Tag Archives: Flipkart

Motorola launches Moto E Smartphone in India for Rs. 6,999/-

Moto E Mobile

Today, Motorola has launched Moto E an attractive and rugged Dual SIM Smartphone in India. The Moto E is affordably priced at Rs. 6,999/- and is available exclusively from the online retailer, Flipkart.

The Moto E Smartphone runs on the Android Kit Kat 4.4.2 Operating System and is built using the Snapdragon 200 SOC. The Moto E has a Dual Core 1.2 GHz A7 Processor, Adreno 302 440 MHz Graphics Processor, 1GB RAM and 4GB Internal Storage expandable up to 32GB using a Micro SD Card. The phone does not have any bloatware which conserves its System Resources. It comes preloaded with Moto Alert and Moto Assist; two useful applications.

The Moto E phone has a 4.3″ IPS 540*960 qHD 256 ppi Display with 24 bit Color Depth for Dynamic Colors, Anti Smudge Coating and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for scratch resistance. The Display is optically bonded for less glare/reflection. The Moto E is coated for resistance against water spills, such as in case of rainfall.

The phone is powered by a 1980 mAh non-removable Battery that is claimed to last for a full day on a single charge.

Moto E has a 5MP Camera on its rear with features such as One Tap Capture, 4x Digital Zoom, Burst Mode, Auto HDR and Panorama mode. The Camera does not have Auto Focus capability and is without an LED Flash.  The user has to touch the screen to focus and capture a picture. Auto Focus would have made photography simpler for first time users and beginners. An LED Flash could have been very useful. Due to lack of Flash, the Camera does not take good pictures in a dark environment. There is no Front Camera either, although it is not used much anyway.

The phone can playback high resolution videos of 720p and can record videos in 854x480p (FWVGA) resolution at 30 frames per second.

Moto E has also has an inbuilt FM Radio. Like most other phones, Headphones are required to use the Radio.

Moto E is equipped with WiFi, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS, a 3.5mm Headphone socket and a micro USB port. Micro SIMs are used in the phone. The phone has an Accelerometer, Proximity and Ambient Light Sensors, a Notification LED and Two front Speakers, above and below its Display. At this time we are not sure whether both SIMs support 3G data or only one SIM can be used for 3G data.

The phone bears the design elements of its sibling, the Moto G and is available in Black and White Colors with more than 20 Motorola Back, Flip and Grip Covers for style and personalization. The phone is a bit heavy at 142 grams.

With a rich feature list and an affordable price, the Moto E is for ‘Everyone’ desirous of an ‘Excellent’ Dual SIM Smartphone at an affordable price.

We believe that the Moto E will attract users intending to migrate from Feature phones to Smartphones and shall give good competition to homegrown mobile brands in the Indian market.

To buy the Moto E Smartphone from Flipkart: Click Here

Homeshop18.com : A Quick Review

HomeShop18.com : A quick review

‘HomeShop18’, India’s leading provider of on-air shopping services, is fast emerging as a leader in the online retail space in India.

A venture of the Network 18 group and GS Home Shopping, Korea (Third largest home shopping company in the World), ‘HomeShop18’  started its 24 hour home shopping shopping channel, ‘HomeShop18’ in 2008 and offered a few brands of Home Appliances, Kitchenware, Mobiles, Cameras, Sports Shoes, Apparel, etc. The company also ventured into the online retail space with its website homeshop18.com.

The original website had a limited number of products and was not the best on all fronts.

I have observed that since early 2012, the site has not only has increased the number of products in its existing product categories  but has also expanded into new and diverse categories like Books, Computers, Office and Stationery Products, Health and Beauty Products, etc. The appearance of the website has also become more attractive and user-friendly.

Helpful ‘Product Demonstrations’ shown on HomeShop18’s round-the-clock TV channel (which airs on DTH platforms, Cable Networks and select TV channels) also provide help to buyers visiting the site in ‘Product Selection’ and ‘Decision Making’.

With new players entering the online retail space every day, new Benchmarks are being set on Product Pricing, Product Quality, Packaging, Delivery and Customer Service. With every online purchase, Customers expect better value for their money and good quality service, which they rightfully deserve.

