Flipping the Kart - an Amazon for India!

I was not a big fan of online shopping, till not so long back. Partially, it was because I was not convinced about banking and making payments online, but partially, it was also because I had some not so good experiences with my initial attempts few years ago.

As a couple of experiences are enough to turn you off, a couple of good experiences are also enough to bring you back. On the recommendations of a friend, I happened to make some purchases on Flipkart.com around a year back. And man, what did I experience!!

Started 4 years back, by two graduates from IIT and later colleagues in US based Amazon.com, they started off with the dream of replicating Amazon in the Indian context. And to a great extent they have been successful at it too. Let me go about highlighting a few reasons why I feel so and why I think they have a bright future.

First of all, they have a vast range of products under offer. Books, Electronics, Gift Items, Mobiles, Computers and accessories and what not! So it makes a one stop shop for people wishing to shop. To add on, prices of most of the products on offer are usually much lower than what you would pay elsewhere. Secondly, the web user interface is simply amazing. Very user friendly and simple, it gives you options to search and filter search options as you would like to. Small things like storing your previously shipped addresses, etc makes your experience something worth yearning for. The interface is also ‘smart’ in terms of keeping a track of what you have searched earlier and also recommending products to you based on your searching and shopping history. Even the payment gateway that’s integrated to make online payments is very reliable. Thirdly, the delivery is lightning fast. Most of the products are delivered on the second day in major cities in India, which I think is simply brilliant. Before you even realize your order is delivered at your doorstep. In addition, they also deliver to smaller cities and towns also, that too reliably. Fourthly, it is complemented with great service support. Right from the time you book your order till the time your shipment is delivered, you have consistent notifications coming your way that keep updating you about the status of your order via Emails and SMSs. Plus there is a 24 X 7 helpline that is always available should you have anything at all. The best part is how they go out of the way to make sure that no customer is left dissatisfied for whatever the reason. They are always active and your queries/complaints/grievances are addressed within 2 hours at any point of the day (or night). And to top it up, when they get the slightest hint of a customer being unhappy, in comes a phone call from a senior executive in the company trying to understand what went wrong and how can that be rectified. Fifth, they also have a very good exchange policy where they assure to take back a product within 30 days, should there be any problems with the product. Now this guarantees the customer of the quality of the product. Amazing. No?

No! That’s not all. One of the most important strengths I guess is that they are continuously innovating. Keeping on adding features that either benefit the customers directly, or help them in the way they do business. I have seen/experienced improvements in the IT systems, improvements in the Supply Chain in terms sourcing the products, warehousing them and then ensuring delivery to the customers at the earliest possible time.

As was recommended by someone else, I too have recommended Flipkart to a lot of my friends. And the reaction has almost always been, “Wow! I am in love with Flipkart” after the first shopping experience.

To what extent have they been able to achieve their goal, nobody other than the founders can perhaps answer. But one thing is sure, Flipkart.com is definitely one of the pioneers in e-commerce and has changed the way people shop. Why would you go elsewhere to shop when you are getting products faster, cheaper and in a much more convenient manner?