Online Shopping

But after I started the garment business, I noticed the same trend. People have started buying their garments online. If I sell a clothing item at a price of 600 rupees, people can buy the same clothing item online for 300 rupees. So, why should they come to my shop to purchase the clothing item? Now online shopping has become a trend all over India. Due to this reason, my business has become a bit slow. I have even heard that groceries are being delivered to people's houses after they order them online. So, if people can get everything online, then why should they come to our shop or why would they need us?

If I decide to do my business online, then who is going to buy my products? There are already companies selling their own products on these online platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, and Myntra. So, people can buy products from these companies through any of these online platforms. So, why would they come to me to buy those products? On top of that, they are getting good benefits and huge discounts from these companies when they buy their products. If they purchase products from me, I won't be able to give them benefits and discounts that are available online. Due to all these reasons, I don't want to take my business online.

My experience with business-related WhatsApp statuses was not great at all. There was one time when I uploaded images of 5-6 clothing items as my WhatsApp status. People on my WhatsApp friend list viewed these images and enquired about the price of these clothing items. I told them the price of these clothes items, but I didn't inform them whether there was any discount on the clothing items or not. I will only disclose the discount on the product when a customer comes to my shop to make a purchase. So, I tried to promote products on WhatsApp a few times, but I didn't receive a good response at all. The reason is that the current market condition is not good at all. As I have already mentioned, most people prefer to buy products online now. Nowadays, we can buy almost anything online.

Madam, I am considering closing down my shop. I don't have any other option. People will continue to purchase products online from now on. Online shopping has a strong presence in the market and throughout India. Additionally, people can get discounts of up to 50 percent on products when they buy them from online platforms during Durga Puja, New Year's Eve, Independence Day, or Republic Day. For instance, you can purchase Levi's products with a 50 percent discount from Myntra. Now, if I talk about retailers like myself, we buy products from distributors at a fixed rate. Therefore, it is not possible for us to offer a 50 percent discount on the products.

Selling products at a 50 percent discount would result in no profit and a significant loss in my business. Online shopping has negatively impacted the business of many retailers. Previously, I would buy a pair of earrings for 40 rupees and sell them for 50 rupees, earning a profit of 10 rupees. However, customers can now purchase the same pair of earrings online for 30 rupees.

I am not getting enough customers at my shop because of online shopping. If I can't make enough sales, it will have an impact on my business and create mental pressure on me.

I want to start a new business. The thing is, a successful businessman should be involved in various types of businesses. If I run multiple businesses, then failure in one of them won't have any impact on me. I am not attracting enough customers to my shop because people nowadays prefer to purchase products online. Nowadays, people can order food online through platforms like Zomato and Swiggy. If this particular business of mine is not performing well, I will have to switch to a completely different business. As you may know, Bengali people have a love for food. Whenever Bengali people come across a new restaurant, they tend to visit and dine there. That's why I want to open a restaurant because I am confident that I will have customers throughout the year.

I have already told you about all the challenges that I am facing in my business. But the biggest challenge for me is the introduction of online shopping platforms, which have hampered my business in a significant way. Everyone knows that the market is declining because people now prefer to buy products online. Every shop owner and retailer will say the same thing as me. On top of that, people have started trusting these online platforms. However, the issue with buying products online is that you can't do anything if you find any defects with the product. Let's say you buy a Lakme product online. But after using this Lakme product, you find that it is causing skin issues for you. In that case, you can't do anything about it or go to anyone. But if you buy the same Lakme product from a shop and find issues with it, you can go to the shop owner and return the product. After that, the shop owner can contact the company and inform them about the issue with their product.

The biggest challenge for me is these online shopping platforms. When it comes to clothing items, people now prefer to buy them from Amazon or Flipkart. If someone buys a clothing item from a physical shop and encounters a size or fitting issue, they won't receive a refund when they try to return it. Instead, the shop owner would offer them the option to exchange it for another clothing item. However, if someone purchases a clothing item from Amazon or Flipkart and faces a size or fitting issue, they have the option to return it within seven days or a month. So, everything has its pros and cons. This is how the world works.

No, I don't buy anything online. If I don't find what I need here, I go to J C Road. However, this rarely happens. There are many parts shops over there, and you can buy from any of them. Sometimes, you have to visit multiple shops to find a specific part.

