Shopping News - Net Catalogue

Just came back from Kolkata few days back and been wondering how did it go! It was the first time that I went there with my family ( eight years old son and wife) since we shifted to our present location in January, 2001. It was just natural that my son got excited to visit Kolkata as it was the first time for him to visit a true metropolitan city that has over 12 million people.

To make my son’s trip truly memorable, I had to plan in advance and needed to upgrade some gadgets out of which a good camera was a must. Keeping this in mind, I started looking the best shopping portals in India in search of a camera that would suit my needs and also be reasonably price because I don’t want to spend a fortune as I am not that interested in photography which I believe is an art in itself.

After reviewing a lot of models, I finally settled on the Canon SX120 IS that is 10 Mega Pixel with 10 x 15 Zoom lens and also has a give away SD card of 2 GB. It is also perfectly priced for me.

But when I tried to checkout from the portal I was astonished to find that the price displayed on the portal was not the price that I was being charged. It was quite higher. I immediately canceled the check-out process and headed for a local retail store/ showroom that sold the model.  I bought it from there and headed towards Kolkata armed with one extra memory card of 4 GB that cost me around $18.

The moral is, online shopping is still in its nascent stage here in India and it is still far better to purchase things off-line than online. Most of the time when I browse the net, I often wonder when I find sites based in the US, UK or Canada selling even smallest of products like embroidery stabilizer or embroidery bobbins. It is unthinkable for a normal public in India who is used to go to the small retail store just on the next street and get the things he or she likes.

Of course, there are lots of economic and socio-cultural differences between the retail systems of a developing country like India and that of US. Whereas one can find small retail stores or enterprises run by individuals, where shopping is treated as socializing and catching up on latest gossips by housewives - where millions depend on the small scale retailing industry, no wonder Indians still prefer to visit the small retail stores.

But the situation is changing. The mall culture that is the normal shopping norms in developed countries is catching up rapidly with local and multinational companies opening big shopping malls virtually everywhere. The changing economic conditions that offer little time is also one of the reason why the mall culture has caught the fascination of  the Indian middle class. But still, in small cities and semi-urban areas, people visit the small stores that they have grown-up with.

To catch in on the time constraints that has arisen out of new economic phenomenons with call centers, software firms, bio-technology firms, some enthusiastic entrepreneurs have started  some shopping malls online. But due to lots of hick-ups the idea of online shopping has not yet become so popular among Indians.

Therefore, it is not possible to give a definitive conclusion on which shopping system is better. It depends on so many variations and indicators that, one can safely say - shopping - either online or off-line is better that suits the consumers the most.

Most experts believe that Asian consumers, especially those of luxury products are very complex and difficult to understand and plan a common marketing strategy for the region. On the one hand, there are flashy Chinese, matured Japanese, subtle Singaporeans, showy Hong Kong and put all these together you get Indian consumers. What these graduates from elite B-Schools know though is that these countries have an ever growing population of nouveau rich who wants to spend their money on luxury objects and costly lifestyle products. It is the motivation of buying these products that perplexes the experts.
While the rich in mainland China are still into conspicuous buying habit, in markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, buyers have gone from merely throwing money at the most expensive thing to becoming more discerning. The Chinese, on the other hand just need to buy something that is seen expensive by others. According to market survey, China can boost Asia’s share of world luxury market up to 60 percent.
We can take the example of the luxury watch market to illustrate this fact. Half of Switzerland’s $8 billion annual export comes to Asia and in the last 15 years Singapore has become the most significant Horology market in the world. If there are five exclusive pieces, at least two will be sold in Singapore and one in Hong Kong and this is serious money where a piece costs around $1.5 million. Read the rest of this entry »

Bespoke simply means custom made – whatever it is. It may be a pair of tailor made trousers, a watch made by Rolex to suit your taste, a BMW SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) or simply a pair of shoes. These items have great value in industrialized countries as most of their products come out of the factories. Those items which are bespoke cost a big chunk of one’s bank balance. That’s why a Versace or Tiffany & Co item cost so much because they are totally exclusive and are very few. They are the domains of super rich people who like to spend huge amounts to make themselves look and appear exclusive too!

India has a great history of custom made products. Since time immemorial, Indian kings, queens and aristocrats have been enjoying custom made products. But its not only them, even in this 21^st century, one can easily find a tailor who will take your measurement and make a unique trouser. Or a normal lady can visit a local jewelry shop (which are virtually available in each and every corner of India) and order a custom made jewelry just for herself for a paltry price. Indeed, it is just the opposite in India compared to other countries where factory made products are for the lower class and only the elites can enjoy bespoke products. Due to its huge population and want of livelihood, every Indian wants to learn something handy and thereby earn his or her bread and butter. A poor Indian in rural area does not have access to or capacity to buy a low-end branded product. So what he does is make the same at a fraction of the cost of that factory made branded product.

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I don’t use a watch any longer since I lost mine 2 years back as it is not required any longer when my smart phone can manage all my timings and schedules. Its not only me – the use of watches is decreasing at an alarming rate. But when I visit homes, I still see lots of different type of clocks hanging from several locations of a house or flat. Time has not decreased the popularity of use of clocks. There are some valid reasons of course. One of the most important reasons is that clocks are not merely used for keeping time- rather they are more popular because most use them for their decoration values. They come in many sizes, styles and shape. They can also be used anywhere. Carriage Clocks and Desk Clocks are stylish, sophisticated and look aristocratic. Moreover they bring in a classic atmosphere in the surrounding environment. And these clocks come at reasonable prices without cutting deep hole in the pocket. Of course one can choose custom made designer clocks which cost as per your demands. Bejeweled clocks will definitely cost a lot. They are also very popular as gift items. An exclusive clock will go a long way in impressing someone you want to gift.