Homeshop18 is working hard to become the largest player in the online retail space in India by:

  • providing ‘Lowest or Competitive Prices’ for most products sold on its website,
  • providing ‘Brand, Product, Repeat Order and Festival/Season specific Discounts and Gift Vouchers’ on a regular basis,
  • maintaining a ‘Large Catalogue’ of thousands of products across multiple product categories along with millions of titles of books,
  • weeding out ‘Inferior Products’,
  • adding ‘New Products’ on a regular basis,
  • upgrading its website for a ‘Better Customer Experience’,
  • providing its Customers ‘Prompt Updates’ of their Orders and Deliveries via SMS and emails,
  • providing ‘Better Quality of Product Packaging’ for damage-free delivery,
  • improving the ‘Customer Service’ on its 24*7 Call Centre and
  • reducing the ‘Delivery Time’ with self-owned and managed warehousing across multiple locations.

In a nutshell, during 2012, homeshop18.com has appreciably improved its services across multiple fronts, is improving its services further and has become a ‘Recommendable Online Shopping Destination’ for select products.

Most Offers across multiple categories on homeshop18.com get better with the ‘Additional Discount/Gift Coupon Codes’ mentioned on the ‘Product Description Pages’.

To receive the Additional Discount,  upon Check-out, DO NOT FORGET to ‘Apply’ the ‘Discount/Gift Coupon Code’ mentioned on the Product Description Page, wherever applicable otherwise you will lose the Additional Discount.

In my opinion, offering a straight forward discount or automatic application of the discount, wherever eligible is a better idea, as the customer may forget to apply the ‘Discount/Gift Coupon Code’ mentioned on the Product Description Page.

I recommend purchase of the following Products from HomeShop18 :

  • Books,
  • Small Kitchen Appliances, Kitchenware, Cookware, Cutlery, Kitchen Storage Products, etc.
  • Entry Level Point and Shoot Cameras
  • Camera Accessories like Tripods, Camera Cases and Memory Cards
  • Entry Level Mobiles, Select mid-range and high end Mobiles
  • USB Flash/Pen Drives, External Hard Disks and PC Peripherals like Webcams, Speakers, Mouse, Keyboards, Printers, etc.
  • Entry Level Tablets with ‘1 GHz or Higher Processor, Capacitive Touch, Android 2.3/ICS’ costing between Rs.5000/- to Rs.7,000/-.  (For multiple reasons, I am of the opinion that the entry level Tablets available on the market today, do not offer good Performance or a good Display and a long Battery. Most of these Tablets are not good value-for-money products. Good after-sales-service, specially post-warranty service and availability of spares for these Tablets should not be expected. Most of these Tablets would actually end-up as use and throw gadgets like the cheap unbranded Chinese ‘Touch and Dual SIM’ mobile phones available a few years ago.)
  • Select Audio Accessories like Panasonic Headphones and Cables
  • Select Health Care Products from Omron and Citizen
  • Pens, Stationery and Office Supplies

HomeShop18 needs to further upgrade its site by adding more ‘Product Selection Filters’ and ‘Product Comparison Options’ for Consumer Electronics, Computers, Laptops, Mobiles, Cameras and Tablets. Multiple Product Filters and Comparison Tables of Product Features and Specifications help buyers in Product Selection and fast Decision Making. These tools would also lead to more sales for HomeShop18.

For hassle-free purchase of items like Apparel, the site should also offer Fit Guides/ Size Selection Guides and ‘Product Selection Filters’ on Colors, Size, Type, etc.

Few Customers write reviews of the products purchased from homeshop18.com. HomeShop18.com should encourage their customers to write ‘reviews’ about the products purchased and their overall ‘purchase experience’. This would not only help other Buyers but also homeshop18.com in improving its services.

Happy Shopping!

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Homeshop18 beating Flipkart at its own game

IndiaTimes and HomeShop18 heading to be leaders in Online Book Retail

IndiaTimes and HomeShop18 heading to be leaders in Online Book Retail

To match HomeShop18’s lowest Book Prices, IndiaTimes Shopping, the online retail portal of the Times of India Group, is now offering Books at an Additional Discount of 30%.

With HomeShop18 and IndiaTimes offering Books at real low prices, the best time to buy Books seems to be now.

Buyers of Books from expensive online book retailers like Flipkart will regret their purchases and shall be happy to move on to HomeShop18 and IndiaTimes Shopping.

Both HomeShop18 and IndiaTimes Shopping are offering Books across all categories at much lower prices, with excellent packaging and prompt delivery as compared to the online retailer Flipkart. Read more about Flipkart’s higher prices of books in my post: Homeshop18 beating Flipkart at its own game

The Discount Offer from IndiaTimes is aptly titled “Sabse Sasta Book Challenge”.  The details of the Discount Offer can be obtained from this link.

