Indian shopping portals are going that extra mile to make transaction user-friendly. Shrabasti Mallik finds out that while Amazon has tied up with Best Deal TV, newly launched Royzez offers special personal manager services
Think of how happy and fun-filled those days were when the entire family went out to buy just one piece of furniture or a television set. The debate over colour, size, design was something that enriched the shopping experience. There was a certain joy in touching and feeling the object one was about to buy and a flurry of excitement in carrying new things home.
Today, however, the scenario is slightly different. While the happiness of donning a new dress or operating an electrical appliance or taking a whiff off a new book remains the same, the means of shopping have changed. Rather than scanning through the aisles of a mall, a departmental store or a shop, customers are choosing to select from the endless options that are available to them at the comfort of their homes, thanks to the numerous shopping portals that promise to cater to every need.
“The Indian e-commerce space is still at a very nascent stage with significant potential for innovation and growth. We believe growth is at an inflection point and there is a tremendous opportunity. We believe there is room for multiple formats, players and most importantly, for innovation,” explained a spokesperson from Amazon India.
According to Praveen Sinha, MD and co-founder of Jabong.com, convenience and accessibility have played a major role in the paramount growth figures owing to the large customer base that is seeking solutions online for their everyday needs. Today the Indian customer is holistically becoming fashion forward and is exposed to styles available in the overseas market. “Customising services according to such needs, e-commerce players are bringing in high-end international brands on-board which otherwise are not available offline. Adding to this is a wide assortment that online shops offer, making
the online spaces bigger by the day,” he added.
Today online shopping portals are the next best thing when it comes to buying any product — ranging from household items, upholstery, kitchen items, clothes, furniture and gadgets — from a vast range of national and international brands under one roof. Shopping sites are now, more than ever, rolling out exciting offers, upgrading their services and going that extra mile to make online shopping user-friendly and convenient.
Recently launched Royzez.com, for example, comes with the tagline ‘shop befikar.’ Rahul Sethi, chief operating officer and head of marketing, told us the three key features that they believe sets them apart. The portal’s biggest strength is the concept of a personal manager. Sethi explained, “There are times when you buy a product and it does not meet your expectations. When you call the customer care, your call is routed to someone and when you call the second time, your call is transferred to somebody else. There is the entire process of explaining your problem all over again. But the personal manager concept ensures that you stay connected to the same customer care personnel everytime you shop through the site.”
The site promises quality checks and makes sure that every product that goes out for shipment goes through a thorough security check. “Cameras are installed in the packaging rooms to ensure quality. Plus, we are BNB customer centric company so we dispatch an order on the same day,” he said.
Sethi pointed out the statistics. “A few years ago in India, a country of 1.2 billion population, only three per cent shopped online. Through the years, the numbers have increased and the figures have reached 350 million, and the numbers are growing by 50 million every six months,” he said.
Keeping up with competition, Jabong.com, too, recently launched a New User Interface which endorses the best shopping experience in desktop, tablets and mobile for its consumers. “With the launch, we are focussing completely to evolve significant modifications both internal and externally on the site. It focusses not only on the enriched outlook of the site but also an enhanced and convenient proficiency and interesting alterations breaking the monotony of the online sites. The checkout flow has also been revamped making transaction process quicker,” Sinha said. Additionally, the My Account section on the website has also been changed helping users to manage their orders (track, return, exchange, cancel) in a simpler manner.
For a smooth shopping experience, Amazon has recently tied up with Raj Kundra owned Best Deal TV (India’s first celebrity driven shopping channel). The spokesperson said, “It is a window to products endorsed by celebrities.”