I don’t buy things for my business. If I book something and receive something else, it will have to be returned. That will be problematic; the customer will have to wait for 2-3 days. I wont buy it even if I get it at a cheaper price as vehicle is very necessary for a customer. if I commit that I have to deliver a vehicle in the evening after repairing; that means I have to give it in evening itself. They too leave their vehicle after taking out time.

Online shopping. People order everything online. If they don't like the item, they can return it. Even pooja items are purchased in the same way. The customer is never your buddy; they can spend money anywhere to get their desired item. Their satisfaction is important. If we are paying for something and not happy with it, it doesn't matter what we give, we won't be happy. We should be content with what we receive. We are studying this subject at the institute, where the teacher is instructing. If you are not satisfied with the teaching, neither the teacher nor the student will be satisfied. If the student is not cooperating, how can the teacher be happy?

You will not get homemade food in a hotel, so their motive online is to provide products to the customers. People will not know about its quality. In my experience, you will not get good furniture online. Customers have claimed this themselves. They have said that if something is 20,000 offline, then the same thing is 19,000 online, but they provide a bad product. They will give 1000 more offline, but at least they will see it and then decide because the material is good. That's why we don't prefer online products. I don't sell furniture online.

Yes, there is a difference between online websites like Amazon and Flipkart and our shop. You will find 90% of these products online, but we sell them too. This product costs 30 rupees per square foot, while this one costs 50 rupees per square foot. The former is made of wood, while the latter is made of bhusa wood. However, the latter may not last long. It is cheaper, but customers are willing to pay 1000 more if they can get a good product from our shop.

Online shopping is a problem. Customers don't understand the quality of the clothes. They ask us why we sell at a certain price when it is sold for a lower price online. I tell them that my variety is different, but they don't understand. I explain to them that my variety of clothes is different. I suggest that they order online. However, it's not always perfect. Sometimes I order online for myself. When customers say that it's cheaper to buy online than in Delhi, I order a piece and see that the quality is very poor.

I am talking about Amazon sellers. Even if I set the lowest price, I still don't appear in the top spot in searches. I don't know what this feature is. Moreover, their customer support is also difficult. I can't call them with a single click. It takes time when you have to add new products. Another problem is that if I want to change the information about a certain product, such as the photo or description, it's not easy to do so. Let me tell you what happened because of this. I received an order from Gujarat for a small product. The photo and name were different. I think this can confuse the customer. If I have complete knowledge about the product, then I can understand. So, I received an inquiry and sent him the product, but he returned it a few days later. He mentioned that the photo was different from what was shown. Amazon charges us for shipping if the product is returned, around 40, 50, or 60 rupees. This is a bit problematic because the high commission already narrows the profit margin. For example, if I have a profit margin of 10 to 12 percent, Amazon keeps around 8% and the rest goes towards the shipping cost, leaving me with just 1 to 2 percent.

Online shopping doesn't have much impact on our business as compared to goods like mobile or clothings or general store products. In our business it doesn't have much impact because the products are complex. The industrial products specially. Because the end consumer doesn't have proper knowledge about the product. For example this panel. Consumer just brings his problem and we only have to provide him the solution. So there is a gap in only market. In future it can be resolved but I can't it's not there yet.

Actually, what I just told you now happened two years ago. At that time, I didn't have an employee and handled everything by myself. I questioned the need to hire someone for a salary of 10,000 rupees just to handle products. I thought it would be more efficient to have someone, like an accountant, who could be available 24 hours with a laptop. They would be able to quickly confirm orders and handle them in a timely manner. However, the profit margin was not very high. It made me wonder if it was necessary to keep the profit at a minimum. Additionally, if 10 customers returned products, it would create a problem. In my case, I had kept 4 blowers that were returned, and when the customers returned them, they were all scattered and the packaging was ruined. So, the question was, who would take care of returning them to retail? They were left there. Even now, they call me frequently, urging me to become more active and do various things. However, I simply didn't want to engage in those activities. Instead, I decided to sell the products at retail and make money that way. The main reason for this decision was that our shop was not doing well before. Earlier meaning I'm telling you about 3-4 years ago.

Earlier, I was busy with both a job and running a business, so my physical shop wasn't doing well. I decided to sell online, and it was successful. However, when my other responsibilities increased, I didn't have time for online selling. I used to sell online when my shop wasn't running, but I stopped after receiving complaints.

