e-Window shopping
Shopping is no longer confined to the local stores. You can access the world's market with just a click of a mouse…
Today you can buy things like books, CDs, DVDs, clothes, shoes,
accessories, bath products, cosmetics, the latest gadgets, the oldest pieces of
jewellery, paintings, bags and even your daily groceries online! Online
shopping has expanded to the extent that you can even buy a trademark license
for your brand with a website!
Shalaka, an 18-year-old online shopper says, “I love online
shopping. It's extremely convenient and with the new cash-on-delivery option
you don't even have to make unsafe transactions. Websites offer discounts,
which is a huge bonus, as well as access to a larger variety of styles. The
last thing I bought online was shoes and make-up. The shoes fit perfectly.”
Online shopping is best for gifting for a number of reasons:
There is a huge variety of products.
You can even get it gift-wrapped and shipped to the desired
address.
You don't need to jump from one shop to the next or dawdle in a
mall breaking your head over what to gift and return empty-handed.
Many brands that you find online even have customisable products,
making it special.
One big advantage is that you have access to products that may
not be available in India.
Online shopping isn't just for buyers. It's also a great platform
for people who want to sell.
Young entrepreneurs
With the rise of online shopping the number of retailers online
is growing quickly, too. Many see this as a hobby alongside a mainstream job.
Web purchasing gives the label a much wider audience.
Online portals are a great medium for brands to test the waters,
see what the response is like and then proceed with further expansion. For some
it's even a stepping stone towards opening their own store. Many people with
online products exhibit in and around the country. Online shopping is an
effective way to be seen by the right audience, international and national, and
to connect to them easily.
Mallika, a designer with Esenemes that largely retails online,
says, “Online shopping enables you to interact with people from various cities
and countries and effectively do business with them. The reach is so wide that,
within 10 days, we had made ourselves known to a hundred people. We wouldn't
have managed this if it weren't for web purchasing.”
Pros and cons
Pros:
It is available around the clock.
It saves time on travelling and fuel. (More money for shopping!)
Huge brands like Pottery Barn are now available because of online
shopping and payment methods.
You can sit at home and relax and with just a few clicks can even
buy your groceries and have them brought to your doorstep.
You can buy train tickets and plane tickets at a click.
Book your movie tickets first with online shopping. You can even
buy your popcorn and sodas and have them brought to your seat when you buy your
tickets. (How great is this?)
Shopping for gadgets is easier and more efficient with sites that
narrow down the brands t and the features you require to compare models and
find the perfect match for you.
No need to deal with any more persistent salesmen! (Phew.)
Buy music, movies and favourite TV shows.
Cons:
There's no guarantee that you'll get exactly what you see.
Colours may look different in photographs and the finish may not be the same
either as the retailer may have edited the image of their product.
There is the danger of paying for something and the order taking
forever to reach you. (Or worse never reaching at all)
You have to be careful when shopping on sites like eBay as you
may end up buying second hand stuff.
When buying clothes you may not be comfortable with the fit when
you receive it and try it on. Shoes too have this problem.
‘Cash on Delivery' is always the best policy.
Make sure you read the return policy carefully; it might not be
suitable sometimes.
Popular picks
Clothes
jabong.com: Want
a wardrobe makeover? Check out www.jabong.com. Ethnic wear, casuals, shoes,
accessories and sun glasses to beat the heat, you can find them all here.
Choose from the best brands to go into the wardrobe.
myntra.com: A
bit hard on cash, worry no more. There is a season sale to make it easy. Find popular
brands at an affordable price and a wide variety to choose from for clothes and
accessories.
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Books
crossword.in:
An online book store built according to Indian likes. You can shop here by
category or choose from the recently sold, best sellers and best sellers of the
past year. To make it spicier there are seasonal sales for members.
landmarkonthenet.com:
Landmark's online store is no different from their real stores in your
nearby malls. You can buy all the books you want; you can add music CDs and
movies to your shopping list. Games and gadgets are on offer too.
Across categories
amazon.com: Yes
granted, you find everything here something that surprised me was the Android
app store in the website. Amazon offers you the popular games from google play.
The separate department Android 101 offers apps, phones and tablets with android
OS. Amazon cloud drive gives 5GB space to add your digital and other files in
it.
flipkart.com:
You can find flipkart in websites other than flipkart.com. When you
subscribe to them you can add their feature adding items to flipkart in your
own website. Their new department is the beauty and spa section. There is also
a section to download Mp3 songs from all popular genres and Indian languages.
ebay.in: Here
you can find a myriad of products from floral dresses to headphones for a
reasonable price. Choose from new, used and refurbished, “Buy it Now” or place
bids to get a product at a fraction of the original selling price.
Gadgets
gadgetguru.com:
Camcorders, digital cameras, home theater, home appliances, pens, laptops,
LCD and Plasma TV, PDA and smart phones, MP3 players, software, pen drives are
all available here. You can find branded laptops and accessories at reasonable
prices here.
gadgets.in: Strike
the best deals at the best price for the latest gadgets. Find it all here at
reasonable prices and offers.
Music
cduniverse.com:
Find CDs of all genres from classical to hip-hop. There is music of all
times, from today's newly released albums to ones from your dad's teenage
years. You can find your favourite music in vinyl records, DVD's and audio
books.
saregama.com:
Here is a website to find your favourite Indian artistes. There are songs
from all Indian languages and you can dedicate these songs, embed the song or
even set it as your ringtone. You are also at liberty to rate the songs.
Shraddha is a Grade XI student. TH120530
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