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Shopping
netizens
Shopping from home through the net
is fast catching up in India. Convenience is the keyword for
its proliferation. But there are hitches too with security
being the prime concern, reports Ritusmita Biswas
Jeet Biswas was away from his home in his
first anniversary. However, that did not stop him from ordering
flowers for his wife, buying her a dress from her favourite
boutique and booking a ticket for her at a city multiplex
for the D-Day.
Rashmi Mehra is just back from Babson College
in the US after a three year tenure and is hooked on to the
net. Everything she shops is via the net.
Rashmi and Jeet are no exceptions. Over
the years, more and more people belonging to generationX have
turned to the internet as their window to the outer world.
Be it movies, eating out, chatting or shopping, one does not
need to go out any more. Relaxed in the security and comfort
of one’s own house, one can order food, book tickets
for a movie or shop for an anniversary or a birthday.
“The traffic in Mumbai is bad. It’s
a pain to book a cab and go to a shopping complex to do the
essential shopping. I find it much more convenient to book
or purchase items over the net,” says Rashmi.
Self confessed bookworm Smriti Agarwal,
a visual merchandiser by profession, after discovering the
“cool discounts” on internet in a popular book website
has not looked back since. “This site offers me excellent
opportunities to bid on a book and so I can get it at a really
bargain price,” she says.
In fact, internet shopping has come as a
boon to many professionals too stressed with their professional
life. Parthapratim Mishra, a gynaecologist in a top Kolkata
hospital is an avid internet shopper. “I am on call almost
20 hours a day. In a profession like ours it’s very difficult
to find time to go and shop. But I love shopping and a part
of my relaxation procedure is to shop for bric-a-brac for
decorating my home or as gifts or my near and dear ones,”
he says.
Internet shopping, however, is not restricted
to buying small knick knacks for home and other less costly
items. A survey of sites like eBay.com or Indiatimes.com showed
that even expensive items like microwaves, washing machines,
food processors and even luxury cars like Ford Icon are regularly
purchased via net shopping.
Avid shopper and net junkie Payal Garg,
a call center executive with Descon says, “Initially
my shopping was limited to less expensive items like clothes,
shoes, gifts etc. But over the last few months there has been
quite a significant change in my income and I have purchased
quite a few costly items including an expensive camera phone
over the net.”
Gone are the days when Indians were afraid
of using the credit card on a regular basis, forget online
shopping. Today’s yuppies, or corporate honchos or internet
savvy housewives do not think twice before typing their credit
card numbers to purchase a desired good online.
Aware of the growing online market in the
country, online biggies have pulled up their socks. Ebay,
the most popular online auctioning and selling site has merged
with bazee.com to start its Indian operation. Popular online
book website Amazon.Com too is scheduled to start its online
operations soon.
The major reason that propelled the growth
of the online market in the country is largely due to internet
being readily accessible. Competitive and aggressive marketing
has led to the spread of the credit card culture across not
only metros but small towns as well. The proliferation of
sites from where second-hand goods can be bought is another
factor that has fuelled the change. Convenience of shopping
at a cosy ambience at home, however, is the foremost reason
that has propelled the growth of this online commerce. Be
it Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore or Kolkata, after a hard day’s
work, the urbanites balk at the prospect of driving for half
an hour to super marts and face the trouble of traffic, car
parking etc.
The most popular objects for online purchase
in India include electronic gadgets like used I-pods, MP3
Players, cameras, watches and books. Online sale of air tickets
too is a concept that’s fast catching up with Indian
flyers. With the launch of new airlines that prefer to sell
their tickets online and thus save on travel agents’
commission, most air travellers just order tickets on the
internet. And it’s a boon in emergencies too. Nandita
Ghosh got the news that her father had expired at 10 0’clock
at night. She had to fly out the next day. Though distraught,
she immediately switched on her computer and booked her ticket
with such an airline.
Although books and CDs continue to be the
fastest selling items online, holiday packages, leisure travel
bookings, are also goods that are catching up.
The biggest bane for the proliferation
of online commerce growth in India seems to be the internet
crimes that are slowly becoming commonplace in India. Even
though virtual shopping is on rise, the big problem is the
reluctance of many Indians to give out credit card numbers
to any e-commerce sites. A survey by Taylor Nelson Sofors
Interactive has revealed that the fear about security of an
online payment is holding back many potential purchasers.
Manager and proprietor of Discount Info line, an e-commerce
site, Kushal Mehra agrees that security is a prime concern.
Most online shopping sectors are now availing of new measures
like cash-on-delivery etc to ensure that customers do not
shy away from purchasing online, he informs. Availing secure
payment gateways and SSL ( Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol
for transmitting private documents via the internet) have
also become the accepted norm among e-commerce companies to
provide better security to their customers using credit cards
to shop online, Mehra adds.
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