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Only drapes
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People are slowly warming up to the idea of shopping online for textiles
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Photo: K.K. Mustafah
Contemporary shopping Buying saris online is in
When Samyuktha was to get married in a traditional Indian ceremony in the U.S., the whole family was in a tizzy firming up travel plans to Chennai to go wedding shopping. Till, a chance encounter with a friend who shopped online for her trousseau at the e-store of a textile major back home gave them an idea.
Intrigued, they followed her cue. Not only did they save on ticket costs, they were able to finish their shopping, give measurements for blouses, place orders for gold bangles and necklaces online, and pay for it all through credit card, all within a couple of hours.
Online shopping has been a rage for quite some years now. Initially, only websites offered shopping options; now, retailers and manufacturers have jumped onto the bandwagon and are using their brand name to woo customers.
Most stores started off cautiously, putting their products online, but not investing in a payment gateway. E-mail was the preferred mode of taking orders, and delivery was made once the cheque or DD came in. Now, payment gateways are common, and this has rendered the process easier.
The Chennai Silks ( www.thechennaisilks.com
) receives many enquiries from the U.S., U.K., Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka, and handles close to 20 orders a month, says S. Balamurugan, Assistant Manager, Information Technology, of the company. And, when one wants to simultaneously shop for jewellery, one can always check out the website of its sister concern, Sri Kumaran Thangamaligai ( www.sktm.in
).
Popular choices
The jewellery store handles about 2,000 enquiries a day, of which at least 30 translate into sales. “We even get orders from Kenya, Brazil and Greece, and our popular items are earrings, rings, necklaces and bangles,” says R. Vijayakumar, e-com in-charge.
Some of the orders that come from abroad are for gifts that have to be sent within the country. Any doubts about quality and safety are laid to rest by the brand name. And, in the case of gold, an insurance certificate is added protection.
At Pothys ( www.pothys.com), whose online avatar sells only saris, orders come in from the U.S., U.K., Singapore, Germany, Malaysia and Dubai. Though current orders are not much, the store started its online section in anticipation of future demand, says R. Gowrishankar, Creative Manager (Advertising).
Nalli Silk Sarees ( www.nallisilk.com
) has been active in online sales from 2001. It opened its payment gateway in 2005, and there has been no looking back since. The well laid-out website of the textile giant offers customers a great shopping experience. Here too, most of the orders come in from the U.S., and Middle East. Also, orders are executed for special occasions and needs such as silks for temple deities and the like. “An online store is a great option for those who have grown up here and have migrated,” says B. Asir Roy Dinesh, Vice-President, Nalli Silks.
Besides these, there are other enterprises whose only business is online selling and tailoring of textiles. They even help you measure your blouses with easy steps, and get things ready in time for D-day.
Despite all these positives, there are people who are wary of buying textiles online. Take Sujatha, who lives in Denmark. She grew up in Trichy and moved there after marriage. Any shopping for traditional stuff for her and her daughter is done when they visit India.
Shopping pleasure
“I just don’t trust the sizes and the colours. They may be completely different from what is reflected on the monitor. And, tell me, is the point of shopping just owning stuff? I love feeling the clothes, draping them, and seeing them physically before I make them mine. Online shopping can never give that satisfaction.”
But, for those who cannot afford the luxury of hitting stores back home, online buying represents a far more convenient way of doing something everyone likes – shopping.
SUBHA J. RAO
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