Order everything online!

E-commerce begins to spark a revolution in the city, as Coimbatoreans use the internet to buy and sell products and get pretty much anything delivered at their doorstep.
While the Internet revolution has made life more convenient for Gen X, it has also begun to find favour with the not so net savvy generation, with increasing effect. While social networking and viral media take up a fair share of space among teens and the youth, online shopping for electronic goods, household items, grocery and other convenience items are making things far more convenient for working women too.
E-shopping has become an increasingly convenient option across the country, as it not just saves busy professionals the long commute to a showroom or retail store, it also gives them a variety of products, often not available in the city, to choose from and that too at lower prices than what you’d physically find on the shelves. Everyday errands that needed a little bit of extra effort after a hard day’s work are now being reduced to a more convenient platform with various internet portals catering to almost every need of products and services.
From clothes and shoes, to books and cosmetics as well as grocery shopping to purchasing diapers for kids, online sites are making them available at the click of a button, often at lower rates.
The medium has found favour with people from different walks of life, who vouch for its quality. “I wanted to sell my bike which I had used in my college years, as I had shifted out of the city. Instead of posting advertisements in the papers, which would often get late responses, I put up a photo of the bike on a customized search engine, and found several prospective buyers in the matter of minutes. Online sites and search engines save you a lot of time, and we also get genuinely interested buyers who quote a good price,” says Aaron Samuel, an event manager.
The festive offers provided by these portals bring down the price of the products considerably, while the same quality is maintained.
“I bought a state-of-the-art phone, which was being sold at a discount of over 60 per cent for Mother’s Day. Not only did I get the box piece, the portal provided the additional accessories along with the warranty card. Deals like these are a boon for salaried professionals,” Aaron confesses.
Busy professionals also admit to making most of their daily purchases online. “I purchase vegetables through an online vegetable site, and have always got fresh vegetables delivered at my doorstep at the time mentioned. This saves me the effort of going to a fruit and vegetable market, located far away to get good quality vegetables. Even those markets would run out of fresh stock by the evening,” says Hariraj Narasimhamurti, CEO of a leading online lending library in the city.
Bibliophiles have also begun opting for online libraries to get the books of their choice. “I purchase most of my books through an online lending library, as it saves me the to-and-fro commute, which would not be possible on a regular basis,” says Nalini S, a teacher. Nalini also admits to getting a customized list of authors to choose from, through the site. “The main advantage of ordering through the online library is that I get several authors to choose from, and alternative suggestions on the same genre, in case the titles I am looking for are not available. While the conventional library would take at least a week to purchase the book, it is more instant online. Though I’m a technophobe, the convenience of this service has forced me to setup an online account,” Nalini stresses.
With almost every service being provided at the click of a button and more people taking to the online medium for the sake of convenience, it sure looks like the visit to the mall or a retail store may soon become a thing of the past.
Pros and cons
Pros
Convenience
Cheaper, as it does not charge you retailer prices
Saves time
More choices
Cons
Beware of quacks who sell you fakes or black market goods
Takes the ‘retail’ out of retail therapy