JOIN USOnce upon a time, shopping used to be a tedious task. You’d have to plan much in advance what you want to buy, where you want to buy it from and how long it’ll take you to get there.
If the items you wanted are of different categories — apparel, electronics, food etc — you’d have to plan accordingly and find a store that has everything you want.
But over the years, the task of shopping has improved, thanks to technology. Now, it can be done with a click of a button, while lazing around on the couch, and at any time of the day.
With various stores going online, Bengalureans have everything, right from apparels to jewellery, flowers, dry fruits, electronics and home decor, at their fingertips.
While making payments with debit/credit cards was an imposing thought before, the idea seems much safer these days.
And for those who aren’t confident about the safety, they can opt for the ‘cash on delivery’ option.
An executive assistant, Rhea Kabeer is a regular shopper at ‘Myntra’. She says, “Ever since ‘Myntra’ became an app-only store, shopping has become easier for me. I spend hours ‘window shopping’ and adding items to my wishlist.
I make sure I purchase something or the other at least once a month. But sometimes it’s a problem when it comes to the size and fitting of clothes.
You’d think it’ll look good on you, or assume it is a particular material, but it might not always be what you see on the app.”
That doesn’t stop her from shopping online as it happens only once in a blue moon. Ruby Paulson, a content writer, also says that the sizes mentioned aren’t the same when she receives a product.
She explains, “I’m one of the few lucky ones who almost always gets the wrong size. Very often, extra-small size is either ‘small’ or ‘medium’; it depending on the brand. But I end up buying in bulk anyway because shopping online is cheaper.”
She regularly shops from ‘Flipkart’ and ‘Amazon’ for clothes and books. She also purchases soaps from ‘CommonOxen’.
Many, like Nityashree Yadunath, use online stores to research prices and products before they make a purchase. She says, “I admit that I am an online shopper to an extent because I find the process easier, cheaper and hassle free, and it’s value for money. I prefer evaluating products online, especially because there are coupon codes that one can use instead of bargaining at stores. Unless it’s an urgent requirement, I prefer buying my cosmetics, clothes and gadgets from online stores.”
Today, the world of online shopping has branched out to sports gears and video games, turning everyone, irrespective of their gender, into shopaholics. A computer engineer, Dhiraj MV uses ‘Aliexpress’ to buy most of his electronics and gadgets.
He says, “Thanks to portals like these, I can purchase products I want from across the world. Though there are shipping charges, I’m happy as I won’t have to get stuck in traffic, spend on fuel or wait at a counter to get my product. Also, I get better offers online.”
Online shopping promotes the idea of minimal effort put into a task and shoppers couldn’t be happier!