In India, e-commerce has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Here are eight major things we learnt about online selling in 2014.
Customer satisfaction—Trust and Transparency
As more and more online stores are being set-up, buyers are becoming increasingly wary of overzealous sellers. So, it is essential for the sellers to build a good rapport with buyers and ensure that trust and transparency not only remain as mere policies, but an absolute necessity.
In recent years, the dynamics of online shopping have seen radical changes. For instance, the introduction of services such as cash-on-delivery have succeeded in gaining buyers’ trust. However, with more and more consumers opting to shop online, it is important to take enough measures to retain this trust. Catalogues should be filled with accurate information about the product so that the buyer can make more informed decisions. Caution should be taken not only on the quality of products, but also on the timely delivery of products. It is also important that sellers proactively address customer queries and resolve problems effectively.
Next-day-delivery and same-day-delivery became key differentiators
In 2013, cash-on-delivery service changed the course of online shopping. This gave customers a sense of comfort and convenience shopping online. This demanded additional services that could provide an enhanced shopping experience for online shoppers.
Two new trends began to take shape—Next-day-delivery and Same-day-delivery.
If cash-on-delivery service was an influential factor in making a difference to the online shopping experience, Next-Day-Delivery and Same-Day-Delivery took it up a notch. As e-commerce market evolved, the competition among e-commerce portals grew— satisfying customer’s need for getting the products delivered the next day or on the same day became an imperative.