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Shopping Tips - India Online Shopping
The year 2014 has been an eventful one for various stakeholders of the e-commerce industry. Whether it was investors pouring billions of dollars in the business or players hosting shopping extravaganzas like GOSF by Google, Big Billion Day by Flipkart or Savings Day by Snapdeal; all managed to generate a huge excitement among the patrons of the industry.
As the year comes to an end, everyone wonders what the approaching year may bring with it. So, for the avid online shopper, Mehul Jobanputra CEO and Cofounder from DesiDime.com, an online shopping community for deals and coupons brings you six things that shoppers need to watch out for in 2015.
1. Awesome Deals Will Last Only A Short While
Things change with time and it applies to the e-commerce industry as well. There was a time when shopping portals used to offer heavy discounts for days and weeks, which is going to change in the coming years.
We saw hints of this in GOSF 2014, where one found many a decent deals but the most amazing ones only lasted for a matter of hours, sometimes even seconds. In 2015, a shopper can expect the trend to continue.
So, in the near future, a shopper will have to do in-depth research to get the desired products at preferred discounted prices and be super active at grabbing them during such sales, which are now going to last only for a short while.
2. Reading Product Details Carefully, A MUST
It is important to pay close attention to product details like warranty, after sales service etc. especially in case of electronics and gadgets, when buying online. In February 2014, a couple of brands like Toshiba and Lenovo declared that they won’t offer warranty on products which are purchased online. This was also the case with some products during the Big Billion Day.
Thus, a shopper should educate himself/herself about all such disclaimers by reading the fine print before making their final purchase decisions.
3. Research New Brands Before Buying Online
December 2014 saw a ban, albeit a temporary one, on Xiaomi and Oneplus in India. Thus, it is advisable that a shopper does some thorough research on brands, yet un-established in the country, before purchasing their products, to avoid unnecessary post-shopping complications.
4. Pay Attention to Seller Ratings
Buyers must know that online shopping portals are marketplaces, where different merchants come to sell their products to consumers. So, the price, quality, delivery and other factors of your order are not only the responsibility of the portals but also the sellers, from whom your product actually comes.
Thus, it is time that shoppers started paying close attention to the ratings of these sellers, especially while doing bulk shopping. A seller review essentially consists of a rating assigned to the seller, based on the feedback from various customers. If the rating is positive or neutral that means it is safe to purchase from the respective seller.
5. Use Cashback Feature Aggressively
Many people fail to calculate the amount they can easily save by getting cash back either by using a debit card/credit card from a particular bank or by using cash back sites like GoPaisa, linkis.in etc.
For instance, one can avail 10% cashback on Amazon India by using HDFC bank cards to make payments.
6. Interact closely with other shoppers
Whether it is getting a product review or information about the latest deals and coupons, no one can guide you as much as an experienced shopper can do. Shopping communities like DesiDime.com and others provide you with a platform where you can interact with other shoppers, know about latest and hottest offers, compare prices, read store reviews, thus, helping you make the most well-informed and beneficial shopping decision.
As the e-commerce industry keeps growing exponentially and the competition intensifies, a shopper can gear himself/ herself for future online shopping frenzies of 2015 by following these simple tips and tricks mentioned above.
[Source]
The year 2014 has been an eventful one for various stakeholders of the e-commerce industry. Whether it was investors pouring billions of dollars in the business or players hosting shopping extravaganzas like GOSF by Google, Big Billion Day by Flipkart or Savings Day by Snapdeal; all managed to generate a huge excitement among the patrons of the industry.
As the year comes to an end, everyone wonders what the approaching year may bring with it. So, for the avid online shopper, Mehul Jobanputra CEO and Cofounder from DesiDime.com, an online shopping community for deals and coupons brings you six things that shoppers need to watch out for in 2015.
1. Awesome Deals Will Last Only A Short While
Things change with time and it applies to the e-commerce industry as well. There was a time when shopping portals used to offer heavy discounts for days and weeks, which is going to change in the coming years.
We saw hints of this in GOSF 2014, where one found many a decent deals but the most amazing ones only lasted for a matter of hours, sometimes even seconds. In 2015, a shopper can expect the trend to continue.
So, in the near future, a shopper will have to do in-depth research to get the desired products at preferred discounted prices and be super active at grabbing them during such sales, which are now going to last only for a short while.
2. Reading Product Details Carefully, A MUST
It is important to pay close attention to product details like warranty, after sales service etc. especially in case of electronics and gadgets, when buying online. In February 2014, a couple of brands like Toshiba and Lenovo declared that they won’t offer warranty on products which are purchased online. This was also the case with some products during the Big Billion Day.
Thus, a shopper should educate himself/herself about all such disclaimers by reading the fine print before making their final purchase decisions.
3. Research New Brands Before Buying Online
December 2014 saw a ban, albeit a temporary one, on Xiaomi and Oneplus in India. Thus, it is advisable that a shopper does some thorough research on brands, yet un-established in the country, before purchasing their products, to avoid unnecessary post-shopping complications.
4. Pay Attention to Seller Ratings
Buyers must know that online shopping portals are marketplaces, where different merchants come to sell their products to consumers. So, the price, quality, delivery and other factors of your order are not only the responsibility of the portals but also the sellers, from whom your product actually comes.
Thus, it is time that shoppers started paying close attention to the ratings of these sellers, especially while doing bulk shopping. A seller review essentially consists of a rating assigned to the seller, based on the feedback from various customers. If the rating is positive or neutral that means it is safe to purchase from the respective seller.
5. Use Cashback Feature Aggressively
Many people fail to calculate the amount they can easily save by getting cash back either by using a debit card/credit card from a particular bank or by using cash back sites like GoPaisa, linkis.in etc.
For instance, one can avail 10% cashback on Amazon India by using HDFC bank cards to make payments.
6. Interact closely with other shoppers
Whether it is getting a product review or information about the latest deals and coupons, no one can guide you as much as an experienced shopper can do. Shopping communities like DesiDime.com and others provide you with a platform where you can interact with other shoppers, know about latest and hottest offers, compare prices, read store reviews, thus, helping you make the most well-informed and beneficial shopping decision.
As the e-commerce industry keeps growing exponentially and the competition intensifies, a shopper can gear himself/ herself for future online shopping frenzies of 2015 by following these simple tips and tricks mentioned above.
[Source]