A Whole New Look at Shopping. Review on Myntra

I remember the times when we used to start Antakshari with the song,

• Baite Baite Kya Kare, Karna Hai Kuch Kaam, Shuru Kare Antakshari, Leke Prabhu Ka Naam.

You  must be wondering why I have highlighted those two words, Antakshari  and Prabhu? It is because now, we have changed that song to,

• Baite Baite Kya Kare, Karna Hai Kuch Kaam, Shuru Kare Shopping, Leke Online Ka Naam.

Gone  are the days when we used to wait for our fathers to come back home  from a hard day’s work and take us out shopping. We used to enjoy these  times because for most of us, it was a break from school, from homework,  housework or any other work. Along with shopping, there was a chance of  probably going to a mela where the popcorn is always butterly delicious  and where there is no age bar for going on the ferris wheel. But, you  know what? All that has been taken away with the advent of online  shopping. Now, sitting at your desk, you can order anything and  everything under the sun. From bags to shoes, from goggles to watches,  from shirts to socks. Whatever you want.

The online experience  doesn’t stop at that. It keeps evolving as and when the numbers go up  showing that it can respond to your requirements. Some of the stores now  have a new shopping style which lets the consumer stand outside the  shop and via the use of a touch screen, look at the various designs and  collections that the store has. With imaging sensors, the touch screen  puts an image of you on the screen so it looks like you’re actually  trying the product without actually wearing it. If it doesn’t look good  you can replace it.:) Last, but not the least, once you’re done with  the selection, just input your shipping address and swipe your credit  card and voila, the items are delivered to you in a day or two. No more  waiting for trial rooms to get free, looking at various designs and  thinking if it will look good on you. Everything is done with a swipe of  your fingers.

But that is just a small thing when you have so  many other online stores. In the latest spew of online shopping  experiences, we have ebay, flipkart, snapdeal, myntra, jabong and  various others that keep coming up every other day promising the user a  remarkable experience of a whole new level of shopping experience. Some  of them even have a points / credits system for joining up. BTW - That’s  how I got hooked onto one of it.:)

Great! So now that we have  basically understood the gist of what online shopping is about, let’s  dive into some of the respective pros and cons.

PROS:

• Easily accessible at the touch of a finger or a click of the mouse.

  
  




• Variety of colors, designs and trends to choose from.

  
  




• Can purchase anything from A - Z.

  
  




• Items delivered right to your door step without charging the consumer(some sites)

  
  




• Handy return policy(some sites)

  
  

CONS:

• Consumer tends to buy more than what is required or needed.

-  Credit card companies are benefited immensely by online shopping while  giving heart attacks to the  consumers at the end of the month.

• Intangible. As in, you can’t touch or feel the actual product(s) until after it is delivered.

  
  




• Same or better deal on other site(s) which makes the consumer confused as to which site he / she should order from.

  
  

-  Unhelpful customer care executives(for certain inquiries)

So  what do we have then? Well, for me, the biggest con that I would say is  that you lose out on a great shopping experience with your family,  where the entertainment is to go out to a nearby mall, do a little  window shopping, go into a few shops, try some clothes on, spray some  perfumes on yourself or try on some watches and maybe catch a movie too  afterwards. However, you do get some really good deals on online stores  that you would not get in a store if you went and purchased the product  yourself. Sadly, there are two sides to this story and the coin is  standing just in the middle.

As for me, my first shopping  experience online made me buy a pair of sneakers for which I got a good  discount too. The packaging that it came in did look a little old but I  was happy when I saw that the manufacturing date was hardly six months  ago. Still, I wear those sneakers proudly and I don’t have any regrets  in buying it online. It can be an addiction for those who are / show a  compulsive behavior to buying things online. So, "Buyers Beware"

Hopefully,  you’ll will have a good shopping experience and see that there’s  nothing wrong in indulging in this at times but you shouldn’t lose out  on the actual shopping because that’s where the most fun lies.

Cheers!