Fashionably Hooked?

The little black dress. The perfect pair of jeans. A stylish pair of ballet flats.

For our female readers out there, chances are pretty good that you’ve got these items in your closet. But do you still find yourself browsing online for new duds? For many of the women today, online shopping has actually become preferable to shopping in stores.

According to a survey conducted in India, we saw the following factors as reasons why so many women are going online and skipping the mall:

It’s easy: 43% of respondents answered that it was simply easier to shop online. And for those of you who’ve braved a mall parking-lot during the holiday season, you know this is true!

It’s fast: Just over 60% spent less than an hour researching the item before buying.

It’s descriptive: for 47% of respondents, the most important element of the site they purchased from was the product detail (images, descriptions, and reviews). The more specific the details, the better.

It’s communicative: About 68% already receive emails from the merchant they last bought from or agreed to receive emails when they made their purchase.

Personally, many people think shopping online is a really cool thing. Says Seema Ramesh, an IT professional, “Often I find that shopping online, at least for electronics, is cheaper and what’s more, you don’t have to use fuel going to the store.” Shopping online also allows you to compare prices easier, rather than going from store to store talking to sales people who have no idea what’s going on. Instead you can just do a Google search with your question and have tons of answers at your fingertips.

Another working professional Tina Phillip says that she hardly has the time, except on Sundays to shop and she prefers not to spend her one free day trawling through the mall. “I shop online for my groceries, clothes, shoes, household articles and books. Not only does it save me loads of time, I kind of find it relaxing,” she explains. Tina also says that she appreciates the convenience of shopping online and returning articles from your doorstep, should you be unhappy with your purchase. “Why would I want to step out of the luxury of my home when I have someone delivering the article and picking it up from my house should it not be to my liking? Its a win-win situation for me.”

However, there is a flip side to this trend. Michelle Kumar feels that online shopping often leads to procurement of sub-standard goods. “I tried out an online grocery store. The vegetables that I ordered were raw, the fruits were over-handled and hence had lost their crispness. It was a disaster as my entire order of Rs. 1,500 went waste. I had to go out to the local market and pick up my supply of fruits and veggies all over again. Maybe one can shop online for clothes or shoes, but never fresh produce,” she says.

Addictive 

Could shopping be addictive? Definitely. In a generation that is perpetually plugged in, e-commerce can be as addictive as gaming and intoxicants. More so, if you`re using a credit card and it`s just imaginary figures moving from one account to another, minimizing the immediate impact on your wallet size.

Still Missing

Despite the burgeoning variety of products online, everything you want is not always available on Indian websites, and purchases from foreign websites have serious cost implications.

SIGNS THAT YOU ARE AN E-SHOPAHOLIC

a) You log on to buy one thing, and end up buying five

b) You find yourself buying things for your neighbours, friends, in-laws, in-laws’ neighbours… just for the high of the buy

c) You know which website offers the best discounts in which product category, even before you log on

d) The search bar on your smart phone auto-finishes the names of your favourite e-retail websites

e) You have more online discount coupons than you know what to do with