Online is more expensive. We sell it at a lower price than online. For example, we have a Bajaj Spended model in stock. If you buy it on Flipkart, it will cost you Rs. 2200. But if you buy it from us, it's only Rs. 1700. We are selling it at a profit, not at a loss. You can compare the prices on Flipkart. They are selling it for Rs. 2300 and we are selling it for Rs. 1700. It's important to note that no product is cheaper on Flipkart because they are not manufacturing the product themselves. They are also buying it from a vendor, just like us. The difference is that they add the delivery cost and their commission, which is why they can't offer it at a lower price. They have created a brand image where people think online shopping is cheaper, and many people believe it. What we do differently is that we provide excellent customer service and add an emotional touch to everything. This is why people come to us and buy from us at a lower cost. For example, I have the Neo model. It sells for Rs. 3000 online, but with us, it's only Rs. 2700. We sell a lot of them.

Yes, we face competition from online sellers. When kids ask me how much it costs, I tell them there is no pressure and they are free to buy it on Amazon or Flipkart. Duplicate products are sold a lot.

We don't know what the customer wants. When they come, everything is there. We give them a full display. If they say whatever they want, we give them what we have. Their tastes are so broad. When it comes to fancy items, there are a lot of preferences. We can't satisfy them. Even if we have a lot of items, they will sometimes ask for things that are not available. No matter how much variety you offer them, they will ask if you only have this much. For ladies as well, any item in fancy this is the scenario. We display a few items outside and other items which they ask will be inside. We should keep changing the display every 3 months. When they come and ask about the product, I will take it from inside. They will ask if it is in the same model. After online business entered, satisfying customers has become difficult.

Customers have decreased in this area. There are a lot of shops. First there were only 4 fancy shops in this area. Now, there are 10 shops. There are 10 shops in the surrounding area, so it has decreased. This is because people tend to shop online. In the beginning, I used to get at least 50 to 100 customers for mobile recharge. They would also come and get one or two items and it was running well. Now, I don't get customers for mobile recharge. They give offers online that we cannot give. We need to care about rent, shop, maintenance, and everything. They don't have a problem. They just buy and sell. If they get a single rupee, it's a profit for them. We cannot do anything with the single rupee.

No, I did not try Big Basket, but I have tried Jio. It is the PharmEasy app. There is also the Tata 1mg app. Netmed is available as well. There is a distributor called Aashirwad. Jio is good. If we place an order today, the stock will be delivered tomorrow. After that, Aashirwad distributor is also good. Here, if we place an order at 12 noon, the stock will be delivered to our counter around 3-3.30 pm. The mode of payment is cash. If they have the stock, they will show it as available; otherwise, they will show it as out of stock.

I do very less online shopping. One of my customers had told me that this particular medicine I am not able to get offline so please search it online for me and buy it for me. So I searched for it and purchased it for that customer.

There are many products in my shop that we can buy online, and the prices are also lower online. The price would be the same as what we buy in-store or slightly less or slightly more, maybe. It didn't have much impact on external products and not on cyber business, but it did have a slight impact on toys. That's a bit. I said I would set up an Amul Parlor at the outside counter. I am still considering that. On this side, we would have this and as for toys, regarding what you said about online, I haven't had this thought yet. But I sell toys, and I receive the goods every month from Asansol.

Now there is a market of competition. Nowadays, online businesses are also present. So, in that case, we have little pressure.

Customers see online and they show us the picture and ask if this is available. However, it is only available online and not in the offline market. Online products are delivered to us after a few days. If they show it online today, it will be delivered to us after 6 months because the local shop needs time to create the same design. If they like any design they send us and ask if it is available and if we bring some unique products, we also send them the pictures on WhatsApp. If anyone likes they say keep it for me, I will come tomorrow to take that set.

In the Corona period, people have been using online platforms more frequently, and now this trend is becoming more popular due to the increased prices online. This trend is emerging now, but its impact has originated from the online sphere. People can conveniently stay at home and make purchases online, whereas for this particular product, they need to visit the physical store. I would personally take advantage of this option, and regular customers would also benefit from it. They don't receive genuine products from online sources, so they prefer to visit the shop and purchase the product there. Customers tend to choose any jewelry they come across. The online market is thriving. That has impacted a bit on sale for sure.

