Would you prefer to buy Online or In Store Maternity and Baby clothes?

nishaz · Jul 12, 2010

I am about to start an Indian online store for Maternity and Baby clothes. I would really appreciate your inputs and views. What factors would you consider in buying online?

nishaz · Jul 13, 2010

Good to know that Free shipping is one of the major factors to shop online. Thanks for your inputs. I am in the US right now..and when I shop online, I usually prefer free shipping deals. Glad to know it works in India too.

Please continue to vote..and thanks to all those ladies who voted

peartree · Jul 13, 2010

Nishaz

Are you going to be starting the store for shopping in India or starting the store for shopping for Indian stuff here in the US?

If it is for India, free shipping or not would probably not make a huge difference because what they pay for the product versus what they would be pay to get it shipped home would be hugely different. It wouldn't be like shopping in the US where sometimes the shipping costs would almost equal the product cost itself.

Also, for shipping in India, probably using a good courier company would be the best thing to do to ensure your products reach their destination. Since tracking facilities and such things are not available, I am not sure how reliable shipping through normal post would be. So in that case, your margin may significantly come down if you choose to provide free shipping through a good courier company. Just somethings to consider.

You must remember that concept of online shopping in India is not quite the same as shopping here in the US! All the best on your venture

nishaz · Jul 13, 2010

I should have been more clear
I will be setting up an online store for women in India and shipping all through India, headquarters would be in Hyderabad. Most of the day to day operations/etc are done by my staff/family back in Hyd.

Shipping would be by a private shipping partner and not by regular post.

Ya, you are right... online shopping is still in nascent stages in India..unlike in USA. Good luck to me

navs23 · Jul 13, 2010

Gud Luck Nishaz :thumbsup

Online sales is a big challenge in a country like India, due to the fact that there is a textile shop in almost every street.

I would definitely buy online if the item is special(not available in local stores), of good quality, priced correctly and shipping does not cost as much as the item itself.

Free shipping might not be feasible but it would be better if shipping rates are low(it is always convenient to walk up to a nearby shop than spend a few bucks on shipping is what people will think)

Last but not the least, online security is still a threatening factor in India and not many people are comfortable doing financial transactions over the internet(the actual site might be genuine, but it is still possible to hack and steal the credit card information etc while the transaction is being processed). So make sure the site is super secure and also incorporate reviews from all the buyers to improve customer confidence.

nishaz · Jul 13, 2010

You are right navs23. Internet security is still a issue to a larger extent.
I am still testing the waters on Indian ecommerce
Will keep you gals updated on my venture!

I am a serial Entrepreneur and have been my own boss since the past 5 years and still going strong..Will post on my other venture ideas in a new post in the Women Entrepreneur section

Keep your great inputs/ideas coming in

shekhar80 · Jul 14, 2010

I think online shopping store can save your time if you know the exact size for baby cloths.

shekhar.

victori · Nov 5, 2011

In my opinion the online shopping is the best. As it is easy to get lots of verities with out going any where. And there are sales most of the time.

Indivara · Nov 8, 2011

Accoding to studies, indian customers are around 250 catogaries. so online shopping is a challenging area and that would mainly concentrate on urban areas.