Tech2Talk: The quintessential online shopping experience, and how we love it!

Every day, we read reports of another e-commerce player receiving an insane amount of funding to further its already unbelievable valuation. Over the years, there have been debates about how Indians don’t love to shop online, the hesitation with digital transactions and the impact of e-commerce in India. In fact, even the political class was fought it ruthlessly in parliament over FDI in retail. Times have changed. And with it, so has consumption patterns. We’ve now adapted to transacting online and have all transitioned from the good old retail store to preference and convenience, online, from the comfort of our homes. We discussed our favourite moments while shopping online, and here is a summary of our discussions at Tech2. Sheldon Pinto Shopping online is a lot quicker compared to heading into your local supermarket, wasting hours going through the aisles and finding your products when you could be on a roadtrip. Online, you can shop in a matter of minutes; in fact, you may even be able to repeat a weekly order at the click of mouse. [caption id=“attachment_252288” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] Representational Image: Associated Press[/caption] It is just that the experience is far from where it should be with middlemen and technological hurdles (slow delivery, delays etc.) ruining the experience from time to time. Considering that you aren’t stepping out of your comfort zone, it’s the most convenient way to shop for things you don’t need to try out and is clearly the most private option available. Karrishma Modhy Although we’ve entered this new trend which opens up the entire retail world on our finger tips, the real joy is walking into the store, laying your eyes on a certain product, having a feel of it in your palms and rushing to buy it! [caption id=“attachment_289268” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] Patrons browse the t-shirt isle at an Urban Outfitters store in Pasadena, California March 6, 2015. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni[/caption] No arguments that e-commerce has made our lives relaxed and convenient, but on a personal level, retail shopping is a wonderful experience. However, one area where e-commerce definitely makes more sense is to order products that aren’t available in the country. That’s where you can actually use the service to its full potential. Naina Khedekar For me, it all boils down to convenience. The convenience to check out products on-the-go, compare prices, instantly send a birthday gift with one-day delivery option and get an urgently needed product reach my doorsteps sans running around looking for it. In the past, I’ve had some good experience with purchasing as well as gifting phones. Now, it won’t always be a good experience. For instance, buying bed sheets online resulted into a long wait of over 10 days. What also amazes me is the effort put in packaging to avoid any damage. The most recent purchases of Don Bradman cricket game and a Safari backpack came packaged in way too larger boxes with all the cushioning needed to keep them safe. Nash David I remember buying the Amazon Kindle Keyboard 3G few years ago. A year into it, the radio failed. The Kindle wasn’t available in India back then. Since it happened within a year, I was given a replacement 3G model via express international shipping. And I got to keep my old device which was now a Wi-Fi only model. We seem to have forgotten the joys of shopping in a store. Another friend who had a similar experience got discount vouchers for the next purchase, since he had passed the warranty period. Offers such as these, plus the excitement and eagerness of waiting for your purchase to arrive makes shopping online so worthwhile. Also, surprise birthday gifts are now all so convenient through online shopping services. I can’t imagine my local shopkeeper being so accommodating in so many areas. To think that it is all possible from your home makes it a blessing indeed!