Nowadays, social media apps are extremely important for staying connected with people. Their significance is also increasing over time. Only time will tell if they will surpass online selling. It's like how the government applies taxes on certain things; we cannot predict the outcome. Customers claim that they pay more online and less offline. Therefore, we need to observe how this will affect the market. Online shopping is like not seeing the product before selecting it, whereas shopping in a physical store allows you to see and then purchase the item, which adds another value. Although you can order things online, you still prefer going to the market and physically holding the product. I believe this preference will never diminish, despite the rise of online shopping. It's like there might be a difference in color when you see something on your phone compared to seeing it in reality. If you see something online, that's fine, but it will be packaged and delivered. So, there is a chance of a store falling short. However, in a physical shop, you can inspect the product before purchasing. If you order online and find a defect, it may be difficult to return. But if you buy from a local shop, you can easily exchange it.

There is no point competing with online business because we cannot compete with large-scale businesses. There is a difference in price because I will get a different rate when I buy in bulk compared to when I buy only five pieces. Besides, there is company support - I might get Britannia biscuits from a distributor, but large-scale players will get them straight from the company. The rate will be different when it passes through so many hands! That seller will get all the benefits, whereas if a biscuit packet is priced at Rs 40, I might get it for 36 rupees and sell it for 38, giving a 2 Rupee discount to the customer. However, this is not happening with the other large-scale seller because they might be purchasing it for only 20 rupees and selling it for 22 rupees. When the customer sees that they are getting an 18 rupee discount, why would they come to me? But I have also heard that the products sold to them are very different from the ones that come to us, but I do not know the entire story.

Basically, after the COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping has become quite rampant. People prefer to order items online and have stopped coming to the shop. This has affected not only our business but also the clothing and cosmetics industry. Everybody wants to buy clothes online, whereas earlier people used to go to the shop. Currently, there is a lot of hustle and bustle due to Durga Puja. However, after Durga Puja is over, you will not see this crowd. I can say that online shopping has really disrupted our business.

There can be no competition between me and online shops, and there's no point in thinking about it. They are on a large scale, and the difference is too significant for us to match. To match that difference, you would require a lot of money. I am only going to invest a hundred rupees, while they are going to invest 10,000. Tell me, what is the difference? If I have a crore, then and only then can I match the investment that they are making, and then we can talk about it.

I simply do not like online shopping. The reason for that is that I might have been providing service to a customer for 12 years, and all of a sudden, they switch to online platforms. Even though I was providing some convenience to this customer, they still choose to go online, and because of the online presence of businesses, our market has been damaged. Earlier, we all had small shops, and all those small businesses, including clothing stores and grocery stores like mine, have been affected. You can even buy mobile phones online. Companies are supplying products both online and to physical stores. All these people need to make money somehow, otherwise, how will they survive? That's the reason why I don't like online business. However, for my personal use, I will definitely benefit from online shopping. It would be beneficial for the shop if we could add something online, as many people would come to know about that addition. Our shop is quite old, and the people around us are aware of it. Apart from that, all I want to say is that I don't support online shopping.

For us, the suppliers themselves come here, they see the board and come. Others hear about the shop from each other and come over. Shakti Masala and Ujala don't come. Anil, Aachi, and all of these brands are there. Items that I don't get from vendors, I buy them online or from the market, such as Big Basket or Dunzo. The prices are reasonable because they are based on market rates. If you buy in bulk from Jiomarket, the rates will be different compared to buying a single quantity. When it comes to Dunzo and Big Basket, they have the same rates. The rates are reasonable, so it's not a problem.

In online, the quality won't be good enough. When the rates are higher, it will ensure the quality, but sometimes, even the higher-priced items are not of good quality.

Online, I buy around 25% from Big Basket or Dunzo. Offline, it is around 75%.

We started the shop in 2009. By 2012, we had 13 shops- all mobile businesses. Then in 2013, there was online shopping like Amazon, Flipkart, and this business became very challenging to sustain. So, 60-70% of our sales moved online, which also reduced foot traffic in our physical shops. Consequently, we downsized, and now we have only three shops.

