The last time I tried an online transaction in India was in 2006 - booking IRCTC tickets perhaps. I still remember the cloud of doubt through which it all happened.
''..the card details will be hacked'', "...the transaction won't go through", "..they will charge extra..", "..the tickets will never be booked..". Thousands of doubts till it all went well.
Shopping online was very limited - may be just movie tickets and the odd gift of cake and flowers. But till the deal actually took place, the online part of it was very much doubted.
We then moved to the UK, and the entire world was through e-commerce. Groceries, take-aways, flights, hotel reservations, bill payments, train passes, kids' stuff, clothes, furniture, cars - almost everything was bought online. Entire holidays from flights, taxi-pickups, car rentals, hotel stays were booked from the living room, and enjoyed as planned without a hiccup! Hassle-free.Safe. Reliable. It was fast becoming the way of everyday life.
Come 2013-14. Am back in India. And the most significantly changed aspect is e-commerce. The way it has grown in leaps and bounds is just astounding.
I tentatively dipped my toes in 'order-stuff-online' when I was at home and had to get ready for my 2nd baby to arrive.
FirstCry,
BabyOye came to the rescue. The entire experience was fabulous. Then on , there has been no stopping me.Since then I have tried
Jabong,
Myntra,
SnapDeal,
FlipKart - all with fantastic services and range of products. Sites like BigBasket, Towness are delivering fresh produce at the doorstep at very reasonable rates. Not only are the card transactions seamless, there are 'Cash on Delivery' options for those still sceptical. Exchanges and returns are effortlessly handled. Customer support is apt and efficient.Doorstep, on-time deliveries and making it a very favourable experience. The mobile apps for most of these are very user friendly too.The happy customer base is fast growing.
As we talk about the online shopping experience, I must not forget to mention sites like OLX - which are doing a great job of connecting individual buyers and sellers - a trend which is catching on - earlier being frowned upon by the Indian customer. Buying 'once-loved'/'second-hand' stuff was mostly limited to books. There are other fast growing groups on FB which encourage swapping or selling used stuff to 'reuse' and 'recycle'.
This was one thing I believed I would miss the most here in India - but I can't praise these e-commerce sites enough. Its probably in its best phase now, and it can only keep on growing from here on. Apparently experts believe it to become a $100-billion industry in the next 10-15 years. E-commerce is gaining access in everyday life. Kudos and All The Best.
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