On check-out, use Coupon Code BOOKS to avail the Additional Discount on Books. The Discount is valid on purchases above Rs.237/-. The offer is valid from 30 May 2012 to 1 June 2012.

The Link for the Books Section on the IndiaTimes portal is: http://shopping.indiatimes.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=books

HomeShop18 is also offering an Additional Discount of 20% on their already lowest prices for Books in the market. On check-out, use Gift Voucher Code GC84KPBU413E to avail the Additional Discount on Books. The Discount is valid on purchases of Rs.500/- or higher. For further details about the Discount Offer from HomeShop18, please read my post: Save up to 20 percent extra on your purchases from Homeshop18

Please note that HomeShop18’s prices for Books, even without any Discount Coupons are already the lowest on the market.

To get the Best Value for your Money, before making your purchase, compare the prices of Books on the websites Homeshop18, IndiaTimes Shopping, Flipkart and on the price comparison website, Junglee.

Its Official Now… LetsBuy.com bites the dust

With many online retailers shutting shop between 2010-2012, the casualties of online retail businesses have started appearing in the public domain.

Recently, the online electronics retailer, Letsbuy.com has shut shop and sold its business to another online retailer, Flipkart. Flipkart had announced about the acquisition of Letsbuy.com earlier this year.

I believe no one shall miss the absence of Letsbuy.com due to its limited variety, high product pricing and poor customer service.

LetsBuy customers should hope that the products that they ordered shall  get delivered promptly and the ones which they have already received do not need any customer service from the erstwhile LetsBuy.com or its current owner, Flipkart.

Upon visiting the website of Letsbuy.com, the following closure and merger message is displayed:

LetsBuy.Com Site Closure Message

(Click on Image for Enlarged View)

12 years ago, in India, online retail and other businesses were projected by the techie community, as the next killer idea, the next big thing and were pitched as replacements to old and conventional brick-and-mortar businesses. These gave genuine reasons of concern to many businesses of all sizes.

However, many factors such as :

  • the lack of availability of high speed internet access,
  • the lack of availability of easy-to-setup and affordable e-commerce platforms,
  • the lack of availability of reasonably priced and secure payment gateways,
  • the lack of good supply chain management systems and
  • the lack of skilled workforce with domain expertise in areas such as purchases, warehousing, logistics, operations, accounting, taxation,  sales, customer service, etc.

coupled with:

  • the reluctance of the prospective consumers to buy products online, without seeing, touching, feeling and trying them before purchase,
  • unreasonably high prices of certain products (by certain Sellers with the disbelief that consumers are fools),
  • nominal usage of Debit Cards, Credit Cards and NetBanking facilities by the Indian consumers,
  • lack of effective Cash-on-Delivery systems,
  • very high return rates on Cash-on-Delivery transactions and
  • customers concerns about post purchase services, etc.

did not let those killer ideas and elevator pitches to translate into successful businesses.

A few survivors from that time are the erstwhile Bazee.com (now Ebay India), Rediff.com and IndiaTimes Shopping.

Just like any other conventional business, to become successful, an ‘online retail business’ has to be sustainable as well as profitable. An online retail business must be built with high standards of excellence and with a goal of building long term customer relationships.

Unfortunately, instead of building long term and lasting relationships with their customers, most online retail businesses these days, try to acquire more customers in a short span of time, by focusing only upon short term transaction based associations.

A customer may not like his neighborhood Retail Store, its products, its prices, the professional conduct and customer service. However, due to the limited number of choices available with him in his neighborhood, he may be constrained to buy from the same retail store.

This is not the case while making online purchases. In just a few clicks, the customer can effortlessly shift from one online retailer to another. The originally disappointing brick-and-mortar retailer is at the risk of losing a customer and other prospective buyers around his center of influence for life, in just a few minutes

These days, a new online retailer is appearing on the horizon every day. For most products and categories, the number of online retailers is increasing every day. Any decline in customer service and other commitments by an online retailer can result in the loss of a valuable customer and other prospective buyers around his center of influence for life, in just a few minutes.

Many online retailers have received large amounts of Capital from Domestic as well as Foreign Private Equity Investors. Many of these online retailers have adopted business strategies, which are neither sustainable nor profitable. With transaction based associations, dwindling consumer loyalties, they are at high risk of ending up like LetsBuy.com.

Let’s hope Flipkart does not flip its own kart with its new acquisition and its current non-customer friendly policies and strategies.

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