Change in Business: In 2014, Amazon entered the market, and in 2015, Flipkart followed. With these two online giants, online shopping began to surge. When I compared the expenses and profits in retail, they were almost the same. Then I thought, why should I continue this? Why should I work 8-10 hours a day and employ labor? That's when we decided to close down. Now we run only 3 shops.

The shift in consumer needs has led to the growth of Amazon and other online shops. Earlier, the idea is that if the product is available in the shop, you can visit the shop, make a payment, and get your mobile. In contrast, you can order from the comfort of your home and have it delivered to your doorstep. But there is a downside. In a way, there's little we can do. Big corporate companies operate in this manner, and we all become dependent on them. Distributors and super-stockists have expanded, and online retailers are dominating the market. It's crucial for traditional shopkeepers like me to regain control of their businesses.

Many people suggest that there are local pages where you can sell online, and it's more about local sales. There were apps for selling online, but now the trend seems to have shifted towards online entertainment. People have apps for that, where they can update products and their rates. I can't recall the name at the moment. I've listed my mobile phone on one such page where customers can chat and even have video calls. They prefer chatting from home, and the buyers visit the shop to inquire about multiple products. Shops are not typically meant for entertainment or prolonged inquiries. While these platforms existed initially, they may not be as prominent now.

I believe that Amazon provides warehouse facilities, but they seem to do so based on specific requirements and offer credit accordingly. I'm not entirely clear on their procedures in this regard. We are not interested in ecommerce as we used to hand over our products, and only after they were sold did we receive payment. It was a lengthy process. However, outside of this, Amazon is incredibly useful, particularly for items like skincare and kitchen products. We often make purchases during events like the 'Big Billion Days.'

Customers come after they decide what to buy online. They ask for a specific item, and we provide it to them. However, they often show us what is available online. When we inform them that we don't have the exact same pattern or design, they simply leave, wasting our time. This leads to a lot of disappointment. Even if we show them a product that matches their expectations, they may ask for a different model. Customers often come with photos, but they don't show the photo right away. Instead, they first ask us to show them the latest model, which we do by displaying everything we have. Then, they specifically show us the photo and request a particular design or model. At this point, we immediately understand that they have not come to make a purchase. When we inform them that we don't have that specific model, they leave and it negatively impacts our business. Additionally, if I am selling a product for 320 rupees, the same item is sold online for 240 rupees. Therefore, customers prefer to buy online. More than the price, design is the issue.

We get fewer customers because most of them purchase online. People benefit when they buy online, but it is not the same for shopkeepers. Even I also purchase online. I recently bought a shirt and pants. The actual bill was 1500 rupees, but I got it for 900 rupees. The quality was disappointing for me. The fitting was not okay. When we go to the shop, we can choose our size.

I used to get the payment after 15 days. After 15 days though, I can get the product returned or get the payment for it. Once I received a damaged item that was cut into two. This happened with Meesho. It was Meesho’s fault because when you take a return from a customer you don’t take it this way. You check everything. You take photos and quality and the product that has been sent to you and all that. I used to get calls from Flipkart and Amazon so I told them that I don’t like that all I have told them that Flipkart, Amazon and Meesho are all frauds.

I added my business on Meesho for about 3 months. I got many orders for tops. However, once the order was sent the money used to be given only 15 days later. We can adjust with that 15 days. We have customers who take credit for a month even. I thought 15 days is still fine. I added my shop on Amazon too. But who gets the name and becomes famous? I am giving the top but Amazon is getting popular. Our name will not be visible on Amazon. Amazon is getting the name while we are giving the product but Amazon gets the name. We don’t get any benefit and neither does the customer. Amazon is getting the benefit. They are not our relatives to do all this for them.

If you shop online, there is a 7 days' return policy. So they buy a lot online. The rate is also low. I will say that. They don't need margin. When they sell lakhs of things, if they keep one rupee also they get 1 lakh per day. If we sell 10 things per day, we get 10 rupees.

I don't have any other apps for business. I have Jio app, AJIO. They are giving us wholesale items. I buy items like socks, towels, kerchiefs, etc.. Then there is a company called Udaan. They came here and did marketing. I have that. Local shops are also using apps. Hindustan (company) items like soap, toys, etc. are available online. If we click necessary items online, they will deliver it and we pay in cash on delivery. I purchase 80% from outside and only 20% online. I like to go and purchase. I like to see things and purchase things. That's why I go out to purchase myself