Recent statistics have revealed that ‘electronics’ is the leading product category in online retail. More and more people are choosing to buy their cell phones and other appliances online, which had irked the offline retailers of the same products.
So much so, that in the wake of the Diwali mega sales offered by online retailers, offline electronics sellers faced up to 40% drop in cell phone sales. Offline retailers were so distressed; that they started raising their voices against the unfair competition that ecommerce creates. This was followed by a fraud – a particular seller sold wrongly branded music speakers online, which reinforced concerns about buying electronics online. So much so, that various electronics brands issued a notice about how that branded products bought online may not qualify for their warranty offered. This had the online marketplaces in jitters.
Offline retailers have now decided that the best way forward is – if you can’t beat the beast, befriend him. Offline retailers have decided to join the ecommerce bandwagon in a unique way. They are taking their brick-and-mortar store offerings to an online platform. Cell phone chains like Sangeetha Mobiles and UniverCell are planning to compete with other online sellers by offering faster delivery, using their offline stores as warehouses for the products. They will offer competitive prices as well.
The MobileStore CEO Himanshu Chakrawarti says, “Even e-commerce firms charge a premium for faster delivery, but we will offer at a really competitive price and deliver it at the fastest pace. The cellphone will be delivered by our trained sales people from stores, who will offer much more value-added service than any of the e-commerce website can do at present.
Electronics brands had announced that products sold online may not qualify for their warranty offered, but then if offline retailers are now beginning to sell their products online, customers are faced with a dilemma. How can a customer know that a seller offering these electronics online is a verified and registered dealer of that particular brand, since this is the same accusation that was raised against unregistered dealers offering branded products on online marketplaces?
Before this great online electronics war is launched, it would be beneficial for the online retail industry to have more clarity on how the electronics would be sold online, with better guidelines on which sale would be considered authentic enough by the brand companies that approve warranty claims.
Editor team is specialized in introducing the marketplace content targeting the Indian online sellers. They plan and coordinate to bring the appealing content for the small businesses on how to partner with the e-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart and strategies for improving their online business.
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