide variety to choose from, they also offer substantially lower prices. With substantially low overheads (mainly showroom rentals and interors),and with good logistics network in place, they are able to ship the items in a short time and in good condition to your doorstep. As broadband internet connectivity is growing every day especially among urban users, and secured payment gateways being offered by most banks, online shopping is becoming an increasingly
pleasant experience.
Touted as the Amazon of the Orient, Flipkart(www.flipkart.com) has made rapid strides in the online shopping space. What started off as a small venture by young entrepreneurs who initailly managed everything from procurement to packing and delivery, Flipkart has grown today into a mature organization offering a slew of products from mobiles and laptops to books and movies, and a lot more. It usually offers substantial discounts to the MRP. Packing is usually excellent and delivery on time through its own logistics arm Flipkart logistics. Its a while since I went to the local bookstore after discovering flipkart. The site has book and movie reviews by users, that helps you choose from the options available. Flipkart was also quiet generous with return policy, on the only occasion I had to return a DVD received with Region 2 encoding (Indian players usually have 5). Flipkart organised the return logistics themselves with full refund.
Started by a Pune entrepreneur, Sameer Bhagwat from the travel and tourism industry, is the site http://traveloworldonline.com/. I was pleasantly surprised by the range of services offered. It offers online Hotel, Flight and taxi booking, something that only mature portals like makemytrip and yatra can offer. In addition it offers Indian and international holidays at competetive rates. According to Sameer, the site offers rates which are LOWER than the other portals, and lower even what the offcial web sites offer. In addition you can contact them for customised Railway, bus and cruise bookings. The site looks quiet professional and the interface is friendly too, although the hotel booking retrieval is a little slow. Online payment through secured gateway is available. They also offer passport and visa assistance and assistance with medical insurance. A one stop shop for those planning a trip.
Another interesting site is the troika of Lenskart, Watchkart and Bagskart (not sure if related to Flipkart, probably not although name sounds similar).. again the same story of low prices, prompt delivery and good return / refund policies.I tried lenskart.. It has succeeded in making the shopping of a complicated product quiet easy. Detailed helppages on how to choose the frame size to user friendly data entry for the lens power. Not to forget HUGE savings in cost. Offers a wide variety of lens types, branded frames, and contact lenses.
In the US, amazon has already put the brick and mortar retailers out of business. Is India heading the same way?
Recently Swaminathan S Aiyer, in his column in the Times of India, opined that the traditional retailers should be more afraid of the competetion from online shopping portals rather than international chains like Wall Mart. These online retailers not only offer a wide variety to choose from, they also offer substantially lower prices. With substantially low overheads (mainly showroom rentals and interors),and with good logistics network in place, they are able to ship the items in a short time and in good condition to your doorstep. As broadband internet connectivity is growing every day especially among urban users, and secured payment gateways being offered by most banks, online shopping is becoming an increasingly
pleasant experience.
Touted as the Amazon of the Orient, Flipkart(www.flipkart.com) has made rapid strides in the online shopping space. What started off as a small venture by young entrepreneurs who initailly managed everything from procurement to packing and delivery, Flipkart has grown today into a mature organization offering a slew of products from mobiles and laptops to books and movies, and a lot more. It usually offers substantial discounts to the MRP. Packing is usually excellent and delivery on time through its own logistics arm Flipkart logistics. Its a while since I went to the local bookstore after discovering flipkart. The site has book and movie reviews by users, that helps you choose from the options available. Flipkart was also quiet generous with return policy, on the only occasion I had to return a DVD received with Region 2 encoding (Indian players usually have 5). Flipkart organised the return logistics themselves with full refund.
Started by a Pune entrepreneur, Sameer Bhagwat from the travel and tourism industry, is the site http://traveloworldonline.com/. I was pleasantly surprised by the range of services offered. It offers online Hotel, Flight and taxi booking, something that only mature portals like makemytrip and yatra can offer. In addition it offers Indian and international holidays at competetive rates. According to Sameer, the site offers rates which are LOWER than the other portals, and lower even what the offcial web sites offer. In addition you can contact them for customised Railway, bus and cruise bookings. The site looks quiet professional and the interface is friendly too, although the hotel booking retrieval is a little slow. Online payment through secured gateway is available. They also offer passport and visa assistance and assistance with medical insurance. A one stop shop for those planning a trip.
Another interesting site is the troika of Lenskart, Watchkart and Bagskart (not sure if related to Flipkart, probably not although name sounds similar).. again the same story of low prices, prompt delivery and good return / refund policies.I tried lenskart.. It has succeeded in making the shopping of a complicated product quiet easy. Detailed helppages on how to choose the frame size to user friendly data entry for the lens power. Not to forget HUGE savings in cost. Offers a wide variety of lens types, branded frames, and contact lenses.
In the US, amazon has already put the brick and mortar retailers out of business. Is India heading the same way?
Nice blog Amit...and yes i do agree India heading towards the same track...:)
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